Page 67 of Summer of Fire
Lizzie’s stomach churned, and she couldn’t face the sandwich. She went into the back room to make a drink and quickly scanned the area. Other staff might arrive later, and the woman who must be the office manager had disappeared.
Whilst the water boiled, Lizzie pushed the door until it was almost closed, but there wasn’t much to see. Then she turned to make her coffee just as she saw the office manager standing at the main entrance.
Lizzie sipped her coffee thoughtfully as she watched the soldier raise the barricade to let her back in. He obviously knew her well, so didn’t check her papers like he did Lizzie’s. The security was basic and seemed to depend solely on the guards. One more armed guard hovered nearby, and she saw they must be taking turns to sit in the hut.
The door creaked open, and the office manager stood in the doorway staring at her. ‘Everything alright, Mademoiselle LeClair? You can take that to your desk whilst you work.’
Lizzie nodded and walked back into the office.
It was early evening by the time she finished typing all the papers and her stomach rumbled, but she was still too on edge to eat her sandwich. Lizzie walked over to the general’s office, who she hadn’t seen all day, and knocked lightly on the door.
‘Enter,’ he called.
‘The papers are ready,’ Lizzie said.
The telephone rang just as she finished speaking and he waved at the desk for her to put them down, and then dismissed her when he picked up the receiver. ‘Yes,’ he barked. ‘This is he.’
Lizzie was about to lay the papers down where he indicated when she jumped at the word, ‘Blitzkrieg.’
She had to know what he was saying, so as she lay the papers down, she shoved one off the desk and it toppledthrough the air and landed on the floor. The general was absorbed in his conversation, listening with his head to one side. The eagle insignia sparkling on his uniform sent a shiver through Lizzie as she placed the document on the desk.
She couldn’t delay anymore, and he wasn’t speaking. After what seemed a lifetime, he turned and waved her out. As she neared the door, she heard him say something about London, and her pulse raced as she tried to make sense of the German. Being at the heart of their operation was tantalising, but she also remembered Jack’s cautionary instruction.
‘Do not get yourself killed, Seagrove. Use today to find your bearings and get the rhythm of the place, that’s all. Don’t take any chances.’
She slipped out of the room, regretting she couldn’t do more.
‘You can leave for the day now if you’ve finished,’ the office manager called out. ‘Be here at the same time tomorrow morning.’
CHAPTER 32
Lizzie approached the exit, and a soldier raised the barricade for her to leave. He bid her goodbye as she rode off on her bicycle into the late summer’s evening.
What a relief to be out of the office. But what had she accomplished, really? Nothing much. Jack wanted her to get the lay of the land and she’d done that, but it didn’t seem enough.
As she pedalled through the outskirts of Reims, she thought about her conversation with Jack the previous day. He was just about to reply to her question about him and Hannah when Pierre entered the barn.
Perhaps it was for the best—knowing the details of their love affair would only crush her already wounded spirit. If she’d known love hurt like this, she would have been more careful to avoid it.
She took the long way around and made several false turns to check she wasn’t being followed. Eventually, she saw the farm in the distance. The heavens opened, and she was soaking wet by the time she entered the yard.
Jack stood at the front door and rushed towards her. ‘Thank God. I was worried something had gone wrong.’
Her heart fluttered at the sight of the handsome face she had grown to love so much. ‘It was fine. I’m fine.’ She smiled, touched by his obvious concern.
‘Go inside out of the rain and I’ll put the bicycle away. I’ll be in shortly to hear all about it.’
Camille greeted Lizzie and rushed to bring her a towel. ‘We’re so relieved to see you. Don’t tell Jack I said so—’ She lowered her voice to a whisper, ‘but he’s been like a bear with a sore head since the moment you left.’
Camille’s words were like a balm to Lizzie’s soul.
Jack entered, also drenched from the downpour but paying no attention to his wet shirt. ‘Tell us all about it. How was it?’
Camille passed Jack a towel and served them bowls of hot watery soup with the occasional piece of vegetable. Pierre joined them at the table. Lizzie told them about her day and how she had met the general and typed up documents with the Blitz flight plans.
‘They’re actually having you type where they mean to bomb?’ Jack said, screwing up his tanned forehead in disbelief.
Lizzie nodded. ‘I didn’t dare mess with the details of the targets for tomorrow’s raids. I figured the bombing of the airfield is our major aim, and it might alert them.’
