Chapter 25
CHAPTER 25
I t felt like far longer than just a week since Lizzie joined the staff at St. Ermin’s. She had settled into her new job as though she belonged there. Sometimes she worked in one of the main rooms, jammed in with other administrative staff to the point where their legs touched, and their files fell into each other’s section.
Other times, Val wanted to work closely with her in her office, where she would draft translations of French intelligence that had been filtered into SOE by various channels.
The work was absorbing and there was rarely a quiet moment. Val was a fireball of energy and juggled multiple projects at one time. Lizzie did her best to keep up with her new boss and was fascinated by all Val taught her.
They had worked late into the night all week, and just as she was leaving on Friday evening, Val asked whether she would mind coming in the following day. ‘Take a few hours off in the morning. We all need some time to rest, but if you could come in for the afternoon, I’d greatly appreciate it. Saturday is a nice quiet day in here to get a lot done.’
Lizzie didn’t mind at all and even looked forward to it. Working life was proving more and more satisfying to her, and she often thought about how she would have missed out on all this if it weren’t for the war.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. The adage certainly rang true for Lizzie, and early on Saturday afternoon she hummed as she passed St. James’s Park on foot. It was nearing the end of summer, but the sun was baking hot and the sky a deep blue, with only the occasional fluffy cloud rolling lazily by as she turned into Caxton Street. It was a perfect summer’s day.
At four o’clock, the tea lady, a cheerful, chatty woman called Stella, rolled her trolley into Val’s office. Lizzie raised her head to greet her and accepted a cup of milky tea with thanks.
‘Biscuit, my love?’ Stella proffered the plate to her, and Lizzie took one. ‘Granted, they taste like cardboard with no butter in them, but they’re better than nothing. I’ll leave a cuppa and a few biscuits for Val in case she returns soon.’
They chatted about the beautiful weather and, as Stella turned her trolley around to exit the room, a distant rumble caught Lizzie’s attention.
‘Do you hear that noise?’ she asked.
Stella nodded. ‘It sounds like another plane. It’ll be our boys in their Spitfires, giving those bastard Boche what for up in the skies.’
Lizzie bit into her biscuit, thinking no more of it as she returned to her translation.
As Stella’s trolley reached the door, it rocked violently, and mugs slid to one side and biscuits flew off the plate. ‘What the devil?’ Stella said, as she hung onto the trolley to stop it skidding across the room .
There was a loud boom in the distance, then another. And another.
‘They must be bombing London,’ Lizzie said, her face ashen. ‘We’d better take cover.’
Lizzie grabbed her bag, and they left the room and headed for the stairwell, which was already mobbed.
‘St James’s Park Underground is the closest place to shelter. It’s just up the road,’ called Stella as they joined the throngs of people on their way out of the building.
MI6 staff from an upper floor merged with SOE staff as they rushed downstairs. Disorientated hotel guests joined the crowds on the ground floor and hundreds of people poured out into the street.
‘Follow us to the Underground,’ Lizzie called out to a group who looked like they had no clue where to go.
There were more distant booms as they piled into the dimly lit station. Lizzie heard people calling each other’s names as they lost sight of one another in the rush to get out of the road. Lizzie didn’t know how far away the bombs were falling, but she could hear loud explosions as she rushed along the Underground tunnel with the others. Stella had managed to stay by her side, and they ran together, both panting at the frantic pace.
‘It’s so hot in here. There’s no air,’ Lizzie said.
Stella tugged on her arm after they had been running for a while. ‘Here’s a spot where we can wait it out,’ she said. Lizzie stopped and then followed her, and they found a space amongst the crowds on the hard flooring of the Victorian underground station.
Everywhere she looked, Lizzie saw more people piling in, and she wondered where her parents and sisters were. Was this just a strike near the hotel, or was all of London under attack? Her father had gone into the office today. She hoped he had made it safely to the shelter in the Whitehall building .
Evie and Juliet were quick on their feet, but she didn’t know what they were doing today. She consoled herself they would have got themselves to a station and taken cover.
Her mother’s face appeared in her mind and her heart pounded. Were German bomber planes flying over Regent’s Park? Would her mother have got to the nearest station in time to take cover? Violet would be with her, and she prayed they were safe.
Stella must have noticed the fear etched onto her face, and she reached for Lizzie’s hand. ‘Don’t worry, my love. It’ll be alright. We went through this in the Great War, you know. We won that one and we’ll win this one too. Brutal as it is—good always triumphs over evil, and this time, we have Mr Churchill in our corner.’
Lizzie was grateful for Stella’s calming presence and reassuring words. Loud booms and bangs echoed throughout the station, and the ground shook every few minutes. Children who were old enough to travel on their own had been evacuated to the country at the start of the war, but she heard babies wailing as the blasts rocked the foundations and dirt showered from the ceiling onto people’s heads.
‘This must be serious,’ Lizzie said. ‘I hope Val got out alright.’
Stella said she was sure she would have. After the initial shock, they took their minds off the continuous thunder of falling bombs by chatting about this and that. Stella told Lizzie about her children, who were now grown. One son was away fighting, and she’d had a letter from him recently. Her daughter worked in a factory and her young man was away fighting, too. ‘My children are such a blessing. Lord, keep them safe in this mad world,’ she muttered as another violent crash boomed.
‘Do you have a young man?’ Stella asked after Lizzie finished telling her about the members of her family and how her grandparents were still in Jersey under Nazi occupation.
Lizzie shook her head as the floor reverberated and she coughed as the dust tickled her throat. ‘No, no I haven’t.’
‘Lovely girl, like you,’ said Stella, beaming. ‘I bet it’s not for the lack of offers.’
‘To be honest, I’ve not had much time to meet anyone, what with the war. We moved from Jersey earlier in the summer and it’s been all go, at work.’
‘Yes, they do keep you lot busy, that’s for sure. I don’t know exactly what you do in there, but mum’s the word,’ she said, tapping her nose. ‘Talking of which, I haven’t seen Jack King around for a while. He usually drops into Val’s office, and I bring him a cuppa and his favourite biscuits. I keep a few Digestives back for him when I can get them,’ she said.
Lizzie’s heart fluttered at the mention of Jack. She’d been doing her best not to think about him and failing spectacularly. ‘He’s away,’ she said, blushing slightly.
‘Oh, I have a soft spot for that one. All the ladies do. Proper charmer, he is. And those film star good looks! If only I was thirty years younger… It’s never too much trouble for him to help me with the doors, either. Mind you, he no doubt leaves a trail of broken hearts behind him, so it’s probably best to steer clear of him, love. He’s a bit old for an innocent young girl like you. I wouldn’t blame you if you had a crush on him, though.’
‘Pardon?’ Lizzie shook her head vigorously and tried to stop the burn of embarrassment from creeping up her neck and onto her cheeks. ‘Goodness. Don’t be daft, Stella! He is my boss, and he’s way too old for me.’
Stella eyed her as though she could see right through her bluster. ‘He’s a dreamboat for sure, but take care. Those secretive government types are never in one place for long. Get yourself a nice steady fella, is my advice, like I did with Albert. Forty years we’ll be married this December and we’re as happy as on our wedding day.’
Lizzie breathed freely again as Stella launched into details of her own love story. She hoped she hadn’t noticed just how flustered her comments had made her. Lizzie wished she wasn’t so obvious about her attraction to Jack. It was getting out of hand. The mere mention of his name brought a glow to her cheeks. She couldn’t have people thinking she was doting on him like a devoted puppy.
What would happen when he came back, and she had to deal with him at the office?
The noise of the bombing gradually subsided, and Lizzie heard the buzz of hundreds of conversations as people waited for the raid to be over.
A loud, continuous drone echoed through the station tunnels, making Lizzie jump. This was a new experience for her. When the first major bombing of London had taken place, she’d been in Reims. Before that, she’d only taken part in practice raids and false alarms.
‘That’s the all clear,’ Stella announced. ‘Come on, it’s over. Let’s see what damage those Jerries have done. Brace yourself.’
They emerged into the smoky London streets.