Page 50 of Tides of Resistance
‘You can trust me,’ Lizzie said. ‘I will do whatever is in my power to help.’
‘You are an angel,’ Sophie said. ‘I can’t tell you how much it’s meant to me to have you here. You remind me of all the good things I miss.’
Lizzie asked, ‘How does Fabian keep Judith’s presence in St. Lunaire a secret?’
‘He knows people who do that kind of thing,’ Sophie whispered. ‘They made new identity papers for Judith, so she is registered as a non-Jew. She has a ration book and everything. We call her Fleur Robert.’
Sophie rose and boiled more water, then handed Lizzie a cup of weak coffee and sat back down on the sofa to resume her tragic tale.
‘The antisemitism was terrible at school. Judith was my best friend even then, and I could never understand how some kids could be so cruel. Once, I got into an actual physical fight standing up for her and came home with a black eye. They called me a Jew-lover, as if it were an insult. Then, after the invasion when the Boche introduced the anti-Jewish orders, the prejudice morphed into pure evil, and my parents agreed we had to do something.’
Lizzie was certain she would have gone to battle for Hannah Stein if they were school friends, and the thought of Judith and Hannah being persecuted because they were Jewish made her blood boil.
Sophie said, ‘Judith told me that her nameliterally meanswoman of Judea.AndCohenwas the name of the Ancient Israelite priests who served in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem before the Romans destroyed it. Even at school, her name put a target on her back, poor girl.’
Lizzie’s chest welled with emotion at the injustice, but she fought to keep her composure. Hearing Judith’s story and seeing her cousin in such distress was heart-wrenching.
A ring of the doorbell made Sophie jump to her feet. ‘Thank goodness for the bell. I’d better see who it is.’
Lizzie ran her hands over the skirt of her crumpled dress and followed Sophie out to the shop, her thoughts still full of Judith and Fabian at the farmhouse.
She raised her head and saw Heinrich Alder stroll into the shop, his blond hair glinting in the sun. He wore no coat today, and the red, white and black Swastika armband dominated the left sleeve of his uniform.
Sophie recovered first. ‘Good morning, Herr Adler. What may I help you with today? We have some new editions in stock if you would care to take a look.’
‘Good morning, mademoiselle,’ he said. ‘How very kind. I will perhaps return at another time to peruse the new collection, but today I am here on official business.’
Lizzie also greeted Heinrich, fear prickling over her skin at the mention of official business. With every passing day in St. Malo, she had more secrets to hide.
‘I hoped to find you here,’ he continued, turning his full attention to Lizzie. ‘I would like you to accompany me on a driveto inspect our coastal defences. It occurred to me it would be most helpful in your surveying work.’
Lizzie stared at Heinrich, not quite believing his audacity. She felt like a mouse snagged in a trap with no way out.
‘My driver is just outside, Rose.’
CHAPTER 29
Heinrich’s driver jumped to attention and opened the door of the Mercedes-Benz as soon as she appeared. She had requested to meet Heinrich in a small alley off the Grand Rue rather than leave the shop with him.
He respected her desire to be discreet, whilst at the same time being extremely persistent about her going with him. She had considered saying she had a prior engagement. Getting so close to him was about as dangerous a scenario as she could imagine, but it was also the ideal method to gather intelligence with his blessing.
The car’s front fender bore a Wehrmacht eagle as if it had been designed especially for Heinrich Adler, and her nerves clattered as she glanced around, worried that someone might see her. It could be a pair of eyes peering out from behind the curtain of a house, or someone watching her from a distance. Even in a side alley, it would be impossible to evade notice when she joined an SS officer in his military vehicle. The inevitable assumption would be that she was a collaborator, and a sense of shame clung to her even though it wasn’t true. She was relieved Jack couldn’t see her now and decided she would give him the strictly potted version of events when she returned to London.
Lizzie couldn’t allow herself to entertain the possibility that she might not return to London and be in the safety of Jack’s arms again. The thought was unbearable, and in his role as her commanding officer, he had drummed into her the need to keep her mind on the successful outcome.
Heinrich was a handsome, charismatic man, and he greeted her with undeniable charm. ‘Thank you for coming,’ he said, his eyes bright.
‘Thank you for inviting me,’ she said, her lips curving into a modest smile.
The game had begun. He clearly wanted her, and she must keep him at arm's length whilst indulging him enough to get the information she needed. It was like walking a tightrope, and the adrenaline flooded through her as she settled back against the cool leather seat, and the car weaved through the narrow streets of the walled city and out the gate. ‘We will begin at St. Servan and visit the Cité d'Aleth fortress,’ he said.
Lizzie could barely believe what was happening. That was the fortress her uncle had instructed her to photograph because it would be an integral part of the fortification.
Heinrich made polite conversation as they drove through the modern area of St. Malo. His behaviour was faultless, and he acted as though they were on a professional outing, not touching her or taking advantage of their proximity in the back of the car. After a short drive along the coast, they pulled up outside Cité d'Aleth and he said, ‘Our plan is to transform this eighteenth-century fortress. As soon as the measurements are complete and we have received the final reports from the surveyors and engineers, we will commence construction work.’
Lizzie cleared her throat. ‘Are your plans for the fortress based on what you have seen in the reports so far?’
Heinrich withdrew his silver cigarette case and offered her a cigarette. They smoked as he talked about his vision for theconstruction. ‘Few people know this, but as you are working on the project, I may rely on your discretion, yes?’
