Page 26 of Summer of Fire
Lizzie told Jeanne a little about her parents and howworried they would be if she didn’t return home by the end of the week. ‘They think I’m on a translation course.’
Jeanne patted her hand and promised that between them they would figure out a way.
‘You really are most kind,’ Lizzie said. She was more scared about being stuck in Reims than she had let on, but she was also scared for Jeanne’s safety. ‘It is you who is the brave one. I know you are taking an enormous risk sheltering me here, especially now I’ve stayed much longer than planned.’
‘I am happy to do it,’ Jeanne said. ‘It makes me feel useful. I can’t just sit by without a fight whilst the Nazis take over France.’
Lizzie guessed Jeanne must be around her mother’s age, and her encouraging words reassured her she would somehow find a way home.
‘Well, I’m here now, so I may as well do what I can to contact the Resistance and complete my mission. Hopefully, they will help me request another pickup.’
Jeanne got up to make toast, and as she pottered about, she said, ‘As much as I hate to say it, it may be too late for dear Alice.She undertook a lethal assignment, and the chances are she was caught. Otherwise, she would have made contact again. She asked for someone to meet her and collect information, didn’t you say?’
Hannah’s official cover name was Alice which is how Jeanne knew her.
‘Yes, that’s why I’m here. Some time ago, she said she had vital intelligence to pass on, but she didn’t make the meeting point, and then she went silent.’
Jeanne laid two small plates on the table with a thin piece of dark toast on each one, and Lizzie thanked her and bit into hers hungrily. Running about all day and much of the night had taken its toll on her and she was flagging.
They agreed Lizzie would walk into the city again, but rather than go to the café and risk arousing suspicion, she would queue up at the shops nearby and try to get some supplies. That way, she could observe the café and see if anyone appeared to be trying to make contact.
‘There is a slim possibility that Alice has made it back and hasn’t been in touch again yet,’ Jeanne said.
‘I hope that’s the case,’ Lizzie said. In her training, she had learnt that a Resistance fighter might observe a meeting point for several days as a precaution before reaching out. That’s why Jack had given her four days.
Later that morning, Lizzie waited in the long line outside the butcher’s shop, which comprised mostly women, and moved at a snail’s pace.There were a few beaten looking men in line, most of them elderly.
Every few minutes, she let her eyes stray towards the café across the square. She could see the outdoor tables clearly and had a good view of the entrance, so she could keep watch on who came and went. Unlike the others in the queue, she wasn’t impatient for it to move faster.
So far, she had seen no one who fitted Hannah’s description. Jack had shown her a photo of a beautiful young woman, her hair pinned back off her face in a glamorous roll and curls caressing her bare shoulders. Hannah had golden hair and piercing blue eyes. He said her eyes were so startling that the Resistance almost rejected her because she was too striking and would attract attention.
When she asked why the Resistance changed their minds, he said that Hannah was so dedicated to the cause, they realised they would have been stupid to turn her down. ‘Women like her are one in a million. She looks pure German—Aryan—but has the motivation of a Jew.’
Hannah had proven to be brilliant at carrying out manydangerous missions that others were too afraid to lead. At that point, Jack stopped talking and wouldn’t elaborate.
Lizzie was in awe of the legendary Resistance fighter and wondered if she might one day be such an asset to SOE that other agents would speak her name in hushed tones of reverence in the way Jack and Val spoke about Hannah.
The queue inched forward, and Lizzie did her best to blend in and avoid eye contact with other shoppers. It was almost noon, and the sun blazed on her head and people were growing hot and restless, with no shade.
Many of the women were elegantly dressed in the typical style of the French, if a little shabby, despite wartime rationing and the shortage of new clothing. Lizzie thought this was their way of making a bold statement and using fashion as a form of resistance against the Germans.
Lizzie wore one of Jeanne’s dresses. Jeanne had pointed out that if she wore the same clothes day after day, she would stand out like a visitor with no change of wardrobe.
‘Besides, this outfit needs a good wash.’ Jeanne confiscated her dress on the spot for laundry. She really was a godsend and fortunately they were of a similar build, so the summer dress Jeanne laid out on her bed fitted Lizzie reasonably well.
Lizzie squinted in the sun with one hand over her eyes as she read a poster in the butcher’s shop window—something about the latest ration laws—when she heard the unmistakable stomp of rhythmic boots on cobbles.
The instant charge in the air was palpable. Lizzie observed the faces of the waiting shoppers, and saw that some showed unconcealed contempt, some were plain terrified, and others wore masks, revealing no emotion.
She tried to emulate the third group and looked on as a swarm of impeccably uniformed German soldiers marched through the square like they belonged there, to the backdropof the Nazi banner.The vision was menacing, and Lizzie fought to stay composed.
Her heart hammered as she scanned the rows of soldiers advancing like clockwork. She wished this was just a nightmare and she would awaken to find herself lazing on the golden sands at Seagrove, waiting for the tide to wash in on a perfect summer’s afternoon.
No such luck. The Nazis were here, and they meant business. Just as she was about to turn away, sickened by their arrogant manner, one of them caught her attention. Immediately, she realised it was the soldier who had called out to her a few days earlier.
It was too late to avoid his glare—he stared at her intently as he marched, and then he winked.
Lizzie shook as flames of fear licked through her. She told herself she was doing a poor job of going unnoticed in this small city. This was the second time he had made advances to her and if she wasn’t careful, she would be in serious trouble.
