Page 3 of Whispers At Dawn
‘You can count on it. Dinner tonight?’
Lizzie nodded. ‘I’d love that. I told Ma and Pa I’ll be back though, so I’ll have to go home after dinner, or they’ll worry.’
‘No problem. I’ll get you back to them safely before the witching hour.’ When he reached the door, he turned and winked. ‘See you at our usual spot by the station at seven?’
‘See you then.’
They spent much of their time dodging other agents, and their personal life was as clandestine as their work. It wasn’t easy keeping their relationship secret, but it had to be done.
A joyful smile lingered on Lizzie’s face. The implications of their mission unfolded in her mind. They wouldn’t have to pretend not to be in love in France. They could live together freely. Clearly, they would need to put some serious thought into their cover as husband and wife so their stories would be bulletproof, but the thought of living openly with Jack made Lizzie’s stomach fizz.
Val’s face appeared in the doorway, jilting Lizzie out of her romantic reverie. ‘I’ve been looking all over for you,’ she said. ‘I need you.’
Lizzie was embarrassed to be caught grinning on her own, and she hoped Val hadn’t noticed.
‘What are you doing mooning around in here, looking like Father Christmas came early?’
Lizzie cleared her throat and forcibly restrained the slow blush threatening to stain her pale cheeks. She was working on controlling her emotions and hiding her reactions, but it was a challenge. ‘Oh nothing. I was just thinking about a recent telephone call from a friend, that’s all.’
Val looked at her quizzically. ‘If I didn’t know you barely have a spare minute for a social life, I would think you were daydreaming about some lucky young man.’
The statement took Lizzie by surprise, and she flicked her hair over her shoulder in an awkward gesture, but somehowkept the blush at bay despite the tingle on her neck. ‘Imagine! Wouldn’t that be a fine thing? No chance, that will have to wait until after the war, I’m afraid,’ she garbled, smiling as she followed Val along the dimly lit corridor to her office. Her heartbeat gradually slowed to its regular pace, and she told herself to be more careful. She was in a hotbed of spies and, despite Jack reassuring her, they were all too obsessed with their work to notice what their fellow agents were doing, Val was astute.
Lizzie fished out the file Val had been searching for and plopped it onto her desk. ‘Here it is. Where do you want me today?’
Val pushed her thick-rimmed glasses up her nose and fixed her gaze on Lizzie, reminding her of one of her schoolteachers in Jersey. ‘Good question. There’s so much going on, we could do with five of you!’
‘Shall I take that as a compliment, or as a sign of my inefficiency?’ Lizzie smiled.
‘Oh, definitely a compliment. I don’t know what I’d do without you,’ Val said, holding the file. ‘Although I’ll find out soon enough, unfortunately. Jack told you the news, I suppose?’
Lizzie nodded.
‘Thoughts?’ Val asked, nibbling the end of her pencil as she studied Lizzie.
‘I’m ready for the next mission,’ Lizzie said. ‘Well, I will be when I know the specifics.’
‘Jack’s in with the Dutch, but we could make a start without him. Did he brief you at all?’
‘No, not really. All I know is we’re both off to the South of France.’
‘Yes, it’s a beautiful time of year for it. Shame you’ll have to share it with the bloody Vichy traitors and the Boche tourists.’
‘Where will we be based, exactly?’ Lizzie asked. She’d visited Antibes as a child with her family and recalled its outstanding beauty, but she wasn’t familiar with the South.
‘Toulouse.’
‘I’ve never been there,’ Lizzie said.
‘I have, briefly.La Ville Rose, they call it. It’s a charming medieval city with pinkish terracotta buildings. The architecture is quite wonderful.’
Val seemed suddenly far away, a soft expression etched onto her usually stern features, and Lizzie wondered what had happened. She didn’t know anything about Val’s personal life. All she knew was she was a fierce defender of Britain and lived and breathed her job as the right-hand woman to the boss of F Section.
‘I’m getting sentimental in my old age,’ Val said, shaking her head. ‘Anyway, back to the business at hand. We need you and Jack in Toulouse.’
‘When will we leave?’ Lizzie asked, her pulse racing at the thought of dropping into Vichy France. It would be completely unknown territory for her.
‘The sooner the better. But not before you’re fully equipped and ready for every eventuality. Pull up a chair and let’s get into the details of what we need to do to prep you.’
