Secrets In Berlin (Seagrove & Raven #5)

Chapter 1

Lizzie Beaumont and Jack King walked hand in hand on the bank of the River Thames in the elegant old town of Richmond.

‘I can barely believe we managed to get away for this time together,’ Lizzie said, turning slightly to Jack. ‘It seems almost too good to be true.’

He raised her hand to his mouth and brushed her cold fingers with his lips. ‘I recall that’s what you said when we went on the Vichy mission together in Toulouse.’

Lizzie’s lips curved into a smile, and her green eyes sparkled as they met Jack’s. ‘I should just accept good fortune when it presents itself and not question it.’

The surface of the river shimmered in the pale sunshine, but a fierce wind whipped through the air, reminding them winter would soon be upon them again.

‘Fancy a coffee before we head back to the hotel?’ Jack asked as they reached a small café with wrought-iron tables positioned strategically along the riverbank close to Richmond Bridge.

Lizzie took a seat and gazed out over the water as Jack went into the café to order.

Richmond was even more impressive than Jack had promised.

This was her first visit to the historic town that nestled like a glittering jewel on the Thames, to the southwest of London.

Jack had given her a potted history lesson as, coming from Jersey in the Channel Islands, she wasn’t familiar with many English towns beyond the few she had visited since she moved to London with her family in the summer of 1940.

Jack had taken her to see the remains of the grand Richmond Palace, where Henry VIII had held court and his daughter Elizabeth I, the last of the Tudor monarchs, spent her final days.

Lizzie leant back against the hard chair; her hands tucked in her pockets as she marvelled at the history all around her. It was like stepping back in time, and she imagined what it must have been like in the days when members of the royal Tudor court travelled by barge from palace to palace.

Richmond Bridge was built some years later, in 1777, but was still one year older than America. Even in the dark depths of wartime, Richmond was glorious, and she was grateful for the happy interlude from her long days at Baker Street.

Allied losses were catastrophic, and the war hung over them like a heavy grey cloud. She might escape it for a few minutes, but it always loomed in the back of her mind.

Jack returned with two cups of coffee, and they chatted, at ease in that special way of lovers who only had eyes for each other.

‘Shall we head back?’ Jack asked after they had finished their coffee.

They rose in unison and weaved through the pretty town, passing stacked sandbags piled against shop doorways and basement windows. They walked slowly up Richmond Hill, away from the old bridge and towards Richmond Park.

The owner of the Georgian guesthouse greeted them as they entered the reception. ‘Ah, Mr and Mrs King. I trust you've had an enjoyable day so far. You’ve been lucky with the weather. Winter is setting in, no doubt about that, but it’s been remarkably dry and sunny for this time of year.’

‘Indeed,’ Jack said with a charming smile.

‘There’s a message for you. Here it is,’ she said, passing Jack a folded piece of paper.

They climbed the stairs and entered their room on the fourth floor.

‘It’s magnificent!’ Lizzie said, standing at the window, admiring the view.

The River Thames meandered through the meadows far below, bathed in the last whispers of the afternoon glow.

‘It takes my breath away. I wish we could stay longer. I had no idea there was such an idyllic place so near to London. It’s like visiting a fairy tale kingdom. ’

Jack glanced over. ‘It’s quite something. That view is identical to when Turner painted it a century ago. It is, as far as I am aware, the only view in England to be protected by an Act of Parliament.’

He unfolded the paper and read the brief message, his dark eyes narrowing. ‘I must call Val now.’

Lizzie stayed in the room, wondering what could be so urgent as Jack went to make the call to their boss at Special Operations Executive in Baker Street.

When he returned, Lizzie spun around from the window to face him. She knew by the look on his face that their romantic break had suffered a fatal blow, and her heart twisted.

‘Unfortunately, my darling, we must leave sooner than planned.’

Her eyes reflected her disappointment, but she wasn’t surprised. ‘I didn’t think Val knew you were here. What did she say?’

In wartime, there was a permanent undercurrent of dread in the atmosphere. The Blitz had subsided, but the Germans still bombed English towns, and nearly everyone was afraid for a loved one fighting at the Front or putting their lives in danger at home for the war effort.

Lizzie swallowed her fear and waited for Jack to explain.

‘Val has summoned me back to Baker Street. I had to leave my contact details with a clerk as a backup, although I didn’t expect her to use them.’

‘Does she say what’s so urgent? You are due leave and we’ve only been absent a few days.’ Sharp regret at the abrupt end to their magical time tarnished Lizzie’s words, no matter how she tried to conceal it.

‘No, she wouldn’t give details over the telephone.’

‘Oh dear. Alright, we’d better pack up and be on our way before dinner then. What a shame.’

They had tickets to see a Variety Show at Richmond Theatre that night, and she had been looking forward to it.

Jack pulled Lizzie towards him and encircled her in his arms. ‘I’m sorry, my love. We will have to miss the show, but I promise we will return as soon as we can.’

Lizzie raised her face to his, and their lips brushed.

Their connection was as strong as an electric current, just as it had been the first time they kissed.

Her thoughts flickered back to their luxurious morning in bed when they had made passionate love with no thought of rushing to Baker Street at the crack of dawn.

Lizzie resigned herself to reality. ‘It’s been wonderful getting away from work.

I almost forgot the war for a moment. We needed a break, but now duty calls.

I’ll stay with you tonight, so my mother doesn’t think it’s strange I’m home earlier than planned.

Then I’ll go home to Regent’s Park and spend some time with them tomorrow. ’

‘Good idea. I couldn’t bear to lose you so soon.’

‘You won’t. I sleep at your flat more than at home these days. My mother says the research bureau works me to the bone!’

‘She’s not wrong. There’s one more thing, Seagrove,’ Jack said, clicking back into work mode and using her codename.

Lizzie pulled back slightly in his embrace. ‘Yes?’

‘Val said to bring you with me.’

‘What?’ she gasped. The wind-swept colour drained from her rosy cheeks. ‘But she doesn’t know we’re together. I said I was taking a few days' leave after so many nights in the cipher room.’

‘Hmm,’ Jack said, concern etched into his forehead.

‘What is it you’re not saying? Tell me, please.’

‘She knows about us.’ Jack sighed and groped in his breast pocket for a cigarette.

‘No! How could she? We’ve been so careful.’

Jack lit the cigarette and inhaled before fixing her with worried eyes. ‘I acted dumb as if I didn’t know what she meant, but she said she’s not a complete fool and told me not to insult her by pretending you’re not with me.’

Lizzie’s legs grew weak, and she sat down on the edge of the bed to steady herself. ‘But how long has she known?’

‘I have no clue, but she certainly knows now, so there’s no point denying it. We’d better get our story straight before we see her.’

‘Bloody hell, I can’t believe it. I thought we’d been so cunning. There were so many times I wanted to tell her the truth, but held myself back.’

‘That’s because you are straightforward by nature, my darling,’ Jack said, his tone teasing as he blew smoke rings over his head.

‘I, on the other hand, had no inclination whatsoever to tell the boss. We have broken the unspoken rule of not falling in love with another agent. And now I’m sorry to say, we will have to pay for it. ’

‘That sounds ominous,’ Lizzie said. ‘Will we be punished?’

Jack shook his head and took another drag of the cigarette. ‘It won’t be an obvious punishment as it’s not in the rulebook, but you can bet we’ll feel the consequences.’

He didn’t say more, and Lizzie didn’t push. The thought of facing Val, her boss and mentor, who had taken her under her wing and hired her as her assistant for when she wasn’t in the field, made her sad. She had lied to her, or at the very least misled her, and Lizzie felt ashamed.

The decision to keep their whirlwind love affair a secret wasn’t one they consciously made.

Jack told her when they first got involved that it would be frowned upon, so they had kept it to themselves, just like they kept all their other secrets.

In fairness to Jack, he had given her plenty of warning about the dangers of their forbidden relationship, but by then they were too in love to stop.

But now she wondered whether it had been the right decision not to tell Val.

After all, like Jack said, it wasn’t a clear rule, just an understanding.

As Lizzie packed her small suitcase ready for the return journey, she regretted not confiding in her mentor when she had the urge.

Now she would think badly of her, and it hurt Lizzie’s heart.

The drive back to London passed almost in complete silence, as they both contemplated the meeting with their boss and wondered what fate would befall them.

‘Shall we go in together?’ Lizzie asked as he parked the car on a side road near his place, around the corner from SOE HQ.

He shook his head. ‘I shouldn’t think so. Just because Val knows, doesn’t mean she wants everyone else to know.’

Lizzie nodded. ‘Makes sense. Alright, so let’s go in separately as usual. Do you want to go first, or shall I?’

‘Whatever you prefer, darling.’

They entered the flat with their bags before turning to face each other. They embraced briefly before Jack tilted her face upward with one finger. ‘Chin up, Seagrove. We’ll figure it out. I wouldn’t change a moment of the time we’ve had together, so whatever the consequences, they were worth it.’

Emotion swelled in Lizzie’s chest, and her eyes shone. ‘I’m so glad. The same for me. I do feel awful we didn’t tell her of our own accord, but you’re right, we wouldn’t have been able to be together like this if she’d known all along.’

‘Onwards and upwards,’ Jack said, kissing her once more before he slipped out the door.

Lizzie waited another five minutes, before following him out and entering the building where the cheery doorman greeted her as if it was business as usual and their worlds weren’t about to be turned upside down.

As she removed her coat and walked along the corridor to the meeting room, her heart pounded, and she felt as though she were walking to the gallows.

What would Val say about her having a secret relationship with her top intelligence agent for the past two years right under her nose? And what if her mother found out she’d been deceiving them all along?

The door opened slowly after Lizzie knocked, revealing Val’s familiar face and thick glasses. ‘Ah, and here is the woman of the hour.’

Val stood aside and beckoned Lizzie in to face the music.