Chapter 3
The SOE had arranged intensive Volksdeutsche training for Lizzie, and soon she was so immersed in the study of German culture and ethnic Germans from Alsace, which the Nazis had annexed, that she frequently dreamt about it.
Jack had woken early that cold morning in late October, and when she stirred from her fitful sleep, Lizzie followed him into the living room.
It was difficult to sleep deeply when she was preparing for a mission, and she recognised the signs of the transition from feeling safe in the cocoon of Jack’s love and her administrative work at Baker Street, to living on her nerves behind enemy lines when any moment could be her last.
‘Kaffee?’ Jack asked without missing a beat as he looked up from reading yesterday’s newspaper.
‘Einen schwarzen Kaffee, bitte.’ Lizzie yawned as she curled up on the sofa, and he covered her with the blanket and brought her a cup of black coffee.
They had been speaking German in the flat for weeks now.
Jack was fluent from his studies at Oxford and his years in Military Intelligence.
He said if she was going to undertake such a perilous mission, they must make sure she was ready for anything from the second she stepped onto German soil.
As an Alsatian, Anna Weber, Lizzie’s new cover name, spoke fluent French and passable German, but since France surrendered and the German army occupied the territory, citizens were forced to speak only German. French was erased from daily life, and her cover must reflect this background adequately.
Anna Weber’s husband had fallen fighting for the French in 1940, and she like many other war widows was stuck in a limbo between loyal French citizen who had sacrificed everything for her country, and the new order of Nazi Germany where they must comply—or die.
Anna Weber and her sister-in-law Else would embrace the opportunity to come home to the Reich and enjoy the fruits of their ethnic German identity.
Their husbands had fought for France only because it was mandatory, and their wives would show deep regret for the unfortunate circumstances.
Lizzie sipped the tasteless coffee. ‘I still prefer it with milk, but I’d better get used to black again. My trainer says rations are even more meagre than in France and milk is scarce, especially in the cities.’
Jack gently corrected her pronunciation, and she repeated the sentence carefully.
‘You have such a knack for languages,’ Jack said. ‘It’s amazing how much your German improved from your time in the field, and since your lessons there’s been a dramatic improvement.’
‘When I realised how much I was missing out on by not understanding what the Boche said, I decided to apply myself. It made an enormous difference to the St. Malo mission.’
‘I almost wish you hadn’t, and then you wouldn’t be such a perfect candidate for this dreadful job,’ Jack said, drawing on his cigarette as the rain pattered against the windowpane.
‘I probably would have done it, anyway. Anna Weber doesn’t need to have perfect German. It’s enough she’s loyal to the Reich and makes the effort. French will still be my mother tongue, which is just as well, given some of the horrible mistakes I’m bound to make!’
‘Yes, but remember you mustn’t speak French. The Nazis banned it entirely in Alsace. It’s not banned in Berlin, but it would attract attention, so stick to German there too.’
They went into the office separately, as usual.
Val had ordered them to continue to keep their relationship secret, much to Lizzie’s disappointment, but she understood, and in some ways, it was easier.
She didn’t have to entangle her undercover life any further by explaining their relationship to her family.
For now, Jack would remain just her commanding officer at the research institute, which was the cover story for the SOE HQ on Baker Street.
‘If I want to keep you both as my top agents working closely together, it’s wise to keep it under our hats. Unless either of you wishes to be reassigned permanently?’
Neither of them wanted that, and Val saw it on their faces.
‘I’ll do what I can to keep it between us,’ she continued, ‘and you must do the same. Remember, we are all agents here, and nothing is sacred. Even the walls have eyes and ears.’
Val had summoned Lizzie and Jack separately for an interview shortly after they returned from Richmond, and she insisted they come clean with her.
‘Once a spy, always a spy,’ Jack said later that evening over dinner at their favourite French bistro.
‘The way she grilled us separately to see if our stories matched, you mean?’ Lizzie asked.
‘Yes, it was just as well we agreed on the facts beforehand.’
They had decided it would be best to shave a year off their romance so it wouldn’t seem quite so duplicitous. Jack wasn’t sure Val had believed his version of events, but however they could help her keep it between them served them all.
‘We’ll have to see how it plays out,’ Jack said. ‘She may still transfer one of us, but I think for now sending you to Berlin is punishment enough! It certainly will be for me. I shan’t sleep a wink whilst you’re gone.’
Lizzie held Jack’s hand, and for a few precious moments in the candlelit bistro, his love made her feel invincible. That night they climbed into bed and after some feverish lovemaking, when they both felt the urgency of time running out, they fell asleep wrapped in the safety of each other’s arms.
The following morning during her shift in the cipher room, Lizzie intercepted a message from Hannah and rushed to decode it before taking it to Jack.
He skimmed the decrypted message and raised his eyes to Lizzie’s. ‘Looks like it’s a go.’
Lizzie nodded, and they stared at each other, both realising she would have to leave soon.
‘We’d better find Val and make the final plans,’ he said. His voice was sombre with none of the usual playfulness in his tone.
‘It’ll be alright, darling. It’s just another mission, and besides, I’ll have Hannah with me. I won’t be alone this time, so that’s good.’
Jack’s dark eyes were sad as he reached for her. ‘I know, but I can’t bear the thought of you marooned in Berlin with those evil bastards. I wish I could come too.’
Lizzie ran her finger gently over his lip and looked into his eyes, which were so full of love it made her heart ache.
‘We’ve had these last months together, so let’s be grateful.
And I’ll be home in no time. You’ll see.
’ Lizzie forced a bright smile onto her face, and her words were hopeful, but fear gripped her even as she reassured him.
Berlin would present a new set of deadly challenges she hadn’t faced before. She couldn’t help wondering whether she was up to the task.
Would she be in over her head?