The Sisters of St. Croix (42 page)

As she emerged into the kitchen there was a thunderous pounding on the front door, the doorbell pealing and a loud voice shouting. “Open up! Open up!”

Four minutes, or at the most five since Mother Marie-Pierre had hurried the Auclons away from the cellar. What had she done with them? She’d said the chapel, but Adelaide knew that would be as thoroughly searched as anywhere else. She drew back from the hall, her mind racing as she considered the various places she might hide, and finally ducked into the refectory. There was nowhere to hide in the stark room, so Adelaide left the door ajar and stood behind it to watch the hall through the crack.

A minute later lights flooded on and Sister Celestine appeared at the head of the stairs, dressed in an old blue dressing gown, a shawl thrown over her head. She stumbled down the stairs to the door, and, as another tattoo commenced on the outside, began to draw back the bolts and the great chain that secured the door for the night.

The moment she slipped the chain, the door was flung open, and she was knocked backwards as Colonel Hoch strode into the hall, ordering his men to search the building.

“And bring the reverend mother to me,” he roared, as the soldiers who had flooded in behind him fanned out round the building.

“Good evening, Colonel.” The voice was quiet and steady. “What is it you want that you disturb us in the middle of the night?”

The colonel looked round and saw Reverend Mother, standing at the mouth of an inner passage, looking at him, unflinchingly. He strode across the hall.

“Want? I’ll tell you what I want. I want whoever you are hiding here, that’s what I want.”

“Hiding?”

“Don’t play the innocent with me, woman,” snarled Hoch. He turned to the men who were at his back, and snapped at them. “Search the place, every cupboard, every corner. Get them all out of bed.” He turned back to Reverend Mother. “Why aren’t you in bed asleep like all the others?”

“I was in the chapel, keeping watch with Our Lord,” Mother Marie-Pierre replied calmly.

“In the chapel.” Hoch’s eyes bored into her. “Right, I’ll start there. Show me the way.”

Mother Marie-Pierre inclined her head graciously, as if she had a choice. “Very well, Colonel. Please follow me.” She turned back down the passage and, with the colonel hard on her heels, led the way through the convent to the chapel. When she reached it, Hoch thrust her aside and flung the door open. The chapel was in darkness except for the flickering candles on the Lady Chapel altar and the red glow of the sanctuary light above the high altar. Hoch turned abruptly. “Turn on the lights,” he ordered, and stepping round him to the switches on the wall Mother Marie-Pierre switched them on. The electric light flooding the chapel seemed harsh after the softer light of the candles, and its brightness revealed one of the sisters, lying face down, cruciform on the floor in front of the altar.

“What’s she doing?” demanded Hoch.

“Penance for her sins,” replied Mother Marie-Pierre. “She will remain like that all night in atonement.”

“She will not,” retorted Hoch. He stepped forward and prodded the prone figure with the toe of his boot. “You, nun, get up.”

The nun got shakily to her knees and then to her feet, and stood with downcast eyes, her hands folded into her sleeves.

“What’s your name?” demanded the colonel.

The nun did not reply, and the man shouted. “Answer me! Are you deaf?”

“No, Colonel,” Reverend Mother intervened. “Sister Angelique is under a vow of silence until she has finished her penance. Wait outside the door, Sister,” she added. “The colonel wants to search the chapel.”

Sister Angelique gave a tiny bob and went out into the corridor.

The colonel began his search, and when he reached the vestry he gave a cry of satisfaction as the opened door revealed a priest kneeling at a prie-dieu.

“And who is this, lurking in the vestry? Come out here where I can see you properly. Name?”

“Father Yves Belvoir,” replied the priest.

“And what the hell are you doing in a convent chapel in the middle of the night?”

“Preparing to say Mass for the sisters first thing in the morning,” stammered the priest nervously.

“Father Yves is a visiting priest,” Mother Marie-Pierre said.

The colonel stared at the priest for several moments, taking in the short cassock and the worn-out shoes, then he strode to the door of the chapel and called in the two men who were waiting in the passage.

“Strip this man,” he said, his voice icily calm, “and see if he is a Jew.”

The men grabbed the priest and without hesitation ripped at the cassock, pulling it open to reveal the threadbare trousers and dirty shirt which were concealed beneath it.

“Wait!” Hoch’s voice was a whiplash. The two men stepped back and waited. “Not very well dressed for a priest, are you?” Hoch remarked, touching the grubby shirt with a fastidious finger. “Take off your trousers.”

The priest hesitated and Hoch spoke again, his voice soft and threatening. “Take off your trousers, you snivelling little Jew, and we shall all see the proof of what you are.”

“Colonel, this is the house of God,” protested Mother Marie-Pierre, and then gasped as she saw that the order was being backed up with the colonel’s pistol.

“Then we’ll take him out into the hall. We’ll divest him of his clothing in the recreation room. Then all the sisters will see that they’ve been harbouring a filthy Jew.” He turned to his men. “Take his trousers off and bring him to the recreation room. Let’s give them all a thrill.” He laughed and his men laughed with him, as they ripped off not only the tattered trousers, but the ragged underwear underneath, leaving Joseph Auclon standing clad only in his shirt, his genitals clearly visible.

Mother Marie-Pierre averted her eyes as if to preserve the man’s dignity, but he had none left; his humiliation was complete. Hoch regarded him with contempt and the soldiers sniggered at the pathetic creature they had revealed.

“This is the man you were hiding,” Hoch said to her. “This scum. Don’t look away, Reverend Mother.” Hoch emphasised the word Reverend. “It’s too late for that. All you nuns shall look at this piece of shit before we take him away, so that you know what a Jew looks like. So that you won’t make the same mistake again. So you won’t mistake a snivelling Jew for a Catholic priest. Follow me.”

Hoch strode out of the chapel, followed by the men leading Joseph Auclon, naked below the waist, his arms pulled hard behind his back. Stunned, Mother Marie-Pierre followed, unable to do anything else. She had known there was little chance that Joseph and Janine would not be discovered, but she had done her best in the few moments that she’d had. She saw Janine, Sister Angelique, standing in the shadows, and reached for her hand, pulling her gently along behind her. The best place to hide her now was among all the other nuns. They would know she didn’t belong, of course, but Mother Marie-Pierre thought she knew her sisters well enough to be sure that no one would give the woman up to the Germans.

When they reached the recreation room, they found the nuns already gathered there, rounded up by Hoch’s soldiers. There was an audible gasp as Joseph was led into the room and made to stand on the dais at the front. Almost as one they turned away, covering their eyes, and Mother Marie-Pierre was able to push the terrified Janine into the room beside Sister Marie-Marc.

“Look after Sister Angelique,” she hissed. Sister Marie-Marc, wide-eyed, nodded and stepped in front of her, so that she was concealed from direct view and became just another nun.

Hoch looked round the terrified gathering. “Is this all of them?” he demanded of his sergeant.

“All but one, sir. A bedridden one, who’s off her trolley.”

“Bring her down. I want her here.” He looked across at Sister Marie-Paul. “You,” he said. “You run the hospital, don’t you?”

“I am in charge of it, yes,” Sister Marie-Paul replied, “under Reverend Mother of course.”

“Ah, yes, Reverend Mother. Well, she’s no longer in charge of anything. She will be coming with me.” His eyes roved the frightened faces in the room. “I warned you, all of you, that if I found anyone else hidden in your damned convent I would make an example of two of you. Clearly your reverend mother was well aware that this Jew was hiding in the chapel, dressed in the garb of a priest… a holy priest of God. Where did those clothes come from, I wonder? No doubt Reverend Mother will tell me… in time.” He paused to allow these words to sink in. “And now we have to decide who else will pay for this…”—he gestured to Joseph Auclon who still stood in front of them—”this piece of foolishness. Reverend Mother, you have defied me and have sheltered enemies of the Reich. Another of these nuns must pay the price… so who shall it be?” He walked over to where the novices were cowering together. “One of these young ladies? My men would surely enjoy entertaining one of
them
. Or this old bag,” he pointed to Sister St Bruno who at that moment arrived carried in by two burly soldiers and was dumped unceremoniously on the floor. “Or what about the one who was doing penance? She could do her penance in prison in Germany. Where is she? What was she called now? Sister Angelique?”

“But we haven’t got…” Sister Marie-Paul’s exclamation, distinctly heard, died away in the silence.

“Haven’t you now?” remarked Hoch. “Well, that is interesting. We’ll have a roll call. It appears to me that there are children missing as well. We understood that there was a whole family of Jews to be found. Where are those children I wonder?” He looked across at Mother Marie-Pierre again. “No doubt Reverend Mother will tell us that… in time… as well.” He pointed again to Sister Marie-Paul. “You,” he said, “you seem to have some commonsense. You will point out this unknown Sister Angelique to me… because if you don’t I will send
all
your novices down to the barracks in Albert and let my men have some fun with them.” The threat hung in the air, and Sister Marie-Paul’s eyes slid round the room, looking at all the sisters gathered there. Sister Marie-Marc stood firmly in front of “Sister Angelique”, but there was no point. Sister Marie-Paul saw her at once. “She’s over there,” she said softly. Hoch followed the line of her gaze, and then pushing Sister Marie-Marc roughly aside grabbed hold of Janine Auclon and dragged her forward.

“So she is,” he said gently. He ran his eyes up and down her body. “No obvious way to determine if she’s a Jewess,” he said. “Not like with her husband, but we could perhaps have a look anyway.” And he raised his hand to the neck of her habit.

There was an explosion of rage and Joseph ripped himself free of the hands that still restrained him, flinging himself at Hoch, reaching for the colonel’s throat, his fingers grasping, gripping, gouging, until he was dragged away once more, his arm forced so high behind his back that he screamed in pain. Colonel Hoch, shaken by the sudden attack, quickly recovered his dignity and barked out. “Take them away. I’ll deal with them later.” The soldiers dragged both Auclons out of the room, and Hoch turned to face the nuns once again. Several of them were openly weeping, others were white-faced with fear, no one spoke. Sister Marie-Paul stood erect a little apart from her sisters, across the room from her superior, and Sister St Bruno lay in a heap on the floor at her niece’s feet. Ignoring the colonel, Sarah bent down to her aunt and whispered, “Are you all right?”

Sister St Bruno nodded. “Just a little bit bruised,” she murmured. “Don’t worry about me, Sarah.”

Hoch summoned more men and told them to take hold of Mother Marie-Pierre. “And another,” he began.

“Take me,” cried out Sister St Bruno, “I’ll go.”

“Shut up, old woman,” snapped the colonel, aiming a kick at her. “No one would take you anywhere.”

“I’ll go,” said a voice behind him, and Sister Marie-Marc stepped forward. “If you are determined to arrest two of us, I’ll go. I knew they were here.”

Hoch gave a contemptuous laugh. “You’ll do. Take them away.”

Two soldiers grasped the two nuns by the arms and unceremoniously hustled them from the room. As she was forced out into the hall, Sarah heard her aunt cry out, “Courage, Sarah, God is with you. Evil shall not prevail!” She began to chant, “‘Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff comfort me…’.”

Some of the other sisters began to murmur the psalm with her, and Hoch, who was following them out of the recreation room, turned back to where Sister St Bruno still lay crumpled on the floor.

“I told you to shut up,” he growled, and with great deliberation he kicked at her head. His jackboot connected with her skull with a sickening crack. The murmuring of the psalm ceased abruptly as, without even glancing down, he turned and once again strode from the room.

Hoch deposited all his prisoners in the cells at the gendarmerie, where Mother Marie-Pierre had visited Sister Eloise before she was taken away. The nuns were put in a cell together, but they had no sight of the Auclons.

“What will happen to us now?” asked Sister Marie-Marc fearfully.

“We shall be questioned, I expect. They’ll want to know where the children are.”

“Do you know?”

“No.” Reverend Mother knew it was vital that Sister Marie-Marc should think that neither of them knew where the children had gone.

“Where is Adèle?” asked Sister Marie-Marc, a little querulously.

“I don’t know, Sister. Safe, I pray. All we can do now is commend them all to the Lord’s care.”

Together the two nuns knelt on the floor of the cell and began to pray, their voices in unison as they, too, began chanting the psalms. A bellow for silence from the guard outside went unheeded as they continued to call on their Lord.

Adelaide had known there was very little chance of evading capture, but she had remained behind the refectory door in the hope that she might be able to slip out through the hall if it were left empty. She almost made it. Two soldiers had pushed the door wide, striding into the refectory and switching on the lights. One began searching beneath the tables that stretched the length of the room, while the other had climbed up onto the dais and peered behind the lectern where the nun on duty would read during meals. Neither was watching the door, and Adelaide edged her way round it. She was almost into the empty hallway when the man on the dais looked up and saw her. With a shout he was after her, chasing down the length of the room, knocking chairs aside as he came, his mate right behind him. As they pelted out into the hall, Adelaide sprinted down the corridor. A soldier emerging from another door reached out to grab her, but with a short, sharp punch to his solar plexus that left him doubled up and gasping, Adelaide evaded him and dashed into the kitchen, slamming the door behind her. It gave her the few seconds’ respite she needed.