V Alexander - The Taster

This was the chance I was waiting for. I knew there was no turning back. The timing must be perfect, otherwise Karl and I had agreed not to take the risk. Eva and the others were engaged in conversation; tea was being poured for the guests. I pulled out a handkerchief I had placed in my sleeve and dabbed at my eyes. “I am so overjoyed, my Führer. I can tell you we have planned a summer wedding.”

Hitler nodded with joy, placed his arm on my shoulder and pulled me toward him in a gentle hug. I accepted his embrace of congratulations, a rarely given token of affection. As I leaned toward him I covered my right hand with the handkerchief. I could not see it—nor could anyone else—but the ring was positioned over his teacup. I was about to release the catch on the opal with my thumb when Hitler looked down at the table. I had overlooked one fact. He hated germs—a stupid mistake on my part—my handkerchief over his cup must have upset him. His eyes flashed in disgust.

Our embrace was brief and he withdrew from me almost as quickly as he had drawn me forward. As the others were served and Hitler eyed the desserts, I stuffed the handkerchief back in my sleeve. The poison would have to wait for another time.

While the others drank, Hitler eyed the cup as he lifted it from the table. I was certain he would reconsider drinking from it, considering his phobia about germs.

The faint smell of bitter almonds wafted toward me from the steaming tea. I screamed and knocked the cup to the floor. It crashed on the rug and Eva’s dogs bolted toward it.

“Magda, what’s come over you?” Karl shouted.

“Keep the dogs away!” I lunged for the cup. “The tea has been poisoned.”

A collective gasp filled the room, not the least of which came from the valet who’d served the tea and now looked upon me with wide, terrified eyes. The man on the couch spit out his tea and the others gulped and put their cups down. I took out my handkerchief and began to blot up the liquid. Eva collared the Scotties and dragged them back to her chair.

Hitler rose like a stern judge before a courtroom and said calmly, “Don’t touch the cup.” He looked over my shoulder. “Don’t ruin your dress. How did you know?”

I rose, expecting to see anger and hatred in his gaze, but his eyes were quiet and studied, as if he could read my thoughts. “I smelled cyanide. Cook says it’s a genetic trait.”

“I’m afraid we need to call for more tea,” Hitler said, “but first I’ll summon security.” I knew what that meant. The SS Colonel would be here soon to question all of us. “It seems someone is trying to poison me. I would have suspected Otto, but he’s no longer here.”

The woman who had examined my ring cried out, “For God’s sake, smell the teapot. We all drank from it.”

I lifted the pot and took off the lid. There was no smell, but I took several sniffs until I could be sure they were satisfied of my attention to duty. “I smell nothing.” The ladies sank back on the couch in relief.

“Who handled the tea?” Karl asked the valet.

The young man quaked before Karl’s question. “Only me, sir,” he said. “I swear no one touched the drink except me. It was tasted by one of the girls in the kitchen.”

“Then there can only be one answer,” Karl said. “The cup was laced with cyanide. Is this the cup you planned to serve to the Führer?” He pointed to it, still on the floor.

“No, sir, I paid no attention to the cups and saucers. I swear it.”

“Someone in the kitchen is responsible,” Hitler said. “Let me talk to the Colonel.” He pointed to the valet. “He should start with you.”

“I will get him, Führer,” Karl offered, and left the room.

I returned to my chair and we all sat looking at one another as the room grew still. Hitler stared into the fire as if nothing had happened. No one dared speak a word.

A few minutes later, Karl appeared with the Colonel and a few of his officers. They spread out across the room. One of them took the valet away for questioning. They also took the cup and my soaked handkerchief, which I’d left near it.

Eva tried to smile and be happy, but fear shone through her face. Hitler was not so concerned. “Once again, providence has saved me,” he said to Eva. “How many times have I told you that my destiny shall be fulfilled? The evening is not ruined. We shall just begin again.” Hitler instructed the Colonel to wait until tea was over; then he could question everyone in the room as he pleased. “In the meantime, I shall order another pot of tea and coffee and a plate of fresh desserts.” He turned in his chair and looked me in the eye. “And Magda shall taste them for us before we begin.”

The fresh food and drink were not poisoned, but the fact that I had nothing to do with the attempt shook me. With every sip and taste I wondered whether it would be my last. I took more care in tasting than I had in months. The tension in the room forced me to admit that I had become lax in my job.

Hitler, Eva and the other guests stared at me as I tasted the new plates brought out of the kitchen. They followed each bite with eyes like cats following a bird. I wondered who could have poisoned the cup. Karl must have believed I had done it, but he was wrong.

When the conversation resumed, Hitler droned on about Wagner’s music until Eva gave him a cold, hard stare. He reluctantly stopped his lecture and the room drifted into silence. Eva attempted to steer our banter toward photography, the hobby she loved the most, but the other guests seemed to know or care little about it.

I had no appetite as the evening progressed. Hitler even fell asleep in his chair for a time, and Eva hoarsely whispered to her guests, “I’ve had enough. I’m sorry this has been so disappointing.” She got up and walked to the door. The SS Colonel stood stiffly outside waiting for us. The commotion awakened Hitler and he proclaimed the tea at an end. His dinnertime, followed by another late night conference, was approaching, so he excused himself. Before he did so, he took my right hand—the hand with the ring—and kissed it. “Thank you for saving my life,” he said. “I shall remember this night and your service to the Führer.”

I wanted to wipe his kiss from my hand, but I knew that his memory of this evening would serve me later in some capacity. However, I found his gesture of affection revolting. It turned my stomach.

The other guests, Karl and I were left in the Great Hall. Karl had heard my exchange with Hitler and looked at me approvingly.

I turned away from the door so the Colonel could not see my face. “I had nothing to do with it,” I whispered to Karl. “You must take the ring, put it somewhere the Colonel will not suspect.” Under the pretext of holding hands, Karl slipped it off my finger. As we walked toward the door, I could tell he was frantically trying to figure out who had poisoned the cup and what to do with the ring.

The Colonel stopped me at the door and asked Karl to wait outside. Eva and her guests were told they would be called upon later, or in the morning. I knew Eva would never be questioned.

Two SS men followed the Colonel. I sat in the chair I’d been in all evening. The Colonel, in his gray uniform, sat on the couch across from me. One of the officers carried a pad to take down my words and sat near the table so he could write. The other stood nearby passively looking on. “Find me an ashtray,” the Colonel said to the officer who stood. The man nodded and then left.

The Colonel’s cruel eyes traveled over me. Chills raced over my skin under his fierce gaze. I hid my fear as best I could. He arched an eyebrow and sank back against the cushions. He did not look as small on the large couch as Eva’s guests.