Page 8 of Tides of Resistance
‘They have a pretty garden out back. I thought we could enjoy the sun whilst it lasts.’
It was a particularly warm day for April, and Lizzie settled at a table in the garden. Val joined her with two glasses and slid one towards her.
‘What is it?’ Lizzie asked, sniffing, her expression one of suspicion.
‘Goodness, the youth of today. It’s gin and tonic. Surely, you’ve drunk one before?’
Lizzie smiled. ‘It’s my mother’s drink. I stick to wine, although I enjoyed the brandy at the château.’ She took a sip and winced. ‘It’s so strong!’
‘It’s meant to be. That’ll put some hairs on your chest.’
They were the only patrons in the pub garden, so they talked freely, their voices low as a precaution.
Val took a big slug of gin and said, ‘I need to brief you. We must decide on the parameters of the mission. There’s no time to waste.’
Lizzie sipped the tangy gin and nodded, her heartbeat speeding up as she contemplated the realities of infiltrating St. Malo as a British spy. ‘What do you need me to do?’
‘The chatter says that St. Malo will be a key port in the new coastal fortifications. The boss thinks you should enter by submarine rather than risk parachuting into France. We’ve experienced a few unfortunate incidents during the past few months.’
‘Submarine?’ Lizzie’s thoughts whirred as she tried to digest what Val told her. ‘I’ve never been on a submarine.’
‘You’d never used a parachute before, either.’
‘True. So, I’ll get training?’
‘Yes, but you won’t need to know much to go in by submarine. Our boys know all they need to know to get you there safely.’
Lizzie said, ‘What then?’
‘Cold-water swimming. If we get approval to use a submarine for the drop-off, you’ll need to swim from the submarine in the middle of the night in the freezing Channel and find your way safely to shore.’
Lizzie’s sip of gin burned her throat, and she coughed.
‘It says in your file, you’re a competent swimmer. I wouldn’t even suggest it otherwise. It’s a big ask.’
‘I did a lot of sea swimming in Jersey, although I haven’t swum once since moving to London,’ she said.
‘Is your instinct that you could pull it off?’ Val fixed her star agent with an intense gaze.
Lizzie studied her gin for a minute and then raised her eyes tentatively to meet Val’s. She nodded. ‘I think so.’
‘That’s the ticket,’ Val said, taking a long final swig of her gin and slamming the empty glass down on the table. ‘I knew you wouldn’t let us down.’ She stood and beckoned for Lizzie to do the same. ‘We’d better get back. The boss put in a special request for the use of a submarine. It’s gone all the way up to the prime minister and the War Cabinet, so let’s hope they give us the nod to go ahead.’
Lizzie could barely believe her mission was, perhaps at that very minute, being approved or possibly rejected by the great Winston Churchill himself. She loved listening to his eloquent speeches on the radio, and he had rallied her and Jack’s spirits on the darkest of days throughout the Blitz and the Battle of Britain. The thought that she, Lizzie Beaumont, was helping the prime minister fight the war was thrilling and terrifying simultaneously, and a shiver of anticipation ran through her.
‘Alright?’ Val asked as they crossed the garden and emerged onto busy Baker Street. Pedestrians milled about, and a military vehicle with soldiers in the front and supplies in the back, passed by.
‘I was just thinking what an honour it is to be involved.’
‘Once we get the word it’s a go, we will start preparing you accordingly. There’s no point in getting into the details before then. If we don’t get approval for Plan A, we’ll need to switch to Plan B.’
Lizzie turned to Val as they walked side by side, the sun now lurking behind silvery grey clouds, and a chill breeze blowing in their faces.
‘What’s Plan B?’
‘I’ll tell you as soon as we have one,’ Val replied, winking.
Lizzie wasn’t surprised. That was how the SOE worked. You never quite knew what you’d be asked to do next, and that was part of the challenge.
