Page 102 of Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure
She looked out of the window. There was a German guard standing at the far end next to their garage. Another one at the gate above the steps down to the village.
“I don’t suppose they’d let me go to buy food.”
Clive shook his head. “No way. We’re prisoners here. They’ll be back for us.”
Ellie fought back nausea. They would torture Tommy, and he would tell them everything. It would only be a matter of time before they came for her, for Clive and for Nico. Someone had betrayed them, she thought. Maybe someone working with the Resistance in Marseille, because nobody in Saint-Benet knew what they were doing.Except Mrs Adams,a little voice whispered. But surely she wouldn’t betray themwhen they had saved her own husband, would she? Ellie was sure that Mrs Adams disliked her, was jealous of her. But it didn’t matter who. They were living on borrowed time.
How can I possibly warn Nico?She looked around desperately. “We could try the radio,” she said. “Perhaps someone in the Resistance cell can get a message to him. Do you know how to use it?”
“I’ve watched Tommy,” Clive said. “I think I could, but I would rather not use the radio right now. It’s quite possible that they’ve found us because they’ve cracked a Resistance cell in Marseille. They may well be eavesdropping on anything we say, so we’d only invite Nico to walk into a trap.”
“Oh gosh. You may be right,” she said. “But I’m going to get a message to him somehow. I’m not going to let those brutes take him and the abbot. It’s just possible he left the speedboat at the dock. They don’t seem to have noticed the steps down the cliff. I can go down there without being seen.”
“You’re rather fond of him, aren’t you?” Clive asked.
“Yes,” she said. “Rather fond. Very fond.”
“You plan to take the boat and go looking for him?”
“If I have to,” she said.
“That’s running an awful risk.”
“What choice do we have?” She heard her voice rising.
“I should come with you.”
She could tell he was trying to do the right thing. “Absolutely not. You have to stay here and bluff it out if they come back before me. Tell them I always go for my walk over to the Calanques at this time of day.”
He nodded. “I’d better go and clear up the studio. Make sure there are no traces of anything incriminating.”
As he was about to walk away, the French doors opened and Roland came in. “I’ve just had the most delightful snooze,” he said. “I was reading, and I fell asleep in the sun. Now I’ll get a lovely tan. Is it lunchtime yet?”
“The German military were here,” Clive said. “They’ve taken Tommy.”
“What on earth for?” Roland looked amused. “If there is anyone who obviously doesn’t pose a threat to the might of the Führer, it’s dear Tommy.”
“Let’s hope they see it the same way,” Clive said. “Come on, Roland, you can help me pick some vegetables for lunch. Let’s see what’s ripe. Grab a basket.” He glanced back at Ellie and nodded.
As they went towards the vegetable garden, past one of the guards, she slipped away in the other direction, out of the French doors at the back of the house, across the terrace and down the steps cut into the cliff. She half expected to see German sentries waiting for her at the bottom, but the little harbour stood there, quiet and deserted. No sign of any boat, or of Nico. If he had spotted German soldiers at the villa, then he would have moved off again, and hopefully gone to warn the abbot. That would be the best thing that could have happened. But in case he had no idea that they had been discovered, Ellie still felt she had to warn him. She stared at the coastline, rocks and tide pools jutting out at the headland before it curved around into the harbour of Saint-Benet.Can I do it?she asked herself. It was worth a try. At least she didn’t have to cross any beach that could have been mined. She started clambering over rocks. Some were taller, dry and with good footholds. At other points the surface dipped lower so that they were submerged at high tide and covered in seaweed and slime.
She pressed bravely on, slithering and going on all fours at times, feeling the weight of time on her shoulders. She rounded the headland and saw the village before her, nestled in its narrow valley. How pretty it looked with its pastel houses glowing in the midday sun and the water sparkling in the harbour. Such a perfect setting of peace and security. But at least there was no German gunboat to be seen. She continued until after several minutes she picked up a proper path. She ran along this, conscious of her wet legs and skirt, hearing her shoes squelch. As she came to the harbour, she spotted two of the fishermen at their boats.
“Help. Over here!” She called to them. They came around the harbour to her.
“What is it, madame? Has there been an accident? You are hurt.”
She saw him looking at her legs and realized that she had skinned her knees on the rocks. Blood was running down. “No, it’s not me,” she said. “It’s Nico. Do you know where he is? We must find him right away.”
One fisherman looked at the other. “He went out in his boat,” he said. “Not the fishing boat of his father, but that little toy of his.”
“Do you know which direction?”
“Towards the city, I think. Who knows why? Better not to ask these days. There are certainly no visitors to escort.”
“We have to find him.” Ellie was still gasping for breath. “The Germans came to my house. I don’t know if the officer was part of the Abwehr or what, but they have taken Mr Tommy away. They may well be back for Clive and me, so there is not much time.”
“Taken Mr Tommy?” The man looked incredulous.
