Page 9 of Hearts of Resistance
‘Thank you, sir.’ Hazel watched him walk away, a little stunned by what had just happened. She had no idea how the process worked, but something told her that her job description might be about to change. This might be her chance to do something big.
She went to her desk, this time with a spring in her step. She only hoped that her French was still as good as it had once been, and that John would forgive her if she took a job he felt should be reserved for men.
Hazel sat very still. She was trying to act relaxed and pretend as if sitting in the lobby of the Northumberland Hotel was the most normal thing in the world, but the truth was that she was a bundle of nerves. No amount of pretending was going to stop her from digging her nails into her palms and clenching her toes tightly in her shoes to avoid jiggling her legs.
She’d been punctual arriving, careful to ensure she had enough time to be waiting promptly at 5 p.m. But she was still waiting some time later, and no one had come looking for her.
‘Good evening.’
She hadn’t noticed the man approaching her from behind the chair, and she gave him a quick glance.
‘Good evening,’ she replied, not wanting to engage. As he sat down next to her, she noticed he was well dressed, his trousers nicely tailored and his tie knotted perfectly.
‘You’re waiting for someone?’ he asked. ‘I’ve heard there are some meetings here tonight.’ He stretched out, looking comfortable.
Hazel turned and gave him a tight smile. ‘I wouldn’t know. I’m waiting for a family friend.’
‘Oh. Sorry to bother you, then.Profitez de votre soirée.’
Hazel laughed. ‘I’m sorry, but I don’t speak that language. Is it French?’ She was acting calm; she knew she was doing a good job of fooling him, but inside she was on the verge of blowing up. She dug her nails tighter into her palm.Enjoy your evening.She’d known exactly what he’d said.
‘Very good instincts,’ he said with a chuckle, before holding out his hand. ‘I’m Smith. Come with me.’
Hazel made a noise that sounded like a whimper, a big breath sighing from her lungs. She’d been suffocating there, trying so hard to put this man off the trail, worried she would give away something that was so secret, and it had been a ruse!
‘You did well,’ he said as he walked quickly. ‘I’m impressed, and I don’t impress easily. You thought fast on the spot.’
‘Ah, thank you, sir,’ she said as she hurried alongside him. He opened a door and indicated for her to walk through, bending closer as she passed.
‘The clenched fists were what gave you away. Other than that?’ He shrugged. ‘Pretty good.’
Hazel took a step into the room and stopped. She looked around, then at the man she knew only as Smith. There were two chairs in the room, as if the rest of the furniture had been swallowed by the stark white walls. She moved cautiously when he pointed to one of the chairs, her nervous excitement making way for a pit of dread in her stomach. Hazel glanced back at the door as Smith locked it and came closer, sitting in the opposite chair.
‘What comes to mind when I say the wordNazi?’ he asked, staring straight at her.
She felt a line of sweat bead across her forehead.
‘Hatred,’ she said simply. ‘Evil men who must be stopped no matter what the cost.’
‘Do you resent your fiancé being sent to war?’
‘Well, I did resent the fact he signed up so quickly.’
‘So you don’t want him to serve our great country?’
She gasped. ‘That’s not what I said! But we had planned to be married and...’
‘Your marriage is more important than fighting this battle?’
Hazel shook her head, ignoring the tears that had sprung to her eyes. He was trying to get under her skin, and she wasn’t going to let him. This was her one chance to prove that she was strong, that she could do something more to help bring the Nazis down. She wasn’t some pathetic woman more worried about a pretty wedding gown than fighting for what was right!
‘I am willing to sacrifice my own life for the people of our country,’ she said firmly. ‘Do I miss my fiancé? Of course. I would prefer him to be at home, but once and only once this war is won.’
He nodded. ‘You lied to me in the lobby. Is this something you do often?’
‘No, sir.’
‘Where did you learn to speak the language fluently?’ he asked in French.
