Page 58 of Tides of Resistance
‘How beautiful it is and right on your doorstep,’ Lizzie said, gazing up at the tall canopy of trees with shards of light seeping through and sketching shadows across the forest floor.
‘This is a good place to clear the head,’ he said, which she took as code for a safe place to talk of things others mustn’t overhear.
Lizzie inhaled the oxygen-rich air. ‘It’s marvellous here.’
Living in central London, she missed the countryside.
They walked deeper into the forest. ‘This is my favourite place,’ Judith said.
The young woman abruptly stopped talking as if censoring herself. Lizzie knew all too well the difficulties of maintaining a false identity and felt her pain.
Never reveal more than she must. Don’t talk about her past. In fact, it was when she assumed a false identity that she became that person, and it was as though she had no past. The only story she had was one that had been carefully curated, and if she dared err from it, even one wrong word could mean the end of her life.
‘Sophie told me what happened to you,’ Lizzie whispered to Judith, conveying her compassion in the blaze of her green eyes.
For a second, Judith was alarmed, but Fabian captured her hand in his and they exchanged a look. The look said far more than any words could.
Lizzie thought about how often she and Jack lamented their situation and had to keep their love a secret, but it seemed like child’s play compared to what Fabian and Judith were up against.
‘What did you wish to tell us?’ Fabian asked as Lizzie gazed around in wonder at the beauty of the forest and the chirping of the birds.
Lizzie said, ‘If you know someone who is involved in the sabotage of transport networks, tell them the Germans are searching for them.’
Fabian and Judith both stopped walking and stared at each other, a wary expression in their eyes like hunted animals.
They held hands and resumed walking, and Lizzie followed closely behind as they picked their way along a well-trodden forest path.
‘How do you know?’ Fabian asked, his voice ringing hollow.
‘To cut a long story short, I have been assisting your father in his work. An SS officer complained about the sabotage and said they mean to catch the perpetrators. It wasn’t an idle threat, so please urge your connections to lie low for a while.’
Fabian swore under his breath and turned to Lizzie. ‘We can’t afford to lie low for a while. They are planning more deportations of Jews as we speak. We are running out of time to stop these lunatics.’
‘You are involved personally?’
He nodded. ‘We pledged to do all we can to stop this insanity.’
Judith’s beautiful brown eyes were full of emotion. ‘I have nothing left to lose.’
Judith had lost so much, but if they were caught sabotaging German operations, they would both be tortured and shot in the town square as an example to the locals. It was a popular ploy used by the Nazi regime throughout the occupied territories.
Attack the Reich, and you’ll end up like this …
And then they took revenge on their families.
Lizzie shuddered at the thought of the price her aunt, uncle and Sophie would pay if Fabian was caught.
‘Do you have a network or is it just you two?’ Lizzie asked, her pulse racing. In her short career, she had helped form and develop new Resistance networks throughout France, and it seemed likely she had stumbled upon a fledgling Resistance cell the SOE knew nothing about. The work was heartbreaking, and now she waited for Fabian’s answer, praying her cousin wasn’t the leader.
‘We are a small group. Just us and another couple,’ Fabian said after a pause, withdrawing a slim flask from his breast pocket and offering them each a drink of spicy brandy that burnt Lizzie’s throat.
‘Fabian is the leader,’ Judith said, looking up at him with obvious adoration.
Lizzie sighed. It was as dangerous as she had feared and even worse than she had imagined.
They walked and talked in hushed tones through the peaceful forest as if they were in another world, and Lizzie warned them again, explaining that Heinrich had also been involved with the Aryanisation of the bookshop, and they must all tread carefully.
The Eagle had sharpened his talons and was waiting to catch his prey.
