Page 53 of Whispers At Dawn
Every operation counted, no matter how small, and tonight would be their first act of violent sabotage against the joint Vichy and Nazi regimes. Val had instructed them it was time to increase resistance in the Free Zone and replicate the damage the networks were doing across occupied France.
As Lizzie finished getting ready, adrenaline washed away the remaining weariness that clawed at her after only sleeping for a few hours. They stood by the door, shoes in hand, ready to slip into the dark corridors and out into the night.
Outside, their path lit only by streams of moonlight, they cut through the orchard and the smell of ripening fruit tickled Lizzie’s nose as she brushed past scented trees. Moving at a fast pace and panting slightly from the sudden exertion, she reached the outskirts of the château, closely on Jack’s heels.
‘Alright?’ he asked.
‘Yes, fine.’
‘Stay close. I scouted out this route yesterday. We can cut down the hillside to shorten the distance.’ He withdrew a small torch from his pocket and handed it to Lizzie. ‘Tread carefully, so you don’t stumble. There are sharp rocks and bushes along the way, so it’s easy to trip. It’s only about a mile until we’ll join the road near the bottom.’
Lizzie stepped with caution behind Jack, clutching her torch and gradually moving down the hill, side-stepping rocks and picking over gorse.
‘Ouch,’ she said.
Jack put his hand out to steady her. ‘Okay?’
‘Yes, I just caught my foot on a rock, that’s all. Let’s go on.’
The yellow moon was high in the sky, surrounded by a blanket of twinkling stars, and there was no sign of daylight. Lizzie shivered and wrapped her raincoat around her. She wore it with the dark side outwards so she would blend into the night.
A while later, Jack paused. ‘This is it.’
Jack went first and then turned and offered Lizzie his hand to help her through the small gap. They emerged close to the bottom of the country road they usually drove along on the way into the city.
All was quiet, except for the eerie screams of foxes in the distance, and an owl hooting in a nearby tree.
They set off at a fast pace, using only one torch to light the ground as they walked. The less attention they drew to themselves, the better, because if they were spotted, there wasno reasonable excuse for Michel and Isabelle Dubois to be trailing around the countryside at this hour. Lizzie pushed that frightening thought firmly out of her mind. There was no room for doubt on an operation, only a clear vision of what needed to be accomplished and how.
Before reaching the city, they turned off the road and hurried down a smaller hill and cut through several tracks. Lizzie didn’t know where they were exactly and was relieved, she didn’t have to do this alone.
‘How do you know the way?’ Lizzie asked, as she fought to keep up with Jack’s long strides.
‘Henry and I used to play around here a lot. We’d go off for the day on adventures, with only a sandwich and a flask of water in our knapsacks. My mother always encouraged us to be independent and thought it was a good way to pass our long summer holidays.’
‘Sounds like an idyllic childhood,’ Lizzie said.
‘Yes, it was. I’m not sure how it stacks up against your swimming in the bay of your island, but I can’t complain. It was exciting. Sometimes we wouldn’t get back until dusk. Mother would pretend she wasn’t concerned, but would be calling us and hovering in the courtyard. I could see the relief in her eyes when we showed up, exhausted and ravenous just in time for dinner. Gosh, we slept well in those days.’
‘You’ll have to tell me more about the time you spent here. It sounds wonderful,’ Lizzie said.
‘It was. I’m sure Luc would be happy to tell you some stories. You should ask him after dinner one evening.’
Lizzie said she would. ‘Not on the day our Gestapo guest comes to dine!’
‘No, not on that day,’ Jack agreed.
No vehicles passed them on the road between the sleepy village and the entrance to the city, but they knew that wouldchange as soon as the labourers and local tradespeople started their day.
‘Remember the plan. Whatever happens, we must be back at the château by dawn, or we’ll stand out like sore thumbs. We mustn’t be visible in daylight.’
‘Understood,’ Lizzie said.
Five minutes later, Jack shone his torch ahead and Lizzie saw the train track in the distance. It lay on the outskirts of the city and Lev was waiting for them, just as Jack had predicted. He wore a cap and a leather jacket.
They greeted each other in whispers and Lev told them he had planted the explosives on one section of the track and was about to do the other. Jack said he would do it.
Lev said, ‘These are the last of our explosives. If we’re to continue attacks and scale up our efforts, we’re going to need a steady flow. Did you speak to your people?’
