Page 83 of Whispers At Dawn
‘There’s nothing plain about you, whatever name you use. Did you notice how infatuated that bloody Nazi was with you? I thought he was going to claim you as the property of the Reich!’
Lizzie rolled her eyes. ‘He did seem rather smitten, which is odd when I did everything I could to discourage him.’
‘That probably only added to the attraction.’ Jack trailed his fingers along the sensitive skin of her arm, and her body responded instantly to his touch. Their lips touched and the heat between them ignited into a blaze as their kiss deepened and they were lost in each other. Their urgent need chased away all worries of airmen, Jewish escapees, and Resistance operations.
There was a light tap at the door. Lizzie jumped guiltily out of habit from their stolen moments in London. ‘Who can that be?’
‘I’ll find out.’ Jack slid Lizzie gently back onto the sofa and crossed the room. After a few muttered words Lizzie couldn’t decipher, he returned and handed her an envelope. ‘From Marguerite?’
Lizzie tore the envelope open and extracted the folded note. She read aloud in a hushed tone:
My dearest Isabelle,
My good friend wishes to have the pleasure of meeting you. I shall bring him for drinks tonight.
Sincerely,
Marguerite
‘Sounds like they mean to bring the contact to meet us at the pickup,’ Jack said.
Lizzie sighed.‘I suppose that’s the end of our leisurely afternoon. We’d better think through our plans for later.’
Jack smiled wryly. ‘I did warn you being involved with another agent was off-limits for this very reason …’
‘You did. I’m not involved withanotheragent, though. I’m involved with you! And, Captain King, let me assure you, I have no regrets.’
‘That’s good to hear, Seagrove. I wouldn’t have it any other way.’
‘I admit, when you told me we’d undertake this mission together and stay in a château in the South of France, I harboured a romantic vision of us wandering through the vineyards hand in hand and making love on a blanket every afternoon, sipping the latest château vintage.’
Jack’s laugh rumbled across the large room. ‘Well, we managed a few romantic picnics before things started kicking off. Since then, it’s been impossible to grab a quiet moment, what with the head of police and the Gestapo in the house and fugitives in the cellars.’
Lizzie reached on tiptoe to kiss him. ‘You’re right, though. Things should quieten down after tonight and we will have some time alone in between training our recruits and getting the network running smoothly.’
‘I hope so. By the way, there was something odd about the turret room yesterday,’ said Jack.
‘What?’
‘There was a smell, like someone had been up there.’
Lizzie whispered, ‘You don’t think they found our equipment?’
‘The radio was untouched. I always leave a thread across the top when I put it away. It hadn’t fallen, but the rug had changed position slightly.’
‘Why didn’t you say something?’
‘I didn’t see any point in worrying you last night. I thought a housemaid probably moved the rug, and the fragrance was theirs, or perhaps the scent of lavender wafted in the window. But this morning I swear it was the same scent on Von Schneider’s driver. His cologne smelled just like it. You know that angry looking little man with the limp?’
‘Yes, but why would he have been in the turret room?’ Lizzie asked.
‘My guess is he was poking around for his Gestapo paymaster.’
‘Makes sense. He might have had orders to take advantage of the opportunity. Von Schneider is from the secret police. But if the driver had found anything, surely, we wouldn’t have hadsuch an amiable farewell and would have been marched off for questioning.’
‘My thoughts exactly. We’re safe, darling, for now. But if that little snitch comes over again, let’s make sure we have eyes on him.’
‘I saw him looking at you. It was weird. I can’t put my finger on why.’
