Page 73 of Tides of Resistance
CHAPTER 42
Lizzie raised her chin as she saw Heinrich in the doorway. This was her worst nightmare. It hadn’t occurred to her it would be him, but now that he was here; it seemed strangely inevitable.
Their fates had been entwined since early in her mission, and he sought her out soon after she arrived in St. Malo. Their entanglement had now come full circle, and she dreaded what he was about to do.
His complexion was ashen as he strode into the room, the shock at seeing her clear on his face.
‘Get out,’ he snapped at the soldiers. ‘Not another word of this goes beyond this room.’
They scurried out of the drawing room, closing the door behind them like naughty schoolboys.
‘Explain yourself!’ he said, his deep voice emerging as a menacing command. He cleared his throat and ran one unsteady hand through his golden hair.
‘There’s nothing to explain,’ Lizzie said, summoning a weak smile as her insides turned to water. ‘You talked so eloquently about Jersey that when a fisherman offered to let me take a trip with him, I accepted.’
Heinrich lit a cigarette, and she saw how rattled he was to find her like this. His hand shook slightly, and he drew on his cigarette like a dying man taking his last drink.
The nicotine must have calmed his nerves briefly, and he sat down on a nearby chair and stared at her, his eyes unwavering as he searched her face.
‘You’d better tell me the truth. I’m not a fool, although admittedly you have certainly played me for one.’
Bitterness laced his tone as Lizzie returned his stare but remained silent.
‘I’m waiting,’ he said. His words were crisp and sliced through the air like a sharp sword.
‘That’s the truth, Heinrich. I wanted to visit Jersey, and it didn’t seem like a big decision. You even said you would bring me yourself.’ Lizzie’s voice was calm even though she trembled inwardly. Heinrich was an SS officer. One word from him and she would be executed. He might even do it himself if she didn’t appeal to the side of him that was smitten with her.
Lizzie searched for the right words to coax him out of his righteous anger. ‘Now we are here together in such serendipitous circumstances, will you show me around like you were going to?’
It was a long shot, but anything she could do to distract him from whatever his next move would be was worth a try.
‘Such a shame. I loved the name Rose, but now you have poisoned it for me forever.’
It hit Lizzie that he seemed almost close to tears. Had he somehow convinced himself that he was genuinely in love with her?
He stood and released a long sigh. ‘You lying whore. You humiliated me with your entrapment, pretending you cared for me, and all the while you were a dirty spy. Aren’t you?’
Lizzie shook her head, panic rising in her chest and threatening to choke her. His eyes shone with unmasked fury now.Hell hath no fury …The revelation of her deception had attacked his monumental ego.
‘What is your real name and who sent you?’ he said. His voice was low and threatening as he stubbed out his cigarette violently in a pottery dish Lizzie had crafted at school. ‘You have made me very angry, Rose or whatever your name is.’ He spat out the words. ‘Do you know what happens to those who make me very angry?’
Lizzie stared at him, her heart hammering like a loud gong.
‘But Heinrich, please listen to me. I am telling you the absolute truth,’ she pleaded, tilting her head to one side, appealing to him with all her feminine wiles.
He paused and looked deep into her green eyes, and she saw he wanted to believe her, but the second passed and he shook his head.
‘Scheming bitch. Enemy of the Reich. Who sent you?’ he demanded, his voice booming.
‘No one sent me, I told you.’
‘You leave me no choice. If you don’t respond to words, we will have to do this the hard way.’
Lizzie gulped as she watched him wield his big hand towards her face.
Smack!
The sound rang out in the silent room, and she winced, her eyes closing in an act of self-protection as he landed the blow on the delicate skin of her cheek.
