Page 3 of Tides of Resistance
Lizzie glanced at her half-eaten ginger biscuit discarded on the plate. She couldn’t finish it with the tension gripping her throat like a viper. She knew what was coming.
Val continued to summarise her meeting with the big boss, telling Lizzie she asked herself who she knew in St. Malo, when it hit her. ‘You have cousins in the city, don’t you?’
‘Yes, my father’s brother and his family. I haven’t seen them since before the war broke out, though.’
‘But they’re still there, as far as you know?’
Lizzie nodded. ‘As far as we know, yes. We received a scribbled note early in the war after we just arrived in London, via a mutual friend who had got out of France before they surrendered.’
‘I see. Where do they live exactly?’
Lizzie told Val what she could, explaining the family had a house in the medieval walled city she used to visit but she didn’tknow how they were faring under the occupation. ‘My father worries a great deal about his brother, and my grandparents, of course. We all do.’
Val cast Lizzie a sympathetic glance. ‘Your grandparents in Jersey under Jerry rule. Who would have thought our dear Channel Islands would be under Nazi control? We made a crushing blunder there. I’m ashamed we allowed that to happen, not to mention how dangerous it is.’
Lizzie didn’t disagree. British armed forces hadn’t protected the Channel Islands from invasion, and the result was the Germans had a strategic foothold in Britain. Just the thought of it made Lizzie shiver, and she sent up a silent prayer that her grandparents were alive and well.
Val continued, ‘Anyway, the point being, St. Malo is the perfect location for an agent in occupied France on a reconnaissance mission.’ Val reached across the desk for a biscuit. ‘Lizzie, we pulled you from the field in favour of sending in fresh faces, but I rather fear we’re going to need you to go back in, given your skills and local connections.’
Lizzie’s heart hammered as she contemplated the reality of another mission. Adrenaline raced through her veins, and despite her logical mind telling her it was a bad idea, she found herself eager to be back in action.
‘If you need me to go, I will go. There is never any question of that,’ Lizzie said.
‘Good girl,’ Val said. ‘I knew you wouldn’t let us down. Jack won’t like it, of course. He says you’ve been seen by too many high-ranking Nazis to risk it, but we’ll make sure your cover is solid, and besides, quite some time has passed since you were last in Northern France.
It was well over a year since she’d been undercover in Northern France, although she had met a high-ranking Nazi in Toulouse. Von Schneider. His steely eyes flashed into her mind,and she shuddered at the memory. He had taken an interest in her, and more chillingly, he had said he would travel to St. Malo.
‘There was a member of the Gestapo who came to dinner at Jack’s uncle’s château. He would be the one I’d be worried about bumping into, but hopefully his business in St. Malo was concluded long ago.’
Val snorted. ‘The others who got in your way, didn’t live to tell the tale.’
Lizzie didn’t like to think of herself as a murderer. This was war and sometimes special agents had to do what needed to be done to stay alive. It was them or the enemy, and several times, she’d had to defend herself in such situations. The first time she killed a German officer, she had been haunted by it for ages and the scene had replayed itself on a loop in her head night after night. His face still barged into her mind when she least expected it, but she had hardened to the realities of their secret war and was better at handling it. Jack told her if they allowed dark thoughts to dwell in their minds, they would overwhelm them, and they wouldn’t be able to function.
Jack’s words echoed in her thoughts. ‘In war, it is them or us. And I choose us.’
‘Can we trust your family in St. Malo?’ Val asked, pulling her back to the present.
‘My uncle was born in Jersey, like my father. I’d bet on it that he’s loyal to Britain.’
Val slid off the desk and faced Lizzie.
‘When do I need to leave?’ Lizzie asked, desperately hoping it wouldn’t be before Jack returned.
‘It depends how long it takes us to prepare you. It’s a perilous mission and you’re going to need some new specialised training.’
Lizzie exhaled slowly. That sounded like it would take a while and she and Jack might steal some time together before she left.
Val was right about one thing. Jack wouldn’t like it. He wouldn’t like it one bit.
CHAPTER 3
There was a stiff evening breeze as Lizzie walked through Regent’s Park, turning up her collar and burrowing her hands deeper into her coat pockets. She gazed up at the slither of the shimmering crescent moon in the dusky sky as her thoughts turned over the events of her conversation with Val. She wouldn’t spend another dull evening alone at the flat tonight. She had a date with her sisters to see a film, but it would be difficult to keep her mind on it, now she knew she would be leaving on a mission again soon.
Keeping her clandestine life a secret from her family was always challenging and her least favourite part of working at the SOE.
Lizzie let herself into the house and the smells of something delicious drifted into the hallway and her mouth watered. She’d been so busy she hadn’t had time to eat lunch in the canteen. As if to confirm the situation, her stomach growled just as the housekeeper appeared.
‘There you are, Miss Lizzie. I’m just about to serve. They are waiting for you in the dining room. I’ll take your coat, and you go in and get warm.’
