Page 19 of Summer of Fire
‘No, not really.’
‘That’s a good sign,’ he said, the trace of a smile on his lips.
‘You always surprise me. I didn’t expect you to say that.’
‘I’ll take that as a compliment, then,’ he said.
‘I doubt you hear much of anything else,’ Lizzie quipped without missing a beat. She’d noticed how everyone at SOE hung on his every word and seemed to idolise him.
‘Except from you,’ he said.
‘Oh, stop fishing. Anyway, why is it a good sign that I didn’t sleep? I don’t understand,’ she said, screwing up her forehead and pursing her lips.
‘You’ll stay like that if the wind changes. You’d better watch it when you parachute.’
‘You are doing it again,’ she said, laughing at his silly comment.
‘Doing what?’
‘Avoiding my question. I ask you a question and you go off on a tangent instead of answering it.’
‘Ah, you noticed. Too many years in the intelligence game, I suppose. Not revealing any more detail than you need to, becomes second nature.’
‘Well, for the record, it’s extremely annoying. We’re in London, not deep undercover in Paris or Berlin.’ Her lovely smile took the sting out of her cutting words.
‘You really should practice speaking your mind,’ he said, his tone acerbic.
‘Ha ha, hilarious. But you know I won’t drop it. Come on, tell me. Why is it good?’
‘Because it means you are ready and alert. You are mentally and physically preparing yourself for the field. One more day of training is all we have left, so it’s a good sign.’
‘Ah, I see. Yes, that makes sense. I hadn’t thought of it like that.’
The black Austin wound through the deserted morning streets. Only those who did early shifts were out at this time. London hadn’t yet properly stirred. Lizzie yawned. ‘It may be a good sign, but I’m exhausted,’ she said.
‘You can sleep on the way. Then I need you to bring your A game. We’ll get you some coffee at the airfield to help you wake up.’
‘Where are we going?’ she asked.
‘It’s not important. All you need to know is I’ve arranged to take you somewhere you can jump out of a real aircraft, so you can practice using a parachute and landing safely. What we did so far just isn’t enough.’
She met his serious eyes. ‘I hope I can get the hang of it. It doesn’t seem like much time to learn something so tricky.’
‘It isn’t much time. That’s why we’re doing the quick intensive version of training. If all goes according to plan, you will receive more in-depth training upon your return. Should you wish to continue working with us, that is. For this mission, you shouldn’t need much of what we’ve taught you. But we’re covering the basics, just in case.’
‘Val was absolutely brilliant yesterday,’ said Lizzie.
‘Yes, she always is. You’ll have another session with her later when we return to St. Ermin’s. It’s a bit of a drive to the site, so close your eyes and rest now if you wish.’
Lizzie lay her head back against the seat as the car spedalong and left London behind. She thought she wouldn’t be able to relax, but the movement of the warm car lulled her into a deep sleep. It seemed like only a few moments had passed when she awoke to Jack’s voice. ‘Here we are. Wakey, wakey, sleepy head. We’ve reached our destination.’
Lizzie stirred and eased slowly out of the car when the driver opened the door. Her mind was still befuddled by sleep, and she stretched as the cool morning breeze in the open space hit her face.
Looking about, she saw they were in a large green field bordered by tall, thick hedges and trees. There was no signage, so she was no wiser as to their location. It could have been a field anywhere in the British countryside. A man in army uniform with a file under his arm waited to greet them and then escorted them to a nearby hut.
‘May I get you a coffee or tea?’ he asked.
Lizzie smiled gratefully. ‘Coffee would be wonderful.’
