Page 82 of Shadows In Paris
‘You told her?’
‘No, I didn’t have to. She said she guessed from how I talked about you, and how you look at me.’
‘It was difficult to contain my excitement at seeing you yesterday, but I thought I did a stellar job. So much for being a master of intelligence.’
‘Me too,’ Lizzie laughed.
‘It’s lucky everyone isn’t as astute as her or they’d all be on to us back home.’
The day crawled by as they waited for evening. They passed the time by going to find the milk truck and sure enough, Hannah was correct. The grey truck was visible now the snow had melted, and one wheel was stuck in a rut at the side of the lane where they’d left it in a snowdrift.
Jack jumped in and tried to start it, but the engine coughed, spluttered to life for a few seconds, and then petered out.
‘Shall we push you?’ Lizzie asked.
Jack turned the ignition again, and the girls pushed. Theygot some traction, and the truck lurched forward, but then its wheels spun in the thick sludge, and it slid back into the rut. They tried again and again, once with Hannah in the truck and Jack pushing, but it just wouldn’t budge.
‘It’s no good. We’ll have to leave it and hope no patrols spot it before tonight.’
At the cottage, Jack warmed up the rest of the broth and they sat at the table as night fell, thick and heavy. They took it in turns to keep watch, with Jack striding out to the edge of the woods now and then.
‘Thank goodness the snowstorm stopped, or we might have been stuck here for days. It’s tricky enough landing in woodland, never mind in thick snow.
Have you decided what to do? It’s almost time,’ Jack told Hannah when he joined her where she stood alone in front of the cottage.
‘That’s a Wolf Moon,’ Hannah said, pointing to the sky.
Jack gazed up at the glowing yellow moon that hung like a giant chunk of yellow cheese amidst the tiny twinkling stars. ‘It is such a beautiful night,’ Jack said. ‘A great night for the pickup. Just as well I didn’t arrange it for yesterday.’
The snow-covered branches on the trees glittered in the moonlight like Christmas decorations and his warm breath misted in the cold air.
‘Did you make up your mind?’ he asked after they stood in silence, soaking up the picture-perfect scene.
She turned to him. ‘Yes, I’m coming with you. It would be stupid not to see Henry when he’s on leave. Who knows when we’ll get the chance again?’
Jack released a quiet whoop and looked at his watch. ‘That’s the best news. Let’s go in and tell Lizzie. The plane should be here soon.’
They went and gathered their few belongings and prepared to leave. The pickup was in a clearing near the edgeof the woods, so they had to trudge over snowy ground, and it was slow going.
Lizzie whispered. ‘It’s a stunning night but gosh, it’s cold. My nose feels like an icicle!’
‘We’re nearly there,’ Jack said. ‘Not long now.’
‘How will they see where to land in the woods?’ asked Lizzie.
‘We used this spot before,’ Hannah said. ‘There’s a windmill that serves as a landmark, as I recall.’
‘That’s right,’ Jack said, bending to move some fallen branches, laden with snow, out of their path.
A short while later, he halted. ‘There it is, on the hill ahead. See it?’
Lizzie saw the pretty windmill illuminated by the light of the moon.
They entered the clearing, and Jack checked his watch again. ‘Should be here in the next five or ten minutes.’ He produced three torches from his pockets and gave the girls one each, ready to shine, when they heard the plane approaching.
‘That is the perfect safe house,’ Lizzie said. ‘There’s no one within miles to see us, especially during a snowstorm.’ She kept her next thoughts to herself, but the night they spent together in the little cottage in the snowy woods was one of the most romantic she could imagine. Sometimes things just worked out better than you could ever predict. One day she was sleeping in the basement in a spooky farmhouse, terrified the Gestapo would bang on the door, and soon after she was wrapped in Jack’s arms.
‘I think that’s the plane,’ Hannah said, cocking her head to one side as she listened.
