Page 44 of Shadows In Paris
Lizzie’s head was reeling at the onslaught of information.
‘How do you suggest I get them out of France?’
‘Angel will know what to do. Ask for her help. I must go now,’ Margot said, looking at her watch. ‘There are patrols in my neighbourhood and nosy neighbours who will inform on me for the price of a loaf of bread.’
‘How will you get into the city during curfew?’
‘Don’t worry. I know how to dodge the patrols, but I can’t leave it too late. It’s easier when it’s just me. My only regret is I couldn’t let these dear people stay with me. The neighbours would have heard them in my tiny apartment.’
Lizzie nodded sympathetically. ‘At least here we don’t have any neighbours for miles. You did the right thing, Margot. I will do my best to get them out of France.’
Margot said goodbye to the scientist and his wife, with an emotional farewell. They clasped hands and hugged each other like old friends. Margot had risked her life for them, and they knew it.
Hannah still wasn’t home, and Lizzie glanced at the clock. Nearly 9 p.m. The children were falling asleep on their parents’ knees.
‘Let’s get you to bed. You must all be exhausted,’ Lizzie said. It was too dangerous to leave them in the kitchen in case someone came to the door and heard them talking.
Earlier, Lizzie had hastily arranged a makeshift bed for them in the basement. She had taken a thick rug from one of the bedrooms and dragged it down the stairs. Then she arranged blankets and pillows on top of it. It was far from a decent mattress, but it would have to do. It was such a shame she couldn’t offer them one of the comfortable bedrooms, but it would be far too risky if someone suspected and came to check the house.
Hannah had shown her how to access the camouflagedbasement where she stored Resistance supplies from London. It was lucky she did.
The last thing Lizzie had expected was she would hide a family of four down there for the night.
How would she get them to safety?
CHAPTER 20
Elise, the French housekeeper who had been with the King family since Jack was a boy, opened the door to 32b Grosvenor Place, and beamed when she saw him. He dropped light kisses onto her crepey cheeks, and she clasped both his hands in hers, then stepped back slightly to look at him.
‘We were talking about you only this morning. You’re a handsome devil in that uniform. What a magnificent surprise!’
Jack visited as often as he could, but time was tight. The SOE was all-consuming, and when Lizzie was in London, they spent as much time together as the job allowed. It was tricky juggling the logistics of their families and work, whilst keeping their relationship a secret.
Now Lizzie was in Paris, he had more time on his hands, but he seemed to spend most of it glued to the wireless listening for call signals.
His mother’s melancholic brown eyes lit up at the sight of her eldest son, and he wasglad he had reorganised his morning to visit. It was too easy to let work take priorityover family. Nicole was dressed immaculately in a tailored skirt and silk blouse and looked effortlessly elegant, as usual.
‘Are you going somewhere nice today, Maman?’ Jack asked, accepting a cup of tea from Elise, even though his mother always dressed as though she were having lunch with the prime minister.
‘There’s a women’s group meeting this afternoon, and I promised I would attend. You’re lucky to catch me. I was thinking of leaving early to pop to the shops, but that can wait until tomorrow. It’s so good to see you, darling. I bet you’re turning some heads in that uniform.’
It was only the second time Jack had worn his captain’s uniform to visit his mother, and she still wasn’t used to the sight of him in his military garb.
They chatted about the recent heavy raids in Portsmouth and Cardiff, and then the conversation turned naturally to Jack’s brother Henry, who was a pilot in the RAF.
‘He telephoned last week, and we talked for a few minutes before he was called away,’ Nicole said. ‘It was so lovely to hear from him.’
Jack heard the emotion in his mother’s voice, and his heart twisted. Nicole had borne widowhood gracefully, but the sadness was never far beneath the surface. Jack wished he could do more to cheer her, but she worried about Henry, which was only natural when he was on the front line in the skies, defending Britain.
Jack tried not to think about the worst happening to his younger brother, but the inevitable fears often crept into his mind, usually in the darkest hours of the night when he was alone. Some of Jack’s colleagues had lost siblings and sons in the Battle of Britain, and it was a blessing Henry had survived the daily dog fights over the channel. Too many pilots in his brother’s squadron had plummeted to their deaths defending Britain against the full-scale Luftwaffeattacks on England, intended to smooth the way for a German seaborne invasion.
Fortunately, they had failed, and Henry had lived.
‘Oh, that’s good. I haven’t caught up with him for a few weeks. How is he?’
Nicole frowned. ‘He said he’s keeping well, and everything is fine, but I’m certain he wouldn’t tell me even if it wasn’t. You know how he is. How do you think he’s coping with the stress of it all? He’s been on active duty for so long now.’
Jack finished his tea and rested the porcelain cup on the table. ‘He’s fine, Maman. It’s a difficult time for everyone, but he loves flying and doing his bit. Try not to worry so much.’
