Page 13 of Summer of Fire
Jack left the room briefly. Lizzie read the document and signed it with a flourish, with no hesitation. The words were quite straightforward, if not a little chilling, but she wasn’t going to chicken out now. It must be the type of confidentiality agreement her father signed, and it only added to her giddiness and the feeling she was awake in a tumultuous dream.
She felt special, as though she’d been chosen from millions to do something important, and it was heady stuff.
Jack returned. ‘Let’s go. I’ll tell you where we’re going on the way.’
Out on the street, Jack’s strides were long and fast, and she struggled to keep abreast of him. He paused and turned when he realised he’d left her behind. He waited whilst she hurried to catch up. ‘Sorry, I’m used to walking alone,’ he said.
‘I can see that,’ Lizzie said, panting. She was hot wearing her jacket now that the late afternoon sun had made an appearance. ‘Do you always walk alone?’
She could have kicked herself as soon as the words slipped out. That was far too personal a question. Embarrassed, she said, ‘Sorry, I don’t know why I said that. It’s none of my business who you walk with!’
He bit back a smile and she feared he must think her extremely gauche. But then he surprised her by saying, ‘Did anyone tell you that you’re delightful when you get down off your high horse, Miss Elizabeth Beaumont?’
‘Why, thank you—I think. That was sort of a compliment, wasn’t it? A back-handed one anyway…’
Jack laughed and continued walking. He told her that after the fall of France; they had been instructed to set up an important new organisation which amalgamated some of the existing British intelligence units. ‘The unofficial name of the organisation is Churchill’s Secret Army, on account of the Prime Minister’s call to set Europe ablaze by conducting sabotage and espionage in Nazi held territories. The official name is the Special Operations Executive.’
Lizzie’s eyes widened. ‘My goodness. That sounds thrilling and terrifying all at the same time.’
‘Yes, that just about sums up SOE. There’s no time to ship you off to the countryside for intensive training, which is what we’re planning when we’re properly up and running. For now, we’ll do our best with you here at St. Ermin’s and take a quick field trip.’
‘You’re not exactly filling me with confidence,’ Lizzie whispered, as she followed him through a door of a magnificent-looking hotel into a busy lobby. ‘Why would I do my training in a hotel?’
‘You’ll see soon enough,’ he said, flashing her an enigmatic smile before racing up flight after flight of stairs and through a maze of corridors. ‘Follow me,’ he called over his shoulder.
Lizzie, although fit, was panting by the time he came to a halt on the fourth floor and turned to face her. ‘Stay here a minute. I’ll be out to get you shortly.’
What on earth were they doing in a luxurious hotel? She rested her back against a wall opposite a door that stood ajar. Through the crack, she saw heads bobbing about in a brightly lit room. It didn’t look like a hotel up here, and seemed a long time until Jack reappeared. She was growing more nervous with every minute.
‘Sorry to keep you waiting. Had to arrange special clearance for you. As timing would have it, you’re about to enter a top-secret department on your very first day on the job. Isaw nothing like this until I’d been running errands for the Intelligence Services for months. Well, to be honest, there was nothing like this to see back then. Before the war, it was all a lot less urgent. Ready?’ he asked.
‘As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose,’ she said, taking a deep breath and pasting a smile onto her face. What had she agreed to?
When they entered the vast room, a few heads turned to look at them, and curious eyes assessed her, but soon lost interest and got back to whatever they were poring over on the large tables.
The room was full of people, some in army uniform, some in civilian clothing. There were coloured maps on the walls and bizarre looking equipment she hadn’t seen before lay across the various surfaces. The thing that was most striking to her was a sound like an incessant hum. There must have been loads of low-key conversations going on at the same time. It was impossible to make out any of the words, but it was like a swarm of buzzing bees had taken over the floor of the hotel and they all wanted to be heard.
She noticed a few smart looking women in the same uniform as the War Office drivers. So, was this where they were based? She realised they were part of the FANYs, the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. They seemed to pop up all over the place, doing many war-related jobs.
Lizzie admired their khaki uniforms with the belted skirt, fitted jacket and beret and she imagined what it would be like to wear such a uniform. She was mesmerised. Lizzie hadn’t ever seen this many people in one room all looking as though they had a purpose. The effect was electrifying.
‘Wait here,’ Jack said. ‘I have to do something, but someone will come to collect you shortly.’
Lizzie felt like a deer in the headlights, and she almost asked him not to leave her, but she stopped herself. If she wasgoing to enter occupied France as a courier, she had better get used to feeling afraid.
A woman in army uniform strode across the room towards her. ‘Elizabeth, I take it?’
Lizzie nodded. ‘Yes, yes, that’s me. But you can call me Lizzie.’
The woman stuck out her hand and smiled. ‘Nice to meet you, Lizzie. I’m Val. Welcome to SOE.’
CHAPTER 7
Lizzie arrived back at Regent’s Park just after 11 p.m. and her mother was at the door when she turned her key to open it.
‘Oh, my God! Where have you been? I was about to rally a search party to go and look for you.’
‘It’s all right, Ma,’ Lizzie said, kissing her mother on the cheek and giving her a quick hug. ‘Sorry, I didn’t have a chance to telephone and let you know I’d be so late.’
