Chapter 2
Lizzie swallowed as she took a seat at the large table.
The big boss, whom she hadn’t seen in some time, was there too.
This was even worse than she’d imagined.
Her face grew hot, and she tried to calm herself, but the thought of baring her soul in the presence of the Head of French Section, F Section as they called it, filled her with a terrible panic.
Jack watched her from where he sat on the opposite side of the table.
He seemed calm, but then that was Jack, always able to bluff his way out of any tricky situation. That was one attribute that made him a master spy before the war. She, meanwhile, wished the floor would swallow her up.
Lizzie took a deep breath and prepared for the worst. Jack was her commanding officer, and he was irreplaceable, so she readied herself for what was to come.
They would probably fire her, and she’d have to return home and make up some lame story, all the while feeling overwhelmed by the shame of her predicament.
Her mother would be scandalised if she found out she’d been ‘carrying on’ with her boss all this time, no matter how she teased her about her handsome, commanding officer.
No one spoke except the tea lady, who handed out steaming mugs and piled biscuits onto plates in the centre of the table. ‘There you are, my love,’ she said to Lizzie when she reached her side.
The kindness in her tone touched Lizzie, and she braced herself, her hands folded neatly in her lap as she thanked her.
Lizzie consoled herself that at least they wouldn’t reprimand her in front of Stella, but as the tea trolley rattled across the room and the door closed with a gentle thud, Val turned her gaze to Lizzie and then to Jack.
This was it. Lizzie’s heart drummed ever faster, and she crossed her legs and clasped her hands tighter.
‘Good morning, all. Apologies for pulling you two back in so suddenly, but I’m afraid we have a situation.’
Lizzie caught Jack’s eye. A ghost of a smile touched his full lips. Perhaps this wasn’t as bad as she had envisaged. It appeared they had switched immediately into mission mode. Val must be saving the dressing-down for later when they were alone.
The big boss glanced at his watch and shuffled his feet under the table. ‘I don’t have long, Val. Can we get straight to the point? I have another meeting shortly.’
Lizzie waited for Val to address the situation, not trusting herself to look at Jack again. She hadn’t felt this uncomfortable at Baker Street since her early days when she was a new recruit and used to blush whenever Jack entered the room.
Frantic thoughts raced through her mind.
How did Val discover the truth about their relationship so suddenly?
She’d given no indication of knowing anything last time she saw her, so something—or somebody—must have told her they had gone away together.
But no one knew. They had been meticulous in keeping it a secret, even booking the room in Richmond as a married couple.
Val stood and paced around the room as she often did when briefing them. ‘As I said, we have a situation, and it’s rather out of the ordinary. In fact, it’s not strictly F Section business.’
The boss fixed Val with a hard stare. ‘We have quite enough to keep us busy with our own catastrophes. I hope we’re not being drawn into something in which we have no place.’
Val said, ‘I thought the same, initially, sir, but since reviewing the intelligence, I believe it is critical we consider stepping in.’
Lizzie’s heart gradually slowed from its manic pace, and relief surged through her body. She glanced at Jack and could tell he had come to the same conclusion. He lit a cigarette after offering the packet around the table.
This wasn’t about her and Jack.
Lizzie waited for Val to continue.
Perhaps she wouldn’t get the boot, and things would be alright after all.
Her mind was still distracted after the intense panic she’d experienced since Jack returned from his phone call with Val and broke the news to her.
Now she struggled to focus, still wondering when the dreaded conversation would occur.
Val knew the truth, so she was bound to talk to them at some point.
Lizzie almost wished they could get the awkward conversation out of the way.
The trepidation was painful, but a small part of her was relieved the truth was finally out and she could stop living a lie.
No more fibbing and scurrying about like criminals. Dare she hope they could tell their friends and family they were engaged and still work together? It seemed like an impossible dream.
Val coughed, and Lizzie pulled herself back to the moment.
‘X Section approached me and asked for our help with an operation,’ she said.
‘That’s most irregular,’ said the boss, his head jerking up as if the subject was now worthy of his full attention.
‘Not that irregular,’ Jack said. ‘I’ve consulted with other sections.’
‘But working with the German Section on a live operation? That’s a different kettle of fish altogether,’ the big boss replied, a grumble emerging from his chest like a wheezy engine.
‘Last I heard from the major, they were threatened with closure. The whole endeavour has been nothing but a damn money pit.’
‘That’s an accurate assessment,’ said Val. ‘And partly why the major approached me. They need to prove they are viable to keep operations open, but there’s something even more pressing that needs our attention.’
‘Go on,’ Jack said, flicking the tip of his cigarette into the marble ashtray, his black hair falling rakishly over his forehead.
‘A source inside the Reich Air Ministry sent a message that reached X Section via the British Legation in Switzerland.’
This caught Lizzie’s attention. She could smell the beginnings of a mission, but was curious how this might connect with occupied France. Normally, she wouldn’t be invited to a meeting about secret operations in other countries within the SOE.
It was time to speak up. She rarely permitted herself to remain silent in meetings, no matter how forbidding, but the circumstances had thrown her into a spin.
She cleared her throat and addressed Val.
‘That was daring. Switzerland is neutral, isn’t it?
It must have taken courage for someone to risk contacting us from Berlin like that. ’
‘Agreed. Berlin is wound tight as a drum, which is why X Section believes this to be a credible source.’
They discussed the situation further before the boss excused himself, leaving just Lizzie, Jack, and Val together in the room.
An uncomfortable silence fell, and Lizzie’s breathing quickened again as she struggled to maintain composure.
Lizzie stole a glance at Jack, who sat back in his chair, relaxed as ever.
His senses must be crafted from steel, she thought.
‘Right, well, I’ll waste no more time getting to the point. The major asked for you, Lizzie.’
Lizzie’s face showed her surprise. ‘Me? But I don’t operate in Berlin. I’ve never even visited.’
‘Well, that’s about to change. If you accept the mission, of course, which I sincerely hope you do.’
‘Hold on,’ Jack said, jumping to his feet, his calm veneer shattered. ‘Since when does F Section send our agents into Berlin?’
‘Since now,’ Val said, her tone brooking no argument.
‘But why, Lizzie?’
‘Because the major heard of her successes in complex missions. We may be agents sworn to secrecy, but rumours swirl within the organisation. You know that, Jack.’
Lizzie’s cheeks flushed pink at the insinuation, and the pulse in her throat throbbed.
‘Whatever it is, I’ll do it,’ Lizzie said, squaring her shoulders.
She had never refused a mission before, and she wasn’t about to start now, especially when she’d got into such hot water with Val.
If ever there was a time to redeem herself, this was it.
Lizzie had feared she was about to lose her opportunity to help win the war, and as much as she loved Jack, she knew she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if she allowed that to happen.
She could feel Jack’s eyes burning into her, but she avoided his glare.
He disliked her going on missions and believed she’d already exposed herself in occupied territory more than enough for one lifetime.
This was one complication of their being madly in love.
He wanted to protect her, but he was also her commanding officer, and the two did not always align in harmony.
‘The source is called Ingrid Becker, and she claims to have intelligence about some kind of secret weapon the Germans are developing,’ said Val.
‘Sounds ominous,’ Jack said, recovering quickly from his outburst, sitting back down, and lighting another cigarette.
Val said, ‘It does. We’d heard whispers about long-range rockets, but this is the first proper intelligence we’ve received.’
‘What do you need from me?’ Lizzie asked, her voice low and steady as she avoided eye contact with Jack.
‘The major is asking for two agents. One to work directly with the source at the Air Ministry to extract intelligence. The source isn’t an experienced informant and is liable to panic, which will get her shot. And one to build a courier infrastructure so we can smuggle the information out.’
‘Could we not relay some of the intelligence by radio?’ Lizzie asked.
It was Jack’s turn to interject. He ran his hand through his hair and in a gruff voice said, ‘It’s too dangerous to transmit from Berlin.
That will be one of the biggest challenges X Section has faced.
Infiltrating the heart of the Reich makes operating in occupied France look like a walk in the park. It’s tantamount to a death sentence.’
Jack’s words were sobering, but the promise of another daring mission in a new location set her senses alight.
She’d been back in London, based within the safety of Baker Street, for months.
The newer recruits were parachuted into France regularly, acting as couriers and wireless operators, and whilst it was wonderful to spend more time with Jack, she missed the thrill of being in the field.
He understood because he missed it too, and they talked about it sometimes.
Jack continued, ‘You’ve done more than your fair share, and besides, we need your skills in the cipher room, helping run the networks we’ve built. It’s a natural progression.’
They had created several successful networks together, and some were still in operation, so there was a lot to do on a day-to-day basis. They regularly received transmissions from Hannah and Lev, their Jewish Resistance operatives in the south of France, who ran the Lavender Network.
The two fearless Resistance leaders were experts at organising the sabotage of German infrastructure.
Hannah smuggled downed Allied airmen and Jews out via the Pyrenees to neutral Spain.
Lizzie had worked closely with Hannah in Paris and loved her like a sister.
If all went to plan, they would be sisters-in-law after the war because Hannah was engaged to Jack’s brother, Henry.
‘My German isn’t smooth enough to work at the Air Ministry,’ Lizzie said. ‘Who do you have in mind?’ Even as the words crossed her lips, a sinking feeling permeated her stomach. She knew what Val would say, and the thought both terrified and excited her.
‘Hannah is the ideal candidate. She worked at Nazi HQ in Paris for quite some time and could probably have stayed on longer if she hadn’t taken such drastic action!’
‘Quite,’ Jack said, his tone dry. ‘A minor detail, perhaps, but critical nonetheless. Hannah does have a tendency to assassinate high-ranking Nazis.’
‘One can hardly blame her,’ Lizzie said, jumping to her friend’s defence. ‘Even if deporting her family from Berlin, stealing their home and destroying their lives wasn’t enough, the man she killed was an evil bastard who tried to rape her.’
Jack nodded. ‘That’s true enough. And she’s been keeping a low profile since Paris, which was almost two years ago now. I suppose we could risk it if she’s up for going back to her home city, but I imagine it will be painful.’
Lizzie said, ‘She will be up for it. If anyone knows how to compartmentalise feelings and concentrate on the job, it’s Hannah.’
Val spoke again after falling silent as she listened to them.
‘Hannah’s a pro. We all know that. The only question is whether we can afford to release her from the Lavender Network.
There’s a lot going on there since the Vichy gang dropped all pretence of not collaborating fully with the Nazi regime. ’
Jack narrowed his eyes. ‘It’ll take some planning, but I imagine Lev could manage with the right preparation. They have other people they can rely on to hold the fort whilst she’s away. I’ll get a message to her as soon as possible and check what they have in the works.’
‘What shall I do?’ Lizzie asked, her eyes moving from Jack to Val.
‘Your German is good enough to be in Berlin, especially since you did the advanced course, and we can prepare you more before you leave. Hannah will find a way into the Air Ministry, and you will set up the courier route. We’ll say you are war widows from Alsace.
You’ll need to know what to expect when we drop you in Colmar,’ Val said.
‘Colmar?’ Lizzie said. She didn’t even know where that was.
‘Yes, it’s a town in Alsace. You’d better get the lay of the land before travelling to Berlin. That way you’ll have a viable cover story in case anyone asks any awkward questions.’
Jack stood, ‘I will send this message right away.’
‘Yes, do that,’ Val said. ‘I’ll brief Lizzie with more details, and we’ll build her cover and see what specialised training she needs.’
Jack strode across the floor and was about to slip out the door when Val’s voice reverberated through the cold, high-ceilinged room.
‘Jack?’
He turned.
‘Don’t ever lie to me again, or there will be serious repercussions.’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ Jack said and exited the room.
‘And that goes for you too,’ Val said, turning her steely glare on Lizzie.
‘I’m sorry,’ Lizzie said. ‘I wanted to tell you, but it was never the right time. How did you find out?’
Val sank back in her chair and searched Lizzie’s flustered face. ‘I’ve known for some time. I ignored it as long as I could. You realise I’m also an intelligence officer, I take it?’