Page 77 of Whispers At Dawn
‘All going to plan, he’ll be in a hospital in Blighty by tomorrow night.’
‘Let’s hope it’s not too late,’ Lizzie said, holding onto Jack’s hand like a life raft.
The state of the wounded airman had reminded her how fortunate they were, and how dreadful it was when she was in London waiting for Jack when he was away on an operation.
‘I can’t believe we had to send a message when there’s Gestapo in the château!’
‘I know, it’s far from ideal, but I don’t see how else we can get the airman to a hospital. You were right, he wouldn’t make the journey to the border, never mind across the mountains in that condition.’
When Jack eased his large frame onto the mattress next to her, she nestled in his arms and was grateful for his warm, solid presence. They drifted off to sleep together on one side of the giant bed.
That night, even though Lizzie’s body ached from sheer physical exhaustion, she slept only fitfully, and images of the wounded airman and the doctor’s granddaughter permeated her consciousness each time she awoke.
As dawn broke over the valley and the soft light of a new summer’s day filtered through the shutters and spun patterns on the white walls, Lizzie's eyes flickered open and all she could see was Billy’s ashen face. Her soul was filled with melancholy, and she had a horrible sense of doom that something terrible was on the horizon.
CHAPTER 39
Breakfast was a strange affair with Von Schneider present. When the plates had been cleared away, Suzanne served more coffee, and he didn’t seem in any rush to leave. Lizzie was on edge, waiting for the opportunity to check on the airman.
Von Schneider made little grunts as he leafed through Luc’s newspaper. Raising his head and moving the paper aside, he announced with a look of great satisfaction, ‘Operation Barbarossa is a dazzling success. The Soviet Union is now under Nazi rule, and we are exterminating those filthy Jews. Of course, we’d have to kill all the Russians to rid them of communism, but we must start somewhere.’
Fury gripped Lizzie, but she willed herself to stay silent, pretending to be absorbed in drinking the remains of her coffee. He wasn’t addressing her, anyway. In his view, she was but a mere woman and understood nothing of warfare. It was true that she knew little about traditional war tactics, but she knew a great deal about underground resistance and espionage.
Lizzie decided she would add this Gestapo monster’s name to the SOE list of Nazis who committed heinous crimes. He hadtalked at length with Luc the previous evening about the Third Reich and how much he admired the Führer’s grand plan.
The desire for vengeance burned in Lizzie’s chest like a raging fire, but she sat at the table as though it were just another regular morning in the château.
Luc engaged with Von Schneider with all the skill of a seasoned diplomat. He agreed the invasion of the Soviet Union was a success and spoke a lot without saying much at all. Lizzie realised she had a lot to learn from Luc.
Her eyes moved to Jack as the Gestapo officer addressed him. ‘And what do you think of the progress we’re making?’ he asked.
Jack didn’t hesitate and applauded the German forces as though he were their biggest fan. ‘The skill with which the Wehrmacht, the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe worked in synergy and caught the Soviets off-guard will be written about in the history books for future generations to study. It was a masterful operation.’
‘You are a wise man, monsieur.’ Von Schneider looked gratified by Jack’s praise and resumed reading the newspaper and drinking his coffee.
Lizzie tapped her foot beneath the table and glanced at the clock repeatedly. The morning was passing, and their guest still showed no signs of leaving. Eventually, he lay the crumpled newspaper on the table and fixed his gaze on Luc. ‘I should be most obliged if we could take another tour this morning. You were quite right that it was a mistake to go last night. I barely saw anything of the vineyards and the commissaire tells me your grounds are extensive.’
Luc replied if that was his wish, he would be honoured to give him a tour. His face betrayed no emotion, and Lizzie had to work hard not to show the tension she felt at the thought of the Nazi poking around the château grounds in daylight. Even if hedidn’t insist on revisiting the cellars, they were in the vineyards, and she wouldn’t be able to check on the airmen whilst he was liable to appear at any moment. Lizzie glanced at Jack, who lit a cigarette after offering one to Von Schneider, who declined.
‘Shall we begin our tour?’ the Gestapo officer said.
They stood, Lizzie too, but just as they were about to leave the table, Suzanne entered and whispered something to Luc, who turned to Von Schneider to tell him he had a telephone call. He strode after Suzanne, his figure a tall blur of grey green, to take his call.
A few minutes later, he returned. ‘I’m afraid I will have to cut my delightful visit short.’
Lizzie exhaled slowly, trying not to show the relief that spiralled through her. She hadn’t realised just how tense she was until that moment.
‘Oh dear, that is a terrible shame,’ Luc said. ‘Duty calls, I presume.’
Von Schneider said he was needed urgently in Paris and would cut short his trip, but he would be back.
‘I am most disappointed to have to say farewell so soon after we have become acquainted.’ His steely eyes searched Lizzie’s. ‘The good news is I shall be able to visit St. Malo sooner than I had planned. I am so looking forward to seeing your beautiful city, madame. And I shall endeavour to return to visit you here as soon as my schedule permits.’
Lizzie conjured an amiable smile and said she was sorry he must go and wished him a pleasant trip back to Paris.
The men shook hands, and Von Schneider crossed to Lizzie’s side. ‘Believe me when I say, madame, our conversation was the highlight of my time in Toulouse.’ He fixed his gaze on Jack’s face. ‘You are a lucky man, indeed.’
Jack gallantly agreed that he was, but Lizzie saw a muscle twitch in his jaw, and she guessed he had the sameoverwhelming urge to punch the smarmy smile off the Nazi’s face that she had experienced the previous night.
