She and Anna were seated at a table in the restaurant of the Hotel Bistro. Monday night was not a busy evening and the tables around them were empty. They weren’t the only diners, but it was a far cry from the busy dining room Evelyn was used to. Opposite them, on the other side of the large room, a businessman sat alone with a newspaper while he waited for his dinner. Not far from him, an older couple who looked as if they were tourists were dining with gusto, while two men who had the stamp of foreign diplomats upon them were seated towards the doors. In all, only about ten of the tables were occupied, making it seem as if they were safely isolated from each other.
“I think you could have, but I’ll admit that I enjoy helping,” Anna said, lifting her glass. “To an early success!”
Evelyn smiled, raising her glass in an answering toast and sipping the crisp, white wine in appreciation. While she was used to dining in fashionable, busy restaurants, she was enjoying the relative quiet this evening. This was exactly what she needed after the tense afternoon in Olav’s back room, trying to convince him to become part of something larger than himself.
“I’ve had some ideas on other people to approach,” Anna continued, setting her glass down. “Olav’s unique...skills got me thinking. I hadn’t really considered it before, but people who are perhaps not on the right side of the law may actually be the perfect people to approach.”
Evelyn’s brows furrowed. “We need to be careful when it comes to people like that,” she said slowly. “They would undoubtedly know ways around things and that could prove invaluable, but they also, by and large, can’t be trusted.”
“Would you rather not explore the possibilities?” Anna asked after a moment. “We don’t have to. It was just a thought.”
After a long pause, Evelyn looked at her. “Who did you have in mind?”
“There’s a woman I met when I first came to Oslo. She lived in the flat above me. She used to work at night and I thought she was a nurse. It turns out that she was, but not quite the kind that I thought.”
“What does that mean?”
“She was a nurse, and a very good one by all accounts. But then she discovered that there was much more money to be made by working in private practice.” Anna lowered her voice and leaned forward. “She works with a doctor. They provide special care. Their patients are prostitutes.”
Evelyn blinked. “Special care?” she repeated, mystified. “What does that mean?”
Anna cleared her throat and looked a little uncomfortable. “They take care of the medical problems that arise from...well, being a prostitute.”
“You mean disease?”
“Among other things.”
Evelyn was silent, her mind spinning. She had never given the profession of prostitution much thought, but she supposed that they would need doctors, perhaps more than most. She was well aware of the various diseases that could be contracted in the oldest female profession. Her mother, of course, would be horrified if she realized that she knew, but Evelyn had always been a very forward-thinking individual. Even so, what Anna was discussing was still rather shocking to her.
“How would this woman be useful to us?” she finally asked. “I don’t understand.”
Anna leaned forward again. “If the Germans do invade Norway, there will be a lot of soldiers a long way from home and in a strange country,” she said in a low voice. “Where do you think they will go for...companionship?”
Evelyn gasped softly. “Of course!” she breathed. “And if the nurse is in the confidence of her patients...”
Anna smiled. “Exactly.”
“That’s...that’s brilliant.”
“I’m glad you think so. Shall I try to hunt her down? I’m sure she’s still working with the same doctor. She had no intention of stopping when I last saw her.”
“Do you think she would be sympathetic?”
“If the Nazis come? Yes. I think she’ll be furious. She was very outspoken about her opinion of Herr Hitler.” Anna shrugged. “I don’t think she’ll take much convincing, especially for you. You’ve clearly got a knack for talking people into this.”
“I don’t know how. I’m still at a loss, to be honest.”
“Well, it doesn’t show.”
Evelyn met her gaze and smiled, remembering how skeptical she had been when Jasper and Bill had given her this assignment. And yet here she was, sitting on two definite recruits and one probable. She was already ahead of where she’d thought she would be.
“Enough about work,” she said, reaching for her glass. “This is supposed to be a celebration, not a meeting. Let’s talk about something else. Tell me about your brother.”
“Erik?” Anna looked surprised. “What do you want to know?”
“You said he was in the army?”
“Yes. His unit is just outside of Trondheim.” Anna sipped her drink. “Although, I believe he’s going up to Narvik next month.”
“What does he do?”
“He’s a Lieutenant. I have no idea what kind of officer he is, but I know he’s very good with his rifle. It’s strange because I can’t think of him as a leader and an officer. He’s the older brother who used to hide snakes in my galoshes when I was little.”
Evelyn smiled. “Do you miss him?”
“Yes, I suppose I do,” Anna said after a moment of thought. “We were always very close, though we tend to disagree on many things nowadays.”
“Do you? Like what?”
“Well, for one thing, he’s very firmly of the opinion that I should be home with my parents and not in Oslo working for the British Embassy,” she said with a quick grin. “He has very strong opinions on the British at the moment.”
“I imagine many Norwegians do,” Evelyn murmured, her lips twisting dryly. “We’re not very popular right now.”
“No, but I understand why your country is doing what it is. Unfortunately, Erik isn’t interested in trying to see the other side of it. That’s where we part company on many subjects. His is very single-minded and stubborn.”
She
