Page 35 of Whispers At Dawn
They sent a hasty reply to Val using the coded system they’d agreed on at Baker Street, confirming they had understood her message and would be in touch when they had something to report.
The Stern Family.Lizzie often thought of the Jewish family she and Hannah had helped escape from Paris when the Gestapo were hunting them down. Mr Stern was a gifted scientist, and the Nazis wanted to get their hands on his research, but he said he’d rather die than let them. Val used their name as a code so they would understand she was ordering them to set up a similar escape route for the downed airmen.
Lizzie turned from the window, washed and dressed quickly, completing her outfit with her lucky yellow scarf, and her wide-brimmed sun hat in hand. She walked down the wide staircase to breakfast.
It was strange she was living like a French aristocrat, which couldn’t be more different from her previous missions where she’d spent much of her time riding around on a bicycle and queueing for rations as she gathered intelligence and met with members of the Resistance.
‘Suzanne, where do you go for provisions?’ Lizzie asked the helpful housekeeper who insisted she call her by her first name. An idea had dawned on her as she sipped her coffee under the pergola, shaded from the hot sun which would toast her pale winter skin if she wasn’t careful. A plan formed in her mind, and she thought for a few minutes and concluded it was viable.
Suzanne went into the city every morning and had asked for their ration cards when they arrived. Now Lizzie asked if she would be so kind as to give her the ration cards.
The housekeeper’s eyes revealed her confusion. ‘You do not wish for me to collect the rations today, madame?’
Lizzie explained she wished to explore the city and make herself useful.
Suzanne looked even more confused, but she nodded hesitantly when Lizzie repeated her request, and she returned a few minutes later with the ration cards and placed them on the table. Lizzie asked if there was anything particular she should get if it was available, and Suzanne gave her a quick rundown of the shop to visit and what to try and get.
Lizzie placed her hat on her head and had just descended the back stairs on her way to look for the spare bicycle Suzanne said she could use when Jack appeared. His white shirt was damp from exertion in the vineyards and his face shone with a thin film of sweat. ‘Darling, there you are,’ Lizzie said. ‘How was your first morning as avigneron?’
‘Good morning, beautiful. It was fascinating, if somewhat hot. You look like a woman on a mission. Where are you off to, my love?’ Jack ran one hand across his stubble.
‘I had a fabulous idea,’ Lizzie said, waving the ration cards in the air like a fan. ‘I’m just going to pop into the city by bicycle.’
Jack froze as if she’d struck him. ‘I’m not sure I like the sound of that,’ he said, concern blazing in his eyes. ‘I thought I would have a quick wash and then we would plan what to do today.’
‘That sounds good. When I return, let’s do that.’
Jack’s forehead creased. ‘Now, I’m certain I don’t like the sound of it.’
Lizzie touched his arm; the thin cotton of his shirt was warm and damp. She pulled him out of earshot of the back door. ‘Our goal is to meet new people who may be able to help us, correct?’
‘Go on, I’m listening,’ Jack said, his expression serious.
‘Well, it occurred to me over breakfast, we’ve been going about this the wrong way. It’s all very fine us living like royalty up here on the hill, but the reason I was successful in my other missions was because I interacted with regular people every day. Potential contacts are much more likely to be sympathetic to a woman who’s new to the city if she’s alone, rather than if she’s onthe arm of her handsome husband who happens to be a relative of the owner of this magnificent château.’
Jack studied Lizzie’s face, and she could tell by his expression that he agreed with her, but was uneasy to let her go alone.
He also lowered his voice to a whisper. ‘Remember, Val wants us to locate the airmen.’
‘I haven’t forgotten. Perhaps I will learn something of their whereabouts whilst I’m in the city.’
Jack still looked reluctant.
‘I will be fine, Raven,’ she said, subtly reminding him they were here as undercover agents, not lovers. ‘You don’t have to worry. I’ve done this kind of thing a lot on my own. All I’m going to do is cycle into the city and visit the shop the housekeeper usually gets our provisions from. I’ll be able to get a much better idea of what’s going on than if I’m closeted up here dining on delicacies and sipping the best vintage from twenty years ago, talking about what may or may not happen in the war.’
Jack didn’t like it, but Lizzie convinced him it was for the best, and eventually he agreed. They made a plan to meet back at the house, and he walked her to an iron roofed shed covered in cobwebs and helped her extract the old bicycle.
‘I’d feel better if I dropped you off in the car,’ he said when she sat on the bike and tested the brakes.
‘I’ll be absolutely fine,’ she assured him again. ‘You’ve seen me off on a bicycle before.’
‘Yes, but you weren’t my wife then,’ he said. ‘And it was difficult enough then, but it’s terrible now.’
She traced his angular cheekbone gently with her fingers. ‘I love you, darling, but you know this is all fiction and we’re here to do a job. We mustn’t let our feelings for each other distract us. You taught me that. I’m not really your wife, and even if I was, we can’t let that compromise our mission.’
Jack’s eyes were mournful, and Lizzie’s heart throbbed. It was so hard to keep their relationship secret at home, and here, where they were posing as man and wife, they had a whole new set of challenges.
‘Yet, you’re not officially my wifeyet, but for all intents and purposes, you are my wife, and it’s my job to protect you. Please don’t forget that.’
