“Something like that.”
“And why is England so interested in helping the people of Norway?” he asked.
Evelyn’s lips twisted dryly. “England is interested in anything that will help her win the war.”
Olav was silent for a long moment, then he sighed.
“If the Nazis come to Oslo, I will have more problems besides this,” he finally said, waving towards the equipment in the room. “I have been very outspoken in the past about my political leanings, and the Nazis don’t tolerate communists.”
Evelyn raised her eyebrows. “You’re a communist?”
He nodded. “Yes. So, you see, this places me in a rather awkward position.”
She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I’m not sure that it does,” she said slowly. “What do your political leanings have to do with aiding your fellow countrymen?”
“Is that what I would be doing?” he asked her softly. “Would I be aiding them, or the British government?”
“Both, but the immediate benefit would be to Norway. If the Germans invade, and it really does seem likely that they will try at some point, the only hope will rest with your people. They will have to be the ones to resist.”
Olav was silent for a long time, his lips pressed together into a thin line. Evelyn watched him, unable to read his expression. He was clearly in two minds over the proposition, but she had no idea which option he would choose.
“And Peder?” he finally broke his silence. “Is he also lending his support to this scheme?”
Evelyn shook her head. “Not yet,” she said. “He doesn’t want to oppose his government until there is no other choice. If there is an invasion, then he will use his radio to help us. Until then, he remains neutral.”
Olav’s lips twisted. “That sounds like Peder. Always practical and loyal to what he perceives as the right thing.” He was quiet again for a long moment, then he sighed. “Peder will be invaluable if there is an invasion. His skill with radios is exceptional.”
“Just as yours is with this,” she said softly.
Olav smiled. “I am one of the best in the city,” he agreed, “but there are others. I am not the only one. However, they might not even consider this. What you’re asking isn’t just for me to provide identification for enemies of the Third Reich, but for me to risk my own freedom and life to do so.”
“Yes.”
They were silent, staring at each other. Evelyn couldn’t say anything else. He was right. That was exactly what she was asking of him. It was up to him whether or not he felt the cause outweighed the risks. After what seemed like a very long time, Olav exhaled and straightened up, dropping his arms to his side.
“I will do it,” he decided. “Tell Anna that she can come to me, and we can arrange it. Unlike Peder, I see no reason to wait. I believe it is only a matter of time before Hitler turns his eyes north to us. When he does, there will be many who will need my services.”
Evelyn hadn’t been aware that she was holding her breath until he spoke, then she exhaled silently in relief. She nodded and smiled, holding out her hand to him.
“I will let Anna know. Thank you.”
He grasped her hand, shaking it. “Don’t thank me. I do it for my country, not for you. Just as you are here for your country, and not for me.”
She met his gaze.
“One is not necessarily exclusive of the other,” she said softly. “I am here for my country, yes, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t care about yours. The Nazi threat is something that affects us all. It is something we all must resist.”
Olav smiled faintly and released her hand.
“And we shall.”
Chapter Sixteen
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Drammen, Norway
The large fishing boat bobbed in the water as the men finished securing the day’s catch before preparing to go back to shore. Kristian looked over the water, taking a deep breath of salty air before turning away from the others.
“I’m going below deck,” he said over his shoulder. “Set a course for home. We’ve had a good day out.”
“Going back to your machine?” his brother called with a laugh. “You’re obsessed.”
Kristian shrugged and went through the opening and down the wooden steps to the lower level of the boat. He was used to his brothers teasing him about his radio. They didn’t fully understand why he preferred to spend his spare moments with the radio, but they did understand that it was his passion. And more recently, they had begun to realize how useful his wireless radio could be.
He went into the tiny room he used as a combination office and chart room and sat down before the radio. This morning, the traffic between the naval yards in Germany and Poland had been heavy, making him think that something was changing. Something was going on, and Kristian was very much afraid that it wasn’t anything good.
He lifted the headset and settled it over his head, switching on the radio and turning the knobs. After playing with the frequency for a moment, he found the one from this morning and settled down to listen. The flurry of activity was still going strong and he frowned, picking up a pencil and pulling his notepad towards him. The messages were still in the new code that he couldn’t make head or tail of, but every once in while he got lucky and was able to piece together words that meant something. With any luck, perhaps now would be one of those times.
Fifteen minutes later, Kristian took off his headset and stared down at the pad of paper. There were several phrases scrawled down and he studied them intently for moment. One word was used in all of them: Weserübung.
He frowned, staring at it. Why was there so much traffic going between the ports about a river exercise? It had to be a code for something else. He underlined the word and turned his
