“This is everyone,” the contact said. “I’m sure most of you guessed this is about the Skoda Works. They’re turning out more panzers now than ever before. Tomorrow night you’ll blow up two railroad bridges on the Berounka. You’ll be two teams of three. They have guards stationed at either end of the bridges. Two of you will take out the guards, and then the third will plant the explosives. We’ll meet tomorrow just before dark.” He looked at Anton. “You remember the house where you left Mr. Martinek?”

  “Yes, I remember.”

  “You’ll pick up Jakub and Erik on your way.”

  The heavy-set man shook his head. “There will be reprisals. None of us can forget Lidice.”

  “There may be reprisals, but this won’t be viewed as seriously as the killing of the Reichsprotektor. And this is only the first of several planned events. How many of us can they kill?”

  “Even one is too many.”

  “The destruction of the bridges will save lives. Not Czech lives, I’ll admit, but it will help the Allies. Whatever we feel about it, we have our orders. And you’ll be given final orders tomorrow evening when we meet again.”

  “If we’re through, I’d like to leave first,” Anton said. He walked out shortly after and returned to the apartment. Tereza was delighted with the clothes and wanted to try them on immediately. They decided on the suit, as the days were getting cooler now and she might need it for the warmth. The shoes were a little large, but they’d work with a little engineering. Anton kept the rings in his pocket. He’d save those for the ceremony.

  He couldn’t bear to destroy her excitement by telling her of his assignment. He would only hope he’d survive so their plans could be carried out.

  CHAPTER TWENTY- SIX

  The contact was the only person present in the living room of the farmhouse when Anton arrived with Jakub and Erik. The man handed him a book. “Have you heard of the poet Pablo Neruda?”

  “No. Was he a relative of Jan?”

  “No. He was from South America and had a Latin surname. I don’t remember what it was, but he took the name Neruda because he admired Jan. He was a Communist, but I think you’ll enjoy his poetry, nevertheless. You can keep the book—I bought it for you from a friend who needed money. Best to keep it hidden, though.”

  “Certainly, I’ll keep it hidden. I keep all my books hidden, since it’s difficult to know what’s forbidden and what isn’t. It was very kind of you to get it for me.” He put the book in his knapsack, and they settled down to wait for the others. He had told Tereza that he had to be away for the night, and she hadn’t asked questions; she simply had the look of concern on her face that he’d seen several times before.

  Alek came from the back of he house and joined them, and the heavy-set man arrived shortly after with the tall stranger Anton had seen only at the house on Skolska Street.

  “Anton, you and Erik will take Alek with you. He knows the way. You and Erik will take care of the guards, and Alek will set up the explosives. He needs to load some supplies into the trunk of your car. Bela will take the others in his car.

  “We want the blasts to go off at the same time, at midnight. Let’s synchronize our watches. It’s now nine-seventeen.”

  Anton’s watch showed nine-seventeen, and he wound it, just to be sure it would keep running. He couldn’t help wishing Jakub were on his team rather than Erik. He realized this wish was selfish, but could he be blamed for wanting the best chance of surviving the night? On the other hand, he knew Erik’s weaknesses and hoped he could anticipate problems.

  They left in the Rosalie with Bela and the others following in a truck that Anton hadn’t been able to identify in the dark. Alek directed him through the hills along country roads heading west just north of Pilsen. The headlights of the truck disappeared as they neared the Berounka.

  “Turn in here,” Alek said.

  Anton drove into a lane that led to a house. There were no lights on.

  “It’s okay. We can leave the car here. It’s about a mile to the bridge. We’ll have to walk the rest of the way.”

  Alek took a large knapsack from the trunk and slung it on his back. They all carried boxes. Alek led them past the house and around a ridge through a heavily forested area. Once out of sight of the road, he took out a flashlight and showed the way.

  After a while Anton could hear the river ahead. Alek turned off the flashlight. “No more noise,” he said. “Anton, there’s a path on the right that leads down to a footbridge across the river. You take that and come up behind the guard on the far side of the river. Erik will take care of the man on this side. Drag the bodies to the center of the bridge and come back here to wait.”

  Drag the bodies . . . Anton had been avoiding thinking about what he was about to do, but Alek’s words brought him back to reality. He had killed the Gestapo officer in the Rosalie because he felt he had to do so in order to save their lives. Now he was going to sneak up behind an unsuspecting guard and plunge a knife between his ribs and deep into his chest. He reminded himself that the guard would kill him with no hesitation at all, given the chance. And slowing down the shipment of tanks from the Skoda Works undoubtedly would save lives somewhere.

  He made his way down the riverbank, counting on the sound of the rushing water to cover any noises he made. He found the footbridge with the help of the halfmoon and walked across, holding the railing in case there were rotten boards underfoot. When he reached the other side, he started up the embankment, first through heavy weeds and then over the large gravel that formed the foundation for the railroad.

  Above him, seated on a rail, he could see two figures. He swore under his breath. The smaller person, seated to the left of the guard, was a girl. Where in the devil had she come from? He could see the lights of a farmhouse about a mile downstream. She must have walked from there. She’d be screaming and would alert the other guard when he killed her companion. Then he heard a shot.

  The guard and the girl stood up, looking toward the other end of the trestle. Anton knew he had to act and then try to figure out what had happened at the other end. He finished climbing the embankment with the knife in his hand. The guard was still staring at the other end, obviously trying to figure out what was happening, but the girl turned and looked at Anton. He curled his left arm around the guard, covering his mouth with his hand, and slid the knife through the thick fabric of the man’s jacket and on into his chest. The guard sagged against him while making gasping noises in his throat. The girl screamed. Anton twisted the knife as he pulled it out.

  “Go home. Get out of here,” Anton whispered. He was suddenly angry with her for consorting with the enemy. “Don’t ever do anything like this again, do you hear?” She nodded and stumbled down the track, sobbing, until she was out of sight in the darkness.

  He didn’t want to look at the guard, because he was probably very young if he was anything like the girl. He felt for a pulse; there was none. He couldn’t see the other end of the trestle and decided it would be best to go back across the footbridge and up the other side.

  When he climbed the embankment on the other side, he could see two figures lying on the ties between the rails. Both were silent, with no movement. He could see the knife in the guard’s throat glinting in the moonlight. He reached for his arm and felt for a pulse, but there was none. He turned and knelt by Erik.

  His chest was covered in coagulating blood. His hand reached toward Anton. Anton took him in his arms. “Hang on. We’ll get you out of here and get help from Dr. Havelka.”

  “It’s too late. Tell my parents . . .” He could say no more.

  “I’ll tell them you’re a hero.” Anton felt Erik go limp, and his breathing stopped. Anton sobbed and held Erik close. “I’ll tell them you died a hero.”

  Tears were still running down Anton’s cheeks as he retrieved Erik’s knife and dragged the guards to the center of the trestle. He put Erik over his shoulder and made his way down the embankment and through the woods to the spot where they had parted with Alek, who wasn’t there. Anton leaned Erik’s body against a tree and sat down beside him. Alek would be setting up the explosives. Anton looked at his watch and saw that it was twenty minutes till midnight.

  It was two minutes after when he heard the explosion. He couldn’t help wondering if it was worth it, losing Erik and with reprisals sure to follow.

  #

  He left Erik’s body in the trunk and walked to the door of his parents’ house. When he took Alek to the farmhouse where he lived, the lady of the house had insisted they clean the blood from Erik’s body and dress him in clean clothes. She insisted Anton do the same, and she kept the bloody garments to use in some future venture, he guessed. His legs felt like lead as he approached the house.

  Erik’s father answered Anton’s knock. “I regret to tell you that Erik was killed last night. If it’s any consolation, your son died a hero.”

  The man was looking at Anton with a mixture of hatred and fear on his face. “Where is his body?”

  “In the trunk of the car. I’ll bring him in for you.”

  “I’ll carry him to the house. Get out, and don’t ever come back here.”

  As he drove toward Prague, Anton could think of nothing but the consolation he’d find in Tereza’s arms.

  #

  The message said, “Meet contact Ceske Budejovice lobby Grand Hotel Zvon. Seven pm Saturday. Contact phrase are you enjoying the hotel.” They had five days. Tereza was reading over his shoulder. Also in the book were all the documents she’d need for traveling to Ceske Budejovice.

  Anton laid the papers aside. “Let’s get married tomorrow morning. I think we should take the train to Ceske Budejovice immediately after. We can go directly to the station from City Hall. We’ll stay at the Grand Hotel Zvon and have a short honeymoon before you have to go.”

  She looked as if she might cry at his talk of going, and she didn’t say anything for a moment. Then she smiled. “I’d love that. An actual honeymoon.”

  They packed that evening, using the small suitcase Teta Adelka had given him and Tereza’s knapsack. She’d need to take that with her on the plane. When they woke up the next morning, they dressed quickly and went to City Hall. The man who had issued their license came in with another employee from his office to witness the wedding. Anton stood at Tereza’s side and tried to forget the war, the resistance, the turmoil of his life. She was all that mattered at the moment, and he would make the most of it. They hurried to the train station when the ceremony was over and made it just in time for the train to Ceske Budejovice.

  Gestapo officers checked their documents and found them satisfactory. “It’s lucky that Prague is full of pretty blondes,” he whispered when they were alone in their compartment. “You’re the prettiest one of all, of course.”

  She snuggled against him. “I’m determined to make the most of our time together. I’m determined not to cry.”

  #

  They sat in the lobby of the Grand Hotel Zvon and watched the fountain splashing in the square. At seven o’clock a woman approached and sat down beside Tereza. “Are you enjoying the hotel?”

  “It’s lovely,” Tereza said.

  He hadn’t expected a woman, who now looked at him and said, “You’ll have to tell her goodbye now. She has to leave with me.”

  “I’m going with her as far as I can. I assume she’s flying out?”

  The woman was reluctant to give him the information, but finally said, “Yes, she’ll be flying.”

  “I’m going with her to the field. I want to see her get on that plane.”

  “My orders are to take her, and that you’ll be staying here.”

  Other people had caused enough complications for him in this business, and now it was his turn to cause some. “She’s not going unless I go with her. Then you will bring me back here, and I’ll leave from here tomorrow morning to go back to Prague.” Of course he didn’t mean that. She had to get out, regardless. It was a bluff.

  “Okay, then you’re going.”

  Tereza patted his hand. Now she was near tears. She was wearing the wedding suit.

  “I have some warmer clothes in the truck that you’re to change into when we get to the field. Do you have everything you want to take with you in the knapsack?

  “It’s all in here. We’re ready to go.”

  They walked to the rear of the hotel, where the woman had parked an ancient and dusty Praga AN. They climbed aboard the truck, and the woman drove a few miles to a landing field that had been cleared in the middle of the woods. It reminded Anton of the one where she had landed, except this one didn’t have a tree in the middle. It was dark by the time they arrived, and four torches burned on each side of the field. Tereza had changed into long underwear under boy’s jeans, and she was wearing a sweater with a parka over it.

  They kissed, and their driver turned away to give them a private moment. They heard the Lysander a few minutes before it arrived. It landed with only feet to spare. The three of them would have cheered, but they were cautious about making noise. The pilot managed to turn it, and they all walked to the end of the runway. Anton and Tereza kissed again. “I’ll try to send you food,” she said. “I’ll be back so fast when the war ends . . .”

  “I’ll be waiting for you. Be safe. Don’t worry about food; just take care of yourself.”

  “You too. I love you.” She climbed into the plane and the canopy closed over her.

  CHAPTER TWENTY- SEVEN

  General Bill Donovan was even more imposing in person that he was in the photos she’d seen of him. He looked through a folder, which she assumed was hers, and then looked up at her. “We appreciate the work you did for us in Prague. It’s a shame it had to end so soon, but you did what you had to do. The keys you took when you left are proving to be most useful.” He leaned back in his chair and smiled at her across the desk. “I hear you’re married now.”

  She was surprised that he already knew this. “Yes, sir.”

  “For the time being we’re going to keep you here at headquarters, in the Research and Analysis Division. Your language skills make you a valuable asset for us, both in the field and in the office. There’s a young woman who’s living in a two-bedroom apartment on Dupont Circle, where you stayed before, and we’ve arranged for you to share with her for the time being. It’s within walking distance.”

  Alexandra—she was back to thinking of herself as Alexandra—left OSS headquarters with all the necessary security documents she’d need for reporting to work the next morning. She walked to the address Gen. Donovan had given her and was pleased with the neat appearance of the row house. She was directed to the second floor by a lady who was sweeping the hallway of the first. She knocked on the door of apartment number three on the right side of the hallway and got no answer. Her roommate wasn’t home. She let herself into the apartment with the key the general had given her.

  The apartment was neat but sparsely furnished. The first bedroom she looked into had an ornate silver mirror, comb and brush set and a blue bottle of Evening in Paris cologne on the dresser. She closed the door and checked the other room, which had an empty dresser, a bed, and a night stand. She unpacked her few belongings and put them in the dresser drawers. She’d need to shop this afternoon for a couple of outfits that would do until her mother mailed some clothes.

  A window across from the foot of her bed looked out onto the circle, and she drew back the lace curtain. If only Anton were here with her at this window, looking out onto the beautiful circle and sharing the apartment with her, life would be perfect. Everything she heard or saw reminded her of him; it was useless to try to shake the longing that nagged at her constantly. It would be with her till she returned to Prague.

  CHAPTER TWENTY- EIGHT

  Three weeks had passed since Tereza’s departure, and Anton was missing her more than ever. He was resigned to staying busy, if not with underground affairs, then at the office. Even though his law practice had dwindled since he joined the underground and began neglecting his career, he had enough work to keep his mind occupied, at least during the daytime. It was the evenings that took him to near despair, wondering how long the war would last, wondering whether either of them would survive it.

  He tried to dwell on the positive news he’d had in the last three weeks. Both railroad bridges had been blown up, bridges on the route that carried tanks from the Skoda Munitions Works to the German front. He had gone to the Kolkovna the day after and found Jakub back at work. All three members of his team had survived.

  He heard even better news when his contact called him for a meeting at the Café Slavia. The man was reading a paper, and he put it down when Anton approached. Was it word that Tereza had arrived safely in Washington? He had refused to let himself consider any other possibility since he had been summoned to the meeting the day before.

  The contact motioned for the waiter. “Please refill my coffee, and bring some for Mr. Janak.”

  Anton sat down. “Any word about Tereza?”

  “You’ll be happy to hear that she’s in Washington, in an apartment, and she’s going to be working at headquarters for the time being.”

  Anton put his hands over his face, and tears seeped out from under his eyelids. He brushed them away. “Thank God.” He barely had control of his voice.

  The waiter was approaching. “I have nothing else for you at the moment,” the contact said, “so let’s relax and enjoy our coffee.”

  They had discussed the poetry of Pablo Neruda, which Anton had read since the contact gave him the book. Anton had wondered from the beginning whether his contact was a Communist, and he became surer of it all the time. The fight against the Nazis had made strange bedfellows, but this was something to be sorted out when the war was over.

  #

  He had walked by Tereza’s apartment twice since she had been gone. They had discussed the loss of her bicycle and lace tablecloth. Now Anton decided he’d try to retrieve the items. The rental had been made in the name of his law firm, and Tereza had given the address of another older apartment building when she went to work at the palace, so there was no reason to think the Nazis would know about the place—unless someone had followed her home, that is. Anton had terminated the rental agreement on the phone; now he decided he should try to remove her things from the apartment before the month was over.