seizing hold of him, she pulled him in close, kissing him fully on the mouth, and with the skills she had learned in her training, picked his pocket. Quickly, she placed the capsule in her mouth and bit down hard.
Marcus stepped back in panic, realising instantly what she had done. He looked bewildered, as if he was trying to figure out what she was doing and how this was part of their plan.
She continued, ‘I understand, Herr Vonstein, that you need to kill me, to execute me for my crimes. But I want you to know…’ she lowered her voice and looked right at Marcus, ‘I regret nothing,’ she whispered tenderly. Then, for everyone’s ears, ‘I die for my king and country, and I am proud of the work I performed here.’
Vivi tried not to gag as she swallowed down the burning liquid. The taste was putrid as it permeated and burned, searing its way through her body. She stared at him, wanting his face to be the last thing she would see.
He must have seen the agony on her face, by the look of horror upon him, but then his face registered with the utter desperation she would die. She was forcing him to continue the work, not giving him a choice. Vivi saw it in his face, saw the recognition of what she’d done.
As the excruciating pain racked through her body, it took her breath away, and, in agony, she shouted out to him, her last words in French. ‘Remember the swallows!’ And she hoped he knew what she was trying to say to him and that he would remember her favourite story.
He looked at her with shock then, appearing to realise her plan that if he didn’t shoot her, she would die an agonising death and it would be clear she’d committed suicide by the cyanide tablet and there would be questions. It left him with no alternative. She watched his hand shake as he lifted the barrel of the gun and pointed it at her, the anguish palpable on his face, but her eyes showed him only love. She didn’t even feel the pain from the bullet that slammed into her skull, as she crumpled to the ground and her world became black.
38
Present day
The following morning Sophie and Alex were ushered into a parlour. It was like stepping back in time, an age gone by. Elsa Strauss was obviously a woman of wealth; gilded pictures and heavy furniture, dark and imposing, anchored the room. A young woman who introduced herself as Chloe, Miss Strauss’s granddaughter, came through to speak to them.
‘Oma can see you now. I will warn you, she gets tired quickly, but she has been eager to speak to you since she knew you were coming.’
Alex and Sophie went into the bedroom. Inside the four-poster bed, the tiny figure of a woman seemed almost out of place in all of this grandeur. She wore a white lace cap, and her eyes were closed. In hushed reverence, they approached the side of the bed. Chloe nodded to them and touched her grandmother’s arm.
‘Oma, they are here.’
Feather-like, the older lady’s eyelashes fluttered on her cheeks before her eyes slowly opened, and she took a minute to focus on her ceiling and then each of their faces.
As they drew closer to the bed, Sophie could hear that the elderly woman’s breathing was raspy and rattled through her lungs as though any one of the breaths could be her last. Chloe brought in two chairs so they could sit by her side. Alex looked across at Sophie apprehensively.
‘This is Sophie Hamilton,’ continued Chloe, in case she needed to refresh her grandmother’s recollection. ‘And Alex Vonstein.’
The woman stared at Sophie with great tenderness and then, flicking her eyes towards Alex, she shook her head. ‘You two should not be together. It is not right. History mustn’t repeat itself.’
Sophie glanced at Alex, who shook his head at Sophie with dismissal.
Sophie drew closer to the bed so she could hear her clearly. ‘Miss Strauss, do you know why we are here?’
The woman’s eyes were closed again, as if the pain of seeing them together had overwhelmed her. When she finally opened them, they were watery and thoughtful. ‘You are Vivi’s great-niece.’ She stated more than asked the question. She stretched an arthritic hand towards Sophie, and the younger woman took it in hers.
‘You knew my great-aunt? She went by Vivi?’
Miss Strauss nodded. ‘Vivi, she was such a spirited person, but too