The conversation lulled, and the woman fished in her purse, pulled out a cigarette case. As she opened it, the scholar leaned into her as if he were about to bite her neck, and as if not noticing his advances, the woman turned her hat into his face and grabbed the arm of the man to her right, said something, and created another peal of laughter. The scholar sat up straight, and his face disappeared behind his mug, but not before Annamarie saw his hand drop under the table, arm angled in the direction of the redhead’s lap.
“Who is that woman?” Annamarie asked Franz, grateful to find a glass of water before her.
He glanced over at the table. “Her? Why? You jealous?”
Again his hands, this time a pat on the knee.
“No. I’m just wondering. She looks to be very popular.”
“She’s famous. She’s an actress.” Franz grinned. “My sister, Elisabeth.”
“An actress? Are you pulling my leg?”
Franz studied her as if she might be naïve.
Annamarie turned her attention to Elisabeth, now bent forward, conspiring with the table of Wehrmacht soldiers. When Franz beckoned to her—called her “Lisi”—the actress looked up, took in Annamarie and Franz, nodded, and pushed back her chair to come over.
“Franz.” Annamarie touched his arm. He looked pleased. “Don’t tell her. Don’t tell her I’m an actress.” She cursed herself for not thinking this through.
Lisi was tall, taller than Annamarie, and thin with beautiful, shapely legs. Beneath the heavy makeup, she had the same ice-blue eyes as her brother. Her complexion revealed no freckles, and Annamarie decided the red hair had been dyed.
“Lisi, meet Annamarie. Annamarie, this is my sister, Elisabeth von Brandt. We just call her Lisi. Annamarie needs a room. I thought you might be able to take her in.”
Lisi said yes, she could manage that. “Why don’t you join us?” she added and gestured to the table of soldiers.
Annamarie slid off the stool, happy, relieved to find someone who could get her away from Franz’s floating fingers, somehow trusting the sister to keep the brother at bay.
Another woman came into the pub and walked straight to the group. She was rounder than Lisi, a brunette in a navy-blue dress with little white polka dots.
Lisi introduced the woman as Veronika before making the others scooch over. Between herself and the scholar, who had tried to bite her neck, Lisi placed a chair and gestured for Annamarie to take a seat. Mr Scholar seemed unhappy when Annamarie sat down, but when she told him she came from Nauders, he smiled, as if pained, and introduced himself as Sepp.
“Nauders? Really? Good thing you were north of the Brenner Line. I’m from the Eisack Valley. Just south of it.”
Annamarie nodded. “The Alto Adige.” As soon as she said it, she realised her mistake.
“South Tyrol, if you must,” Sepp retorted. “But it won’t be much longer. Family moved up here just a year ago. Hate those Walscher, Italian bloodsuckers. Now that we’re part of the Reich, Hitler will do something about that travesty.” He looked fearfully in Franz’s direction, as if to make sure the latter had not heard him.
Franz was sitting across from them, and when he lit another cigarette, he shook one loose from the pack, stretched over the table, and offered it to her. Annamarie shook her head and reached for her water glass only to find that it had been replaced by a shot of schnapps.
“And you?” Sepp prodded. “Don’t you want Tyrol to be whole again?”
“I don’t know anything about that,” Annamarie said.
He eyed her, tipped his head. “How could you not? You’re one of us.”
Annamarie glanced nervously around the group. Lisi laughed next to her, talking to the cluster of men on her right, and Franz still had his eye on Annamarie, though he spoke with Veronika next to him. Were they talking about her? Had she said something she couldn’t remember and they now knew she was from the Italian side?
“Yes,” Annamarie said. “I’m one of you. Of course.”
“That’s good,” Sepp said and nodded at her schnapps. He raised his mug of beer, and they clinked glasses. “Any Walscher lovers down there are going to regret they ever got friendly with them.”
Annamarie downed the schnapps and slowly breathed out. She tried to get Lisi’s attention. When she finally had it, she said, “So you’re an actress, I heard.”
“You heard?” She looked amused.
“I mean, Franz said you were.”
“Yes, with the State Theatre.”
Sepp leaned in. “If it doesn’t close down completely.”
Lisi made a face. “Shut up, Sepp. It’ll be fine. Someone just has to step up and direct it.” To Annamarie, she said, “Sepp does the lighting for our sets.”
“Oh?” She turned to him, but he was still challenging Lisi.
“And if they don’t figure this out? Then what?”
Lisi sighed impatiently. “Then I guess it’s to Vienna.”
“Or,”
