Page 49 of A Song in the Dark

Rick caught Melanie’s eye. “We’re still working out plans, but I know that Chaisley would like to go back to England.

Back to the manor for a while. At least until we see where things truly stand.

From there, she can help to acquire visas for those traveling from Amsterdam and other areas of Europe while I finish up my work for the SIS, give them the information I gathered, and put in my resignation.

Then I’ll assist her in the rescue work she’s doing.

“Dr. Grafton already has his small team in England working on the visas, but it’s getting harder and harder every day.

He will still have a base here at the manor, but we are unsure how long Amsterdam will stay safe.

Celestia will return to England with us until she is fully strong again.

Two trusted staff members will look after all those who stay.

They know how to hide people if necessary. ”

Melanie nodded and leaned back as the waitress slid three steaming mugs of hot chocolate in front of them. She cupped her hands around her mug, her cold fingers thawing beneath its warmth. Chaisley was right. She wasn’t surprised. Her friend was being wise and thoughtful.

A chill tripped up her arms, scattering goosebumps across her skin. She couldn’t imagine the pressure. Yet her dearest friend had handled it with grace and poise.

Hopefully, she would respond in the same way when Melanie shared her own news.

“I can practically hear your wheels turning from here,” Chaisley teased. “What has you in such deep thought, Mel?”

Well, Lord. That couldn’t be a clearer sign to share my news, could it?

Melanie took a long sip of the rich, hot drink, and gathered her thoughts.

“I am glad to hear you’re ending the tour.

I think it’s smart. And I know that you and Rick are both seeking the Lord as to what He wants you to do with the work we’ve started these last several months.

The network is in place, and I have no doubt Dr. Grafton will keep it running.

Because people will need it now more than ever.

” Her nose stung as tears rushed to her eyes.

Oh, this was going to be more difficult than she anticipated.

Chaisley slid her hands across the table, palms up. “Spill it, Mel. It’s all right.”

Melanie laughed, set her cup down, and grabbed her friend’s hands.

“You’ve always been able to read me like a book without your sight.

Which is incredible.” She sniffed, then plunged ahead.

“I think I want to stay in Amsterdam. At least for now. Help with the families that are in the house. Work with the transportation team, or even get travel documents. This work—with these children and families—has changed me. My heart breaks for them. And while I know I can’t save everyone, I don’t think I can stop trying to help anyone I can.

Besides, Mary Beth and Geraldine are still out there. I aim to find them.”

With a big swallow over the lump in her throat, she glanced at Rick.

“You told me about the Kindertransport . I hate the thought of separating Jewish children from their parents, but I think the best thing we can do for these children is get them out of Germany. And, with God’s help, we can get their parents out as well. ”

A tear slipped down Chaisley’s cheek. “As soon as Rick shared that news, I wondered how we could assist.”

“I’m German. I could get back into Germany and help those children. I just wish...” She left the sentence unfinished.

Silence surrounded their little table. They were all thinking the same thing.

When the Jewish and Quaker community leaders met with the British government to discuss the innocent Jewish children, it felt like a small victory within their small team.

If only they could convince their government to think of all the endangered children.

The ones being hunted down because they were considered less than, the poor young people being sterilized against their will, and worse.

One of their contacts had recently shared what Hitler said to the Nazi Party in Nuremberg back in 1929: “If Germany was to get a million children a year and was to remove 700-800,000 of the weakest people then the final result might even be an increase in strength.”

More tears spilled down Chaisley’s cheeks, which made Melanie’s eyes water and burn.

Oh, how she longed to be stoic and keep the tears at bay.

She wanted her anger to fuel her, to keep her strong.

“I guess I’m saying that we need to part ways for a while.

You’ll be in good hands with Rick by your side.

” She tightened her grip around Chaisley’s hands.

“I’m not surprised to hear you say this. I will confess I worry about your safety. Yet if this is truly how you feel the Lord is leading you... ?” Her friend closed her eyes, her lips trembling in a thin line.

“It is.” Melanie made her assurance firm and clear. “For now, my friend. I hope to return as your beloved assistant one day.”

“Then—” Chaisley sniffed and gave her a watery smile—“you have my full blessing. Not that you need it.”

Melanie tightened her grip once again around Chaisley’s fingers.

“But I want it. I never would have left you alone, Chaisley. Never. You are my dearest friend. The sister I always wanted. But the Lord started to change my heart when I realized you and Rick had feelings for each other. I knew Jesus was showing me that He had other work for me to do. Just like He called you to it before we ever left on the tour.” She smiled at Rick. “You are in the best hands now.”

Rick’s hand covered theirs and he patted Melanie’s wrist. “Thank you for trusting me with your sister.”

Melanie pulled back and grabbed her napkin, wiping at her face. She cleared her throat and looked back up at her friends. “There is one more thing.” Her throat felt thick and she coughed again. Perhaps a sip of hot chocolate would help. Or was it just nerves?

She sipped her drink anyway, then jumped in. “My brother is a Nazi.”

Chaisley’s jaw dropped open.

Rick straightened, his brown eyes wide. “What?”

Melanie nodded, looking down into her drink.

“When Mum and I left, I was seven, I think? Maybe eight. Dad was horrible to my mother. Violent. Abusive. The day she gathered the courage to leave him was the day she first told me the story of Esther. We were brave princesses escaping an evil man who sought to harm us. But the Lord stepped in and saved us.”

Sweat beaded on her forehead. Why was it so hot in this room?

“Oh, Mel.” Chaisley appeared miserable as she shook her head. “No wonder your mother was so kind and so brave. Her courage helped me find my own.”

Melanie managed a smile, but felt it slip as she went on.

“I think after we escaped my dad, she felt like nothing could ever hurt her again. But it shattered her heart to leave my brothers with him. My older brothers I don’t even remember, they were grown and gone by the time I had any memories.

But my other brother, Randall, was only a couple years older than me.

And oh, how he adored our father. He followed him around and became just as mean and ugly with his words as him.

So I avoided him, and it didn’t bother me one bit when we left him behind. ”

Burning clawed up her throat. “I know, it’s awful to say, but I loved having Mum to myself and not dealing with any more yelling... or hitting.”

She turned her face toward the window. What would they think of her now, knowing all this?

“I was too young to understand how it all happened—my mother didn’t share the details with me when I was little—and by the time I was grown enough to understand.

.. she was gone.” Melanie leaned back against the stiff plastic of the booth.

The table fell silent again. She used the moment to collect herself, her emotions, and her scattered and disjointed thoughts.

“I believed my father was dead, because Mum told me he was. But when we were touring in Germany, I kept thinking I saw him. The same angry, stern face that frightened me as a child and haunted my dreams. He was a horrible monster of a man.” She shredded her soggy napkin into tiny pieces.

“It turns out ... the face I kept seeing was my brother’s.

The first concert that Hitler attended, there he was, by the Führer’s side.

It appears that he is now a high-ranking Nazi official, part of Hitler’s inner circle. ”

Chaisley let out a squeaky gasp. “Are you sure? Perhaps it’s just someone who looks like—”

“It’s him. I inquired about his name. And then... and then I sent him a letter.”

Rick leaned forward. “You sent him a letter? That’s awfully dangerous, Mel. Didn’t you just say he’s part of Hitler’s inner circle?” His voice had turned hard, his eyes like steel.

Of course, he had a right to be angry. She’d risked putting them all in terrible danger.

Not to mention, she had done exactly what she’d accused Rick of earlier.

Mum always warned her not to point out the splinter in someone else’s eye when she had an entire tree trunk in her own.

Yes, she’d been hypocritical. Something else to apologize for.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t give him any information—not that he couldn’t find me.

But that concert on August the fifth? I was horrified because hatred was written all over his face.

But then he responded to my letter. He wants to see me. ”

“See you?” Chaisley slapped a hand over her mouth. After a moment she spoke again, this time in a hushed tone. “Melanie, you can not be thinking of seeing him in person! He could hurt you!”

“She’s right, Mel. This puts you in much greater danger. Especially with the work you want to do. How on earth do you think you can meet him, and risk him discovering you help the very people he is sworn to not only hate but destroy?” Rick’s brown eyes were dark and intense.

She understood their shock and horror. More than they knew. Who wanted to accept that someone in their family was a part of one of the most abhorrent political parties in the world? “I don’t know. But I have to try and share the truth with him while I can.”

Deep within her soul, she knew the Lord was prompting her to watch for His will and an opportunity to at least meet her brother one time.

“I know this comes as a shock. And I promise you I will not do anything stupid. I don’t even know if he’ll ever want to see me again after our first meeting.

All I know is I have this urging from the Lord about him.

I can’t ignore that. Even if right now, I don’t understand what it means.

I’ll keep helping with the group here until you all leave for England. But then I’ll head back to Berlin.”

The waitress appeared with their soups and sandwiches. But the savory aromas that had tantalized her stomach ten minutes ago now made it roil.

No one said anything for a long while. They made a show of eating, and finally Rick threw some bills on the table and they piled back into the car.

Once they were settled in the back seat, Chaisley reached out and tugged Melanie close to her in a hug. Melanie could feel the wetness of her friend’s tears dampening her hair.

“I don’t want to lose you.”

The words were muffled against her winter hat. And they warmed her all the way down to her toes.

“I don’t want to be lost.” She hugged Chaisley hard before drawing back. “But I have to do this, Chais. I need to try to reach my brother.”

Yes, the road before her was dangerous, and could possibly end in her losing her life, but she trusted Jesus above all things. “If I perish, I perish.” The words eased from her on a whisper. “Your will be done, Lord. For such a time as this.”