Chapter 34
CHAPTER 34
T he clock hands crept by slowly and Lizzie struggled to concentrate. The general came in around eleven and his footsteps paused near her desk. Her fingers hovered over the typewriter keys as she felt his presence behind her. The fine hairs on her neck stood up.
‘Mademoiselle?’ he said finally.
‘Yes, Herr General. How may I help you?’
‘A cup of coffee would be nice,’ he said.
He wore a grey-green uniform, and his jacket was heavily decorated with rows of war medals. The infamous Nazi golden eagle with the swastika nestled ominously on his chest.
Lizzie hurried in to boil the water to make him a coffee. The waiting for the day to pass unnerved her, so she was pleased to have a distraction. During her schooldays, when she had to do something like stand up in front of the school at assembly, she would always volunteer to be first. It was less scary to get it done first rather than hang around dreading the moment when it was her turn.
That’s what today felt like as she watched the water bubble to boiling point. She glanced out of the window and saw two Luftwaffe pilots cross the airfield. Jack said most of the pilots arrived later in the evening to prepare for their night raids, which explained why the base was almost deserted during the day when she was here.
Soldiers were billeted all over the city and they had moved into people’s homes by order of the army. The pilots rested in their quarters during the day and didn’t sleep on the makeshift base which had only recently been erected for the Blitz.
Lizzie walked towards the general’s office door and knocked, the steaming coffee cup in her other hand.
‘Enter,’ said a commanding voice.
Lizzie placed the cup on his desk. He thanked her, and she turned to leave.
‘Mademoiselle, please take a seat.’
Lizzie trembled slightly as she sat down on the chair opposite him and arranged her face into a false smile.
The general’s eyes skimmed over her appreciatively and lingered on her chest. Her skin prickled, and the blood rushed to her head as she remembered the incident with the soldier who tried to rape her.
She clasped her hands below the desk and kept her expression neutral, as if she didn’t know he was undressing her with his eyes.
He took a sip of his coffee. ‘You make fine coffee. From what I have seen, you are a woman of many talents. You are an exquisite young woman. I’m surprised you’re not married.’
Lizzie swallowed sharply and kept her eyes on him, not knowing what to say.
‘You will stay on here indefinitely,’ he said. ‘You are competent at the job and are a pleasure to have around. ’
‘But today is my last day,’ she said, puzzled. ‘I’m only a replacement secretary, Herr General.’
‘You misunderstand me, mademoiselle. I meant I am commanding you to stay on permanently. The other secretary has met with an unfortunate accident and won’t be returning. Do you live nearby?’ He asked the question as if they were talking about the weather.
This wasn’t part of the plan, and her stomach clenched in panic. Then she recited the address Jack had made her rehearse over and over for a situation just like this.
The thought of him waiting for her at the farm this evening bolstered her courage, and she squared her shoulders and met the general’s stare as if she had nothing to hide.
‘Ah, that is near the Royal Hotel, if I am not mistaken. I have been staying there for the past weeks but am looking to billet at a house in town that suits me better. Perhaps yours will fit my needs, mademoiselle.’
Lizzie’s senses reeled.
Marie LeClair’s parents had died. Their home was bombed and, as a result, Marie hated the British. For that reason, she was amenable to working with the Germans.
All these facts rushed through her mind, as she took a slow breath to calm herself beneath the general’s stare.
‘I would be honoured to offer you hospitality in my home, Herr General, if only I had one. As it is, my family's home was destroyed in a bombing raid. I lodge with a family in a small apartment and only have one room, which obviously wouldn’t be suitable accommodation for a great war hero like yourself.’
The general preened at her words of praise.
He had bought her story.
‘That is a great shame. In that case, mademoiselle, I am very sorry for your loss. We share a common enemy. ’
Lizzie nodded as she fought to keep her composure. ‘The British have a lot to answer for,’ she said boldly.
This comment pleased the general further.
‘Cigarette, mademoiselle?’ he offered.
Lizzie declined politely.
A smile curved his thin lips to show neat white teeth below his black moustache. He lit a cigarette and leaned back in his chair as he blew the smoke into the air and seemed to consider his next move.
‘I would very much like to enjoy a glass of champagne with you. As a new employee, it is the least I can do to welcome you. It is a substantial loss you have suffered at the hands of those British pigs.’
Lizzie guessed the general would be well aware that if she were seen with him in public, she would be branded a collaborator by the locals and her life would be hell.
It was as though he read her mind when he said, ‘Perhaps, in the interests of privacy, it would be best if you came to my hotel. How about this evening at, shall we say, seven? We will have dinner in the private dining room.’
Seven was the time the team was due to arrive, and the operation would begin. Did this general have a sixth sense? Was he testing her somehow?
She thought swiftly and decided she was being fanciful. It must be pure coincidence. If she were to refuse, it might complicate the situation and draw unnecessary attention to her. He might stay longer in his office than if he knew she would meet him at his hotel.
The past few days, he had left promptly at six and they had been counting on the same pattern today. Jack warned her that if the general got in the way, they would have to kill him. But the job would be simpler if only the two guards were on duty in the transition between daytime office and evening raids .
He said it was the perfect time of day to strike because the Nazis were notoriously preoccupied in the evenings with opulent dinners and entertainment. They would be sluggish to respond to an attack.
Lizzie made a snap decision. Jack and Pierre would bring the other three Resistance members handpicked for the operation with them. That would be five pairs of hands to rig twenty bombers with explosives. She was supposed to be one of the saboteurs, but she calculated that luring the general away would be more useful.
Jack’s voice rang in her ears. ‘Don’t take any unnecessary chances. Stick to the plan.’
But this was an unexpected opportunity, and she must take advantage of it. She thought he would agree but she couldn’t ask him now.
‘How kind of you to invite me,’ Lizzie said sweetly. ‘I would love to have dinner with you. You are correct, Heir General, it would be more prudent to meet at your hotel. I’m sure you know how difficult some of the local women can be.’
‘Excellent,’ he said, his eyes gleaming, as he watched her greedily through the thin veil of cigarette smoke, like a cat waiting to pounce on a mouse.
‘Seven it is then. I shall look forward to it, mademoiselle.’
Lizzie rose from the chair, not quite believing she had made a date with a Nazi general. Her mother’s face entered her mind, and she pushed it firmly away. There was no time for being Lizzie Beaumont now. She must be Marie LeClair, Nazi sympathiser, and the general’s potential mistress.
Several times during the afternoon, the general emerged from his office and lingered near her desk. Each time, she worried he suspected she was a fraud. Had he made enquiries about her address and realised she was a fake?
Jack had explained that her cover address was unlived in, so if anyone knocked, there would be no reply. For three days, it was the best they could do. There was no time to establish the trail of a new resident in a proper home.
He told her to say as little about it as possible. All she knew was the address was in the city centre, a few minutes from the Royal Hotel, the fanciest hotel in Reims, and there was a row of shops nearby.
Lizzie remembered the area well, and she had visualised it when she was going over her cover story in her mind each night before falling asleep in the secret room.
By 6 p.m., Lizzie was so on edge, she felt sick again. The other staff and the general made no sign of leaving. Lizzie continued with her work, until a shadow fell over her desk, and a hand touched her shoulder. ‘Now I am leaving, mademoiselle. May I give you a ride home?’
Panic streamed through her. She must avoid this at all costs, or he might want to walk her to her door. That would be the door which she had no key to open.
‘Thank you, Herr General, but I find the bicycle ride so invigorating after a day cooped up inside. I hope you understand.’
The general smiled most amenably. ‘Of course, as you wish. No doubt the fresh air will bring a pretty bloom to your cheeks. I shall say farewell, but not goodbye. Until later, then.’ His French was so good, she wondered how many French women he had pressed his interests upon since he arrived in France.
The thought made her seethe inwardly, but she giggled.
Near the window a short while later, she saw the guard open the barricade and the general’s car roll through.
Lizzie released a deep sigh. Her heart was pounding, and she was shaking. The operation hadn’t even begun yet, and she was a bag of nerves. Now she wondered if she had done the right thing agreeing to meet the general. She had no choice but to go for dinner, or he might come in search of her and that would be far more dangerous than if he had stayed in his office.
It was too late to second guess herself now, so she went to the bathroom and reapplied her red lipstick. Her actions had a dreamlike quality. Looking in the mirror, she straightened her yellow scarf and prayed it would bring them all luck tonight.
Jack would be displeased when he found out she had altered the plan, and she would have to let him know or he would expect her to be waiting. She looked at her watch. It was 6.15 p.m. She must leave now, or she would be late.
By the time Lizzie exited the main door, the front office was deserted. The office manager’s handbag was not near her desk where she usually kept it so she must have left for the day. Lizzie closed the main door behind her and climbed onto her bicycle to ride towards the barricade.
The guards had changed for the evening shift just as expected, and the barricade opened as one of them nodded at her, already used to seeing her leave around the same time.
Lizzie inhaled the fresh air as it rushed into her face, and she gained speed as she pedalled. The physical exercise was indeed invigorating and helped dispel some of her fears as she thought about what she was about to do.
After a few minutes, she looked over her shoulder and swept her eyes around to make sure she wasn’t being followed. The street was empty, and she darted into a lane and went backwards on herself. The wheels of her bicycle bumped over the grassy mounds as she rode around the intermittent clumps of trees.
Jack emerged to greet her. His dark eyes were full of questions.
‘Problem?’ he said. ‘You’re supposed to be waiting inside.’
‘Not a problem as such. A change of plan, though. ’
‘Go on.’
She told him she was going to meet the general to make sure he would be out of the way.
Jack stared at her, his eyes narrowing to dangerous slits. ‘I don’t like it.’
‘I had to decide on the spot. If I hadn’t agreed, he might still be sitting in his office now.’
‘What if he won’t take no for an answer?’
‘God help me, but I’ll do whatever I need to do,’ Lizzie replied. ‘I’m better prepared to fend off unwanted advances this time.’
Pierre poked his head out from behind a tree and waved at her.
She waved back.
‘Did I do the wrong thing? You told me to follow my instincts, and that’s what I did.’
He drew her so close she could feel his warm breath on her face. ‘Make an excuse to leave as soon as you can. Do whatever you must to reach the pickup point.’
Lizzie fought back the tears clogging her throat. ‘Please try to get to the farm before I leave,’ she said. ‘Don’t come to the field though, just in case. They will be on high alert after the operation.’
‘Don’t worry. I will come if it’s safe. If not, I’ll see you in London just as soon as I finish the work here. Remember, the most important thing is for you to get to the pickup point at the agreed time.’
Lizzie nodded. ‘I will do exactly as you said.’
‘We’d better get going,’ he said, checking his watch.
She looked into his eyes and the thought that she might never see him again overwhelmed her and her eyes flooded with tears.
‘There, there, it’s alright,’ Jack said, pulling her into his arms and forgetting all about their pretence that they weren’t together. He hugged her tightly. ‘We will meet again soon. I am certain of it.’
She clung to him, her hands gripping his powerful shoulders. Then she released him and turned to leave, yearning to be back in his arms before they’d even parted.
‘Lizzie,’ he said, his deep voice low and solemn.
‘Yes?’
‘I love you,’ he whispered, and the words danced on the night air, lighting her up.
‘I love you, too,’ she said.
When she turned back at the end of the lane, she saw Jack still standing there watching her as she turned the corner, and she gave him one last wave.
Had she done the right thing, or had she signed her own death warrant?