Page 38 of Hearts of Resistance
Rose forced her eyes to stay open and made herself comfortable. Just her, the woman nestled beside her, and the tiny baby in her belly.
Rose’s arms felt like they were going to break, they were aching so badly. The moment the sky had started to lighten she’d made her way quickly back to where the bicycles had been hidden, parting ways with Josephine. It was too dangerous for them to travel together; it was better for one of them to be caught than both.
Rose had uncovered one of the bicycles. She would have to come back for the other later and pray nobody found it in the meantime. Cycling home had been long and exhausting, and she was constantly fearful of being discovered, but she was almost there and in record time. As she neared her cottage she stopped, surveying the other houses, being careful to spot anyone who might be watching or lurking around. The homes closest to hers were full of supporters who’d risk anything to save their fellow countrymen and -women, but she was always cautious. All it took was one person, one traitor, to rip their network open and put an end to all the good work they were doing.
She breathed slowly, her heart beating fast, legs shaky from the exertion. Her stomach cramped but she did her best to ignore it. She’d had pains on and off for a few hours now, but she was certain it was hunger pangs given how long it had been since she’d eaten. Josephine was no doubt feeling the same from the sheer exhaustion of what they’d done.
Rose decided to walk now, going the rest of the way on foot and pushing the bicycle beside her. She felt uneasy, but that didn’t surprise her.
She came closer to the house and went to place the bicycle around the back against the stone wall, but a low moan made her stop.What onearth was ...?She gasped and leaned the bicycle hurriedly against the side of the house, running to her back door. There was a woman lying there, curled into a ball. She was bleeding but Rose couldn’t see where her wound was or what had happened.
‘Help me. Please, help me.’
Rose dropped to her knees as her stomach twinged again. ‘Tell me, what happened?’ she said in a low voice, worried someone could be watching them or listening. ‘Who did this to you?’
The woman turned on to her back slightly, eyes locking on Rose.
‘Tell me your name,’ the woman murmured.
‘Rose,’ she said, smiling down at her. ‘I’ll help you get inside. Come on.’
The woman shook her head. ‘I...can’t,’ she rasped. ‘Wrong...name.’
Rose stared at the woman, taking her hand and holding it tight. She needed to get her inside and fast.
‘Are you looking for Josephine?’ she whispered. ‘It’s too dangerous to go to her house. I’ll hide you here.’
The woman grasped her hand back, her hold weak but the look on her face telling Rose that she was holding as tight as she could.
‘Help me,’ she murmured, trying to sit up. ‘Please, help me.’
Rose somehow found the strength to pull both herself and the woman on to their feet. She looked down, wondered what the wetness on the inside of her legs was. She gasped, seeing blood and realising it was her own. A crippling pain tore through her belly and she fought not to cry out.
‘You need to tell her,’ the woman whispered, her lips cracked and dry as Rose stifled her own pain to stare at the woman in her arms. ‘Tell her they need to know the fox has fallen down a hole.Please.’
Rose nodded, numb but determined to keep going no matter what was happening, not understanding the coded language but knowing how important it must be. But it was the baby. It had to be the baby. She was losing her baby, she knew it, and there was nothing she could do.
‘Repeat the words to me, and don’t tell a soul that you’ve found me. Only her.’
‘The fox has fallen down a hole,’ Rose repeated, her hands shaking as she managed to drag the woman with her. She reached out and turned the door handle, pushing the door open with her back as she did her best to haul them both inside.
She wasn’t going to let this woman fall into the wrong hands, instinctively knowing how important she could be. Even if Rose was fighting for her own life and that of her child.
CHAPTER TEN
HAZEL
ENGLAND
EARLY1944
Hazel’s heart hammered so loudly she wondered if it was about to leap clean from her chest. This was the moment she’d been anxiously waiting for. She was beyond excited that she was finally going to be doing something, yet terrified that she’d be caught by the enemy the moment she landed.
She walked through the airfield beside her contact from the Air Liaison Section, Eddie, and gave him a tight smile when she noticed he was watching her.
‘How are you feeling?’ he asked.
‘Scared,’ Hazel replied honestly. ‘But I’ll be fine. I know what to do, I’m just not fond of heights.’
