Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
J ack drove Lizzie to the airfield straight from Baker Street.
‘I’m glad you’re taking me,’ Lizzie said, reaching over to touch the back of his neck as they whizzed along the dark country roads. There was only a faint glimmer of the moon, draped in shadow, to light their way.
‘I sent the driver home. Gives us longer alone,’ he said, turning to look at her as he changed gears.
Lizzie’s stomach fluttered as her eyes met his and she gazed at his beloved face and dishevelled hair.
‘How on earth do you know where you’re going? We can barely see the road in front of us. I don’t know how you drive so fast,’ she said, not wanting to think about leaving him tonight.
‘We don’t want to flash our lights for the Jerries. You get used to driving in the blackout after a while, and we used this airfield a lot before the war, so I know the road well.’
Lizzie and Jack had become intimate despite such a relationship between agents being, at best, discouraged and, at worst, forbidden. They had spent a lot of time together and confessed their love for each other, but she was still in awe of him. He was twelve years her senior and sometimes the age gap seemed huge. Her youth made her feel gauche when it was obvious how much more experienced, he was in so many ways.
‘I’ve only driven a bit in Jersey. Juliet taught me the basics, but I mostly rode my bicycle. I’d like to drive, but there hasn’t been the chance to practice with no car.’
‘You can drive me around and practice when you get back,’ Jack said, his melodic, deep voice resonating through her every cell.
Lizzie adored how he encouraged her to develop her skills and acted as though she could do anything. It was only a matter of putting her mind to it. She was starting to believe it, no matter what challenge arose.
‘Would you? That’s good of you! I didn’t even so much as pass a test yet, so you’d be taking your life in your hands!’
Jack smirked. ‘Don’t worry about that. Tests are suspended for the duration of the war, anyway. You’re in the perfect spot to drive with all the vehicles we have on hand at work.’
Most cars for personal use had been requisitioned for the war effort, and even if people were fortunate to still have one at their disposal, fuel was scarce and driving for leisure was frowned upon. Lizzie’s father either walked to work or relied on a driver who took him back and forth to the War Office.
Lizzie was grateful for the small talk to distract her from what lay ahead. She tried not to think about her impending jump out of a plane into the treacherous skies of Nazi-occupied France, but the fear hovered in her mind, no matter how she tried to push it away.
‘We can’t have agents roaming around who smoke but don’t know how to drive,’ he said, an indulgent smile on his lips .
‘I sort of got the hang of smoking, although I can’t say I like it very much.’ Lizzie chattered nervously, and her laughter pealed through the icy air in the car. ‘Brrrr, it’s freezing,’ she said, tucking her hands into her pockets.
‘You did well with the smoking. If anyone comments, say you only started recently.’ Jack winked at her and turned back to focus on the dark road ahead.
An owl hooted loudly, and Lizzie jumped.
‘Nervous?’ Jack asked, reaching for her hand.
Lizzie nodded and slipped her hand into his. The feel of his warm skin comforted her, and she held on tight as their fingers interlocked. ‘How are your hands not cold?’
‘Warm heart?’ Jack raised an eyebrow.
They looked at each other and laughed, which dispelled some of Lizzie’s nervousness.
‘We’ll be there soon,’ Jack said, after a few minutes of silence whilst he steered with one hand and Lizzie leaned against him.
‘Where did you stash the cash?’ Jack asked.
‘In a few places, to be on the safe side. I’ve never had so much money. Perhaps I’ll indulge in a haute couture shopping trip in Paris after the mission!’ Lizzie kept her tone light-hearted as they approached the airfield, but her heartbeat picked up speed until the echo thundered in her ears.
Each passing mile brought her closer to leaving, and trepidation weighed in her stomach like a heavy stone.
Jack had switched into operation mode and was focused on the mission. ‘Give some money to Hannah and keep the rest yourself so you have a reserve in case of an emergency. You’ll no doubt need money to fund the ongoing network activities if it continues to expand.’
‘What about Pierre and Camille?’ Their Resistance contacts in Reims were on her mind because she would see them when she landed, all going to plan .
‘No, don’t worry about them. They get supplies and cash from the frequent drops. It’s more difficult to reach Hannah and the Liberty Network in Paris.’
‘Alright,’ Lizzie nodded. ‘What constitutes an emergency, though?’
‘There are many scenarios, but let’s say you are stopped, and they don’t approve your papers. You may be able to pay them off, especially if they’re a French official of some sort.’
‘Are the Nazis incorruptible, then?’
Jack’s sudden laughter was like a shotgun and made Lizzie jump again. ‘They are already thoroughly corrupted by Hitler’s regime, but my sources tell me most of them are too indoctrinated and committed to the cause to be easily bought, whereas French officials might be on the fence and only collaborating because they’re too afraid to refuse. Or they are just plain greedy, which works in our favour.’
‘I see,’ Lizzie said, her stomach tightening at the thought of having to bribe officials. ‘I am way out of my depth,’ she said, her voice lowering to a tiny whisper.
‘Here we are,’ said Jack, spinning the wheel and bringing their conversation to a halt.
Once the guard had checked Jack’s papers, the barrier swung open, and the car slid into the unmarked airfield. The wheels rumbled along a bumpy track until they came to an abrupt stop.
‘It’s the same airfield I flew from last time,’ Lizzie said.
Jack nodded. ‘It doesn’t do to know too much about it, so there are no signs. Can’t risk the Luftwaffe getting their hands on this location or they’ll hammer it in their bombing campaigns.’
Lizzie saw the hazy outline of the camouflaged Lysander, visible in the moonlight's glow through the windscreen.
‘You will be spectacular,’ Jack said, his voice loud and confident. ‘Just like you were last time. Remember, whenever you are behind enemy lines, you must follow your instincts and live by your wits. Don’t trust anyone if it doesn’t feel right. You are a natural at this and you know what to do.’
Lizzie’s eyes bored into Jack’s, and she swallowed. This was their last moment together, completely alone. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, and her throat swelled with a tidal wave of emotion. She blinked hard. This was no time to fall apart, even though the last thing she wanted to do was leave Jack. Her courage had fled now the plane awaited, and she felt small and scared.
What had she been thinking agreeing to go back into occupied France? And not just France, but Paris—the playground of German soldiers on leave, home to Gestapo HQ on the Avenue Foch and German High Command, to name but a few…
Jack lifted her hand to his lips in the privacy of the dark car. ‘Go safely, Seagrove, my darling. Message me like we arranged—I’ll be waiting at the agreed times. Always remember, I’m watching over you every step of the way.’
Jack got out of the car and came around to open the door for Lizzie. He extracted her case from the back, and for a few blissful seconds, the heat of his body melded into hers as they swayed against each other. His fingers caressed her cheek, and she drew a sharp intake of breath. As he moved back slightly, he whispered, ‘I love you. Take care and come back to me soon. I’ll be waiting for you.’
‘I love you too,’ Lizzie whispered, and a ragged breath ripped through her chest and her lip trembled.
They walked side by side towards an airfield hut and an RAF sergeant emerged to greet them.
‘Good evening,’ said Jack. ‘This is your brave passenger for tonight’s run.’
The sergeant offered them a cuppa, and they accepted gratefully after the long day of preparation and the night drive. Lizzie climbed into the bulky jumpsuit that awaited her on the bench and Jack helped her slip the helmet on.
‘Remember, you don’t need to put this on until you’re about to jump, but let’s make sure it fits.’
Lizzie rested her hand on Jack’s as he buckled the helmet. ‘I wish you were coming with me like you did on my first mission.’
‘Me too, but it would be too obvious if I did. I don’t accompany anyone else on their flights.’
‘Why did you accompany me on my first flight, then?’ Lizzie asked.
‘I think we both know the answer to that. From the moment we met, I couldn’t stay away from you. I had to know you were ready and so I came along. If something had gone wrong on that jump, I would never have forgiven myself.’
‘And now you would forgive yourself?’ Lizzie teased.
‘God forbid, no, of course not. But you’re more experienced now and you know what to do. The pilot will take good care of you, and the reception committee will be waiting for you. Besides, you were the first female agent we sent into France from England, on your first mission, and you had to drop in and find your own way to the safe house alone. It was a lot of firsts.’
‘It was terrifying,’ Lizzie said, remembering that night and shivering spontaneously, but the reminder that their friends would meet her in Reims allayed her fears and instantly she felt less anxious.
The sergeant indicated it was time for her to board the plane.
‘Lizzie back in the Lizzie,’ said Jack, with his charming smile.
She sensed he was putting on a brave face for the moment of their separation .
The Lysander engine whirred louder. ‘You’d better climb aboard,’ Jack said, squeezing her hand one last time and then releasing it reluctantly.
Lizzie felt his eyes drilling into her back as she walked towards the plane like a prisoner approaching the noose. Once aboard, she turned briefly to wave to him. For a second, time stood still, and the world disappeared. The lovers were transfixed, like magnets perpetually drawn to each other through a universal law.
Then Lizzie disappeared into the plane and lost sight of him, as she fought to hold back the tears.