Chapter Text
Jack Maynard looked in horror at the bleeding and battered body of his fiancée. What had she done to deserve this kind of end to her life? Kneeling beside her, he felt for a pulse and was surprised to find a very faint one in her neck. He automatically went through the motions of checking her airway and looking over her body for injuries. There were two gunshot wounds, but, they had pierced her stomach. Things didn’t look good and Jack had no way of stemming the flow of blood. He knew that she didn’t have much longer left to live.
“Jo? Jo? Can you hear me?” Her eyelids flickered and opened a little, her mouth attempting to form words. “Shhh, don’t try to speak, darling. I’m here. I’m not going to leave you. I promise I’ll never leave you.” He held tightly onto her hand as he gently eased her body onto his knee. Her groan as he did so, made him aware that she was in immense pain. “I’m sorry, Jo. There’s nothing I can do for the pain. Just hold onto me.” He felt her weakly clasp his hand and he stroked her matted hair gently away from her face with his free one.
“I love you, Joey. I wish I’d been with you when those bastards did this to you. I might have been able to help you more.” Jack continued to stroke her hair and hold onto her, hoping that his presence was comforting to her. He could hear her breathing becoming more laboured and knew the end was near. He closed his eyes briefly, trying to stop the tears from falling. A slight croak made him open them again quickly and he looked down at Jo in his arms.
“I love you, Jack. Don’t ever think that I didn’t.” Jo paused, breathing with difficulty, now. “Go on and get to safety. Promise you’ll live life for both of us.” Her eyes closed once more.
“I will Jo, I promise. I’ll never forget you. Ever!” This time, he couldn’t prevent the tears falling as he heard Jo breathe out her last and her body relax as she left him forever.
*****
Jack had no idea of how long he had been sitting by the roadside, holding Jo’s lifeless body. With her death, it was as if someone had taken away his future and he no longer cared what happened to him. How was he supposed to continue life without Jo? How could he be expected to carry on? What was he going to do now? He continued to hold onto Jo, not noticing evening creeping on and the cold becoming more intense.
The night was clear and there was a full moon, throwing distinct shadows across the road where Jack was sitting. He never heard the footsteps approaching him, nor did he notice when someone bent down beside him and gently removed Jo’s body from his arms. Another pair of hands quietly assisted him to his feet and escorted him to a small cottage on the edge of the village. He was put to bed in a smoky room and left alone to sleep. Curling into a ball, Jack shivered and stared unseeingly out of the window near his head.
He stayed in the same position all night, not moving in the silence surrounding him. All he could think about was that Jo was gone and he had no idea what he was going to do now. He knew the others would have continued on without him. He also didn’t know where he was or who had taken him into their home. He was completely and utterly lost. As he watched the sun rise over the building next door, footsteps approached once more and a kindly voice spoke to him in German.
“Come, mein Herr, you must eat and drink or you will be ill yourself.” He turned to the voice and saw an elderly lady standing by him. She was buxom and her face worn, with greying hair fastened up in a coronal of plaits. She smiled and continued quietly. “Your friend is in the church, with the priest in attendance. We will ensure she has a proper burial. It is the least we can do after what happened.”
“It is most kind of you. I don’t know how to thank you all.”
“We need no thanks. We have no love of those pigs who killed your friend. She didn’t deserve to die in such a callous way. If we had been able, we would have come to her aid before you reached her.”
“Did you see what happened?”
“My husband did. I’ll leave you to rise and then come and join us in the kitchen.” The woman left Jack alone once more and he was intrigued enough to climb out of bed and follow her downstairs, once he’d cleaned himself up with the water she’d left on the dresser.
When he reached the kitchen, Jack saw an old man sitting at the table eating rolls and drinking coffee. The woman placed a mug at the opposite side of the table and indicated he should sit down before she passed him a plate of rolls and butter. Jack began to eat, not wanting to offend the couple who had taken him in without question. When his plate was empty, his mug was refilled and finally the old man opposite him broke the silence.
“She had no chance. They came up from behind and just shot at her. She wouldn’t have had time to move, never mind hide. They were playing a game and she was the target. The first shot hit her from further back than the second. It wasn’t enough to kill her outright, but she collapsed on the ground. As she tried to gain her feet, the second shot hit her. She didn’t attempt to rise after that. They stopped and beat her then for spoiling their game. After that, they rode on towards the village. I was too far away from her to go to her aid and they were heading towards me. All I could do was hide in the woodshed as they passed and hope they continued on through without stopping. They didn’t. They had decided that they needed to celebrate and stopped at each house in the village, insisting that they be given something to drink. You can see the road from almost every house, so we would have been unable to reach her without great risk to ourselves. When you arrived on the scene, it was dusk and they were too drunk by then to notice you. It wasn’t until nightfall that they finally left us and continued on their way. That’s when we felt it safe enough to come and help you.”
“Thank you. I can’t thank you enough for everything you’re doing.”
“It is nothing. We couldn’t leave you by the side of the road and the young lady deserves a proper burial. Elsa will show you to the church and introduce you to the priest, shortly. Might we know your name?”
“My name is John Maynard.”
“I am Karl Bauer and this is my wife Elsa. What brought you to this small part of Tyrol?”
“It’s a long story. I’m a doctor, and came out to Austria to work in a Sanatorium up above the Tiernsee about six years ago. Unfortunately, we fell foul of the Nazis a few months ago and, after a group of girls from the local school became involved in an altercation in Spärtz, a few of us have had to flee for our own safety. We were heading for the border with Switzerland when the group splintered up to be less noticeable as we passed through the villages around here. Somehow, Jo had become separated from everyone else and I came back to look for her.” Jack stopped here, remembering what he had found on the roadside. He breathed in deeply, and closed his eyes for a brief moment. Another mug of coffee was silently placed in front of him. He picked it up and swallowed the bitter liquid.
“So you are alone and you have no idea where the others are?” Herr Bauer asked
“That’s right. We planned to meet up again once we reached the forest, but, I don’t think they’ll wait for long. It’s not safe to do so. Some of our group are only schoolgirls, the youngest of whom is only fourteen. They need to reach safety.”
“How will they get across the border?”
“One of my colleagues is Tyrolean and knows the area well. He is with the group and knows of a border route.”
“That is good. I hope they make it across safely. The border guards are not averse to shooting anyone they see on sight.”
“Unfortunately, neither are the Nazis.”
“Yes, that is also true. My wife will take you to the church, now. The priest will need to know details for the registers.” Herr Bauer rose and Jack rose with him. “You may stay here until after the burial, but then, I’m afraid you’ll have to move on as they will be back. This is a small village and a stranger will be noticeable.”
“Thank you. It’s most kind of you.” Herr Bauer just nodded and left the cottage to go and check his animals.
“Come, Herr Doktor, I will take you to the church.” Frau Bauer gestured for Jack to follow her and she led him across the village to the tiny church where Jo’s body had been laid out before the altar. Jack was greeted by the priest and was told that burial would happen the next morning. He left Jack alone with Jo and retreated to the entrance of the church to speak to Frau Bauer.
Standing there, in front of the altar and Jo’s lifeless body, Jack was unable to stop the tears from falling. He noticed that she had been washed and her eyes were closed as if she was sleeping. The large bloodstain on her dress was the only sign that she was no longer with them. Jack knelt down beside her and silently prayed for the others to reach safety and for Jo’s family, who had no idea that she would never return to them. He’d promised to protect Jo and keep her from harm and he’d failed. He looked down at Jo’s left hand and saw the ring he’d given her just a few short weeks ago. He’d been so proud when she’d agreed to become his wife. He’d waited so long for her, and now it was never going to happen. Her life had been cut short before she’d even reached her majority. Removing the ring from her finger, Jack slipped it into his pocket. It was one memory of happiness with her and, along with the Belsornian pearls he removed from around her neck, the only things he could take with him.
The priest returned to Jack a short time later and gently asked for the details he needed. Jack gave them listlessly; it made it all so final. He would be moving on the next day without Jo and with no idea of what he would do next or what route the others had taken.
*****
Jo was buried early the next morning in a secluded corner of the churchyard, where few people passed by. The only people present were Jack and the priest, the other villagers staying away for fear of reprisals. After the short service, a couple of the local farmers came and filled in the grave before bowing their heads in respect and leaving Jack alone once more. He stayed in the shade of the nearby tree for a long time. He was unsure what to do with himself now. He was no longer welcome in this village, though he knew it wasn’t because the villagers distrusted him. He was a fugitive and wanted by the Nazi authorities. His papers weren’t in order and he had no passport on him. He wondered where he could go and what he should do next.
He made his way back to the cottage first and thanked Herr and Frau Bauer for their hospitality. They gave him some food for his journey and wished him well, before waving him off. He headed towards the Swiss border first, hoping against hope that the others might have waited for him. After three days of aimless walking, he came within sight of the border, but had seen no sign of the group. Jack realised that he was now stuck here. There was no way he could leave.
He turned his footsteps back into Austria and headed for the nearest large town. He had no idea what he was going to do when he reached there. He had little money and he had no job. He knew it would be dangerous for him to return to Innsbruck, since people knew him there and he could no longer trust anyone. He knew he had to find some sort of work, but what could he do? The question preyed on his mind as he walked. He wondered if he could use his skills as a doctor at all, but was certain that no one would want to work with an Englishman, never mind the fact that he didn’t have the correct papers. As he entered the outskirts of Landeck, he saw Nazi flags billowing in the wind from windows. He shivered as he realised he now needed to survive in a country which was part of the German Reich and where he was a wanted man. He needed to avoid detection if he possibly could. He continued on towards the centre of town, hoping to spot somewhere to stay.