Deadlight Hall (Nell West/Michael Flint #5)(12)

Leo felt a surge of panic, because he knew that people sometimes vanished. You never saw them again, and no one ever said what had happened to them.

Then Sch?nbrunn said, ‘But one day you’ll see your parents and your friends here again, and for the moment I’m going to keep you safe.’ His eyes went to Sophie and Susannah again. ‘You must promise to do what I tell you,’ he said again, and Leo had the impression that he was talking solely to the twins now.

‘We promise,’ said the twins, speaking exactly together.

‘Leo?’

‘I promise as well.’

‘Good. Now, listen, after tonight, you must never trust anyone you don’t know,’ said Sch?nbrunn. ‘You are going to be looked after by people you can trust. But if anyone else – any grown-up you don’t know – should try to talk to you, or offer you a treat, or perhaps a ride in a car, you must refuse. Do you understand all that?’

‘Yes,’ said the twins, staring at him solemnly, and the other children nodded.

Sch?nbrunn smiled. ‘Don’t look so scared,’ he said. ‘It will be all right. I’m going to keep all of you safe.’ He moved slightly and the silver moonlight moved with him. ‘I always keep people safe,’ he said.

The time that followed was blurred, but even across the years, Leo could still see and feel the jolting of the carts that had taken them across land, and then the boats that had crossed a river, until finally they came to the sea. He would have found this exciting because he had never seen the sea before, but everything was confusing and frightening, and some of the others were crying and some were sick from the swell of the waves. Leo did not cry and he did not feel sick, and he did not let anyone know how frightened he was, because he thought his father would not have wanted that. And Sophie and Susannah were with him, which made things almost bearable. He thought Sch?nbrunn watched Sophie and Susannah a lot of the time.

Somewhere during that dark, confusing journey, Leo found out that the twins had been given the second silver golem from the synagogue. As Sophie said, it was like having a tiny piece of home with them.

‘And we’ve got one each.’

Both golems had been marked on the underside with the children’s initials. There was the Jewish S symbol on the twins’ – the horizontal line with three branches, and on Leo’s was the Lamed, the thick horizontal stroke with the upjutting line on the left and the downward tail on the right, for L.

It was Sophie who said, very softly, ‘Let’s swap.’

‘Should we?’ The golems were immensely special, and had to be treated with huge respect.

‘Yes, then it’ll link us forever,’ said Sophie.

‘We’d like that,’ said Susannah.

Leo said, ‘But you’ll always be linked to each other anyway.’

‘Yes, but we like to be linked to you, as well.’

‘Um, all right.’

Solemnly they unwrapped the two figures, and switched them over. As Leo carefully stowed the twins’ figure in his pocket, Susannah said, ‘It doesn’t need the golems to link us at all, really. We’ll always know if you’re not all right, or if you’re in trouble.’

‘And you’ll always know if we are, as well,’ said Sophie.





FIVE


Prague,

April 1943

Dear J.W.

I am deeply relieved that I can tell you the children have all reached England safely and are presently being cared for by various trustworthy organizations. Homes will be found for them with English people, and perhaps one day they can be reunited with their families.

We have lost too many of our people to the gas chambers and I’m afraid we shall continue to do so, but at least we are saving some of our children.

M.B.

The School House,

April 1943

Dear M.B.

Your message brought more joy and relief to everyone here than I can convey. We can never be sufficiently grateful to Sch?nbrunn.

If you are able to let us know where the children are, it would give all the parents so much comfort.

J.W.

When the children reached England, they had to separate and go to different places. Several of them cried, but Leo and the twins managed not to. They clung to one another though, and Sophie said they would not say goodbye, because it was a forever kind of word. Susannah said they would all soon be going home anyway. Sch?nbrunn had promised that.

‘And we’ll always know if there’s anything wrong,’ said Sophie.

‘I’ll know, as well,’ said Leo, and hoped this was true.

Leo was taken to a place called Willow Bank Farm in England, which was owned by a brother and sister called Hurst. Simeon Hurst and Miss Mildred Hurst.

‘They’re good people,’ Sch?nbrunn said. ‘They’re one of a number of families who are prepared to give a home to children like you. I think you’ll be all right here, Leo.’ He knelt down and took Leo’s hands in his. ‘And you’ll be safe,’ he said. ‘That’s why your parents wanted you to come here. To be safe.’

‘From the Ovens.’

Sch?nbrunn’s eyes flickered, but he said, ‘Yes, you’re quite safe from those, Leo.’ He stood up. ‘I think your friends, the twins, will be living quite near, so you’ll most likely see them. Will that help?’