Page 26 of A Song in the Dark

She mentally went through the upcoming calendar.

They would spend a couple weeks traveling around the country here and performing more than two dozen concerts, then they would head back to Austria for one more.

It was one invitation she couldn’t decline.

To do a private concert at Mirabell Palace in the Marble Hall.

She’d accepted at the last minute before they’d left London.

Of course, if she’d had any idea then that the Anschluss was about to take place, she’d never have agreed.

Even so, she’d return. Maybe she’d be able to speak to Dr. Grafton’s contact in Salzburg one more time.

She’d been to the Mirabell Palace as a child with her parents and could still remember all the gold trim, inlays, and ornamentation in the room.

Massive arched windows had giant circular windows above them.

Even though she wouldn’t see it again, she could picture it as it had been.

It would be a delight to play the piano in a place with so many memories of Mum and Dad.

But ... who would the private audience be?

A shiver made the hair on her arms stand up.

After Salzburg, they would head to France and Belgium, and then they would go into Germany.

Her stomach twisted. It really was the lion’s den.

They were only scheduled to be in Germany for one week before heading into a lengthy tour in the Netherlands, then it would be back to France for a month, Spain a month after that. They had two weeks off and then dove right back into more concerts in Romania, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia.

She was tired just thinking about it all.

A week in Germany wasn’t much time to find Mary Beth and her mother. But it was also an eternity to spend in the lair of the beast.

Several taps sounded on the door to the room connected to hers. “Come in.”

“Good morning. I’ve brought Rick with me and some pastries.” Melanie’s cheery voice still sounded a bit forced.

“Pastries sound great, but what’s wrong? Don’t even try to argue with me. I know your voice.”

Melanie’s huff was very unladylike. “Nothing’s wrong, per se, just something we need to discuss. I hate it that you can hear every intonation. I simply wanted to start the morning off happy.”

“Well, don’t try so hard next time.” Chaisley laughed along with her friend.

Rick sighed, and it sounded like he took a seat across from her. “Tell me, are you two like this all the time?”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

More laughter.

“I’ve never had sisters, so this is a new experience for me.”

“Have a pastry, Rick. And don’t act like you haven’t seen us like this before. You’ve observed us closely for the past few weeks.” Melanie’s voice had lightened. No forced cheeriness.

Something touched Chaisley’s hand.

“Here.”

The plate was cool against her skin.

“It’s a croissant on the left with Swiss cheese at one o’clock, strawberries at three o’clock, and, of course, some Swiss chocolate at five o’clock.”

“Perfect.” A scritchy noise from Rick made her cringe. “What are you doing, Rick?”

A light chuckle floated toward her. “Sorry, I didn’t realize my fork would squeak like that.”

But it was Melanie’s full-blown laughter that caused her to wrinkle her brow. “What’s so funny?”

“You should see his plate. He’s separating and arranging his food the same way.” Her friend continued to giggle. “Don’t shrug at me like that, Rick, it’s sweet.”

“Just trying to think about what it would be like to live with blindness. And it’s good for me to practice these things so I can help her.

Like you.” He obviously shoved a bit of something into his mouth because he took a few seconds and then she heard him swallow.

“Melanie, you arrange your plate the same way. I’ve watched you do it for weeks. ”

Chaisley’s eyebrows arched as her heartbeat ticked upward. He was thinking about her? She plucked a strawberry from her plate and took a bite. It wouldn’t do to start grinning like an idiot. And he probably didn’t mean anything romantic by it. It’s not like he was in love with her.

But that he would even think about what life was like for her spoke volumes about the kind of man he was.

Melanie cleared her throat. “Force of habit. I do everything the same way Chaisley would do it. You know by now that life with Chais is a precise art. Steps. Food. Directions. Descriptions.”

“I’m learning and I’m always impressed.” The deep timbre of Rick’s voice warmed Chaisley’s insides.

“Chaisley is more talented than I at everything—except, of course, driving. But you never know, she could very well be better at that too.”

Their voices harmonized together in laughter. It was nice to feel a bit relaxed and ... normal. This. This was why people tried to ignore the horrors of the world.

“Seriously, every meal I manage to get something on me. While she’s always as pristine as can be. I haven’t seen her bump into anything yet, and I tripped over my own feet this morning.”

Rick’s laughter was masculine and deep. Genuine and warm, like a cup of hot chocolate.

Enough . It was best to stop thinking about him. A blush rose up her neck and into her cheeks. “You haven’t seen me on a bad day. Just wait.”

“They’re few and far between.” Melanie’s fake whisper only caused the blush to deepen.

A knock at the door brought a welcome reprieve.

“I’ll get that.” Rick’s tone was steady. A plate clinked on something. He must have set it down and she listened closely to his footsteps. It only took him twelve to reach the door.

He opened the door. “Yes?”

“ Grüezi . This came for Miss Frappier, sir.” A man spoke in Swiss German.

“ Danke. ” Rick’s tone was firm.

The door shut, and Chaisley heard the lock move into place as well. His footsteps came closer until she could smell the lingering scent of his shaving cream. “This is for you.”

“Here, I’ll read it for you.” Melanie shifted beside her.

“I believe it’s in braille. I could feel it through the envelope.” The seat across from her made a slight swishing sound as Rick sat.

Chaisley ripped into the envelope. It was indeed in braille.

She set down her dish and smoothed out the paper on her lap.

Then she read it. A smile grew as she continued toward the end.

“It’s from a small group of blind students at the music school we visited yesterday.

They wanted to thank us.” She paused and her smile slipped.

“And to ask for our help. Their teacher is Jewish and is leaving soon. Within the week. She advised them and their parents that it would be best for them to leave the country as well.”

Melanie placed a hand on Chaisley’s shoulder. “How many are we talking about?”

Her fingers flew over the page and her heart clenched as the reality of what was happening sank in. “Twenty students. About half of them are Jewish. All are blind, some from birth and the others from sickness or accidents.” Her breath left her in a whoosh. “Can we help that many?”

“How much longer are we here?”

Rick must be writing on paper. She could hear the scribbles of his pencil.

“Two weeks.”

Melanie patted her shoulder. “I’ll call Dr. Grafton right away.”

She nodded. “That’s probably best. Then we’ll need to get in touch with his contact. They’ll need visas and a safe place to go.”

Amsterdam—Monday, May 23, 1938

“Celestia, I have an idea.” Dr. Grafton removed his spectacles and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“I’m listening.” She studied him. The man was tired.

They’d spent the last thirteen days doing everything in their power to get visas, travel arrangements, and accommodations for the blind students and their families.

Many of those days, he’d stayed up well past when she’d given in to exhaustion and gone to bed.

A couple of times, she’d found him still at it in the morning.

He rubbed his face and replaced his glasses.

“I just received word from a friend in South Africa. I think he might be able to assist in getting these families visas there for a long-term option after the students and their families journey here. Afrikaans is another form of a West Germanic language. It’s closer to Dutch than German, but the Swiss German is different anyway.

If these students and their families know their language well, it will help them overcome a lot of the pronunciation differences. ”

“That’s a great distance for these people to travel.” She tapped her fingers on the desk. “Costly as well. It will most likely need to be a permanent relocation.”

He held up the letters in his hands. “From the sounds of what the parents have written, most of them are hoping for something permanent. They haven’t felt an immediate threat in Switzerland, but they’ve heard too much from Germany and feel it encroaching on them.

They don’t think they’ll be safe in many places in Europe.

If they’re going to travel, they’d rather go farther from the threat while they can.

” He grimaced. “Which, I have to admit, I think is a smart idea.”

She leaned back. “I hadn’t thought about that.

Tensions are high, and every diplomat I’ve spoken to here will give us a visa to get them here, but then they are pushing to make sure they move on once they arrive.

I wonder if they’re telling us everything, and I can feel the fear underlying their tones.

I also have friends in the United States.

Perhaps we should think about that as a destination as well? ”

“We should. Make the inquiries to get us started. The more safe avenues we have, the better our chances as things escalate.” His face was a bit haggard. The past few months had aged him.

Celestia reached out a hand and patted his shoulder as she stood.

“God willing, everyone’s eyes will soon be opened to what’s really happening.

Let’s just do the best we can each day. As Chais ley travels, I’m sure there will be more and more who we will need to help.

Especially when she heads into Germany.”

His shoulder tensed under her hand. Had she laid another brick on his already heavy load? “Does that worry you as much as it does me?”

Her grimace—no matter how fast she covered it—couldn’t be missed.

“If I were still in England and not here? I would be far more worried and yet less concerned all at the same time.” She couldn’t bear to hold his gaze so she turned to the window.

“There? I would be far away and hearing the rumblings with nothing to do but twiddle my thumbs and worry. Here ... I know far more and am entrenched in my own work to help. But I also know that God has called us to this. I can’t deny the work He has called Chaisley to and the hope she can share. But if anything happens to her—”

“I have to keep pushing those thoughts down because I tend to get too worked up and angry.”

Bile rose in her throat, hearing her silent fear echoed in the doctor’s voice. Oh God, have we done the right thing, involving Chaisley? Melanie? She glanced down at Dr. Grafton and sighed. “That is what keeps me up at night.”

He remained silent for several moments. “If I think too much about the consequences, I want to whisk her away someplace safe and keep her there until all this is past. I’m not even sure we will all live through this, but I know that Jesus is waiting at the finish line so we must soldier on and do what we can.

” He nodded and took a sip of his tea. “I should probably take a short nap since I haven’t been getting much sleep.

Then I will make some more calls. But first.

..” He caught her gaze right before she refilled her own cup.

“But first, what?”

“When are we going to discuss your plan?”

“What plan?” The man was entirely too astute for his own safety.

“Celestia, you’re going to need my help. So tell me about the hidden rooms.”