Page 83 of Shadows In Paris
‘Yes, that sounds like it in the distance,’ Jack agreed, switching on his torch.
The others followed suit, and they formed a signallingpattern for the pilot to see where to land. Hannah moved to one side and Lizzie and Jack spaced out for the torch beams. The sound of the engine grew louder, and Jack caught Lizzie’s hand in his and raised it to his lips, planting a kiss on her cold skin. ‘We’ll be home soon, darling.’
Lizzie blew him a kiss and joy surged through her. Soon she would see her family and Hannah was coming with them, too. What fun they would have together in London, dancing away the heaviness of war for a few hours. Another successful mission was complete, and she was profoundly grateful.
The plane’s engine whirred, and they stepped back as the small aircraft landed bumpily on the uneven ground. Lizzie felt Jack’s hand on the small of her back, gently guiding her towards the Lysander. She boarded, smiling at the navigator, who welcomed her.
Lizzie took a seat and was settling in for the journey home when she heard a loud cracking noise. The navigator turned and looked out the hatch.
‘The bloody Boche have arrived,’ he hissed, reaching for his gun, and Lizzie pulled hers out of her pocket.
She peered outside to see Jack half carrying, half dragging Hannah to the plane, as a gunshot whistled past their heads. ‘Wheels up,’ he gasped as he hauled Hannah inside with Lizzie’s help.
A barrage of bullets flew past the hatch, and one hit the fuselage with a high-pitched whine. Lizzie and the navigator fired at the lights of the vehicle on the edge of the snowy clearing.
‘I can only see one truck. Did we get them?’ Lizzie asked.
The navigator fired again. ‘I don’t know, but there will be more on the way.’
Hannah leaned heavily on Jack like a drunken sailor.There was blood on her arm, spreading over her man’s coat sleeve.
‘My God, she’s badly wounded,’ Lizzie said.
The hatch closed and Jack sank onto the floor of the plane on his knees, panting as he propped Hannah up on the seat, her head sagging against the side. ‘Get out now!’ he shouted to the pilot.
The small plane was already off the ground and shots pinged and bounced off one wing as they heard loud voices. Jack peered out of the window as trucks screeched into the clearing and soldiers stared up at the escaping plane.
‘That was close. A few minutes later, they’d have caught us. Fire on them again,’ Jack ordered the navigator, who was now in the cockpit.
‘This will buy us a few minutes,’ the navigator shouted, and a fierce round of gunfire ripped into the ground near the cluster of Germans, as the plane rose shakily into the sky. They gained height and soon they were out of the range of fire.
‘Hell! That was too blooming close,’ Lizzie said, breathing again, her heart slamming against her chest.
‘Nice job!’ Jack shouted. ‘Where’s the first aid kit?’
The navigator brought it to him, and Jack signalled for Lizzie to help him pull off Hannah’s coat.
‘Ow,’ Hannah said. Her lips were dry and her skin pale and clammy.
‘She’s in pain. Can we give her something?’ Lizzie asked.
Jack rummaged through the kit. ‘Here’s some morphine,’ he said. ‘This should do the trick until we get her home.’
Hannah swallowed the vial of morphine and closed her eyes with a sigh.
Lizzie brought her a cushion for her head and Jack examined her arm. ‘It’s still bleeding, so we must stop the flow. We’ll have to get her to a hospital.’
Jack cleaned and bound the wound with Lizzie’s help as the plane swooped through the moonlit skies of occupied France and scrammed for home over the choppy English Channel. When Hannah drifted off, Lizzie looked out of the window and saw the chalky glow of the White Cliffs of Dover. She remembered how moved she had been when she first saw the cliffs and knew she was almost home.
Jack said, ‘Someone must have reported seeing the milk truck. The entire city was locked down searching for Hannah, don’t forget. They put two and two together and searched the area.’
‘I was so sure we were all alone,’ Lizzie said, shaking her head. ‘You never know what to expect, do you?’
‘We were lucky the Jerries only arrived at the last moment. Never let your guard down. The minute you think you’re safe is the minute you’re most vulnerable.’
‘Poor Hannah. We convinced her to come with us, thinking she’d be safer!’
‘Don’t worry. We’ll get her patched up,’ Jack said. ‘If she’d stayed there, the chances are they would have caught her.’
