by Lee Jackson
“I heard about some of what took place there. What about that girl—”
“Jeannie Rousseau.”
“Yes. I heard there was some concern that she might be a spy.”
“If you had known her, sir, you would have seen that to be preposterous. She was a very able linguist and translator and helped us willingly—and charmingly, I might add—in matters dealing with the public in Dinard. But no one ever saw her taking notes or listening where she shouldn’t have. She never acted nervously or was seen to be in places where she shouldn’t be. I concluded that Major Bergmann, the SS officer who reported her to the Gestapo, had it in for her in the same way he did the Boulier family in Dunkirk.” He related what had happened to the major. “In all honesty, I was glad to see him go. Like most people in the SS and the Gestapo, he had no morals, and his loyalty was to his ambition and not to our country.”
“I remember him,” Rommel mused. “As I recall, he tried to drive a wedge between you and the führer.”
“And you, sir. If he had succeeded with me, he would have been after you. He did not like regular military officers.”
“Well, thankfully, he’s no longer a problem.” Rommel glanced at a soldier tromping through the desert sand toward them. “Here comes the news we were expecting.”
The soldier saluted both officers and handed a wrinkled piece of paper to the field marshal. He took and read it. “Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war,” he muttered, handing the crumpled message to Meier.
“Sir?”
“We are at war with the United States.”
Marseille, France
Madame Fourcade turned off the radio and looked about at the group sitting around the terrace table. From off in the distance, she heard the whisper of the sea.
“It’s done,” she said. “The US is formally at war with Germany.”
Looking somber, Léon weighed in. “This should be good for us, and I hope it is, but unintended consequences always play in. I see a long war ahead.”
Amélie had sat quietly listening. When Fourcade looked her way for comment, at first, Amélie merely shook her head, but then she said, “We hoped for America to come into the war. We even expected it. The surprise was the Japanese attack. We’re in for a long fight, but we have a much better chance now of winning.” A wistful look crossed her face. “Personal plans will be delayed for a long, long time.”
Fourcade reached across and squeezed her hand. “Better days are ahead. We’ll have some dark ones in between, but sunny days will return. I believe that.” She glanced around at the others. “Anyone else?”
Horton started to speak, but then he looked across the table and saw Chantal watching him with starry eyes. He blushed and refrained from saying anything.
Sitting next to him, Maurice caught the exchange and nudged Horton with a slight smile. Then he returned Fourcade’s glance and shook his head. “It’s all been said. I’m glad America will fight with us.”
“Kenyon? Pierre?” Fourcade asked. They both shook their heads.
“In that case, tonight we both mourn America’s tragedy and celebrate the new alliance. This is the beginning. We’re turning the storm.” With the sun setting behind her, she stood and smiled. “So, let’s bring out refreshments, relax, and enjoy each other’s company.” As an afterthought, she added, “While we can.”
As everyone trooped to the house to help bring out the food, Fourcade pulled Amélie aside and together they strolled into the garden. “Do we have any word from Jeannie?”
“Yes. The Gestapo is giving her no problems in Paris. She’s taken a job with a company that supplies materials to the Wehrmacht. That positions her well to penetrate German senior command there. She’s going to take it slow.”
Fourcade exhaled. “I wish her the very best. I’d like you to remain as her primary contact for our purposes.” She beamed with pride. “What the two of you accomplished—”
“With Phillipe, Chantal—”
“Yes, yes, of course, and those in the Loire Valley, and your family and friends at Dunkirk too. I don’t mean to slight anyone. Have you heard from them?”
“I have. Things are relatively quiet in Dunkirk now. Jacques took over leadership of the Boulier network and is teaching my cousin, Nicolas, to keep things together while he goes to England for training. You know Jacques is Jewish?”
“I did know that. I shudder to think what will happen to him if he’s ever captured.”
“Let’s pray he never is. He’s a wonderful man.”
“I am so proud of your sister, Chantal, but at the same time, I ache for her. This is no way for a girl to grow up. You know she thinks she likes Sergeant Horton in a romantic way.”
Amélie smiled. “I think it’s obvious to everyone, including him. He sees her as a little girl, but they’re only three and a half years apart. By the time this war is over, he might view her differently, and they’re both too young anyway.”
“You’re right, of course, and yet he’s a combat veteran and she—” Fourcade stopped herself.
“…pushed a man over a cliff.” Amélie finished the sentence and sighed. “The war, the war, the war. It overshadows everything.”
Seeing Amélie’s lips quiver, Fourcade grasped her arm. “You want to know about Jeremy, and I wish I had something good to tell you. I don’t. But I also have nothing bad to report. As the British say, keep a stiff upper lip.”
Silhouetted against a blue sky with the Mediterranean shimmering beyond Marseille, Amélie nodded. “I will.”
Up on the terrace, an indistinct commotion started, with loud shouting. Together, the two women turned anxiously, but their vantage was too low to see what was transpiring. Cautiously, they approached, and when they could view over the lip of the steps, they saw the entire group gathered at the center of the terrace, celebrating.
Exchanging questioning glances, they mounted the stairs and hurried across. As they did, the gathering parted, and a disheveled man with tired features emerged, smiling broadly.
Amélie stared in disbelief. Tears of joy streamed down her face as she ran to throw her arms around Jeremy. They held each other and kissed, ignoring those around who watched, smiling and laughing; and when they parted, Jeremy looked across at Fourcade’s beaming face.
“I have many things to report,” he told her. “Later.” Then he returned his full attention to Amélie.
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THE GIANT AWAKENS
Book #4 in the After Dunkirk series
The world is at war.
Japan has just attacked Pearl Harbor. In London, Prime Minister Churchill disappears. In Washington, President Roosevelt faces an alliance with conflicting objectives. In the Soviet Union, dictator Joseph Stalin watches a Nazi onslaught maul his country.
From their isolated perch on Sark Island, feudal rulers Dame Marian Littlefield and her husband oppose their German occupiers in the only way left to them—through a battle of wits. They wonder about the location and well-being of their offspring, Paul, Claire, Lance, and Jeremy.
Meanwhile, Paul engages in intelligence operations in Manhattan and Washington, DC. Claire works with Americans decoding enemy messages. Lance conspires to escape with other POWs at Oflag IV-C within the walls of Colditz Castle. Jeremy leaves his heart with Amélie in France to join the British commandos for the greatest raid in history.
And in Moscow, the Russian winter has just set in.
The saga of the Littlefield family intensifies in THE GIANT AWAKENS, the fourth installment in Lee Jackson's epic After Dunkirk series.
Click here to purchase THE GIANT AWAKENS now
The Gian
t Awakens
Click here to purchase THE GIANT AWAKENS now
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Target: New York
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Author’s Note
An anecdote is worthwhile hearing when it tells of unusual or remarkable events. Without at least one of those elements, there is no story to tell. A point can be reached at which a tale reaches beyond our ability to suspend disbelief, at which point, our own tolerance for the absurd kicks in. I mention this because a few readers have mentioned that stories I’ve written about seem to go past that point of believability. The truth is, sadly, that most of what I write happened to someone. I might change the names, the dates, or some of the details in order for the book to flow, but beyond entertainment, a chief objective of mine is to honor those who fought for us by writing about their incalculable courage by representing their deeds as closely as possible to the way they occurred. For example, Jeannie Rousseau did live and work as a translator in the German army headquarters in Dinard, France. She spoke five languages fluently, as represented, and graduated from the prestigious institution indicated. That said, no direct evidence is available that she had any bearing on informing the British about German plans. However, she did possess the remarkable memory as described, she was arrested by the Gestapo, and she was released under pressure from the German headquarters, and then ordered to vacate Dinard and stay away from the French Atlantic coast. The later remarkable contributions stemming from her photographic memory in Paris is a matter of record which will be covered later in this series, as well as the dear price she paid for performing what she considered to be her duty.
As a further example, the pilots of the Swordfish “Stringbags” in their engagements against the Italian navy at Taranto and later against the Bismarck is almost exactly as history recorded them, minus the initial dialogue, but including the gunner who held on to the side of the aircraft to ensure that his pilot dropped the torpedo at the best possible moment. That was no Hollywood addition to heroics for the sake of drama. But setting that aside, just that those pilots took off for a second time in gale-force conditions to hunt down and engage the Bismarck boggles my mind. If I were to add any action, it would only diminish what they did.
Even the shenanigans inside Colditz are based on real accounts. My intent is to bring you as much of a panoply of historical events that shaped the war and our lives, and of course, as a primary objective, to provide quality entertainment.
Acknowledgments
There are too many people to thank without inadvertently leaving someone out, and most know who you are and my deep gratitude. However, two I must mention, one whose name must remain anonymous; and the other is BG (Ret.) Lance Betros for their concentrated feedback and advice. Their encouragement along with that of family and friends kept me working when I might have otherwise whiled away hours accomplishing nothing.
About the Author
Lee Jackson is the internationally bestselling and award-winning author of The Reluctant Assassin series and the After Dunkirk series. He graduated from West Point and is a former Infantry Officer of the US Army. He deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, splitting 38 months between them as a senior intelligence supervisor for the Department of the Army. His novels are enjoyed by readers around the world. Lee lives and works with his wife in Texas.
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