Page 44 of Whispers At Dawn
‘Luc is Catholic, like my parents, although I think it’s unlikely anyone will quiz us on that.’
‘Anyway, we digress. You seem confident Lev can be trusted.’
‘Even in the worst-case scenario, I didn’t give him anything tangible to hang an accusation on. And I would just deny it and say he’s a crackpot.’
They reached the edge of the vineyards, with Beau still escorting them. Lizzie admired the haze of lavender ahead and told Jack she had entered the field earlier.
‘It’s stunning around here, that’s for sure,’ Jack agreed.
‘What an absolutely wonderful place,’ Lizzie said, raising her face to the soothing sun. ‘I could live here forever!’
Jack tugged her gently towards him and they stood there rocking back and forth, enjoying the moment surrounded only by nature. Then Beau barked and pawed at Lizzie’s leg.
‘The daft mutt is jealous!’ Jack said. ‘You’ve got yourself another ardent admirer.’
Lizzie bent to stoke Beau’s head. ‘Come on boy, I bet it’s time for your dinner soon.’
The orange-tinged sun sank lower over the lavender on the horizon, and they turned back to the château, enjoying their new life together, no matter how temporary it proved to be.
CHAPTER 21
Afew days later, Jack and Lizzie visited Marguerite in the café. When they sat down, she came over and took their order. Then she looked from Lizzie to Jack expectantly. ‘Well?’ she said.
Jack raised one dark eyebrow. ‘Well, what?’
She leant over to wipe the table and whispered, ‘Lev wants to know if you have a message for him.’
‘He is keen,’ Jack replied, his face cracking into a smile.
‘Of course he is. We need your help,’ Margarite said. ‘We can’t just let these lunatics take our country. They’re going to hand it over to the Nazis on a silver platter, and our children will be raised speaking German.’
The pain was evident on her face.
Lizzie touched her hand and said in a low voice. ‘We understand, but don’t say more now.’
Marguerite’s eyes shone with gratitude. ‘I have a message for you from Lev.’
Jack’s head jerked up. ‘You’ve been at our table too long. Continue your duties and when you bring our coffee, give it to us then.’
Marguerite nodded and bustled off to another table.
Lizzie looked at Jack. ‘Things are heating up.’
‘They are indeed. It always takes a while, but once you find the right people, it moves like lightning.’
‘It’s exciting to build this from the ground up.’
They spoke in hushed tones and Jack held Lizzie’s hand as if they were swearing their devotion to each other, not discussing how to build a deadly network that would outwit the Vichy regime.
Lizzie leant over to kiss Jack, so anyone watching them would think they had nothing on their minds but their mutual obsession. ‘I’m beginning to understand why Val said being a married couple is such an effective cover.’
‘Good, maybe now you won’t insist on ditching me to pursue your solo reconnaissance,’ Jack said, his eyes full of amusement.
‘I don’t know about that,’ Lizzie said.
Marguerite returned with two steaming cups of coffee and a small pastry Jack had ordered for Lizzie.
‘This is one of my favourites,’ he said, placing the plate in front of her. ‘What’s the message?’ he prompted, without looking at Marguerite.
