Page 39 of Whispers At Dawn
In Jersey, Pa had explained to her that war broke out when Germany invaded Poland.He said they invaded with the blessing of the Soviets, who in turn occupied and annexed Eastern Poland shortly after. She remembered him talking about a mutual treaty.
The article cited the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as the enemy of Nazi Germany. Lizzie lay the newspaper down on the table, her mind ticking over furiously. She must treat anything she read in this propaganda rag with caution, but still, if there was even a hint of truth in it, the Soviets would likely switch sides which could only strengthen the Allies, even if they didn’t trust them in the long term.
Lizzie rose from her seat with her cup in hand. She pushed the door open and walked towards the counter, surveying thecafé interior. There were a few people scattered at the tables in the back.
‘Merci, madame,’ said the man who had served her. ‘All to your liking?’
Lizzie smiled graciously. ‘Thank you, the coffee was as good as we may hope in the circumstances. How I long for a touch of milk like the old days when we took it for granted.’
His smile lit up his eyes. He leant closer. ‘Visit us again soon, madame, and I’ll see what I can do to offer you acafé au lait.’
Lizzie thanked him, touched by the stranger’s friendly attitude. Even in wartime in enemy territory, it comforted her to see there were good people everywhere. She walked back through the now quieter streets and was relieved to find her bicycle still propped against the fence. Lizzie cycled up the slope away from the city, and when she hit the steep incline of the hill, her muscles screamed out and she recalled Jack saying the journey would be tough by bicycle.
Even so, the flush of a successful trip into the city alone, her precious rations stashed in the basket, outweighed the pain and she pressed on, pedalling as hard as she could until she dismounted and wheeled the bike to the summit of the hill, panting and grateful for her hat.
As she pushed the bicycle, a strong floral scent tickled her nostrils and through a gap in the wall, she glimpsed a lavender field. On impulse, she entered, and rows of purplish-pink lavender stretched before her in a blaze of loveliness against the backdrop of the clear sky and the château in the distance. The heady scent and the outstanding beauty of the place permeated her senses, and she stood there breathing it all in.
After a while, she turned back onto the road and cycled slowly until she reached the château, which seemed to welcome her like an old friend. Lizzie cycled through the courtyard, her heart pounding with a combination of physical exertionand excitement that she had completed her first solitary reconnaissance excursion.
CHAPTER 19
Jack entered the garage where the old Peugeot stood next to Luc’s pride and joy, which, to his knowledge, had not been driven since they arrived. He admired the smooth lines of the vehicle and wished he could drive it now. One day, they would take it for a spin, but it might need to wait until after the war.
After washing away his toil from the vineyards and eating a lunch Suzanne served for him and Luc, Jack dressed in one of his uncle’s suits. It wasn’t the height of Paris fashion, but as the war progressed, clothes were shabbier as rations grew sparser and people made do.
Jack parked the rusty old car on a side street near the river and walked to the Café de Paris where they had met Lev the previous evening. In an ideal world, he wouldn’t rush their friendship and would let it develop slowly, but nothing about this situation was ideal. The message from Val had been a call to arms that they had to establish an escape route now. The longer the airmen were in hiding, the greater the risk a collaborator would inform on them, and they would be arrested or executed.
Lev waited in the dimly lit bar, which offered a welcome respite from the harsh afternoon sunshine. Jack paused beforeapproaching him, scanning the area and checking they weren’t being watched.
Lev was wiry and olive skinned,and his lips curved into the ghost of a smile when he spotted Jack. ‘Hello, it’s good to see you again. What can I get you?’
He ordered Jack a beer from the barman, who he seemed to know well. When they both had drinks, Lev suggested they move to a table in the corner and Jack followed him.
Lev offered Jack a cigarette, and they smoked in an oddly peaceful silence, considering they barely knew each other.
Jack said, ‘Is Marguerite a close friend of yours?’
Lev drew on his cigarette, his sharp cheekbones casting shadows over his face. Jack got the impression Lev hadn’t considered the question before.
After a pause, he replied, ‘We are colleagues more than close friends. But she’s smart and I trust her. Why do you ask?’
Jack took a swig of beer and contemplated Lev. ‘I’m curious, that’s all. She seemed keen for us to meet, and I wondered why.’
Lev nodded. ‘She’s a sociable sort. I suppose she thought we might have shared interests.’
‘That’s what she said. Do you think that might be the case?’
Lev sighed and met Jack’s eyes. ‘I don’t think we have time to waste, so I’ll be straight with you, Michel. Marguerite said she made it clear she was against the Vichy regime, and you and your wife seemed sympathetic. That’s why she connected us up. She said there was something special about you, and I should get to know you.’
Jack’s eyes narrowed as he appraised Lev. ‘Ah, I see. And how is getting to know me going so far?’
Lev cleared his throat. ‘Pretty good. You seem like a good guy.’
‘So, am I to understand you are also against the Vichy regime?’
‘You could say that,’ Lev said, sweeping his eyes around the bar as if he was used to being permanently on guard.
‘What else could I say?’
