Page 81 of Hearts of Resistance
‘The Allies are landing in Normandy,’ she told him, starting to feel dizzy. ‘We have to act now, we have to...’
She went to move but her legs buckled, and when she looked down she saw the dark red stain on her top. She’d forgotten about the bullet. All that time, riding past those soldiers, and...
The grass rushed up to meet her, the sky spinning when she looked up.
‘Catch her!’ she heard Pierre yell as Sebastian lurched towards her.
Blackness engulfed Sophia as someone caught her under the arms, the world whirling as she shut her eyes and gave in to the darkness cradling her.
Sophia stood and stretched, moving to the window to look out. She’d had a restless sleep, as always, hearing noises and certain that they were about to be raided. It had been five days since she’d arrived, and her blisters and bullet wound had finally started to heal. Her legs were still aching and she’d been so exhausted when she’d arrived, but it was the worry for her friends, the sadness for all the lives that had been taken when hers had been spared, that had taken the biggest, most lasting toll on her.
She had a big night ahead of her tonight, and she was thankful that she’d been able to wake early. More than a few hours’ sleep and she’d do nothing but toss and turn, more exhausted than before she’d gone to bed.
The shipment of arms was arriving soon, and it was she who was going to guide it in, just as she’d done in the past with Hazel. Since that terrible night at the chateau, she’d taken over radioing, and even though she wasn’t nearly as fast or talented as her friend, she’d managed to do the job well enough and build a new radio from the parts she’d brought and what was already at the house. Some of the men, including Sebastian, had gone the night she’d arrived, their target a transport line that ran to Normandy, and she’d taken over the role of communications to ensure they were aware of what was going on at all times.
She kept replaying the conversation she’d had with Sebastian over and over in her mind, wishing she’d had the chance to get to know him better. She could understand why Rose was so fond of him; there was a kindness about him when he spoke, a warmness in his gaze that reminded her of Alex. And just like her Alex, there was a strength about him that made others look up to him. Sophia had been able to tell how much Sebastian’s men respected him by the way they stopped talking to listen to him, following his orders without question.
The poor man had been consumed with worry about his sister, though, not to mention his wife.
‘I was under no illusions about our work here, but I never expected my sister to become so involved.’
‘She’s very good at what she does,’ Sophia said. ‘She saved my life once and I would trust her to do it again in a heartbeat.’
‘You know,’ he’d said with a laugh, ‘she used to drive our parents mad sometimes. They were desperate for her to settle down, but until she met Peter, she was so outspoken and determined to have her voice heard, they wondered if she’d ever marry. I suppose her work here shouldn’t have surprised me so.’
‘And Peter settled her down?’ Sophia asked. The Rose she knew was quietly determined, and would stop at nothing to help their cause.
‘No, Peter loved my sister for who she was. He liked her opinions and her intelligence, and all he ever wanted was to make her happy.’
Sophia nodded. ‘And your wife? What news have you had of her?’
Sebastian met her gaze and she wished she hadn’t asked. ‘I’ve had no word for days now. It’s the first time we’ve been separated since...’
She waited as he cleared his throat, as if he was wondering whether to tell her something or not.
‘She left the Resistance for a short time and had to travel back to Paris. For family matters,’ he said hurriedly. ‘But since her return we’ve worked side by side.’
‘I can’t offer you empty promises about their safety, because we all know the reality of being here,’ Sophia said, placing a hand to his shoulder. ‘But I can promise you that if I have the chance to help Rose, I will do anything in my power to save her.’
Sebastian gave her a long stare before opening his arms and holding her tight. She’d held him back, feeling oddly comfortable in the embrace of a man she hardly knew. But there was a familiarity about Sebastian being Rose’s brother, a connection to the people she’d lost.
‘Hazel was very close to my family,’ he said as he pulled away. ‘If there’s anything we can do to help her, if you have any word at all...’
‘Rose and Hazel are both my family now, too,’ she said. ‘You focus on your work and finding your wife, and let me worry about them.’
Sophia brushed away tears as she thought of Sebastian’s drawn, tired face as he’d walked away from her. She pushed away her thoughts and readied herself, then went out to the kitchen to find something to eat, pleased that the house was empty. She was the only woman amongst an ever-growing group of men coming and going from the house, and although it didn’t bother her, she liked the few quiet moments she had. The night before, they’d been planning their next mission, ready to target the trucks that would be travelling in convoy and filled with German arms. The idea of the chaos they would cause was enough to put a smile on Sophia’s face, but she also felt the pressure of the part she had to play weighing heavy on her shoulders. She had set the coordinates and she would guide the plane in. She was effectively in charge of arming hundreds of men.
Sophia looked through the grubby window and saw a few men outside. She headed out, calling to them and beckoning for them to follow her.
‘We’re going now?’ one of them asked.
She nodded. ‘We are.’
Sophia climbed aboard her bicycle, and two of the men did the same, coming with her to keep her safe and assist her as needed. By the time they had a blanket cover of darkness, all three of them were in position, tucked behind trees. Soon they would hear the faint sound of trucks in the distance, and men would be arriving on foot and hiding.
The rumble soon alerted her to the fact that the plane was coming in on time. She listened to her thumping heart and then stepped out. She raised her light and turned it on, using it to guide the plane, signalling and standing bravely as it came in. From then on it was a blur. Men appeared from nowhere in the dark; boxes were unloaded and carried away; and the plane disappeared into the sky again, leaving them in the field alone, in the dark, their breaths clouding around them.
‘Let’s go,’ Sophia ordered, going back to find her bicycle.
