Page 78 of Whispers At Dawn
They gathered in the courtyard to see Von Schneider off and say their last goodbyes, as his driver appeared, dressed smartly in uniform. Lizzie had noticed the French veterans working in the Vichy administration still wore military garb. He had slept in a small room in the staff quarters below stairs. Lizzie watched him stare at Jack as he limped to the car.
The driver moved the vehicle and struggled to get out quickly to open the door for his esteemed passenger to enter.
Von Schneider eyed him with unconcealed distaste, saluted and snapped, ‘Heil Hitler.’
The chauffeur raised his right arm and repeated the chant.
The Gestapo officer turned to face them, raised his arm again, and looked at them expectantly.
The hateful words stuck in Lizzie’s throat, but she forced the infamous salutation through her lips. She didn’t dare look at Jack or Luc, but heard the low rumble as they, too, paid homage to the devil.
A memory of seeing the driver before surfaced. His face was vaguely familiar, and she recalled a similar looking military man with a limp. Lizzie sifted through the images in her mind as though watching a movie and trying to place him.
In her training, she had learnt that the ability to recognise faces and connect them to past situations and events could mean the difference between life and death.
Finally, the car edged away, and they watched it turn out of the gates and onto the road.
Lizzie exhaled. ‘My God, I thought he would never leave.’
They agreed he was the most ominous guest any of them had ever had the ill-fortune to endure. Luc asked for an update on the airman and whether the doctor had treated him. Hisexpression was grave when Lizzie told him he was fighting for his life the previous evening.
Jack told Luc he had requested an urgent pickup by plane for that night, and he would contact London again for confirmation shortly.
After collecting a basket prepared by Suzanne, Lizzie once again raced through the gardens and whizzed along the track through the vineyards. The grape-laden vines undulated to a lazy rhythm in the soft breeze, and the scorching sun beat down on her forehead.
All the way, she prayed the airman had stabilised, but the sinking feeling she had felt throughout the night remained with her as she entered the cellar and tapped three times on the wall.
CHAPTER 40
Lizzie left the cellars and emerged into the heat, her mood subdued as she made her way back through the vineyards and towards the château. She sat in the shade in her favourite spot beneath an apple tree in the orchard and waited.
Her mind jostled with conflicting thoughts, and she was impatient for Jack to appear so they could talk through the events of the past day. So much had happened during Von Schneider’s visit, and Lizzie was worried circumstances were spinning out of control.
Jack waved as he approached, and sat down in the shade next to her, his legs outstretched on the grass. ‘What a lovely orchard this is. I think I shall look back and miss our time here.’
Lizzie jerked her head up. ‘Why, are we leaving?’
‘We have no instructions to leave yet. I was just appreciating the beauty of the château.’
‘Yes, and I appreciate it even more now the bloody Boche has left us in peace.’
‘Quite,’ Jack said, an amused expression on his face as he gazed at her. ‘I was afraid he was planning to move in.’
‘You haven’t asked about Billy.’
Jack’s eyes were full of sadness as they met hers. ‘I feared the worst after what you said last night. Tell me, darling, did he make it?’
Lizzie reached for Jack’s hand. ‘He’s hanging in there, but the fever hasn’t passed, and his wound is still bleeding. I feel so sorry for the other airman too, holed up in there. Do you think we could let him out for some fresh air? I was tempted but with the vineyard labourers milling about, I didn’t dare risk it.’
‘I feel for him too, but no, you did right. It would endanger everyone here. If the authorities get wind of us harbouring British airmen, retribution will be swift. They will make an example of us. You heard the commissaire talking at dinner about quashing the Resistance and anyone who assists them?’
Lizzie nodded. She had heard him even though she had tried not to. Luc turned pale during the conversation, and, for the first time, she fully appreciated what he was risking to help them with their mission.
‘What did Val say?’
‘They are sending a plane tonight. She told me to send a separate message with the coordinates of the pickup for extra security, so I’ll go back later.’
‘Thank goodness Von Schneider didn’t ask to stay another night, or we would have had no choice but to cancel it.’
