The Taubers came out of the office then.
“Max,” Dr. Tauber said stiffly.
“Hello, Johan. Ruth.” Mayor Brauer stuck out his hand to Frau Tauber first, but her greeting was lukewarm as she wrapped the morning gown tightly around her. Dr. Tauber took the mayor’s hand brusquely in turn, then motioned him in.
The last thing Magda heard was the mayor making apologies and something about how unprofessionally the hospital handled the situation. Frau Tauber shut the door and closed off the source of information, before gazing at Renata and Magda.
“Well,” she said. “That’s it then.”
She walked past them toward the stairs and turned around.
“Magda, were you planning to go out with Eliška today?”
Magda nodded.
“I’d prefer you stayed indoors.”
“Yes, Frau Tauber.”
She nodded. “I’ll get dressed then.”
Magda made to go back to Eliška’s playroom, but when Frau Tauber’s bedroom door closed, Magda returned to find Renata in the dining room.
Renata’s expression was grave.
“Please tell me what’s happened,” Magda whispered.
“I don’t know for sure,” Renata whispered back. “The doctor called from the police station though. The police chief put the call through and then handed him the telephone.” Renata’s voice dropped a decibel. “I think he’s been banned from the hospital.”
Magda covered her mouth. “Why?”
Renata nudged Magda toward the drawing room. She picked up that morning’s newspaper from Prague and opened it to the front page. Magda gasped at the announcement.
All Jews age six and older in Slovakia, Bohemia, and Moravia are ordered to wear yellow stars, effective September 19, and to suspend all business activity. Report to the Reich’s Central Office for Jewish Resettlement to purchase your stars and register your property.
“But the Taubers have special status,” Magda said. “Don’t they? Dr. Tauber’s the best oncologist outside of Prague. The hospital needs him.”
Renata took the newspaper from her. “Aleš has a friend named Davide at the rail station In Bohošovice. He’s responsible for the coal and grain transports, sees to it that the breweries get their loads right. He told Aleš that an unscheduled train arrived a week ago. Middle of the night. Davide was there, working on some paperwork. The SS came and muscled him, made him stay inside the office, but there’s a big window, and he caught a glimpse of people coming off the train. When the SS left, he went outside to have a look. He could have sworn there had been a lot of bodies coming off that train, especially as it took a long time before the SS left him. Anyway, Davide finally saw where they’d headed with all those people.”
“Where?”
“To Theresienstadt, the old fort, you know? It’s where Aleš was once based. So Aleš went over there. He knows someone who still works there, maintaining the buildings. But his friend was really scared, said it was all hush-hush. Aleš finally got it out of him. He said that, yeah, a lot of men arrived in the middle of the night. He thought they were all prisoners of war, but”—she pointed to the newspaper—“there were plenty wearing these stars too.”
Across the corridor, voices suddenly rose, and then the door to Dr. Tauber’s office flew open. Mayor Brauer looked distraught.
“What more am I to do, Johan?” the mayor said angrily. “It’s a house arrest, not a deportation. I have to cooperate.”
“You have to do no such thing,” Dr. Tauber said through clenched teeth.
Mayor Brauer jabbed a finger into Dr. Tauber’s chest. “I have to, and you do as well now.” He released his finger. “I never thought it would go this far, Johan, not like this.”
Dr. Tauber scoffed. “You can’t tell me you haven’t been aware of the antisemitism in this town. Anna was right. You’re a wholly unbelievable actor.”
“Why didn’t you leave when you could?” Mayor Brauer demanded. “I got you the―”
“Max!”
Magda’s heart leapt. If the Taubers had to leave, what would become of her?
Dr. Tauber shook his head and pinched his nose beneath his glasses. “There is someone else I can talk to. Someone…” He looked up and tilted his head back, sighing. “Someone important.”
He suddenly turned his head in the direction of the drawing room, where Magda stood frozen to her spot. Renata jumped and rushed to the door, excused herself softly, and shut it.
She turned and stared at Magda. “This is more serious than we even thought.”
“We” was certainly her and Aleš. Magda was only beginning to comprehend they were in any real danger now.
“What’s going to happen?” she asked.
Renata leaned an ear against the door, then moved away to the ottoman as footfalls neared the drawing room. Dr. Tauber came in.
He looked down at his feet and took in a deep breath. “I’m sorry you had to hear all that.”
He went to the divan and sat, indicating they should sit as well. Magda moved to the chair closest to her and perched on the end of it. Renata remained standing over the ottoman.
“Mayor Brauer has assured me that he’ll find a way to let me practice.” He hung his head and waved a hand around in the air. “Even if it’s here at the house.“
“Is Frau Tauber well?” Renata interjected.
He looked up and scratched his neck. “She’s fine.”
“Because she’s been behaving rather, well, not herself,” Renata insisted.
She was right. The past few weeks, Frau Tauber had been getting up later and had been eating less. Which, if Renata was right about the developments, would signal she was distressed.
Dr. Tauber smiled weakly. “That was something we wanted to tell the house a little later.”
“She’s expecting, isn’t she?” Renata broke in.
“Normally it would be happy news,” he said.
Renata sat. “What did the mayor say?”
They were talking as if they knew each other as intimate friends, and Magda wondered how she fit into this setting, why she was allowed to be here and take part. Then again, nothing in this house had ever been overly formal, and that included the relationships to the household staff.
Dr. Tauber glanced at Magda. “Mayor Brauer will not remain in his position much longer. That’s
