Page 28 of Tides of Resistance
Then he turned his attention back to Lizzie, and she spotted the gun in his holster.
‘May I assure you, mademoiselle, we are doing all we can to improve St. Malo. Like Paris, it is under the protection of the Greater German Reich and, as such, under my administration, so you may rest easy you will be in excellent hands.’
Lizzie was astounded at his gall, but composed herself swiftly. ‘Thank you, Monsieur l'Officier. That puts my mind at rest. Good day to you.’
She had come by sea, and so had no gun concealed in her clothing. The reality hit her for the first time since she had arrived and made her feel even more vulnerable in the face of the enemy. She reminded herself that she had the skills to eliminate someone with her bare hands. In Nazi-occupied territory, it was arguably safer not to carry a gun in case she was arrested, as it would reveal her as a spy.
To be thrown into such a deadly situation on her first outing must be pure coincidence, but her mind raced for ways to throw the Nazi off the scent in case he suspected her.
The SS officer stared at her for a time, his grey-blue eyes betraying an interest with which she was familiar. Lizzie didn’t dare breathe.
Then he broke eye contact and strode across the room, his black leather coat swinging around his powerful frame as he walked. In the open doorway he turned. ‘This is a wonderful little shop. I shall visit again soon to check you are in full compliance with the list of permitted literature.’
He smiled casually, as if he were making polite chitchat.
Sophie, Giselle and Lizzie stared after him as though they couldn’t believe what had just happened.
‘That was a lucky escape,’ Giselle said, sitting down heavily, releasing a shuddering breath, her face pure white.
CHAPTER 17
It had been a few days since Lizzie’s arrival in St. Malo and she was worried that she hadn’t made progress with her mission. Whilst she had discussed the operation in broad terms with Val, there were no clear parameters of how to go about gaining intelligence on Hitler’s new directive. Without established contacts to work with it seemed an impossible assignment.
During breakfast with the family, she decided she must do two things as soon as possible.
Take a reconnaissance trip to assess the current harbour and port fortifications to get the lay of the land without arousing suspicion. And try to locate the contact the SOE told her was her best chance for getting access to a radio set. Then she could message London that she had arrived and was safely in position.
Message Jack.
Now that the immediate rush of preparing for her departure was over and she faced the daunting reality of what she must do,Lizzie longed for Jack’s presence.
He would be back in London, and the thought of them missing each other by such a narrow window after so long apart physically hurt her heart. She had spent months working atBaker Street, in and out of Val’s office, and the cipher room. It was the perfect opportunity for them to be together, but circumstances had arranged themselves with a cruel twist of fate and she felt as though their precious time had been snatched from them. Just one day later leaving on her mission or one day earlier for his return and they could have at least seen each other. Touched each other.
And heartache aside, she was certain Jack would have given her more solid guidance on how to extract the intelligence Churchill needed. Val was a wonderful mentor, but Lizzie feared she overestimated her abilities and left her to her own devices too much. Jack was overprotective but she could depend on him thinking through every possible scenario and helping her formulate a plan.
Now she must do it all alone.
Over breakfast, Sophie talked about books banned by the Nazis and how she was worried what the SS officer had meant by his chilling threat to return soon. Aunt Giselle said it was a disgrace and Uncle Charles tried to calm them without success. They were all agitated by the SS officer’s sudden visit to the bookshop.
Lizzie let the chatter wash over her as she tussled with the conundrum of how to get access to the German plans for coastal fortification. Now that she faced the immediacy of her task, she doubted her ability to do it.
As she often did, when faced with what seemed an insurmountable challenge behind enemy lines, she asked herself:What would Hannah do?
Hannah always knew what to do. Lizzie was convinced of that ever since she witnessed her in action in Paris and they worked together in the Liberty Network. Hannah had the foresight and the nerve to infiltrate German High Command and steal intelligence from under the Nazis’ noses. Lizzie had helped her,but Hannah was the mastermind, and she had inspired her with her bold action.
Lizzie smeared a spoonful of strawberry jam onto the toast Sophie put in front of her. ‘This is delicious. I must take my turn to prepare breakfast tomorrow,’ she said, her mind still turning over possibilities.
‘Nonsense,’ said Aunt Giselle. ‘You are our guest, and we are thrilled to have you. Let us spoil you a little, at least whilst you settle in.’
Lizzie was grateful to have been received with such enthusiasm. It could easily have gone another way, no matter how much they loved her. Her considerable experience undercover in occupied cities told her people were prone to panic in situations that put them in danger, and she had been ready to leave and find another base if necessary. Val hadn’t given her a Plan B, but she was trained to make one on the fly.
Uncle Charles finished his breakfast and stood to leave. ‘I must hurry to work, my dear ones. Sophie, please take care and check the book lists like we discussed. There is no benefit whatsoever in angering a high-ranking Nazi. Hate it as we do, our lives are in their hands until the brave Allies liberate us.’
Rays of morning sun shone on Sophie’s head as she looked up at her father. Her blonde hair gleamed like spun gold and her blue eyes sparkled with indignation.
‘Papa, I cannot bear to stock any more of those vile Nazi-approved books. They make me want to vomit!’
Charles said, ‘I know it is despicable, my love, but if we don’t, it will draw attention to the bookshop and who knows what they’ll do? Remember that keeping the shop open is the goal and to do so we must follow their rules of business, abominable as they are.’
