Page 38 of Summer of Fire
Jack chuckled. ‘True, and you’re never going to let me forget it, are you? Although I came to my senses eventually, fool that I am. Come on, where is it? Show me.’
Lizzie reached for her raincoat that lay crumpled in the long yellow grass.
Jack propped the bicycle against a tree and watched her as she fumbled in the pocket until her hand emerged, clutching a small white envelope.
‘Here,’ she said. ‘I think this is what you are after.’
Jack took the envelope, pausing for a second as the raven illustration caught his attention. ‘That’s from Hannah, alright.’ Then heput it into his pocket. ‘Let’s get you to the safe house so you can clean up and change. I take it this bicycle belongs to Jeanne?’
Lizzie nodded. ‘Yes, she has been absolutely incredible.’
‘We can’t leave the bicycle here and collect it later or it could link her to the soldier. But it’s risky to ride along the track now in case we’re spotted. Let’s make our way out of sight of the track, and I’ll pull it along so we can return it to her.’
They set off on the edge of the vineyard, threading from field to field, and by the time they neared the cottage, Lizzie was hot and thirsty from the long cross-country scramble.
As they approached, Jack touched Lizzie’s arm to stop her from moving forward. ‘Wait a minute. I watched the cottage all night to make sure you weren’t compromised, but we need to be sure nothing has happened since.’
‘You watched us all night? So that’s how you knew where I was! Why didn’t you come in?’
‘I couldn’t take the chance. It’s dangerous enough for Jeanne as it is.’
‘You saw me leave for the city this morning?’
‘Yes, I tried to follow you on foot but couldn’t keep up without drawing attention to myself. In the city, I found your bicycle near the cathedral. Then on the way back you were so fast, I lost you again. Like I said, if you hadn’t had the presence of mind to drop the scarf, I wouldn’t have found you.’
Lizzie didn’t want to think about what would have become of her if Jack hadn’t appeared when he did.
They stood under cover of the outhouse, and Jack observed the cottage for a while.
‘Here, take the bicycle and go in as usual. Ask Jeanne to clean up your face and see what you can bring us in the way of food. We’re going to need it. And explain to Jeanne what happened, so she is ready with a cover story.’
‘But what about you? Why don’t you come in and rest a bit?’
‘It’s better I keep watch, and we leave as soon as we can.The cottage looks as though it’s still safe, but if they find the soldier, they will start a hunt in the area. We need to be long gone by then.’
Lizzie did what he told her as quickly as she could. She explained to Jeanne how the soldier attacked her and how an agent from London had saved her.
Jeanne’s eyes were wet when they hugged and said goodbye. ‘I’m not supposed to get attached like this, but I’ve loved having you here. Raven has come for you, hasn’t he?’ she said. ‘You will be safe with him. He’ll get you back to England.’
‘Raven?’ Lizzie said, confused.
‘Raven is a legend in these parts,’ Jeanne said. ‘I should have realised straight away when I saw the message in the leaves.’
There was no time for further conversation. Lizzie packed her few things in her small case and rushed out with the supplies Jeanne had prepared for them.
Jack offered more water to Lizzie before he guzzled thirstily from the canteen, and then they set off in the other direction. ‘Follow me,’ he said. ‘Stay as close to me as you can.’
The sun was setting in the wispy pink sky. They had been on the move for hours with only short breaks to sip water and catch their breath. Lizzie was exhausted, but too scared to stop running. She kept her eyes fixed on Jack’s back and put one foot in front of the other to force herself to keep moving.
Finally, Jack’s punishing pace slowed, and he turned to her. She looked to where he pointed and saw an old barn ahead of them nestled at the end of a large golden field. There were bales of hay strewn about like in a rustic painting. It reminded Lizzie of Jersey, and nostalgia washed over her, making her homesick.
‘We can lie low here for the night. We’ve gone far enough to make it unlikely they would think to search this area.’
‘How do you know about this place?’ Lizzie asked, following him into the barn where the intense heat of the day lingered in the air. It was oppressively humid, and she longed for a cooling swim in the sea.
‘The farmer helps our network. I used to stay here sometimes before war broke out. It’s safer for him if he doesn’t know we’re here, but in the worst-case scenario, if he finds us, he won’t rat on us. He’s no Nazi collaborator.’
‘How fortunate. But what then?’ Lizzie asked.
