Page 60 of Tides of Resistance
In endless admiration,
Yours,
Heinrich
‘He’s actually got the audacity to woo you openly like this,’ Sophie exclaimed. ‘I can’t believe the gall of that monster!’
Lizzie saw the expressions on the faces around the table. Uncle Charles looked bemused, and Aunt Giselle’s relief had been replaced with pure terror.
‘Perhaps you shouldn’t accompany me to the meeting today,’ Charles said. ‘We’re on very dangerous ground here, and it won’t do to encourage a man like that.’
Giselle interjected, ‘I agree. If he discovers you are not who you say you are, the repercussions will be calamitous.’
Lizzie remained outwardly calm, but her emotions raged. ‘I’m sorry I’ve put you all in this position. I will leave as soon as possible. It’s unfortunate he’s taken a liking to me, but we couldn’t have foreseen it.’
Sophie whispered, ‘We can’t afford the spotlight being shone on us, what with the Judith situation.’
Lizzie squeezed Sophie’s hand. ‘I know, and the safest way for us all to come out of this unscathed is for me to distract him by indulging his attentions so I may finish what I came to do.’
‘And then what?’ Charles asked, sounding mystified, as if the reality that his niece was some kind of master spy was too much for him to digest.
‘Then I’ll leave him a note saying I was called back to Paris on an emergency, and he will be sorry for a day or two but far too wrapped up in his schemes to give me much thought once I’m gone.’
‘I hope you’re right,’ Sophie said. ‘He is awfully enamoured with you judging by the flowers and the card, and he doesn’t seem the type to give up easily.’
Tension hung in the air as they got ready to leave the house in pursuit of their various endeavours.
On the way to the meeting, when they were out of earshot of the walled city, Lizzie asked Charles if he’d heard any moreabout the plans for Jersey. The other day, he had seen a report about two thousand labourers needed for construction work on the island.
Charles said, ‘It seems they may be going ahead with a major coastal defence battery in Jersey, and the construction will be coordinated with Brittany. I feel sick to the stomach.’
The prospect of Jersey being used as a key fortified piece of the Atlantic Wall to keep out the Allies made her feel sick too. The irony was too much to bear. They were working with the Nazis to stop the Allies invading, and their island and even their home were being drawn into the web.
Much to Lizzie’s relief, Heinrich Adler wasn’t present at the meeting, and one of his junior officers took the lead. They were a small group made up of local engineers, surveyors, construction workers and contractors, and they listened carefully as the officer outlined the latest position of the massive engineering project.
All of them would benefit substantially by securing steady work, and she could understand why they were keen to be hired for the long term, despite the potential repercussions. Whatever their feelings about the occupation, they had mouths to feed.
Refuse to work with the Nazis and face the consequences.
When the officer referred to the fortification of the Channel Islands, Lizzie held her breath and listened closely. There was nothing specific she could take back to the SOE, but it was clear they planned to make all the islands impregnable.
The soldier pinned up a large surveyor’s sketch of Cité d'Aleth and talked through the preliminary plans for turning it into a subterranean complex. She’d heard some of it from Heinrich, but now she could commit the layout to memory. She wished she could take a photo with her mini camera, but it was out of the question, and her uncle’s equipment was far too big to set up for this purpose. They were forbidden from takingGerman materials off the grounds, so it would come down to her memory.
Another soldier switched the sketch over, and Lizzie’s stomach dropped as she saw they were looking at a drawing of Portelet Bay.
Her Portelet Bay.
Uncle Charles’s head was in his notebook, and she nudged him discreetly and saw his eyes reflect the same shock that reverberated through her.
It was true then.
After a brief overview, the soldier removed the sketch and continued briefing them about overall plans for the Brittany coast and what would be expected of them to prepare the groundwork.
Charles had left the building with his colleagues, and Lizzie emerged from the toilets and was about to join him. Heinrich appeared from a side door and blocked her way as he towered over her in the now empty grand entrance.
His smile was genuine, and Lizzie smiled back as if she was pleased to see him. ‘There you are, Rose,’ he said. ‘I trust it was a useful briefing.’
Lizzie said that the plans were coming along fast. ‘I was interested to see the sketch of Jersey and curious to know more. How can a small island play such an integral part in the construction?’
