Page 14 of Shadows In Paris
‘Will you come over this evening after work or do you need to go home?’ he said.
‘Of course, I’ll come,’ she said, and they checked a French edition ofThe Count of Monte Cristoout of the library and headed back to Baker Street, their hands brushing occasionally as they walked side by side.
CHAPTER 6
Jack drove Lizzie to the airfield straight from Baker Street.
‘I’m glad you’re taking me,’ Lizzie said, reaching over to touch the back of his neck as they whizzed along the dark country roads. There was only a faint glimmer of the moon, draped in shadow, to light their way.
‘I sent the driver home. Gives us longer alone,’ he said, turning to look at her as he changed gears.
Lizzie’s stomach fluttered as her eyes met his and she gazed at his beloved face and dishevelled hair.
‘How on earth do you know where you’re going? We can barely see the road in front of us. I don’t know how you drive so fast,’ she said, not wanting to think about leaving him tonight.
‘We don’t want to flash our lights for the Jerries. You get used to driving in the blackout after a while, and we used this airfield a lot before the war, so I know the road well.’
Lizzie and Jack had become intimate despite such a relationship between agents being, at best, discouraged and, at worst, forbidden. They had spent a lot of time together andconfessed their love for each other, but she was still in awe of him. He was twelve years her senior and sometimes the age gap seemed huge. Her youth made her feel gauche when it was obvious how much more experienced, he was in so many ways.
‘I’ve only driven a bit in Jersey. Juliet taught me the basics, but I mostly rode my bicycle. I’d like to drive, but there hasn’t been the chance to practice with no car.’
‘You can drive me around and practice when you get back,’ Jack said, his melodic, deep voice resonating through her every cell.
Lizzie adored how he encouraged her to develop her skills and acted as though she could do anything. It was only a matter of putting her mind to it. She was starting to believe it, no matter what challenge arose.
‘Would you? That’s good of you! I didn’t even so much as pass a test yet, so you’d be taking your life in your hands!’
Jack smirked. ‘Don’t worry about that. Tests are suspended for the duration of the war, anyway. You’re in the perfect spot to drive with all the vehicles we have on hand at work.’
Most cars for personal use had been requisitioned for the war effort, and even if people were fortunate to still have one at their disposal, fuel was scarce and driving for leisure was frowned upon. Lizzie’s father either walked to work or relied on a driver who took him back and forth to the War Office.
Lizzie was grateful for the small talk to distract her from what lay ahead. She tried not to think about her impending jump out of a plane into the treacherous skies of Nazi-occupied France, but the fear hovered in her mind, no matter how she tried to push it away.
‘We can’t have agents roaming around who smoke but don’t know how to drive,’ he said, an indulgent smile on his lips.
‘I sort of got the hang of smoking, although I can’t say I like it very much.’ Lizzie chattered nervously, and her laughter pealed through the icy air in the car. ‘Brrrr, it’s freezing,’ she said, tucking her hands into her pockets.
‘You did well with the smoking. If anyone comments, say you only started recently.’ Jack winked at her and turned back to focus on the dark road ahead.
An owl hooted loudly, and Lizzie jumped.
‘Nervous?’ Jack asked, reaching for her hand.
Lizzie nodded and slipped her hand into his. The feel of his warm skin comforted her, and she held on tight as their fingers interlocked. ‘How are your hands not cold?’
‘Warm heart?’ Jack raised an eyebrow.
They looked at each other and laughed, which dispelled some of Lizzie’s nervousness.
‘We’ll be there soon,’ Jack said, after a few minutes of silence whilst he steered with one hand and Lizzie leaned against him.
‘Where did you stash the cash?’ Jack asked.
‘In a few places, to be on the safe side. I’ve never had so much money. Perhaps I’ll indulge in a haute couture shopping trip in Paris after the mission!’ Lizzie kept her tone light-hearted as they approached the airfield, but her heartbeat picked up speed until the echo thundered in her ears.
Each passing mile brought her closer to leaving, and trepidation weighed in her stomach like a heavy stone.
Jack had switched into operation mode and was focused on the mission. ‘Give some money to Hannah and keep the rest yourself so you have a reserve in case of an emergency. You’ll no doubt need money to fund the ongoing network activities if it continues to expand.’
