Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
L izzie’s bicycle pedals rattled along as a heavy dusk descended over Paris. They left the riverbank, and their worn tyres bounced along a shortcut Hannah used to reach the safe house.
‘Are we going to the same place where I saw you last time?’ Lizzie asked, as they rode in tandem.
‘No, I had to move again. It’s not safe to stay anywhere for too long, especially when we transmit messages.’
They cycled for around thirty minutes and Lizzie’s case bumped on the back of Hannah’s bicycle. She’d insisted on carrying it for her.
Lizzie followed Hannah around a sharp bend, and they rode further down the narrowing track. It was dark now, and the only light was from the moon, partially hidden behind a row of tall trees on the horizon. A sprinkling of stars twinkled in the sky like glitter on canvas, and as Lizzie raced after the Resistance leader, she had never felt more alive. Danger was all around them, but the feeling of aliveness was invigorating.
‘Here we are,’ Hannah said, dismounting and steering first her bicycle and then Lizzie’s into a damp smelling shed. ‘Come on in and let’s get warm. I’ve been saving some hot chocolate for you.’
‘Hot chocolate? My goodness, I don’t think I’ve had anything as extravagant as that since before the war.’
Hannah grabbed a torch, and the faint light of the beam reflected off the ground, and Lizzie saw her beautiful smile. ‘Me neither. One of our team bought it for me on the black market as a gift. I kept it for when you arrived to celebrate.’
Lizzie was more moved than she could express with words, so she reached over and touched Hannah’s shoulder. ‘That’s so kind of you. I’m pleased I came! Not just for the hot chocolate, but it is a delightful reward.’
They giggled like the young, carefree women they might still be if they hadn’t been swept into an all-consuming war. Then they shrugged off their coats and removed their hats and hung them on the hooks in the entrance hall.
Hannah removed grips from her hair as she looked in the mirror and lay them one by one on the surface of the armoire. Then she twirled around, and her natural blonde hair swished onto her shoulders.
Lizzie stared ‘A wig! It looked so real, I thought you’d dyed your hair too.’
‘No, I have several wigs I use for quick disguises. Now we’ll both be blonde and are more likely to pass as sisters. Let’s get this hot chocolate going and then I’ll show you around and you can settle in. We will use this house as our base and hopefully won’t have to move for a while. We’re deep enough into the countryside and far enough from the city for our messages not to be easily intercepted, and thankfully we’re out from under the watchful eye of the Boche.’
Hannah paused and turned to look at Lizzie. ‘You will need to be ready to move at any minute when I’m not here. You just never know when they might be onto us. ’
The thrill of danger reverberated through Lizzie, and memories of her last mission tumbled into her mind. She had been terrified a lot of the time, but now she was back again for more. It was a strange phenomenon, and she had missed the addictive rush of outfoxing the Nazis. She understood why agents found it difficult to return to an ordinary life after they worked undercover.
Pretending to her family she worked at a research bureau had been difficult. Acting as though she wasn’t madly in love with Jack was even harder.
Lizzie thought her mother suspected her of being up to something, and as Hannah lit the stove and boiled water for their chocolate, she thought of Rose back home in the house at Regent’s Park.
‘You look like a cat that’s got the cream,’ her mother said a few days before Lizzie left, when she had returned from an afternoon of code-breaking, interspersed with feverish lovemaking at Jack’s flat. ‘Whatever they’re giving you in that office, I’d like some of it, please! You’re glowing. Work really suits you.’
Lizzie laughed and didn’t trust herself to comment. Her mother was perceptive, and she wished she could be truthful with her. They’d always been close, and the subterfuge was taking a toll on Lizzie, but what could she do?
The Official Secrets Act was not to be taken lightly, so she couldn’t divulge the SOE business to her mother. Her life wasn’t her own anymore. As far as her relationship with Jack went, it was challenging enough to keep their feelings for each other a secret at work, without risking sharing the truth with her family.
No, she had to keep it all bottled up inside and sometimes she thought she might explode. The only person she could talk to openly was Jack. Her mind flicked back to an image of his firm hands touching her skin, making her cry out. She hadn’t known such pleasure existed until she met him, and it still amazed her. There was a lot to be said for falling for an older, experienced lover, instead of enduring the fumblings of someone her own age.
The lascivious thought made her smile. It was her little secret and she would draw on the delicious memory of it to get her through the difficult times now they were apart.
‘Lizzie, here is your chocolate,’ Hannah repeated, interrupting Lizzie’s daydream, and placing a bowl-like cup with two handles in front of her.
Lizzie inhaled the chocolate smell. ‘This smells divine.’
‘I don’t know how good it will be, but even a hint of chocolate will be amazing,’ Hannah said. ‘Let’s hope it tastes as good as it smells.’
They both drank the steaming beverage.
‘It’s superb!’ Lizzie said.
‘Not bad,’ agreed Hannah. ‘Who knew that one day a tiny sprinkling of chocolate in hot water would be such a treat?’
‘It makes a change from seedy tasting coffee, that’s for sure.’
The sweet chocolate warmed Lizzie and a wave of tiredness washed over her. She yawned uncontrollably.
‘You poor thing. You must be worn out.’
‘It’s hitting me now. Thank you for this,’ Lizzie said, pointing to the cup.
The blackout blinds were in place. Hannah lit candles when they entered the house, and a glass lamp cast a delicate glow around the room, giving it a hint of the ghostly.
‘What is this place? Whose home, was it?’ Lizzie asked, gazing around the large kitchen.
‘It’s an abandoned farmhouse. I don’t know the family who lived here, but there was a mezuzah at the entrance. I took it down right away. May as well stick a Star of David on the door and announce Jews live here! ’
Lizzie looked confused. ‘What’s a mezuzah?’
‘It’s a small case with a scroll inside. Mezuzah is a Hebrew word that means doorpost. It’s an old tradition and you’ll see them on Jewish homes everywhere. Or at least you used to. It’s too dangerous now.’
‘That’s so sad,’ Lizzie said. ‘What kind of scroll?’
‘Basically, it contains biblical verses of the Shema Israel . It’s a Hebrew prayer Jews have been saying for thousands of years since the time of the ancient Jerusalem Temple services.’
‘That sounds like a beautiful tradition.’
Hannah nodded. ‘Yes, but it isn’t keeping Jews safe now. Look at this house.’
The silence hung between them as sadness enveloped them both.
After a pause, Lizzie said, ‘I know it’s difficult to believe now, but Jack says there will come a day when all of this will be behind us.’
‘Dear Jack. I hope he’s right. How is he, by the way?’
Lizzie blushed slightly and hoped Hannah didn’t notice in the dim light.
‘He is well. Busy as ever. He sends his love.’
‘And Henry?’ Hannah asked, her words tentative, as though they would catch in her throat.
Lizzie reached for her hand. ‘Jack said he is in good spirits. We wanted to bring you a letter from him, but decided it was too dangerous. Just as well I didn’t because my case was searched on the train, and I already had papers stuffed in my underwear.’
Hannah’s eyes widened.
‘What happened?’
‘Two German soldiers had it in for me. Luckily, there was a friendly officer in my compartment who took pity on me and warned them to leave me alone. ’
‘That was lucky. Beware of friendly Nazis, though.’
‘I was careful. I learnt that the hard way last year.’
‘Did the soldiers suspect you or was it routine?’
‘Routine, I think, but they found the novel I brought to use as my codebook!’
‘No—’ Hannah’s eyes widened further. ‘What did you say?’
Lizzie laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. ‘I said it is my sister’s favourite novel, and they appeared to believe me.’
‘Thank the lord,’ Hannah said, letting out a low whistle.
‘Yes, indeed. I was terrified when they got my case, which reminds me, I’d better give you the stuff I brought for you.’
Lizzie opened her case and searched beneath the layers of clothing until her fingers touched a small seam in the lining. She pulled at the thread, and it unravelled effortlessly. Hannah looked over her shoulder. ‘That’s clever.’
‘They are so clever. It’s amazing what the tailors do with the clothes and accessories. All I need to do is sew the seam back up with black thread and the hidey-hole will be invisible.’
Lizzie passed Hannah the certificate they had made for her. ‘This is one document you asked for.’
Hannah unfolded it. ‘Ah, what a treat,’ she said dryly. ‘A certificate to deny my Jewish identity.’
‘I’m sorry we need that.’
Hannah smiled sadly. ‘Even now, sometimes I can’t quite believe how rotten it’s become in France. Back in the thirties in Berlin, I remember when the Hitler Youth became fashionable, and our parents warned me and my friends to stay out of their way for fear of being bullied. It was frightening, but I would never have guessed it would come to this. We’re not allowed to be Jewish. The world has gone mad.’
‘Yes, it has. A few years ago, I never would have believed the Channel Islands would be under Nazi occupation or that London would be bombed every day.’
‘Those bastards are still blitzing you, then?’
Lizzie nodded. ‘Yes, only last week we had to run to the shelter in the middle of the night. So many houses have been destroyed in London. Not just London…’
Hannah offered her hand to help Lizzie to her feet. ‘Come, let me show you to your room. At least we can put this sad beautiful house to good use, and you’ll be comfortable. Let’s take your case up.’
‘I’ve got loads of money to give you too,’ Lizzie said.
‘Loads of money is always good! Resistance is not a cheap business, and Jack does all he can to get supplies to us,’ Hannah said as she grabbed a lamp and walked up the wooden staircase. ‘Give me the money upstairs and I’ll stash it away and show you where we keep it, in case you need it when I’m out.’
‘I wanted to bring a new wireless too, so we’d have a backup, but thank goodness I didn’t, or I’d be in the hands of the Gestapo by now.’
‘Don’t worry. The wireless we have is good. I’ll show you it later in the attic.’
Lizzie told Hannah she’d been to Bletchley Park for training, and Jack had also helped her get better at operating the wireless and sending and decoding messages.
‘Bletchley Park must be an exciting place,’ Hannah said.
Lizzie agreed. ‘It’s full of brainboxes. I felt rather dim when I was there, though. Didn’t understand half of what they said.’
Hannah laughed out loud. ‘If all the dim ones like you are working with the Resistance, we’re sure to win the war!’
Lizzie unfurled the notes from inside her brassiere and from the thick lining of her dress and passed them to Hannah. She still had some hidden in her case for emergencies.
‘Do we need to send a message to London to let them know you’ve arrived safely?’ Hannah said.
‘Yes, please. Jack asked me to let him know when I arrive. 6 p.m. is the time we agreed I’d aim for.’
They walked up another two floors and entered a dark attic.
‘It’s almost six now, so let’s get set up.’
‘I’m looking forward to seeing this place in the daylight. It’s spooky like this,’ Lizzie said.
Hannah said, ‘It doesn’t help we can’t have the windows bare, but better safe than sorry. They are strict about the curfew and blackout, so that’s rule number one. When you’re working with members of the network who I’ll introduce you to over the coming days, always make sure they aren’t being sloppy about these things.’
‘Will you stay here at night, or will you need to be stationed in the city for the new job?’ Lizzie asked, not relishing the thought of long nights in the spooky farmhouse alone.
‘If I can get back, I will. I won’t know until things are underway and I learn more about what the job entails.’
Hannah pulled out the wireless set from a hidden cupboard in the wall and showed Lizzie the different keys. It was like the ones she had practiced on.
‘We can use your novel for the coding next time. For now, let’s use the existing codes. Jack will recognise those too.’
At six on the dot, the call signal came in.
Hannah fired off a message in Morse code so quickly, Lizzie wondered how she did it. It took her ages to plan out her messages before sending them.
‘How on earth did you know what to send off the top of your head like that? ’
‘It’s easy when you send brief messages. It was only three words. They just need to know you’re safe. There’s no other news. I’ll show you how I send a longer message as soon as we need to.’
If Lizzie was in awe of Hannah before, now she was even more impressed.
Hannah flashed Lizzie a cheeky smile. ‘Come on, Seagrove, let’s organise something to eat before you fall asleep on your feet. We’d better get you tucked up in bed for a good night’s sleep because we have lots to do tomorrow.’
They put the wireless set away and headed back down to the kitchen.
Lizzie’s head was spinning. She couldn’t stop thinking about how proficient Hannah was with the wireless.
‘What were the three words?’ she asked when Hannah reappeared from the pantry.
‘Have a guess,’ she said.
‘Umm. How about “We are safe”?
‘Try again,’ Hannah said, shaking her head.
‘Hello from Paris?’
‘No, I’m starving, so I’d better tell you!’
‘Go on then,’ Lizzie laughed.
‘Seagrove has landed.’
‘Ah, that makes perfect sense. Short and to the point.’
After a simple meal of hard black bread and cheese, Hannah accompanied Lizzie to her bedroom. Once she was settled in her room, Hannah said goodnight.
‘Goodnight, sister,’ Lizzie called after her, and Hannah blew her a kiss.