Page 3 of Shadows In Paris
‘Fearless,’ Lizzie echoed, increasingly bewitched by the tales of the Resistance leader who ran circles round the Nazis in plain sight.
‘Fearless is all very well, but who is going in as the backup operator?’ Jack asked, his voice cold, as if he dreaded the inevitable answer.
Val’s gaze switched immediately to Lizzie.
‘Oh no,’ Jack hissed. ‘If anyone’s going into that snake pit, it should be me or someone more experienced than Lizzie. Reims was one thing; Paris is quite another.’
‘You know that’s not going to happen, Jack,’ Val said. ‘We need you here at the centre of things. Besides, we have too many operational irons in the fire for you to be caught by theGestapo. We can’t risk it—you know far too much to be strolling around occupied Paris now.’
Jack released a measured sigh. ‘Lizzie isn’t ready to run the Liberty Network. You said yourself she needs time to practice after the Bletchley training.’
Lizzie sat in silence, watching them talk over her head, her heart hammering as she waited to hear her fate.
‘Then you’d better get her ready,’ Val said, turning briskly and leaving the room before Jack could say another word.
The door closed with a thud and Lizzie and Jack stared at each other, both realising the dreadful day was fast approaching when they would be parted again.
If Val said Lizzie was going to Paris, it was only a matter of time until she went.
CHAPTER 2
‘Ican do it, you know,’ Lizzie said, her eyes meeting Jack’s.
He leant back in his chair and a lazy ring of smoke floated over his head and drifted towards the dusty ceiling. He studied Lizzie with troubled eyes.
‘I know you can do it. But that doesn’t mean youshoulddo it. And it doesn’t mean I have to like it.’
‘But this is what I signed up for,’ Lizzie said. ‘There’s no one else. You heard Val.’
‘Utter hogwash,’ Jack growled. ‘Things have changed since last summer now we’re officially set up. We have more agents in training. The plan is to set up multiple Resistance networks throughout France—and across Europe—but we have enough on our plate with F Section. The outcome of the war doesn’t rest solely on your shoulders, Seagrove.’
Jack often called her by the codename he had chosen for her, which was the name of her family home in Jersey. Lizzie liked it when he did. It signified the special bond they shared.
She reached for his hand and ran her fingers up and down his warm skin. ‘My darling Raven,’ she said. ‘What isthe point of me being here if I refuse to do my bit? I may just as well be working in a factory and not have to hide our relationship. If we weren’t both SOE agents, we could be open about being together, couldn’t we?’
Jack rose from his chair and began circling the room, his long legs covering ground quickly. ‘Whilst all of that is true, there is plenty to keep you busy here. You don’t have to be active in the field. It’s too damn dangerous for you to go back in. What if someone recognises you, from last time?’
The thought had crossed Lizzie’s mind. She’d been in and out of France several times the previous year. She didn’t like to admit it, but Jack had a valid point.
‘Val warned me there would be a new mission soon, so I’ve thought about it a lot.’
In truth, she’d lain awake at night worrying about what it would be like to be dropped back into France. She worried that her success—if you could call it that—had been beginner’s luck, and next time she would face the terrible reality of being a proper agent. What if she fell short when she was tested on a new mission?
Hannah had proven herself time and time again. And Jack had been active in Military Intelligence long before the war. But Lizzie was still green behind the ears, an expression her father used when describing new recruits to his office.
Lizzie didn’t voice her concerns. What was the point? Jack had enough for them both, and she didn’t want to add to his worries. Instead, she sipped her seedy tasting coffee and then said, ‘I could go in disguise.’
Jack stopped pacing abruptly and swivelled to look at her. ‘What kind of disguise?’
She could tell he was intrigued. From their many conversations discussing the whys and wherefores of espionage, she knew Jack loved all things tradecraft.
‘I don’t know, but we could figure something out. Whatdo other agents do? What did you used to do? Shall I dye my hair?’
Jack’s lips stretched into an involuntary smile, almost as though he was entertained against his will.
‘Fancy the idea of me as a blonde, do you?’ Lizzie said, a cheeky smile crossing her red lips and lighting up her green eyes.
‘Now that’s something I’d like to see.’ Jack offered his hand to Lizzie, which she took. He encircled her in his arms, and she sank happily into his large, comforting frame.
