Chapter 6
After dinner with the family, Lizzie went to pack her case as if she were really travelling to Edinburgh on the Night Scotsman. When she returned downstairs, Evie and Juliet were playing cards at the table.
Evie’s copper curls bobbed about as she played her winning hand and beat Juliet once again. She swivelled to look at Lizzie. ‘I’m so envious of you travelling to Edinburgh on the night train. What a glamorous life you live, when we’re stuck here in London all the time.’
‘It’s not half as glamorous as it sounds. I can promise you that,’ Lizzie laughed, shaking her head. She was used to Evie quizzing her, as she was always the most curious member of the family.
Her father raised his head from the book he was reading in his armchair by the fire, and they exchanged a look. He knew she was posted to Switzerland, but she didn’t tell him the details. It was protocol, even though he worked at the War Office and was bound by the Official Secrets Act.
Always a ball of tremendous energy, Evie leapt out of her seat. ‘I know what! I’ll come and wave you off at King’s Cross. That will at least give me a small taste of the exciting life of a French translator travelling to Edinburgh.’
Lizzie said, ‘That would be lovely, but Jack’s picking me up shortly and we have to run an important errand before he drops me off, so it won’t work.’
Evie sat back down and slumped in the chair, pulling a comical face.
Leaning across, Lizzie tousled her sister’s hair. ‘Never mind, love. I promise I’ll send you a postcard of the famous castle, and after the war, how about we travel to Edinburgh together?’
Evie had taken to collecting the postcards the family received from Lizzie’s various postings.
In truth, Lizzie had already written the postcard, and the SOE would see that the card was posted locally and showed a genuine Edinburgh postmark.
Val had given her several to write and tucked them away in her drawer so the family would hear from her intermittently and believe she was busy in Scotland.
Lizzie said, ‘Be good and take care, little sis. I’m sure your nursing shifts are far more fulfilling than my dull administrative work. And you get to see Chuck whenever you want. I’m going to miss Jack dreadfully, and all you lot, of course.’
Evie wasn’t easily fobbed off, but she knew when she was beaten.
They heard a knock on the door. ‘That’ll be Jack now.
I’d better go.’ Lizzie hugged them all, grateful she wasn’t fearful she’d never see them again, like when they usually parted.
It was a good feeling to be leaving on a mission from which there wasn’t a high chance she wouldn’t return.
Pa hugged Lizzie tight and whispered in her ear for her to be careful. Ma walked her to the door where Jack greeted them and loaded her case in the car whilst they said goodbye.
Rose’s eyes were tearful as she released Lizzie from a warm hug. ‘I’ll miss you, darling. Take care of yourself and don’t let them work you to the bone.’
‘There’s no need for all that, Ma. I’ll be fine and back in no time, just like always.’
‘You’re a good girl, doing your duty like this. You make us all very proud.’
Jack held the door open, and Lizzie slipped into the car, waving to her mother as she lingered on the doorstep until they were out of sight.
‘It’s always so difficult to say goodbye to them,’ Lizzie sniffed. ‘My mother gets so emotional. Thank goodness she doesn’t know what I’m really up to! She’d probably lock me in my bedroom.’
Jack glanced at her and laughed as he turned the steering wheel. ‘Mothers will be mothers. Talking of which, I must visit mine before I leave for Bletchley.’
‘Please give her my best and say I’m sorry I didn’t visit before I was posted to Scotland.’
‘I will. She’ll be disappointed you’re not with me, no doubt, as she loves it when we visit together, but she will understand. She thinks it’s fabulous how involved you are with the war effort.’
‘It’s a brave new world for women. Is your mother still enjoying Dr Wood’s company?’ Lizzie asked.
‘She is indeed. The good doctor seems to have been just the medicine she needed.’
They parked near Jack’s flat and went inside to prepare Lizzie for the night flight from RAF Tangmere.
She changed into the outfit the wardrobe department at the SOE had organised for her, and she exchanged the suitcase she’d taken from home for the one specifically tailored for her mission.
Whilst her clothes would be British made on this occasion, they gave her a fresh wardrobe to suit Elizabeth Gale.
Bern wouldn’t entail active Nazi sabotage operations, but she would still be an SOE agent undercover.
There were a few reported cases of spies being kidnapped in Switzerland and Val had drilled it into her that even though she was on neutral ground, she must be as alert as though she were in occupied territory because the Swiss establishment was collaborating with the Nazis beneath the surface of their diplomatic veneer.
Val had wished her luck that afternoon when she left the office. ‘You shall be missed, Seagrove. Goodness knows what I’ll do without you here, so get what Churchill needs as soon as you can and hurry back, please. Your desk awaits!’
Lizzie had grown fond of Val, and she knew that under her blustery exterior, she cared deeply about her wellbeing, not just the success of the mission.
She was a good boss and a dear friend to her and Jack, and since stunning them with the admission that she knew they were a couple, she’d been nothing but supportive of them both.
It was dark and quiet when they left the flat, and Jack weaved the car through the blacked-out London streets, crossing the river towards Sussex. They chatted about this and that on the journey as if they weren’t about to be separated once again because duty called.
‘When will you leave for Bletchley?’ Lizzie asked as they approached the airfield, and the tension built in her chest as their separation grew imminent.
‘I have a few loose ends to tidy up, and then I’ll go. Most likely the day after tomorrow. One night here without you is quite enough for me.’
‘I’ll miss you, darling,’ she said, emotion rising in her throat.
He reached across and squeezed her hand. ‘Get the job done and hurry back to me. That’s an order.’
‘That’s pretty much what Val said.’ Lizzie smiled and clutched his warm hand. ‘I left my engagement ring at home. It’ll be odd not to wear it and become Elizabeth Gale.’
‘It’s quite a different scenario for you, but I think you’ll find the work fascinating.
Switzerland is the wartime engine of commerce and espionage.
I’m interested to hear what you uncover on just to what degree the Swiss are in league with the Nazis.
I have a feeling it may prove even worse than we suspect. ’
The soldier waved them through into the base, and they approached the airfield.
‘Here we are again,’ Lizzie said after the sergeant greeted them and escorted them to a nearby hut to wait for the final preparations.
‘It wouldn’t be the same without a farewell cup of tea at the airfield, would it?’ Jack joked.
The sergeant soon returned with two enamel mugs of piping hot tea, and they laughed. ‘We’ll be ready for take-off in ten,’ he said. ‘Stand by.’
Lizzie crossed to the doorway and saw the familiar shape of the tiny Lysander in the distance, and the waiting pilot. ‘Not long now.’
Alone in the hut, they finished their tea and at the same second moved closer to each other. Jack enveloped her in his arms, and they kissed passionately one last time. The clock ticked on the wall, and they both knew their time together was nearly up.
They muttered words of love until they heard the sergeant’s footsteps approaching. ‘Remember to send me a message as soon as the man on the ground gets you set up with the radio.’
‘I will,’ Lizzie said. ‘I’ll ask him to message you as soon as I arrive and then you should hear from me within a few days.’
‘Perfect,’ he said.
The sergeant entered, and they followed him outside. Their fingers brushed before Lizzie pasted a brave smile on her face and headed towards the aircraft.
Soon the plane lifted into the moonlit sky, and she stared through the canopy until Jack was just a dot on the ground. Tears threatened to engulf her, but she pushed them back. No matter how many times they were parted, she was never prepared for the violent loss that ripped through her.