Chapter 41
CHAPTER 41
J ack entered the cottage, his coat speckled in snowflakes. His eyes lit up when he saw Lizzie walking towards him.
‘All well outside?’ she asked.
‘Nothing to report except I’ve missed you so much,’ he said, his deep voice gravelly.
‘I’ve missed you too.’ Nerves danced in her stomach as the distance between them closed and he was near enough to touch and towered above her.
He shrugged out of the big coat and hung it to dry near the crackling fire.
‘Nice coat,’ she said.
‘They kitted me out before I left. Just as well with this freezing weather.’ He reached for her and pulled her nearer to the fire as he threaded his fingers through hers. ‘My Seagrove,’ he murmured. ‘Let’s sit here and get warm.’
The touch of his flesh scorched her skin, and she yearned to feel his muscular arms around her. A surge of love swelled in her heart as she looked at him. The love she felt for him was at once breathtaking and terrifying. They could lose each other in one miscalculated move, and the thought was never far away. Each moment together could be their last. She thought about Hannah’s advice and realised she was right. There wasn’t a moment to waste.
Their fingers were still intertwined, and she sank onto his lap in the chair by the fire. Jack enveloped her in his arms, and his lips joined hers, first gently and then urgently. Lizzie quivered and every cell in her body cried out for him. They clung to each other, and the world disappeared as their tongues touched and reignited the fire that had blazed between them since their first kiss had turned their lives upside down.
Before the war, Lizzie was a naive young woman, expecting to marry soon, settle down and have a family like her mother. If someone had a crystal ball and told her she would move to London, fall in love with an intelligence officer and be an undercover Special Operations Executive agent in occupied France, she would have thought they were spinning her a yarn. How was a life like that possible? And how was a love like that real?
Jack’s breathing was laboured, and his need was pronounced as she shifted on his knee. He slipped his fingers into the bodice of her dress, caressing her until she ached with desire at the feel of his firm hands on her sensitive skin.
‘Are we alone?’ he whispered; his breathing growing more ragged by the second.
‘Yes, Hannah’s gone upstairs. She said she will be down later for her shift.’ There was no need to tell him now that Hannah had guessed about their relationship. Even if she returned to London with them, it would only be for a short while.
‘That’s tempting,’ he said, ‘but I should keep watch.’
‘You should,’ she teased, melting into his hard body, and they lost control, as their passion reached fever pitch .
Lizzie undid her buttons and slipped her dress off one shoulder, tilting her head alluringly. She was about to remove the dress when a loud boom echoed around the room, and they both froze.
‘What’s that?’ she said.
‘I don’t know.’ He kissed her gently, untangled himself, and moved her off his lap into the chair.
The loss was like the warmth of the sun vanishing behind a cloud, and the disappointment showed on her face.
Jack stroked her cheek. ‘It’s my job to protect you, not ravish you. It’s probably nothing, but I’d better check.’ He reached for his Sten machine gun.
Lizzie straightened her dress and picked up her gun from the table.
Jack put his finger to his lips and signalled Lizzie to move to the side of the front door. He walked stealth-like towards the kitchen, and she heard the back door open as he stepped outside.
Lizzie heard footsteps, and Hannah appeared at the bottom of the stairs. ‘What’s going on?’ she asked, her voice groggy.
‘Not sure. We heard a loud noise and Jack’s gone outside to check.’
Hannah, still dressed in her man’s trousers and shirt, extracted a knife and disappeared out of the back door after Jack.
Lizzie stayed near the front door, heart pumping and gun in her hand, ready to spring into action. She strained her ears for unusual sounds, but she wasn’t used to living in the heart of the woods. Lizzie had spent most of her life at Seagrove and grew up listening to the hypnotic rhythm of the tides. In London, she’d grown accustomed to the bustle of city life and the sounds of the daily Blitz. Here, all the noises were unfamiliar, like the distant wails and screeches of wild animals.
There was another bang, and Lizzie jumped. Her fingers tightened on the gun, and she stood there waiting to see what happened next, wondering if she should go outside too, but she decided it was better to stay out of sight. There were two of them out there already. She would be the armed agent who could take someone by surprise.
After what seemed an age, the back door opened, and she heard footsteps. Hannah and Jack entered the room and Lizzie looked at them, her eyes full of questions. ‘Well?’ she said.
‘False alarm. The animals run riot here at night. Looks like one of them banged into the wooden shed at the back of the property and sent a bucket flying. They were probably searching for food. We’ve checked the perimeter and there’s no sign of anyone.’
Lizzie exhaled and placed her gun on the table. ‘That’s a relief. I was worried someone had reported the abandoned milk truck, and they’d come to search for us.’
‘Like I said earlier, it’ll be covered in snow after today’s storm, but it’s stopped falling and is melting now, so it’s just as well we’re getting out of here tomorrow,’ Hannah said.
Jack and Hannah were freezing after their nighttime surveillance, and Lizzie made them some tea and they all huddled around the embers of the fire. Hannah threw some more logs on, and the flames crackled back to life, warming their faces.
Lizzie drank her tea, relieved the threat was over, and listened to Jack and Hannah reminisce about when Hannah first met Henry. Lizzie said, ‘Henry sounds wonderful. I hope I get to meet him when he’s on leave.’
‘I’ll make sure you do,’ Jack said. ‘The four of us can go out to dinner. Wouldn’t that be fun? ’
‘I can’t even remember the last time I went out to dinner,’ Hannah said.
Lizzie reached over and squeezed Hannah’s shoulder. ‘All the more reason to come back with us tomorrow. The change of scene will do you good. Going out to dinner, the four of us, sounds amazing, doesn’t it?’
Hannah nodded. ‘It does, but I suppose I’m afraid of not wanting to come back here after being in London and finally seeing Henry again.’
‘If you don’t want to come back, you don’t have to. My mother dreams of you two getting married. She’d jump at the chance of arranging it for you,’ Jack said.
‘It wouldn’t feel right when they need our help here,’ Hannah said.
‘You would still help. HQ would snap you up in a heartbeat. You’d be invaluable in London and possibly have an even greater impact. We’re scaling operations in France. Imagine how many agents could benefit from your unique expertise.’
Hannah looked wistful. ‘It is tempting, but I can’t imagine living a normal life.’
Lizzie interjected. ‘Oh, trust me, it’s far from a normal life when you work at the SOE.’
Hannah said she appreciated the offer, and she’d give them an answer in the morning. ‘I won’t be able to fall asleep again now. You two get some rest. I’ll whistle if I need backup.’
Lizzie went upstairs and Jack followed.