Page 2 of The Secret Librarian
If I survive that long, I’ll be able to find out who did this and make them wish they hadn’t betrayed us.
The sound of dogs barking spurred her on, her legs covering the uneven ground as fast as they could, even though, inside, her heart was breaking.
I have to run for Hugo.
I have to survive for Hugo.
I have to live for the beautiful family who trusted me, and who will now never live to see another day, because someonewetrusted betrayedus.
‘He’s dead, Benoit!’ she cried as she pushed the door shut behind her, her legs giving way while she slid to the ground against it, chest heaving, fighting to catch her breath. ‘We were betrayed!’
Benoit ran to her, falling to his haunches and taking her hand. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean that they were waiting for us. Someone told them where we’d be,’ she gasped, her lungs on fire as she fought to expel the words. ‘They shot him down in the forest and I had to leave him.’ She fought against her tears, but it was impossible. ‘I had toleavehim there.’
‘They saw you?’ Benoit asked, standing up and pacing back and forth, agitatedly running his fingers through his hair. ‘You think they know your identity?’
She nodded, wrapping her arms tightly around her knees when she started to tremble again. Every time she squeezed her eyes shut she saw him lying there, on the forest floor. Saw herselfrunning away from his body as if he meant nothing to her, leaving him behind.
‘I’m so sorry. You know how much I cared for him, how much I care for both of you, but if you’ve been compromised ...’
‘I have to go,’ she said for him, her voice barely sounding as if it belonged to her. Benoit didn’t need to tell her – she knew how dangerous the situation was. She didn’t have time to grieve; she needed to keep moving while she still could, make sure that the rest of their cell remained secret, if it hadn’t already been compromised.
‘You still have the papers?’
She sniffed back tears and wiped her eyes, before reaching into her coat pocket and picking at the lining with her fingernails. It took her a moment to work on the stitches, but eventually she’d opened it enough to pull the papers through. She stared down at the documents, the weight of what she was holding not lost on her, and she felt a now familiar burn of anger deep inside. Those forged visas were supposed to mean freedom for the family she’d been going to meet. They were supposed to signal a new beginning for them; a new life.
‘I want to know who betrayed us,’ she said, raising her eyes to look at Benoit. ‘Someone we trusted double-crossed us and gave our location over to the Nazis, and I won’t stop until I find out who that person was.’
Benoit blinked back at her, as if he were trying to decide whether or not to tell her something.
‘Benoit?’ she asked, wiping beneath her cheeks and holding his gaze.
‘We’ve received information in recent weeks from British intelligence, in the last few days even,’ he said. ‘But the chance of them double-crossing us seems implausible. What would the British have to gain by betraying those fighting for the same cause? The British are our closest allies.’
‘Who was this intelligence from? A spy? A British soldier hiding in France?’
‘He was an SOE operative,’ Benoit said. ‘I know nothing more about him, I wasn’t the one to trade information with him, but if they knew where to find you tonight ...’
‘Then they might well know the location of our safe houses now, too, and where I live,’ she finished, silent as she listened for noises outside, for any indication that they weren’t alone. Their eyes met. ‘I know,’ she said.
‘We need to go,’ Benoit said, taking the documents from her and holding a match to them. ‘I want to find out who did this as much as you do, but right now, we have a network to protect.’
She watched as flames licked across the paper, before forcing herself into action. He wasn’t wrong. Hugo would want them to stay focused on the work they were doing. He would want her and Benoit to do everything in their power to stay alive.
‘Where will you go?’
‘I’ll find somewhere to hide, and then I’ll alert the others,’ he said, reaching for his coat and shrugging into it, before going to the corner of the room, lifting up a threadbare rug and removing a couple of floorboards. ‘I had these identity documents and visas prepared for you when you first joined. I don’t know whether they’ll hold, but they’re better than nothing. You’ll see I used your first name, but created a false surname for you.’
She watched as he slipped a document of his own into his pocket after passing her hers.
‘Change your hair colour, cut it short, do whatever you have to, to make yourself unrecognisable,’ he said. ‘You need to make your way somewhere safe and start a new life.’
‘But ...’ Her voice trailed away as they both went still, ears pricked, hearing a noise outside that sent a wave of panic like a lightning bolt through her body.
Benoit pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead. ‘Without you, countless families would still be hiding in France or captured by now. Because of you and Hugo, they have a chance at a new life. Don’t forget that.’ He paused. ‘But the work you’ve done puts a target on your back, and you know what the Nazis will do to anyone helping Jews to Portugal.’
She blinked at him, knowing what he was trying to tell her, but no matter how many families they’d saved, she knew it would be the one they hadn’t been able to help that would forever haunt her, imagining what had become of them. Blaming herself for their downfall. She was also acutely aware of what would happen to her if they caught her.
