Her palms tingled. She shoved them between her knees. British intelligence would be furious to lose part of their golden couple, and Barrett would be left with the fury aimed directly at him.
Shame prickled her heart. She didn’t want to leave him in trouble, but he had to know this was no place for her. Every day she and Ellie remained in France put him at risk, and the guilt of that was enough to stop the breath in her lungs. It was better for them all if she and Ellie left for England as soon as possible.
“Calm yourself, now.” Barrett gently pried her hands out and held one between his own, his strong, steady pulse reassuring. “You’ll need all the rest you can get before our grand performance.”
Kat snorted. “Grand performance, indeed. Likely to be our last.”
“Scoff all you like, but it’s not every day the enemy gets invited to Hitler’s home for the weekend.”
Chapter 12
So this was what Nazi mecca looked like. Cream, salmon, and buttery buildings in the medieval style with traditional Bavarian timber roofs lined the impeccably swept streets. Flower boxes overflowing with trailing ivy and red alpine geraniums perched on windowsills. The magnificent snowcapped mountains of the Obersalzberg rose like a majestic ring around the town as a warm breeze fluttered the Nazi flags draping from each building.
“Welcome to Bavaria.” A grinning Eric pushed his way through the smartly dressed Nazi citizens and soldiers on the platform. He clutched a dozen blood-red roses to his chest. “I got here an hour early to make sure I didn’t miss your train.”
Rushing to Ellie, he leaned down for a kiss, but she turned her face to catch it on her cheek. She didn’t move to take the flowers. “Hello, Eric.”
Slightly deflated, but determined, he juggled Ellie’s two small vanity bags and roses under one arm while tucking her gloved hand into the crook of his other. “I have a car waiting outside to take you to the hotel. This way, porter.”
Barrett gathered his and Kat’s things and fell in behind the porter and his trolley of Ellie’s trunks. “Think he remembers we’re here too?”
“Nope.” Not that she cared much at the moment. She felt sick to her stomach, and it had nothing to do with the stale baguette she’d eaten on the train.
“Berchtesgaden is famous for its salt mines. There’s even a brine lake that you can paddle across.” Eric chatted away as the porter loaded the trunks into a black auto. Packed and ready to go, they climbed into the back with Barrett sitting up front next to the uniformed driver. It was a short drive to their hotel, but it seemed an eternity. When the wheels finally slowed to a stop, Kat’s ears felt ready to burst from Eric’s persistent prattle.
The Berchtesgadener Hof was a long, four-storied building with a cream exterior and wrought-iron balconies. As with all of the other buildings in the town, a proud red-white-and-black flag flew from the roof.
“I’ve reserved rooms for you on the top floor because they offer spectacular views of the mountains.” He handed out their keys, not quite letting go of Ellie’s. “You’ll have the same room the Duke and Duchess of Windsor stayed in. You did tell me you’d met them.”
Ellie slowly took the key and nodded. “Once. Not long after they got married.”
Poor man. Kat almost felt sorry for him. Almost. “Come on, Ellie. We should freshen up after that long ride.”
They started for the stairs, but Eric caught Ellie’s arm. “Can I speak with you?” His eyes flicked up to Kat and Barrett. “In private.”
Ellie hesitated, but nodded. “I’ll meet you in the lounge in ten minutes.”
Kat shoved her luggage into her room before walking next door to Ellie’s. It took up the entire south corner of the floor. Pale-yellow walls, gleaming oak floors covered in deep-blue rugs, colloquial paintings, and a massive canopied bed were a statement of wealth and charm. Red and pink roses in crystal vases sat on every available flat surface. Chills ran over her heart. All the beauty in the world couldn’t hide the true ugliness festering in this Nazi lair.
“Mine looks like a matchbox compared to yours.”
Ellie shrugged and dragged aside one of the damask drapes at the balcony. “He’s trying to impress me.”
Pulling the hat pin from her straw hat with its navy ribbon, Kat stepped to an oval mirror and fluffed the hair around her shoulders. Travel was never easy on