Page 14 of Summer of Fire
Lizzie’s father looked relieved when she walked into the drawing room, her mother following closely on her heels. ‘Here she is, at last,’ she said.
‘Where on earth have you been?’ Juliet stared at her sister from where she was curled up in her cosy spot in an armchair in the corner of the drawing room. ‘Please don’t do that to us again. I can’t bear another evening of Ma pacing the floor, checking at the window every two minutes!’
Lizzie laughed. ‘Sorry, everyone. I didn’t mean to worry you.’
‘Well?’ said Evie, placing the book she’d been reading face down onto the table.
‘Well, what?’ Lizzie said.
‘Oh no, you don’t,’ Evie said. ‘You don’t get to disappear all day and night like that and then leave us without so much as a snippet of what you’ve been up to.’
‘It’s hardly all night, is it when I’m home by eleven?’
Evie grumbled, ‘I’m totally fed up with being cooped up in this house. I miss the sea. I miss my friends. All I’ve heard this evening isLizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie!’
Lizzie walked across the room and ruffled Evie’s copper curls. ‘You poor darling. I am very sorry for stealing your thunder and not providing enough entertainment.’
Evie was the baby of the family and although she was now a young woman, she was still thoroughly spoilt by them all, and was used to being the centre of attention.
‘I’m fed up, too. A few months ago, we planned to be married this summer, and now I don’t even know where Oliver is,’ said Juliet with a heavy sigh.
‘And you are a poor darling, too,’ Lizzie said, reaching for her older sister’s hand. ‘I’m certain we’ll get word from the boys soon and all will be well.’
Lizzie hid her fear for their brother and Juliet’s fiancé. The truth was, she was just as heartsick, but there was no point making everyone feel even worse than they already did about not hearing from the boys.
Rose stood looking at them. ‘Come on, girls. Do cheer up. Anyone would think this was a competition for who can be the gloomiest. There are millions of people a lot worse off than us right now. We have a roof over our heads and food on the table. And we’re together. Let’s please try and keep our chins up. We must be grateful for what we have and pray for the best.’
‘That’s my girl,’ Reginald said, looking at his wife with the devotion that made Lizzie yearn to be lucky enough tomarry a man who would cherish her in the way her father did her mother.
‘Lizzie, come and tell us what you’ve been up to today,’ said Juliet, patting the sofa for her sister to sit next to her.
Rose brought Lizzie a cup of tea and a piece of toast with a scraping of strawberry jam, and she chewed hungrily in between chatting to her sisters. ‘It was such a busy day at the office—I thought I would never get out of there. I was about to leave when my boss asked if I would stay on because they had some emergency files for translation.’
‘What emergency files?’ Evie asked, her eyes widening as they fixed on Lizzie.
‘I’m not allowed to share specifics,’ Lizzie said, ‘even though, to be honest, it’s all quite boring.’
Evie huffed, ‘Oh my goodness, youarebecoming like Pa with his state secrets! Soon we won’t be able to discuss anything in this house.’
‘What did you do today?’ asked Lizzie, anxious to divert her family’s attention from her clandestine activities.
When she started her job as a translator, she had been told not to talk about her work, but until today she hadn’t experienced anything remotely exciting that she would want to talk about.
All that had changed when she learnt that the new organisation called the Special Operations Executive was based on the fourth floor of St. Ermin’s Hotel. She would never have guessed that a secret espionage unit would hide in plain sight in a fancy London hotel.
It was the most incredible evening she’d ever had, and she was still digesting the fact that she would soon leave for Nazi-occupied France on a secret assignment. It was like something from a spy novel. She would love to share her excitement with her sisters, and she thought she might burstwith the build-up of emotions, but telling anyone was out of the question.
Val, the impressive woman who had started her induction training, had warned her not to mention the operation to her father even though he worked at the War Office. ‘We keep the circle tight. The fewer people who know what we’re planning, the safer you will be.’
Lizzie’s head had been spinning by the time Val said she should go home and get some sleep and return early in the morning for a full day’s training. Lizzie was pleasantly surprised to see Jack reappear just as she was about to exit SOE headquarters.
‘You’re still here! I thought you’d gone long ago,’ she said, trying to act like the mere sight of him didn’t send sparks of nervous excitement shooting through her.
‘No, I had some things to take care of. As we’re both finished now, I’ll see you home.’
‘That’s so kind of you, but I can make my own way.’
‘I’m sure you can, but really, it’s no bother. I’d rather see you safely home.’
