Page 79 of Tides of Resistance
Lizzie and Jack smiled at each other, and their fingers grazed.
The tides of resistance had carried them home.
CHAPTER 45
London, May 1942
Jack visited Lizzie’s father at the War Office to let him know she was safely back in London but was needed for debriefing and wouldn’t be able to return home until the following week.
Although she was debriefed extensively by Val and the team after such a complex mission, Lizzie’s face and body were still too cut and bruised to visit her family.
‘You can’t go home like that,’ Jack had warned, and when she looked in the mirror at her purple eye and facial injuries, she knew he was right.
‘I’ll just have to stay with you here then,’ she said, tilting her head. ‘Let’s keep it quiet so Val doesn’t send me off to some soulless safe house on my own.’
‘Not a chance! I’m keeping you all to myself. If she says anything, I’ll tell her you’re staying here for a few days and I’m keeping an eye on you after all you’ve been through.’
One evening, when Lizzie was feeling better, Jack helped her to dye her hair back to its natural chestnut.
‘I rather liked the black,’ she said. ‘It reminded me of yours.’
‘It suited you, but your own colour is perfect.’
They slept together each night in the large bed, grateful to be alone again after so long apart. Lizzie’s sleep was often troubled, and she cried out as visions of Heinrich beating her naked body with his buckled belt terrorised her dreams and turned them into brutal nightmares.
Jack shook her awake gently and held her in his arms. ‘Darling, you’re here with me. You’re home now. No one can harm you.’
He would make them tea, and one night they sat for hours in bed, holding hands and talking about all the things they would do when the war was over. Finally, Lizzie drifted off to sleep as light broke, and Jack covered her gently and left for the office.
Lizzie still hadn’t told him everything that had happened between her and the SS officer, and he didn’t press, knowing she would talk about it if she was ready. Instead, he comforted her, and when he returned home from Baker Street, he cooked her favourite meals, and they curled up together on the sofa.
‘Did Val pass all the intelligence to the War Cabinet?’ Lizzie asked one evening after dinner.
‘Yes, Churchill has seen your photographs and notes and was mightily impressed. I’m sure Val will give you a rundown when you’re back at work. Frankly, I think you deserve a medal.’
Lizzie smiled. ‘Thank you. You’re incredibly biased though, darling.’
‘That may be true, but trust me, you still deserve a medal. You got us Hitler’s latest plans for the Brittany and Channel Islands defence fortifications. We wouldn’t know what was going on over there if you hadn’t done what you did. And somehow you also recruited a Resistance network!’
The following week after Lizzie’s bruises and cuts had faded, Jack surprised her by taking her to dinner at their favouriteFrench bistro. Seated at a cosy table in the candlelit granite alcove, they sipped wine and chatted.
The conversation turned to Jack’s visit to the Highlands. ‘I spent quite a bit of time with Charlie. He’s a lot of fun.’
Lizzie said, ‘Yes, he is fun. A brilliant trainer too. The things he taught me in that early course have saved me more than once.’
Jack raised his dark eyes to Lizzie. ‘You know he took quite a fancy to you. He was even talking about looking you up when he’s in London. He wants to date you, the cheeky blighter.’
Lizzie laughed. ‘Yes, I know. He’s a bit of a flirt, that’s all.’
‘I had to bite my tongue not to say anything,’ Jack said, smiling ruefully.
‘You weren’t jealous, were you, Captain King?’
Jack pushed his floppy black hair off his forehead. ‘I hate not being able to shout from the rooftops that you’re mine. And when he talked about you like that, I had a terrible urge to punch him in the nose. It wasn’t my proudest moment!’
Lizzie touched his hand. ‘You must know by now I only have eyes for you.’
When the meal was cleared away, Jack withdrew a package from his pocket.
