The Sisters of St. Croix (23 page)

“You,” he said coldly, “what is your name?”

“Sister Clothilde,” came the whispered reply.

“Well, Sister Clothilde, remember this.” His eyes roved the room again to ensure he had their full attention. “
All
of you remember this, I shall be watching you. We have already found one escaped Jewish prisoner in hiding here. I have removed her and the nun who was with her. From now on, I shall take a sister for every fugitive I find here… in the hospital… in the convent.”

There was an audible gasp, and Hoch smiled grimly. “Exactly,” he said. “One nun for every one I find. This,
sisters
,” he stressed the word, “is no idle threat. I mean every word of it. People who work against the Reich do so at their peril.” He smiled again into the stunned silence that greeted his words. “So, we shall leave you now. Please remember what I have said.” Turning on his heel, he strode out of the door.

An outburst of talk followed his departure, but Sister Marie-Paul did not quell it as she would usually have done. She, too, hurried from the room. She was horrified at what the colonel had said and she wanted to speak with him before he drove away.

Hearing her footsteps behind him, Hoch paused in the hall. “Well?”

“I just wanted to assure you, Colonel, that I had no idea we were harbouring any escaped prisoners in the convent.”

He gave her a long cool look and she hurried on. “It is not for us to become involved with the world outside our door. This is a house of prayer. This is where we serve God by healing the sick and praying for their souls.” Hoch still said nothing, and anxious to get her point across, Sister Marie-Paul continued. “You can be sure that such a thing will never happen again.”

Hoch’s lip curled. “Can I, Sister? And what happens when your reverend mother returns from her trip to Paris? Will she agree with you, I wonder?”

“Of course she will,” Sister Marie-Paul said stoutly. “She will have only the best interests of the community at heart.”

“And if she does not? Will I hear about it, I wonder?” His eyes bored into her face. “From someone who
does
have the community’s interests at heart? I should certainly take note of anyone who was helpful in such a way.”

Sister Marie-Paul did not reply, but a look of understanding passed between them before he turned away again and she ventured just one more question.

“And Sister Eloise?”

“I shall be speaking with Sister Eloise,” he replied brusquely, and without another word strode out to his waiting car.

Sister Marie-Paul watched him go. Standing in the empty hallway she looked out over the countryside spread below. She had lived here, in this convent, since she had entered at the age of eighteen. Her family had encouraged her, knowing that it was unlikely that such a plain girl with no dowry would find a man to marry her, and she had never returned to her father’s house. The convent had become her home and her life; now thanks to the new reverend mother, it was all under threat. But Colonel Hoch had made Sister Marie-Paul an offer; the safety of the convent in return for information. As she considered this, she realised he had offered her more than a chance to keep the community safe from further German attentions, he had given her a lever with which to remove the upstart English woman who had leapfrogged her in seniority to become Reverend Mother, leaving Sister Marie-Paul with responsibility only for the novices. She had resented it at the time, and her resentment had grown as she saw the way that the new reverend mother exercised her authority with the least dictatorial and confrontational attitude that had ever been seen in the convent. Governing by consent was not the way Sister Marie-Paul would have set about the job. She would have stamped her authority onto the community in no uncertain manner, and no one would have dared to query any of her decisions. There would have been no general discussions, like the one to decide the fate of Margot and Marthe Lenoir. Sister Marie-Paul would have handed them over to the German authorities and kept the convent safe. Now, with threats from the SS hanging over them, would be the perfect time to undermine the reverend mother’s casual attitude, and oust her from her position.

Her chance to save the convent and to become its superior was approaching, and Sister Marie-Paul was determined not to miss the opportunity. She got to her feet and returned to the recreation room where all the nuns, undismissed, awaited her.

“Sisters,” she said, “this has been a frightening afternoon for all of us. The Germans have gone now, but have taken Sister Eloise with them. I have, of course, spoken to the colonel who was here, but he says he will deal only with Reverend Mother. So, there is nothing more we can do until she comes home to us. In the meantime, we must all go about our duties in the normal way. When Reverend Mother does return, it will be I who will tell her what has happened here. I will explain, so please ensure, Sister,” Sister Marie-Paul turned her gaze on Sister Celestine, “that she is told I need to see her the moment she gets home. You will not tell her why. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Sister.” Sister Celestine sounded nervous as she gave her assurance. “Quite understood.”

Sister Marie-Paul gave her a tight smile. Sister Celestine had acted as her eyes and ears in the convent before and could be relied upon. “Good.” Sister Marie-Paul rose to her feet, dismissing them all. “Then back to work, all of you. We have a hospital to run.”

Mother Marie-Pierre seemed unruffled as she went to her office, but she sensed that something serious had happened in her absence, something that had clearly shaken the white-faced Sister Celestine, and she wondered what on earth it could be. She wished she had time to go up to see Aunt Anne and discover more before she had to face Sister Marie-Paul, but she knew that really would enrage the novice mistress. She wondered, too, if something had happened, why it was Sister Marie-Paul who was asking to see her, and not Sister Eloise, her official deputy. It was not long before she found out.

“Arrested! Sister Eloise?”

“Yes, Mother,” replied Sister Marie-Paul, looking grim. “The Germans came and took her away, with a Jew who was hidden in the convent, hidden in your cell, Mother.” Her voice was accusing. “You must have known she was there.”

“Of course I knew,” snapped Mother Marie-Pierre. She had got to her feet and was pacing the room, her palms pressed together as if in prayer. “But that doesn’t matter now. Start from the beginning,” she instructed, as Sister Marie-Paul seemed about to interrupt. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

Sister Marie-Paul described the arrival of the Germans, their simultaneous approach from back and front of the convent, the ruthlessness of their search, the harshness of their officer.

“Not Major Thielen?”

“No, a Colonel Hoch. When they found the escaped Jew with Sister Eloise, he had them both taken to his headquarters in the village. Then he called us all together and threatened us with what would happen if we sheltered any more runaways.” Sister Marie-Paul repeated the threats Hoch had made. “The whole convent was put at risk by sheltering this fugitive. She could have been a criminal for all we knew about her. I gave the colonel an undertaking that it would not happen again.” She stared defiantly at her superior, as if challenging her to disagree, but Mother Marie-Pierre did not take up the challenge. “Sister Eloise?” she asked, simply.

“I asked about her, of course,” replied Sister Marie-Paul, “and the colonel said that he would be interviewing her at his headquarters.”

“And this all happened the day before yesterday?”

Sister Marie-Paul nodded.

“And you’ve heard nothing since?” Mother Marie-Pierre tried to keep the incredulity out of her voice. “You’ve done nothing since?”

Colour crept up Sister Marie-Paul’s neck into her cheeks. “What could I do?” she demanded fiercely. “What can anyone do?”

“I’ll go and see Colonel Hoch,” said Mother Marie-Pierre tightly, her anger at the novice mistress’s complacency almost exploding. How could this woman have simply left her sister to her fate? “I’ll see him and find out where she is.”

“What about the sisters here?” asked Sister Marie-Paul. “Shouldn’t you speak to them first? They were all very afraid when the Germans searched the convent. They need your reassurance that it won’t happen again.”

“The sisters are quite safe for the present,” Mother Marie-Pierre replied, “they will understand that I must go and find Sister Eloise straight away.”

“If only I had known that she was nursing an escaped prisoner, I might have been able to save her,” Sister Marie-Paul said pointedly. “How did the woman get into the convent? Why weren’t we told she was there?”

“I found her in the yard and brought her in,” replied Reverend Mother evenly. “Sister Eloise came to look after her when I asked her to. It was unnecessary to involve anyone else.” She made no mention of the part played by Sister Marie-Marc or Sister Henriette, there was no need to arouse Sister Marie-Paul’s anger further.

“If I may say so, Mother,” Sister Marie-Paul’s eyes glowed with righteous indignation, “Sister Eloise is now in danger because you chose to interfere in matters that do not concern us here. The Germans being here have nothing to do with us.”

“You may say so,” replied her superior more calmly than she felt, “but I would remind you, Sister, that we are called to heal the sick and help the afflicted, and the woman I found was clearly both.” She opened the door to show that the interview was now over. “I shall go down to the village straight away to see what is happening. In the meantime, please carry on as usual. At supper you can reassure our sisters, and tell them where I am and what I am doing. I will speak to them all when I get back, if it is not too late, or in the morning if it is.”

As she hurried down the path to the village, Mother Marie-Pierre considered what had happened in her absence. She had no illusions about the raid. Once Hoch had seen she was safely out of the way, he had searched the convent again, not, she thought, because he expected to find anyone there, but to demonstrate his power. Finding the hidden woman must have been an added bonus and he used it to ensure that the nuns were afraid, afraid enough not to offer shelter again to anyone in hiding. With Sister Marie-Paul at least he had succeeded. She said she had given him an undertaking that they would not help fugitives in the future. Mother Marie-Pierre did not consider herself bound by that undertaking, but she knew now that she could no longer trust Sister Marie-Paul. The earlier divisions among the sisters about the fate of the Lenoir girls would be deepened now and those who considered Sister Marie-Paul was right would form a faction. There had always been factions within the community, it was inevitable, but Mother Marie-Pierre had sought to reduce the friction between them by her open discussion of issues that affected them all, and she had felt that she was beginning to make progress. Now all that would be at risk again. However, such problems were secondary at present, the most important thing now was to try and get Sister Eloise released. She thought about the injured Simone and sighed. She knew that there would be no saving her from the clutches of the Gestapo.

Dusk was falling when she reached the village, but she went straight to the German headquarters where a few chinks of light escaped from badly blacked-out windows. One of the sentries outside demanded her business and when she asked to see Colonel Hoch, he left her waiting in the square while he went in to enquire.

Hoch had heard that she passed through the village to the convent and was expecting her visit. However, he was in no hurry to deal with her; he decided to let her wait and wonder. It was another of his favourite tactics, a way to increase fear and anxiety so that when the time came for interview he already had the upper hand. “Tell her to wait,” he snapped. “I’m too busy to see her now.”

The message was relayed to Mother Marie-Pierre and she was shown once again into the tiny room that had once been the office of some minor clerk in the Mairie. She sat patiently, her rosary comforting in her fingers as she prayed for Sister Eloise and for herself, that she might find the right words to say when she finally got to see Colonel Hoch. She understood only too well why she was being left there and was determined that the tactic should not succeed. The familiar ritual of the rosary soothed her as she waited.

It was another two hours before she was shown into Hoch’s office, by which time she was cold and stiff and in need of a bathroom.

Hoch did not offer her a seat, he simply regarded her from behind his desk with cold eyes. Mother Marie-Pierre stood perfectly still and did not speak. At last Hoch spoke. “Well?”

“I have come to find Sister Eloise.”

“So I assumed. She is in a cell at the gendarmerie… being interrogated.” Hoch’s face was almost expressionless. “She was harbouring an enemy of the Reich.”

“She was nursing an injured woman,” Mother Marie-Pierre said quietly. “It is her calling.”

“Then she will be carrying out her calling elsewhere in future,” Hoch said coldly. “As she wishes to look after such people, it has been arranged. She will accompany her patient to an internment camp.”

Mother Marie-Pierre stared at him in horror, and he saw that he had finally pierced her calm façade. “To an internment camp? But Colonel, have you no respect for her cloth?”

“It is because I respect her cloth, as you put it, that I am not having her shot,” he replied coolly.

“Shot? For nursing an injured woman?”

“An enemy of the Reich,” he repeated. “And, as I am sure you have already spoken to the nun you left in charge at the convent, you know that I have warned her, warned all of you, what will happen if such incidents occur again. You are the reverend mother, it is your choice.” He stood to show that the interview was over, but Mother Marie-Pierre, her mind racing, stood her ground.

“May I see her?” she asked quietly.

Hoch shrugged. “If you wish. She will be leaving in the truck that’s coming through in the morning. Schwarz! In here!” He barked the order through the open door and the guard outside came rushing in.