“Are you serious?” she demanded, her steaming cup of coffee forgotten on the table before her. “You really think they’re coming?”
“Why do you seem so surprised?” Evelyn asked, raising her eyebrows. “You heard what Kristian said last night.”
“Yes, but it’s one thing to debate the possibility and quite another to have it confirmed by the embassy,” she replied, sitting back in her chair and exhaling heavily. “We’ve heard these reports before, but they were never accurate.”
“I think this time they might be,” Evelyn said slowly. “There are too many of them now. There has to be some truth there.”
Anna pressed her lips together.
“If the Germans are coming, and I’m not saying I believe that they are, then we’re completely outnumbered,” she said slowly. “They’ll roll right in, and it will be a complete disaster. Our government hasn’t prepared for this, and our army is certainly not ready to take on the Wehrmacht.”
Evelyn was silent. They both knew that if Germany invaded, Norway had no chance of surviving without the immediate aid of England and France. Evelyn knew that England already had ships on the way, and now it was simply a race to see who reached Norway first: England or Germany.
“You can’t possibly consider continuing,” Anna continued after a moment, her dark eyes probing Evelyn’s. “If you really think there’s something to all these reports, you need to get out of Norway.”
“I can’t, not until I’ve done what I came to do.”
“Don’t be stupid, Marlene!” Anna exclaimed, lowering her voice hastily when it came out louder than she intended. “You can’t continue to try to recruit people for a network in the middle of an invasion. It’s suicide!”
“I agree, but an invasion hasn’t begun yet, and it may not,” she pointed out. “Just because I think it’s likely doesn’t make it so. We need to prepare for it, but I also need to continue working until I can’t work anymore.”
Anna shook her head and reached for her coffee.
“You’re absolutely insane,” she muttered. “But if I can’t convince you, I’ll have to help you. What do you have in mind?”
“I need to contact London,” Evelyn told her, leaning forward, her voice low. “I don’t want to go through the embassy. It’s too risky.”
“Then how are you going to...” Anna’s voice trailed off as understanding lit her eyes and she smiled slowly. “Of course. Our new friend with the radio.”
“Actually, I was thinking more of the one here in Oslo. I don’t have time to go back to Drammen, as much as I would prefer to use Kristian.”
“What if he won’t do it? It’s entirely possible that he won’t want to have anything to do with any of this.”
“Then I’ll have to go back to Drammen,” she said with a shrug.
Anna sighed and drummed her fingers on the table thoughtfully.
“I’ll go round to their shop on Uranienborgveien when we leave and speak to Peder,” she finally said. “He’ll remember me, and with Kristian’s recommendation I may be able to work something out. I’ll tell him I have a friend who needs to send an urgent message to England and see if he can help.”
“I’ll come with you.”
Anna shook her head.
“No. It’s best if I go alone,” she said, holding up her hand when Evelyn looked as if she would protest. “Be sensible. If the Germans are indeed on their way here, the last thing we need is you making yourself known all over Oslo. If Peder is willing to help and seems predisposed to be sympathetic to the idea of using his radio in defense of France and England, then I’ll bring you to him. But if he isn’t, then the only one compromised here is me.”
Evelyn frowned in displeasure but didn’t argue. She couldn’t. Anna was right. If an invasion was imminent, the less people who had actually seen her and could identify her, the better.
“Very well,” she agreed.
“Good,” Anna said with a nod. “If he’s willing, then I’ll come get you and we’ll go together. If he’s not, I’ll contact Kristian and arrange for you to meet with him. Perhaps he can meet you halfway.”
Evelyn looked across the table at her friend. After a moment, she set her cup down.
“Anna, we need to discuss what you will do if there is an invasion,” she said slowly. “You can’t stay in the city. If the Germans come, so will the SS, and they already have you on their radar.”
“I know.” Anna met her look and smiled faintly. “If that happens, I will leave Oslo.”
“Where will you go?”
“North. If we’re invaded, there’s no way we can hold out for long. Norway will fall. If I go North, there are places I can hide until I can change my appearance. I’ll change my name and continue on.”
“Continue on doing what?” Evelyn pressed. “The embassy will close and Carew will leave Norway. You’ll be out of a job.”
“I’ll be out of that job, yes,” Anna agreed. “But if we are invaded, believe me when I say there will be other opportunities. You’re not the only one willing to fight for your country.”
“You’re talking about a resistance.”
“Yes.”
Evelyn was silent, studying the other woman. If the worst happened, and Norway was occupied, having Anna in a resistance movement would be something that MI6 could make good use of. With her skills in translation, she would be a huge asset to have already in place.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I was just thinking that any resistance movement would be very lucky to have you,” Evelyn said with a quick smile, finishing her coffee. She wasn’t about to tell her what she was really thinking. There would be time enough for that if an invasion really did occur. “While you talk with Peder, I’ll send a message to the embassy and tell Carew that I’m staying in Oslo for the time being.”
“Are you sure I can’t talk you out of it?”
“Yes. I’ll worry about
