‘Welcome ladies,’ he said in Estonian. His German accent was thicker than my Russian one. He seemed to chew on the words before spitting them out. ‘Thank you for leaving your homes and coming to where you are most needed. I am the manager here. My name is General Hans Burkhard.’ He gestured with his hands at the two women standing a few steps below him. ‘This is my wife, Frau Burkhard. And Hilda, the woman who will look after your children while you stay and work with us.’ I dropped my gaze to study the two women standing near him. Frau Burkhard was at least a decade younger than the general. Her hair, so pale it was almost translucent, was knotted in an elegant bun at the top of her head. She stood so straight I thought her back must be aching, her face immovable as a statue’s. Hilda, by contrast, was plump and wore a smile of welcome. A spotless apron was knotted about her waist.
‘These are the two women who will be your greatest allies during your time with us at Kreenholm. If you have any needs, you may feel free to discuss them with Frau Burkhard, who is used to keeping everything at our factories running smoothly. I fear you will see little of me, as business generally keeps me confined to the offices upstairs. I must apologise that you’ve caught me in such a state of undress.’ He paused to pluck at the sleeve of his half-made suit. ‘It was remiss of me to arrange for my tailor to attend to my clothing this morning. But as you will soon learn, this is a great day for Germany and for all of those who fall under her protection. I simply had to come down to greet you and tell you the news personally.’ His face contorted into a smile. ‘We have just been informed German troops have reached the city of Leningrad.’
I felt my breath snatched away.
General Burkhard nodded as the women exclaimed openly. ‘First Leningrad, then Moscow. Within a matter of weeks, we expect the Russian empire to fall completely into German hands. I trust you will join me in celebrating tonight in the cafeteria where we will indulge in the best quality foodstuffs that can be obtained during such hard times.’ His eyes sparkled. ‘I gather you all remember the sweet taste of vanilla pudding?’
Some women clapped their hands to their mouths.
I could not imagine the taste. All I could think about was the way Olga had described the Revolution to me; the sharp rattle of gunfire, the ashes from burning buildings that caught in her throat and stung her eyes. The people of Leningrad must be terrified. Tonight, the sky would be streaked with red. The city was besieged.
I blinked hard and stared up at the ceiling, trying not to show how the news disturbed me. When I looked down, it was to find Agnese staring hard at me. Outside of the truck, in the light of day, I could see she was not well. Cavernous shadows circled her eyes and her cheekbones strained against her white skin. The green kerchief tied over her hair was obviously meant to conceal the fact that much of it was falling out. There were patches where it was missing entirely.
Fear flared inside me.
I know this woman. But I could not place her. Did she know me? I turned to ask Kati if she remembered seeing Agnese in the street, but Kati and Etti were busy talking about pudding. When I looked back, Agnese had turned her back on me to discuss the siege with her neighbour and I wondered if I had imagined it all.
Money Pattern
Kati
‘I only hope they have enough sense not to house the Russians with the rest of us.’ Agnese scrutinised the dormitory on the second floor of the factory into which we had all gathered. Over the past hour, another four lorries had arrived in the driveway, delivering their passengers before speeding off. Women and tired-looking children had been slowly shepherded up the winding staircase to the residential wing and deposited here, where we all waited for Frau Burkhard to return and assign us rooms. When Agnese’s gaze fell on Lydia she paused. ‘You can’t trust them,’ she went on. ‘They’ll betray us before long, you’ll see. They will defect and run across the bridge to their friends and bring down a terrible hellfire to burn us all.’
Some of the women murmured uneasily. Lydia had looked down at her feet as if she wished she could melt into the floor. ‘Nonsense.’ Jelena Ilves pressed the back of her hand to her sweaty cheek. ‘You’re letting your imagination run away with you. Everyone who is here wants to be here. You’re just cranky and tired. You would be better to conserve your strength for the long hours of work tomorrow. You know how the saying goes – a wolf will not break a wolf. We must work together. Agreed?’
The women around us nodded. I saw Lydia shoot Jelena a small grin. Of course. Lydia had already made a friend. Jelena had been charmed by the openness of her face and the charisma that always seemed to elude me. Still, I was glad that I did not need to defend Lydia alone.
Agnese opened her mouth to retort, but at that moment Frau Burkhard strode back in, Hilda bouncing along obediently in her wake. The women shifted to make way for her, breaking apart then forming a circle around the German woman. Etti scooped Leelo up from the bed on which she’d placed her.
‘Your attention, ladies.’ Producing a clipboard from beneath her thin arm, Frau Burkhard touched the bun on her head, sweeping invisible wisps of hair away from her face. ‘You are to listen for me to call your name and follow Hilda outside to your dormitories. These are the rooms you will share with six of your companions for the duration of your stay.’
‘Six?’ Agnese glanced around in disbelief at the small space into which we had all somehow managed to squeeze. ‘I hope we are not expected to share beds, too, with perfect strangers.’
Frau Burkhard’s cool smile did not change. ‘No. Of course not. But we simply don’t have the staff to clean room after room, so resources have been combined. You will get to know each other soon enough.’
‘What about the women who have infants?’ Agnese shot a quick look at Etti. ‘How can we be expected to catch enough sleep to perform our duties when we are disturbed by the wailing of children?’
Frau Burkhard waved a hand dismissively. ‘Hilda will take care of them. In fact, it would be good for the children to get used to the nursery now, seeing as that is where they will be staying. Please bring your children forward.’
Nobody moved.
Frau Burkhard tapped her clipboard with sharp fingernails. ‘Don’t be shy, now. It’s for their own safety. The machines in the factory are dangerous. They must be supervised.’
Slowly, the women moved to obey her. A young mother led her son and daughter to Hilda and kissed their cheeks before stepping away.
I saw Etti hesitate, her arms curved protectively around Leelo’s body.
My throat tightened. Moving close to her, I placed my hand reassuringly on her back. ‘It’s all right,’ I told her quietly, beneath the voices of the other women instructing their children to listen, to behave and do as Hilda asked. ‘It’s only temporary. Remember? Just until…’
I let my words trail off, but Etti understood my meaning anyway. As soon as Oskar sent word to us, Etti and Leelo could be together again.
Etti nodded. ‘It’s just temporary,’ she murmured in the baby’s ear. Kissing Leelo’s pale hair, she passed her into Hilda’s waiting arms. Leelo gave Hilda an appraising look with her clear blue eyes.
‘She has a bottle every three hours,’ Etti told the German girl. ‘Please make sure she’s not left alone. She rolls everywhere.’