Page 27 of Whispers At Dawn
Lizzie smiled, relief coursing through her. Jack always knew what to say to make her feel better. When he turned the car into the sweeping drive, and manoeuvred the rusty vehicle into the outbuilding, she touched her lucky scarf.
Her heart slowed to a steady beat. They had made it safely back to the château and survived their first reconnaissance mission.
CHAPTER 12
Anticipating a formal dinner at the château, Lizzie had packed one evening dress in her small case. If Luc invited them to dine with him regularly, she would need to take a shopping trip to Toulouse.
Jack wore a dinner jacket from Luc’s vast collection of clothes now at his disposal. ‘Help yourself,’ Luc said. ‘I’m not as slim as I used to be, and even with these measly rations, my waistline will never fit into those trousers again. There’s something about growing old that changes your shape.’
Jack offered Lizzie his arm, and they strolled down the imposing staircase together and towards the dining room.
Luc stood to greet them when the butler announced their arrivaland showed them into the elegant room, as if they were merely one couple from a huge guest list. ‘You two are a sight for sore eyes. How overjoyed I am to have you both here. Come, take a seat near me.’ He patted the upholstered wooden chairs.
Lizzie hadn’t expected Jack’s uncle to be so enthusiastically accommodating, and after the depressing events of the afternoon, it was good to feel welcome.
They sat on either side of Luc at one end of the grand table, which had obviously been the setting for many extravagant dinner parties over the years.
‘I hope you will excuse our modest table decor. It’s been some time since we’ve been able to conjure our pre-war level of hospitality, but the housekeeper does her best to keep things ticking over with some semblance of normalcy.’
Lizzie thanked Luc and said she was very grateful for his hospitality.
‘It is a pleasure, my dear. I rattlearound alone much of the time in this great old house, and it’s easy to slip into a state of melancholy. Your company will do me the world of good, especially as the news grows darker and darker.’
Luc instructed the butler to pour the wine, and Jack took a sip from a fine crystal wine glass and nodded his appreciation. ‘Hmm, magnificent.’
Lizzie did the same, and the fruity liquid tickled her taste buds. ‘I’m not a wine connoisseur. In fact, I’ve not had the pleasure of tasting many wines, but I can see I’ve been missing out.’
‘What a great shame. I shall make it my mission to remedy that.’ Luc’s face glowed at her words, and it was obvious he was passionate about his wine.
‘Which vintage is this?’ Jack asked. ‘If I’m to pose as a wine merchant, I had better get up to speed fast.’
‘Sadly, wine merchants are not overly in demand. Hitler’s mob looted our cellars after the invasion, and the Vichy regime isn’t far behind. After they take what they think is their share, it doesn’t leave much to sell.’
‘Who can you sell to now?’ Jack asked, not having considered the details of his new career beyond it being a feasible cover story.
‘We are permitted to sell to Germany and Axis countries. The Germans, of course, set the prices. I think it’s fair to say we are not in for a profitable year, and last year’s harvest was terrible.’
‘That is a sad state of affairs,’ Jack replied.
‘It is. Hopefully, the Nazi war machine will wind down soon, but it doesn’t show any signs of doing so yet.’
‘No, it doesn’t,’ Jack agreed. ‘If anything, Hitler is ramping up operations.’
Luc pointed to the wine bottle on the table. ‘This is one of our finest. A 1920 vintage.It’s one of my favourites, and I thought it would be an excellent introduction to our wines for you.’
The men had discussed Jack’s cover, and Luc had agreed to teach him whatever he needed to pull off their mission.
The story was that Jack worked in the wine trade in Brittany, but business had ground almost to a halt with the occupation, and he had travelled to Toulouse to assist Luc, who had no children and needed help in running the vineyards and the business.
Lizzie listened as she ate a small but tasty dish and asked the occasional question. Jack understood far more than her about the wine business and she must learn all she could if she were to be successful in her role as the wife of Michel Dubois, the wine merchant from Brittany.
‘That was delicious,’ Lizzie said. ‘Please give my compliments to the chef.’
‘I’m afraid the days of having the luxury of an in-house chef are gone, but Suzannewill be delighted to hear you enjoyed her pigeon speciality dish.’
Lizzie almost choked on her mouthful of wine. ‘Pigeon?’
Jack chuckled. ‘Never eaten pigeon before, darling?’
