expected her to act a specific way and if she failed to do so he’d punish her. Ida had taken great pleasure in explaining how those reprimands would go too. She had no reason not to believe the maid so she’d paid attention to everything Ida said. “I’ll do as you directed.”
“See that you do,” he said firmly. “Now go. I have work to do, and you’ve disrupted me enough.” He had no respect for his daughter. When he was done with her, he acted as if she was no longer in the room. Anya wished she could make it better for Ana somehow. Maybe it would be after she started helping the Jews in Germany.
Anya nodded and turned to leave the room—not that Edward Wegner noticed. She didn’t have anything else to say to him anyway, and she had to ensure her plan went off without a hitch. It helped that her fiancé was gone…even if she was disgusted by what kept Dierk Eyrich occupied. She would use that to her advantage, along with his knowledge of the camp if she could manage it. She could act sweet and innocent to lure him into speaking about things he shouldn’t. Anya wasn’t an actress, but how hard could it be?
She went down the hall and headed back to her bedchamber. Now that she had permission, she had to prepare for the evening. Starting with her gown. After she knew what to wear, she would prepare a bath and have a good soak. It wouldn’t be a fun evening, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t look and feel pretty.
Chapter 4
The bath had been wonderful. Anya felt renewed and ready for a night at the opera. She sat at the vanity and dressed her hair in what she hoped was a fashionable style for the time period. If she were in her own body, her hair wouldn’t be nearly long enough for any elaborate styles. Her hair color was similar to Ana’s, but that was where it ended. Ana had long, honey-blonde hair, and Anya’s is more of a shoulder-length, burnished-blonde. She supposed the blonde hair worked well for Ana’s father. With the Nazi belief of the Aryan race being superior, she definitely looked the part... Not that she found that fact particularly appealing, but with all things she would use what she could to her advantage.
With her hair done, it was time to finish dressing. She’d been careful to pick a dress she wouldn’t need Ida’s help with, thankfully most didn’t require her maid’s assistance. Anya despised the woman and wished she could dismiss her and find a new maid. She didn’t know how Ana managed to deal with her every day. Perhaps Ana had realized it would be easier for her if she didn’t need Ida to assist her and ordered them that way. Anya couldn’t be certain. She wasn’t well acquainted with 1930s fashion.
The dress she’d chosen to wear was a delicate, embroidered, blush pink mesh over a matching silk lining. It was elegant and ethereal with a sultry scoop neckline and buttoned down the side. The embroidered mesh split toward the bottom of the hemline, giving it a luxurious appearance. Anya loved it. Sometimes it felt good to dress up and go out. She hadn’t done anything so extravagant in ages. Now that she didn’t have much choice and was far from being herself, it felt silly that she’d worked so hard and forgot what it was like to play a little.
She finished her ensemble with a pair of pink and white two-tone T-strap heels. Anya sighed and took one more look at herself in the mirror. She still couldn’t resign herself to looking at another person instead of herself. Maybe after she did a few good deeds she’d earn her way back home. She didn’t belong in this era and she didn’t want to experience the Holocaust first-hand. This was a nightmare she couldn’t wake herself from.
Satisfied with what she saw in the mirror, she grabbed her white fur wrap and put it over her shoulders, tying it in place with the silk ribbon, then left the sanctity of her bedchamber. It was the only place she felt remotely safe, and even there, Ida intruded more than Anya liked. Arthur Jones would be waiting for her, and she hated being late. She hoped he was not irritated that he had to attend the opera with her.
The performance would be all in German, and she knew very little