A Band of Steel Read online

  Copyright © 2011 Rosemarie Yates

  The right of Rosemarie Yates to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.

  First published as an Ebook by Headline Publishing Group in 2011

  All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library

  eISBN : 9780755383825

  HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP

  An Hachette UK Company

  Carmelite House

  50 Victoria Embankment

  London EC4Y 0DZ

  www.headline.co.uk

  www.hachette.co.uk

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  About the Author

  Praise for Rosie Goodwin

  Also by Rosie Goodwin

  About the Book

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Epigraph

  Prologue

  Part One: A Family in Exile

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Part Two: Loving and Leaving

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Part Three: Mothers and Daughters

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Part Four: A Place of Shelter

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Part Five: A Promise Kept

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Rosie Goodwin has worked in social services for many years. She has children, and lives in Warwickshire with her husband, Trevor, and their dogs.

  Keep up to date with Rosie’s news at www.rosiegoodwin.co.uk, or follow her on Twitter @RosieGoodwin.

  Praise for Rosie Goodwin:

  ‘A touching and powerful novel from a wonderful writer’ Bookseller

  ‘A beautifully woven tale of tangled lives . . . An author able to balance emotions, especially love, with skill and wise involvement’ Coventry Evening Telegraph

  ‘Rosie shines a light on those who can find the determination to face down fate itself’ Northern Echo

  ‘Rosie is a born storyteller – she’ll make you cry, she’ll make you laugh, but most of all you’ll care for her characters and lose yourself in her story’ Jeannie Johnson

  ‘A gifted writer . . . Not only is Goodwin’s characterisation and dialogue compelling, but her descriptive writing is a joy’ Nottingham Evening Post

  ‘A heart-throbber of a story from Goodwin that puts many other so-called emotional blockbusters in the shade’ Northern Echo

  ‘Goodwin is a fabulous writer . . . she reels the reader in surprisingly quickly and her style involves lots of twists and turns that are in no way predictable’ Worcester Evening News

  ‘Rosie deserves all her success. She is a talented storyteller’ Dee Williams

  ‘Goodwin is a born author’ Lancashire Evening Telegraph

  ‘Rosie is the real thing – a writer who has something to say and knows how to say it’ Gilda O’Neill

  ‘Her stories are now eagerly awaited by readers the length and breadth of the country’ Heartland Evening News

  ‘A touching and tender story . . . tremendously uplifting and life-affirming. A feel-good read that tugs at the heart strings’ Historical Novels Review

  ‘The tear-jerker of the season . . . [a] heart-rending tale’ Western Mail

  By Rosie Goodwin and available from Headline

  The Bad Apple

  No One’s Girl

  Dancing Till Midnight

  Moonlight and Ashes

  Forsaken

  Our Little Secret

  Crying Shame

  Yesterday’s Shadows

  The Boy from Nowhere

  A Rose Among Thorns

  The Lost Soul

  The Ribbon Weaver

  A Band of Steel

  Whispers

  The Misfit

  The Empty Cradle

  Tilly Trotter’s Legacy

  The Mallen Secret

  The Sand Dancer

  About the Book

  When the war forces a Jewish family to flee their home, they must find the strength to survive.

  ‘A heart-throbber of a story from Goodwin that puts many other so-called emotional blockbusters in the shade’ Northern Echo

  When Adina and her family are forced to flee Cologne to escape the vicious menace of Nazi Germany in 1938, leaving their luxurious lifestyle is painful. Harder still is finding herself a refugee in a foreign country. But Adina is a compassionate and determined girl and as they settle into a new life in the Midlands she finds the strength to survive.

  However, her brother and sister aren’t so lucky, and their family ties are stretched to breaking point. And then Adina runs the risk of losing her family forever when she is drawn towards the one man she should never fall in love with . . .

  What Amazon readers are saying about A Band of Steel:

  ‘I was hooked from the very first page. The personalities of the main characters were very credible and the story flowed very well. It was easy to follow without being predictable and I couldn’t wait for the next opportunity to pick up the book. Would thoroughly recommend – buy it now!’

  ‘Fantastic book, couldn’t put it down. Gripped by the characters, the story, the setting. I haven’t read a book that entertained me so much in a long while and I would highly recommend’

  This book is for

  a dear sister-in-law and brother-in-law.

  Lynn Yates, who died 7 June 2010, and

  Ray Yates, who died 10 September 2010.

  Reunited, rest in peace.

  Acknowledgements

  I would like to say a very sincere thank you to Betty, Ronnie and Joan for all the advice given during the writing of this novel on Jewish customs, festivals, etc. It was invaluable!

  Also a big thank you to Julie and th
e staff at Malpas library in Newport for making me feel so welcome on my recent visit there.

  As always thank you to Jane and Tye for your support and to Penny and David for making the recent bus tour such a success, and for allowing everyone who attended access to the lovely Leathermill Grange.

  Finally – a huge thank you to Lord and Lady Daventry for allowing me access to Arbury Hall and gardens whilst researching for this book.

  Many waters cannot quench love. Neither can floods drown it.

  Song of Solomon, 8:7

  Prologue

  Cologne, March 1939

  ‘Come, Freyde, there is no more time for delay or we shall miss the boat.’

  The woman stared at her husband from frightened eyes before taking a last look around her luxurious home. She was painfully aware that it could be the very last time she would ever see it, and the thought of the journey ahead of them struck terror into her heart. However, she knew that Ezra was only doing what had to be done. To delay could mean the death of them and their children.

  Nazi troops had now entered Austria and annexed it to Germany, and already 100,000 Jews had been forced to emigrate. Kindertransport trains had been arranged to get children evacuated to England where they would be fostered until the war was over. It was heartbreaking to see the parents trudging towards the station with their children all with little nametags dangling from a string about their necks. They knew only too well that they might never be reunited.

  The SS had now been put in charge of the Jews, and Ezra Schwartz feared that the persecutions would now begin in earnest. The anti-semitism that had been simmering was now flaring up into a fierce blaze. The family had no choice but to flee Germany.

  ‘Adina, Dovid, Ariel, come.’

  Her three children approached her, their eyes full of fear as Freyde tried to smile at them reassuringly. Dovid, her firstborn, was the spitting image of his father when she had first met him: tall and dark with flashing dark eyes. Now, he took her hand and squeezed it gently. At sixteen he was already head and shoulders above her and he held a special place in her heart. Next came Adina, or Dina as she was affectionately known, who at fourteen was the scholar amongst them. Adina was like a sponge when it came to learning and her father often teased her that she would one day become a professor. Like her brother she had a shock of dark hair that curled on her shoulders, and huge eyes that could change from tawny amber to black depending on her mood. Delicate and petite, Adina was at that curious age when she was neither girl nor yet woman, and was greatly loved because of her gentle nature by all that knew her. Finally came Ariel, the baby of the family at ten years old. She was like a miniature replica of her older sister and was spoiled shamelessly by all of them.

  Now as their father gazed upon them all, his face became solemn. ‘It must appear that we are doing nothing more than going for a family stroll,’ he emphasised. ‘Once we reach the docks, the captain will get us aboard his boat under cover of darkness. I cannot promise that it will be a comfortable passage, but you must all be brave and think yourselves lucky that we have the means to escape. Should my fears be confirmed, many of our kind will perish here. But God willing, we shall have a fresh start in a new country.’

  ‘Shall we be staying in Italy, Papa?’ Dovid asked tentatively.

  Ezra shook his head. ‘No, Dovi. If we can get safely to Italy I then intend to try and get us all to England, possibly to London.’ Ezra would have preferred to get them all into Switzerland, but the Swiss borders were now heavily guarded. England was his second choice, and as his children had had the best education that money could buy, they could all speak English as fluently as German. He hoped that they would adapt to a new life in England reasonably well.

  He patted the money belt that was buckled securely around his waist before asking his wife, ‘Did you stitch the money bags into the girls’ petticoats as I asked?’

  ‘It is done.’ Freyde’s hand slid unconsciously to the two bulging pouches resting against her own legs beneath her skirts.

  ‘I want to take my toys with me,’ Ariel whined as she jammed her thumb in her mouth.

  ‘We can take no unnecessary luggage,’ her father explained sadly, as he stroked her dark curls. ‘It would look too suspicious if we were to be seen lugging suitcases towards the docks. We must make do with what we have in our shopping bags and think ourselves lucky.’

  Ariel pouted but for once remained silent, sensing that something momentous was about to happen.

  Because Ezra had held a good job in a bank he was fortunate to be fleeing with enough money to give them all a new beginning – if they could get safely away, that was. But it was all in God’s hands now. Many of his fellow Jews were not so fortunate and had tried to escape with nothing but the clothes they stood up in.

  Since the terrible events of what had become known as ‘Kristallnacht’ – 9–10 November 1938 – when, in retaliation for the murder of a German official in Paris, 1,400 synagogues and 7,000 Jewish businesses had been destroyed in both Germany and Austria, and 30,000 Jews had been arrested and sent to camps, the writing had been on the wall.

  Ezra looked regretfully around their comfortable sitting room in their big house in Cologne. No doubt, once it was known that he and his family had fled, the looters would take the antiques that had been lovingly collected over the years. His biggest regret, however, was having to leave his parents behind. The children would miss their Zayda and Bubba, but no amount of encouragement had persuaded them to come along. The couple were elderly and set in their ways, and determined to live out their life in the home that had been theirs since their marriage. Ezra’s only means of communication with them from now on would be through a non-Jewish banker friend of his, who had promised to send him word of them once he was settled. But this did nothing to quell the fear in Ezra’s heart.

  Now, after taking a deep breath, he ushered his family into the hallway. The parquet floor shone in the lamplight and the huge bowl of flowers on the hall table filled the air with their scent. Everything looked just as it always had, and yet everyone was aware that from this moment on, nothing would ever be the same again.

  ‘Come, it is time to go.’ Ezra shepherded his family out into the street and the first leg of the long journey ahead of them began.

  Part One

  A Family in Exile

  Chapter One

  Whitechapel, November 1939

  ‘Come away from the window, Mama,’ Adina urged from her place at the side of the hearth. ‘Standing there will not make Papa return any quicker.’

  ‘I know that, bubbeleh,’ her mother sighed as she pulled her thin cardigan more tightly about her. Ezra had been gone for two whole days now and she could only pray that he would return with good news. Since managing to get to London, the family had been forced to share a single room in a large tenement in the East End. It was not an ideal situation, but even so, she knew they were fortunate, compared to many others. Every day, the newspapers were full of horror stories about the atrocities the Jews in Europe were being forced to endure. Men, women and children alike were being sent to the infamous concentration camps; it was a known fact that many of them would not survive.

  For some time now, Ezra had been scouring the country for a more suitable place for his family to live. So far, he had visited many cities, hoping to find some small business with living quarters attached where he and his wife and children could live for the duration of the war. Thus far, his search had been in vain. This time, he had left to visit Birmingham, and Freyde hoped that it had been a successful trip.

  As her eyes now rested on Adina, a sad smile played about her lips. The girl had been her rock since leaving Germany. The voyage to Italy had proved to be a nightmare. Freyde and Ariel had suffered from dreadful bouts of sea sickness from the second the ship had left the docks, but Adina had cared for them and cleaned up their messes without a qualm. Getting to London from Italy had also been very problematic. Many of the countries that the Jews were t
rying to escape to were now denying them access but thankfully, Ezra had money, and so they had been fortunate.

  Dovi had found work on a market stall in Petticoat Lane, and both Freyde and Adina had earned a little from sewing in a sweatshop in the Mile End Road. Also, now that rationing was enforced, there were always people who needed things repairing or made over, since new clothes were no longer easily come by. An accomplished needlewoman, Freyde had taught Adina to sew at an early age, and so now what had once been no more than a hobby became a means of survival. It kept their savings intact, and both women were glad of the extra work to keep them busy.

  The cluttered room in Stepney was a world away from their beautiful house in Cologne. Secondhand mattresses lay on the floor, and the majority of their cooking was done over the open fire. The walls were thin and they were constantly kept awake by the families on either side of them. There was only one outside toilet for all of the people who were crammed into the building, and despite their attempts to clean it, the little hut stank. It was deplorably filthy. Only the day before, Freyde had opened the door to find a large rat staring at her from red eyes, and the stench was enough to make her retch. But at least they were all alive, and every day she thanked God for the fact.

  Ariel was sitting cross-legged on the floor playing with a doll that Dovi had picked up from the market for her, but now she glanced up. ‘I’m hungry, Mama,’ she complained, and crossing to the pot hanging above the dancing flames in the fireplace, Freyde stirred the contents before telling her, ‘Not long now, bubbeleh. The stew is almost ready. I just hope your Papa is home in time to share it with us.’

  Even as she spoke, the door opened and Ezra appeared looking weary but elated.

  ‘I have good news,’ he announced as everyone’s eyes turned to him. ‘I think I have found just the place we have been looking for.’

  ‘Really?’ Freyde’s face lit up as she hurried to help him take his coat off.

  Ezra was beaming like a Cheshire cat as he turned to the fire and held his hands out to the warmth. Again, they were fortunate; they could afford to buy coal for the fire, even if they had to lug it up the four floors to their room. Many of their neighbours were cold and hungry, and Freyde often felt guilty when she saw their sunken eyes and skinny frames.