Page 66 of Hearts of Resistance
‘The identity has already been created,’ Sophia explained. ‘I would have been the logical choice for courier work in the past, but the Germans are more suspicious than they’ve ever been. She’s the right age, she fits the description, and most importantly she’s actually French. There is nothing she can do or say that would make them suspicious.’
Hazel knew it made absolute sense, but it was hard not to think of Rose as her old friend from their old lives. When she was training, it was about looking after herself and doing her job, taking calculated risks and understanding the consequences. The problem here was that she knew Rose and cared deeply for her. Hazel was going to have to use that to fuel her work, to make sure she didn’t make a mistake that could cost her friend her life.
The room suddenly felt too small and stuffy for Hazel, and even though she wanted to scream at Rose that it was too dangerous, she didn’t say a word.
‘I’ll rest for a few hours, then make myself up and get going. I suppose I need to move fast?’ Rose asked.
‘Yes,’ Mathieu said. ‘I’ll leave you a moment, then report to me downstairs.’
Hazel let the words sink in and exchanged glances with Sophia. She knew Sophia would be just as worried, but she’d probably never think to stop either of them from partaking in an important mission.
‘Take this,’ Hazel said, holding out a part for a radio that she’d found in the attic but that was of no use to her repairs. ‘It might help someone else in the other cell.’
Rose opened her arms and hugged her tight, and then held on for some time, standing silently in the room while Sophia watched on.
‘There’s been news of Sebastian,’ Sophia suddenly said, wiping at her eyes, at tears that Hazel knew were mirrored in her own eyes. ‘Mathieu said that Sebastian was asking questions, trying to find you.’ She was staring at Rose as she spoke. ‘It’s so good to know that he’s still alive, but there was no mention of his wife. The others passed him when they were blowing up petrol tankers, but he had to return to his own cell.’
‘You’ll all make it home. We have to believe that,’ Hazel replied, not knowing what else to say. ‘You and Sebastian and his wife, you’ll survive, Rose. You will.’
Sophia gestured that it was time to go downstairs, and Hazel took one last look at Rose before sitting back at her desk. Tears burnt her eyes. If only she hadn’t broken the radio, then perhaps Rose wouldn’t have been sent at all. She thought of Harry downstairs; suddenly all she wanted was to run to him and hold him and sob against his shoulder again. But she was stronger than that.
She was an undercover agent, and she wasn’t going to let this or anything else crack her.
‘You look beautiful,’ Hazel said, admiring Rose as she stood before her three hours later. ‘Ravishing in fact.’
Rose laughed and rolled her eyes. ‘If only I had someone to be ravishing for, hmm?’
She joked, but Hazel knew the truth of the pain beneath her easy words. ‘I’d tell you to be careful, but I know you will.’
‘Come here,’ Rose said, her case discarded as she opened her arms and stepped forward. They were all so tired, but Rose suddenly looked a million dollars, certainly not the same woman who’d woken in a barn with goats earlier in the day.
They embraced and Hazel held her tight, not wanting to let go. ‘We still have so much to share. You make sure you come back as quickly as you can.’
The trip was important, they all knew that, and Rose’s mission was vital to their success. Without Hazel radioing, all the small cells around them would become invisible, cut off from the others, because she was the only highly trained operator at the chateau – or within miles, from what she’d been told.
‘Your red lipstick is amazing,’ Hazel told her, admiring how it accentuated her full mouth when she pulled back.
‘It’s Elizabeth Arden,’ Rose told her with a wink. ‘I had one too many in the bag I was given, so I left it here for you and Sophia. But I don’t take Sophia for the red-lip kind of woman.’
They both smiled. Sophia was amazing, but she was probably too focused on her job to be overly worried about lipstick. Hazel, on the other hand, was more than happy to receive the gift.
‘I’ll wear it every day and think of you.’
Rose gathered her things and Hazel watched her go. She had a long walk ahead of her to the train station, and from there it would be a dangerous journey that made Hazel shudder to think about. But Rose was a Frenchwoman; she had nothing to hide about her lineage, and the fewer lies being told, the less likely anyone would be caught.
‘We’ll miss you,’ Hazel said as Rose walked out the front door.
Hazel held her hand up and watched her go. When she turned she saw Sophia standing not very far behind her. She’d been watching their exchange, perhaps the whole time.
‘She’ll be fine,’ Sophia said. ‘Rose is as good as they get. And besides, she’s fearless. Nothing and nobody will rattle her.’
Hazel wondered if Sophia felt like an outsider sometimes to the history Rose and she had, but if she did, she didn’t say anything.
Sophia smiled and took her hand. ‘I’m putting you to bed. You need some sleep before you start staring at that blasted radio again.’
She was too tired to disagree, and having Sophia so obviously looking out for her was a nice change.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
