Joanna claimed to have been big enough to accept that such tragedies were a concomitant of warfare, which could not basically affect her Fascist beliefs — something else that had apparently been accepted without question by Weber. But was any woman — or any man, for that matter — that big? The experience had certainly turned Liane into an avenging angel, moving around France like a shadow, striking as and when she chose, even as high as the chief of the Paris Gestapo, and then contemptuously sparing his life.
And then there was that unexplained business of the attempt on Joanna’s life, which she had handled with masterly coldbloodedness. Had she really not known who had sent the assassin?
The two most important women in his life. He knew that he would give a great deal to see Liane again. That was not love, it was sheer lust. With Joanna it was different. She was the sort of woman he had always dreamed of meeting, such a contrast to the stiffly amoral girls with whom he had grown up, whose only ideals had been Hitler and Nazism. Joanna was more amoral than any of them, but her amorality was entirely hedonistic, and she had no more respect for political jargon and cliches than she did for the rules of society. She was the sort of woman who made a man glad to be alive.
And now he was being required to destroy her, along with Liane, and Madeleine — and, by association, Freddie von Helsingen as well. Why? If Madeleine was covertly helping her family, did she really deserve to be hanged for that — even if they were outlaws? If Joanna was secretly helping the Resistance, would her execution make a bit of difference, especially if he could stop her activities by the simple means of marrying her? And if Liane was actually carrying out a mission for British Intelligence, well … He frowned.
Dieppe. As Monterre had reminded him, it was just across the water from England, and it was a place in which he had a personal interest, as he had commanded there, briefly, just after the occupation. But the British had just carried out a most successful raid, on St Nazaire. Would they be contemplating another so soon? Or was all this a build up to the day every German soldier knew had to come?
Chapter Nine
Dieppe
The Lysander dropped out of the night sky, skimming the treetops before bumping across the meadow to come to a halt. Instantly several men and women ran forward, some to the aircraft, others to replenish the oil in the flaring landing lights — they knew the plane would be taking off again immediately.
The pilot came out of the after door. ‘Pound Twelve?’
‘I am here, Mr Brune,’ Liane said. ‘Are you alone?’ She was disappointed.
‘Yes, I am. I was told to pick up your material and return immediately.’
T have it here.’ She handed him the satchel, is there no message?’
‘Ah … yes.’ Brune, a chubby young man made to look even chubbier in his flying suit, looked left and right. ‘It is of a confidential nature.’
‘Then come over here.’ She led him away from the men, while Pierre looked after them curiously. ‘Well?’
‘The message is from Pound One. He says to tell you that you are a very naughty girl, but if what you have is as good as I am sure it will be, congratulations.’
‘It is everything he wanted. Why were we not informed of St Nazaire?’
‘You had no group formed. Now he wants to know how many people you have available, and how soon they can be ready to move.’
‘Tell him that I have thirty-one people, and that we can move at twenty-four hours’ notice.’
‘That’s splendid. You will receive your orders in a few days.’
‘I was expecting news of my sister.’
‘Oh, yes. Pound One said to tell you that she is being well looked after, has seen your parents, and is in the best of health.’
‘Thank you. But why has there been no publicity of the news of her escape to England? He has had her now for several weeks.’
T have no information of that, mademoiselle.’
‘Well, I wish information on this, and urgently. My sister’s escape was to be given the maximum publicity, but not a word has been released. Do you know that a hundred men have been shot because of the Nazis’ inability to capture her?’
‘That is barbaric.’
‘It is also history, now. The point is that another hundred men have been taken hostage, and they will be shot if Amalie is not surrendered, or if she is not proved to be beyond the reach of the enemy by being out of the country. That news must be released, and substantiated, within a week. Do you understand me?’
T will report what you have said, mademoiselle. But I would say that the decision regarding releasing the news of your sister’s escape is probably out of Pound’s hands.’
‘Then he had better get it back. Tell him I love him dearly, but if he expects me to lead my people into battle on his behalf, and probably get killed, I have to have some co-operation from him. OK?’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
Liane kissed him on the cheek. ‘I’m not blaming you, stupid. Have a safe flight home.’
‘If you’d care to come in, Major Barron,’ the secretary invited.
James stood up, put on his cap — today he was wearing uniform — and entered the large office. ‘Major Barron, gentlemen,’ the brigadier announced, with the air of a magician producing a rabbit from a hat.
James gulped as he saluted; he had never faced quite such a collection of brass — no fewer than six general officers were seated at the table in front of him.
‘At ease, Major,’ one of these now said, a thin-faced man with a long nose, whose name, James knew, was Montgomery, the commanding officer of south-east England. ‘Take a seat.’ ‘Thank you, sir.’ James sat down, placing his cap and briefcase on his lap.
‘The brigadier says you have something for us.’
‘Yes, sir.’ James opened the briefcase and laid several papers on the table.
The generals passed them around. ‘Who made these sketches? These harbour plans seem to be very detailed.’
‘I can vouch for their accuracy, sir. She is the very best agent we have.’
‘She?’ The question indicated distrust of the idea of using a woman.
‘A pretty woman has access to areas beyond the reach of a man, sir.’
There was some clearing of throats, then another general tapped another piece of paper. ‘Do you expect us to believe this? That there is only one arsenal in the town, and all the munitions are stored there?’
‘If that is what she says, sir, then that is the situation. Or was the situation when she was there, several weeks ago.’ ‘Why has it taken so long for this information to reach us?’ ‘My people operate out of Vichy, sir. Dieppe is on the Channel coast. My agent had first of all to cross France to get to her destination, spend some time in Dieppe accumulating this information, and then make her way back across France to her base. This is a lengthy operation, certainly for someone who is already wanted by the Gestapo.’
‘And if she were to be captured by the Gestapo, she would of course be forced to divulge her activities.’
‘She has been sought by the Gestapo for nearly two years now, sir. And they have not caught her yet.’
There was some more throat-clearing, then someone asked, ‘Brigadier?’
‘I have the utmost confidence in Major Barron’s people, sir.’
‘Then we will accept your recommendation. Now, tell us what support we can receive on the ground.’
‘There are several guerrilla groups who appear ready to respond,’ the brigadier said. ‘Monsieur Moulin, who has returned to France, is handling this.’
‘I hope none of these know what we intend?’
‘No, sir. They are merely awaiting a signal to take action against German lines of communication, on a given date.’ ‘Quite so. Is Major Barron’s Pound group included in this?’ ‘It is my opinion,’ the brigadier said, ‘that Major Barron’s group should actually take part in the assault. They have the experience, from St Valery last year.’
‘St Valery wa
s a disaster.’
‘That was not the fault of the Resistance, sir.’
‘Why was this group not employed at St Nazaire?’
The brigadier looked at James. ‘They were attacked by German forces and virtually destroyed last September, sir. Since then they have been reforming, but were not yet ready last month.’
‘Hmm. And you feel these people would be prepared to undertake the support of another … ah … raid?’
‘My people will undertake whatever I require them to, sir.’ ‘I see. They will require a competent commander, who will need to understand our plans. As these must remain top secret, you will have to arrange for this fellow to be brought over here, so that we can interview him in person.'
‘That will not be necessary, sir. I will command the group myself.’
The generals looked at the brigadier. ‘I should point out that Major Barron has twice been wounded in this war. It is not our policy to send wounded soldiers back into battle.’
‘With respect, sir, I am perfectly fit again, and while my people will follow me anywhere and carry out my orders without question, after the St Valery fiasco and the events that followed, which, as I have said, led to the virtual extermination of the Group as it was then, they will need me to lead them in a new venture of any size.’ He paused as the generals stared at him. ‘I am assuming that this is the case.’
‘It would be better if you did not assume anything, Major. You will be briefed nearer the time. How long would it take your people to move from their Vichy base to within striking distance of Dieppe?’
‘I would say four weeks, sir. As I have said, it requires a movement right across France, and this movement cannot be undertaken as a single body. They will have to split up into small sections, and rendezvous at an appointed place. Again, this is what they did for the St Valery raid.’
‘Hmm. Four weeks. Today is the first of May. They will have to begin their journey a month today.’
‘Very good, sir.’ James looked at the brigadier. ‘With your permission, sir.’
The brigadier sighed. ‘Oh, very well. We can discuss your department later.’
He turned to the generals. ‘The last week of this month, sir.’
Montgomery nodded. ‘The brigadier will inform you of the exact date, and you will be fully briefed before you leave. However, you will convey no information to your people other than that they must be prepared to undertake an offensive manoeuvre, commencing at the beginning of June. Absolutely no information as to the destination must be revealed to anyone. The entire success of this operation depends upon absolute secrecy. Is that understood?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Very good. And thank you for your information, Major. Good day.’
The brigadier and James shared a taxi, but of course they could not discuss the conference. But as James obviously had a lot on his mind, the brigadier asked him into his office.
‘Is this what I think it is, sir?’ James asked.
‘You were told not to think about it at all. However, if it will put your mind at rest, this is not the invasion. It is not even another raid, as at St Nazaire, which was made for the express purpose of destroying the dry dock and the U-boat pens. It is, if you like, a reconnaissance in force, to find out just what we will face when we do invade. The idea is to seize Dieppe, hold it for a couple of days, and then withdraw. This will enable us to determine the speed of the enemy’s response, and we are also hoping to draw in a considerable part of his available air force, and, as the RAF will be supporting in strength, inflict heavy losses. The same goes for any naval units he may have in the vicinity. Of course we understand there will be casualties, but we would hope to inflict more on him than he on us. Does that answer your query?’
‘Yes, sir. But there is a small problem. As I understand it, I am required to tell my people to prepare to move, then join them and lead them into occupied France, without telling them where they are going. However, they’re not stupid. Liane certainly is not. She has been required to go to a particular place and make those sketches and notes. Now she is to be told to prepare her people to undertake an offensive manoeuvre. Obviously she is going to realize our destination.’
‘Hmm. However, as I believe you trust her absolutely, tell her to keep her thoughts to herself. We have a serious domestic matter to consider. You are likely to be away for several weeks. Who is going to run Pound during that time?’ ‘Rachel.’
‘I hope you’re not serious.’
‘She is a most capable young woman, sir.’
‘She is also hot-headed and impulsive. Anyway, it is simply not feasible to have a sergeant who is also a woman running such an important department.’
‘I’m not quite sure in which order you wish me to answer that point, sir. As to the rank of Pound One, I should like to remind you that when I was away in France for a considerable period last autumn, and you drafted in an officer of commensurable rank, he proved to be a disaster, and the unit was only kept going by Rachel. If her actual rank bothers you, well, you can always promote her. As to her being a woman, well, I suppose we can’t do much about that, but I have discovered over the past couple of years that when it comes to doing difficult jobs, women are every bit as good as men.’
‘You are thinking of your de Gruchy friend, I suppose.’ ‘She ranks very high, yes, sir.’
‘And what about your other friend? Jonsson?’
‘She also ranks very high. I will be forever grateful that your hit man didn’t make it.’
‘There is a hell of a row brewing about that. He has just disappeared.’
‘That’s understandable. He’s dead. He attempted to carry out his orders to kill Jonsson, only she killed him first. She can be quite deadly. We trained her to be deadly.’
‘But then … ’
‘Oh, she knows he was acting on our orders. But she doesn’t appear to bear a grudge. I only hope you will never issue such an order again, sir.’
‘And you are prepared to go on trusting her. But not to the extent, I hope, of revealing any of our current plans to her.’ ‘She is not involved in our current plans, sir.’
‘Thank God for that. Very good, James. You may place Cartwright in charge during your absence, but she must understand that she is to undertake no action, no action at all, without reference to me.’
‘I will do that, sir. And her promotion?’
'T will have to consider that.’
‘There’s just one thing more, sir. The business of Amalie de Gruchy. We’ve had her now for several weeks, and the fact has not been released. The guerrillas only sent her over in the hope of obviating the necessity for sacrificing any more hostages. But as yet no one knows we have her … ’
‘I’m afraid that, too, has to stay under wraps for the time being. The top brass consider that the amount of time and energy the Gestapo are putting in to finding this young woman is taking their minds off other matters, which could involve our new project. When that is completed, we will release the whereabouts of Amalie de Gruchy.’
‘And the hostages?’
‘James, we are fighting a war. And in war people get killed, some innocently. That is a regrettable fact of life.’
‘Well,’ Rachel said. ‘How was hobnobbing with the high and mighty?’
‘Very interesting,’ James said. ‘Sit down and listen very carefully.’
She obeyed, but was showing explosive signs before he had even finished. ‘Are you out of your flipping mind? You are no longer fit for active service.’
‘I’m as fit as a fiddle.’
‘The last time you got involved in an op in France you were seriously wounded.’
‘Lightning never strikes twice in the same place. From your point of view, the important thing is that you will be in sole charge during my absence.’
‘Do you mean that?’
‘Well, subject to the brigadier’s overrule, of course.’ ‘Cheer me up.’
‘I’m sure you’ll grow t
o like him when you know him better.’
‘I do know him, better than you.’
‘How so?’
‘He’s a friend of my parents. He used to come to tea and play croquet when I was younger. And,’ she added darkly, ‘when Mummy and Daddy weren’t looking, he’d squeeze my bottom. He’s a dirty old man.’
‘One learns things every day. But I’m sure he’s only a dirty old man outside of office hours, and in office hours he is normally on the end of a telephone rather than a clutching hand. Now, enough of this chat. We have things to do.’
‘Like getting hold of Liane, and telling her you’re on your way to shag her,’ she said bitterly.
‘Now that,’ James said, ‘is exactly what I had in mind.’
‘What brings you here?’ Oskar Weber asked.
‘I happen to be on leave,’ Franz Hoeppner said.
‘And you decided to pay me a visit? How very civil of you. Have you come to offer your condolences?’
Franz sat before the desk. ‘You mean about St Nazaire? It seems odd that you knew nothing about it.’
‘St Nazaire was the Abwehr’s business, not mine. You mean you have not heard that Heydrich is dead? Murdered in cold blood. It was a carefully laid ambush, not like that hit-and-run affair in Bordeaux. He was seated alone in the back of his open car. There were outriders before and behind. But when the car slowed at an intersection, these three criminals stepped out of the crowd. Two had automatic weapons, which they used but without hitting anyone. But the third had a grenade, and this he lobbed into the back of the car, where it exploded.’
‘And Heydrich was killed?’
‘Well, not outright. But he was too badly injured to be saved.’
‘What happened to the patriots?’
‘You mean the criminals? Oh, they are dead. They holed up in a church and were surrounded by our people and shot.’
Legacy of Hate Page 20
