Jean Grainger Box Set: So Much Owed, Shadow of a Century, Under Heaven's Shining Stars

by Jean Grainger

  Solange felt her heart race. What on earth had the girl got herself into?

  ‘But Ingrid, how are you supposed to do that? It’s impossible. You would be seen, and where would you bring him?’

  Ingrid spoke then, more confidently. ‘Solange, did it never occur to you why I was so interested in the coastline, taking photographs constantly? I’ve helped four agents get into Ireland on their way to England. I put them in the barn behind the old ploughs that don’t get used anymore since Eddie got the tractor. Mrs Canty never notices if food is missing, it was easy really. Dunderrig has played host to many Germans since I came here. At the start, well it was fun, exciting. I didn’t have Lili to worry about. But now, I just think of the danger to her… It paralyses me.’

  ‘And James, is that why you went out with him, married him? So you’d have a legitimate reason to be here?’ Solange could hardly contain her anger at how this girl had used her family.

  ‘At the beginning, yes, and that’s the truth. But then after Lili was born, I became slowly disillusioned with everything – Helmut and all he stands for – and I did fall in love with James. And now, I can’t tell him. He’d never forgive me for putting all of you in such danger, for using Dunderrig. I’m scared, Solange.’

  The clock ticked on the dresser and silence descended on the cottage. Lili sat playing with the doll on the rug as Solange tried to decide what to do.

  ‘You have every reason to be scared.’ The deep voice came from behind them. Solange whipped around to see a man standing in the doorway of the little cottage, his arm outstretched and a pistol pointing at the baby. He was tall and broad and spoke with a West Cork accent. ‘Helmut was right about you, Ingrid. All talk but no action. Get the package.’

  Ingrid looked frozen. ‘I…I …it’s upstairs.’

  ‘Well, go and get it then.’ His voice dripped with sarcasm. He kicked the back door closed with his heel.

  ‘Please, don’t hurt the baby,’ Solange begged as Ingrid ran up the narrow staircase.

  ‘Shut up!’ he roared at her.

  Lili burst out crying with the shock of the loud noise. Solange knelt and cradled her, shaking. Ingrid appeared downstairs with a brown-paper parcel. He took it and checked through its contents, then pointed the pistol at Ingrid’s head.

  ‘Now, listen carefully. You’re going to lead me to the beach and signal the boat that it is safe to come ashore, then hand this package over exactly as you are supposed to do. I will be watching you every step of the way and if it doesn’t go exactly as it should, then I will kill your daughter. Do you understand me?’

  Ingrid cried, ‘Please, let Solange take her, I promise I’ll do whatever you say, just let her take my baby away to somewhere safe.’

  He grinned. ‘So she can go squealing to the guards? No, Fraülein Ingrid. We all wait here until it’s time to go, so make yourselves comfortable.’ He made her sit down and stood over them all with the gun. ‘Now, aren’t we an international little bunch? A German, a French lady and a patriotic Irishman. And of course, a sweet little Irish girl.’

  Solange had heard the political gossip that there were links between the German government and the IRA, united by the common enemy, but she had always assumed it was just that – gossip and idle speculation. Now it seemed as if it were true. And either way, one thing was sure: this man did not intend to leave two witnesses. It was certain he intended to kill them once he’d forced Ingrid to carry out her part.

  She sat in silence, wracking her brain for an idea to get them out of this terrifying situation. The cottage was hidden even from the avenue up to the main house, and there were few visitors. James was staying overnight in Cork so he wouldn’t be home to rescue them. Richard was going to be busy all day – he had told her that he intended to pay a house call to a new mother between afternoon and evening surgery. He wouldn’t have a moment to stop and wonder where Solange had gone. Mrs Canty might notice her absence… No, Solange had told her this morning she was going to spend the day with Ingrid.

  The man’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

  ‘So, how is the traitor doctor these days? Busy polishing his British war medals, I suppose.’

  Was he talking about Richard? She was sure she never met this man before, yet he evidently knew something about their household. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’

  ‘Ah, you do of course. The lovely shiny medals he got for betraying his country and being a good boy for the English king. Sure you know all about his wartime heroics, didn’t he bring you back as the ultimate prize? I heard ye drove his poor missus out with the antics of the pair of ye! Oh, he’s a dark horse, all right. He doesn’t look like much of a ladies’ man, but he certainly knows how to pick ’em all right.’ He sat sneering suggestively.

  She decided to ignore him and say nothing further, rather than rise to his bait. Lili became fractious and reluctantly the man allowed Ingrid to fetch her some food from the little kitchen. The two women fed and changed her. Lili slept, and the time crawled slowly by. Darkness fell, and the man announced it was time to go.

  ‘Now, you two are going to put the child in the pram and walk to the arranged meeting place. If you meet anyone just say she was unsettled, and you’re trying to get her off to sleep. I’ll be following you, so don’t try anything stupid. Do you understand? If I suspect you of anything, I’ll shoot her. Don’t think that’s an idle threat. Now sit her up nicely against the pillows so I can see her.’ The words were deadly but delivered in sweet baby talk as he patted Lili’s head. She giggled, delighted with the attention.

  Solange and Ingrid wrapped up the little girl warmly against the winter chill. Ingrid’s hands were shaking uncontrollably as she tried to button her daughter’s coat. Lili smiled and chatted through the whole experience. They pushed her pram along the path and then down the avenue. The lights were on in the house. Surely Mrs Canty would have noticed Solange’s absence by now.

  They trod the moonlit road in silence as Lili prattled with delight over such an unusual occurrence – a walk in the dark! The man shadowed them, an occasional twig cracking under his feet. They walked for over an hour in silence. Just before Castletownshend, Ingrid indicated they should turn off into the woods. The terrain was too rough for the pram, so they took Lili out and carried her. By now she was fast asleep, and the move didn’t wake her. Solange made a sling from one of the sheets – at two, the child was heavy and the going underfoot was treacherous. The moonlight was obscured by the canopy of trees, and roots protruded across the path. Solange felt her way along in Ingrid’s wake, carrying the child and praying for a miracle as she listened for the man behind her. He stumbled over a root and cursed softly. Solange was sure her thumping heart would burst. Lili nestled close, blissfully unaware of the danger. Ingrid forged on, and Solange could hear the gentle lapping of the ocean up ahead.

  Eventually, they emerged from the woods onto a tiny beach with rocky outcrops on either side. Solange could see why Ingrid had recommended this spot to her German masters. It was the perfect meeting place – unreachable by road and hidden from the village by a narrow headland. From her bag, Ingrid extracted a bicycle light, which she switched on. She was shaking, but she went about her job diligently, almost ignoring Solange and Lili. She sent a series of flashes across the dark water. Within minutes, they could hear the sound of a creaking boat as it was rowed in their direction. The night was now inky black with only a shadow of moon peeking through the dense cloud.

  Ingrid ran to the water’s edge to help pull the little boat up onto the beach. With a splash, a figure jumped out into the shallow water and the high cry of surprise at the iciness of the sea surprised Solange – clearly, the agent was a girl. Low voices whispered in German as Ingrid and the person remaining in the boat conversed hurriedly. She handed over the package and once more the creaking sound of oars came floating over the water as the boat made its way back out into the inky sea.

  Suddenly, the entire beach was li
t up by powerful searchlights, and a male voice roared through a megaphone: ‘Put down your weapons and raise your hands. You are surrounded, so do not attempt to resist arrest.’

  The German agent swore and opened fire with her pistol. More shots came from the direction of the rowboat. Solange dived behind a rock for cover with Lili, who was now crying lustily having been woken from her sleep. The IRA man ran onto the beach, firing behind him as he came. Uniformed men came running out of the woods, heading for the seashore and the boat. Dogs were barking. Solange covered Lili with her body as bullets flew in every direction. Through the noise and shouting, she heard her name being called.

  It was Richard, ducking his head and racing in her direction. He threw himself down beside her. ‘Are you all right? Are you hurt? You’ve got Lili, thank God. Where’s Ingrid?’

  ‘I have you now, you British bastard.’ The IRA man was standing over them, aiming his gun at first one, then another of them. ‘You and your French whore and that traitor’s brat…’

  ‘Lili!’ Ingrid was screaming, racing towards them. ‘Lili!’ She threw herself between the man and her daughter and at that very moment, he fired his gun. For a moment, Ingrid’s beautiful face registered stunned surprise, and then her body slumped, her arms around her child. The IRA man laughed and turned his gun on Richard, but it was too late. Two policemen in uniform grabbed him from behind, handcuffed him, and dragged him roughly away.

  The German agent was lying in the sand, wounded but alive. A plainclothes policeman stood over her, his gun trained at her head while two other officers handcuffed her. The rowing boat was being dragged up onto the shore; the boatman was slumped over his oars – obviously dead.

  Richard rolled Ingrid’s limp body gently away from her daughter and onto her back. He searched for a pulse. There was none to find. He closed her eyes and arranged her hair. Handing the baby, who was sobbing by now, to Solange, he put his arms around both of them.

  Declan Quinlan, the local Garda sergeant, approached them. He removed his hat at the sight of Ingrid’s body. ‘I’ll leave ye for a few minutes and then send them down with the stretcher for her. I’m sorry for your loss, Richard, Solange.’ He nodded respectfully and walked away.

  ‘This is a nightmare.’ Solange whispered. ‘Ingrid, the poor girl. She died saving Lili. If she’d stayed where she was, the child would be dead…’

  ‘And so might we. She loved that little girl with all her heart, whatever else about her. Jesus, James will be heartbroken. How will we tell him? How can this have happened? I just don’t understand, and now…’ Richard couldn’t take his eyes off Ingrid’s lifeless body.

  Solange said, her voice choked with emotion, ‘She’ll be known as a criminal, but she just got caught up in something that spiralled out of control. She was so sorry, Richard. She’d got herself in too deep to get out, and it wasn’t just her – Edith and Otto, they were a part of it, too. She only went out with James to give her an excuse to spend time in West Cork in the beginning. But after Lili… In the end, she really did love them both. She was so miserable; she hated putting her family in such danger.’

  Richard and Solange knelt beside their daughter-in-law. As Solange held Ingrid’s cold hand, Richard bent low and whispered a prayer in her ear. ‘O God, by Whose mercy the faithful departed find rest, send Your holy angel to watch over this girl’s soul, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Goodbye, Ingrid, don’t worry about anything. It’s all over now. We’ll look after Lili and James for you. They know how much you loved them, and Lili will grow up always knowing how her Mammy saved her life. Rest in peace.’

  They kissed her forehead and withdrew. Two uniformed guards lifted her body onto a stretcher and carried her away up the beach.

  Richard took Lili from Solange and stood gazing after the small procession. The child was not crying now but was silent and wide-eyed. Solange was at his side.

  ‘How did the guards know, Richard? When did they tell you?’

  He looked down at her, over the child’s head. ‘It was I who told them. I knew something was wrong when I spotted Patrick O’Riordan at our gate last night and then again this morning on the path to the cottage. I recognised him from when I treated him once, years ago, when he was a young fellow back during the troubles. He cursed me for wearing a British uniform as I was pulling a bullet out of his leg. To be honest, my first assumption was that Ingrid was seeing someone behind James’s back, so I planned to confront her today. Then Mrs Canty said you were gone over there, so I thought maybe your approach would be better, more diplomatic. When you never came back, I was worried, and I decided to walk over. I was surprised to find the back door closed. Then I saw Ingrid at the window. She mouthed the word ‘Help’. I crept around the front and saw your man sitting in the chair, the gun pointed at you and Lili. I swear to God, Solange, I nearly had a heart attack. I couldn’t risk storming in there; he could have shot you or the baby, so I raced down to Declan. Apparently, the Special Branch had warned the local Gardaí to be alert to any IRA activity in the area, since it was known they were assisting German agents. I told him he was out of his head if he thought just because Ingrid was German that she’d be involved in anything like that. I still thought it was some sort of a love affair gone horribly wrong. But he got on the phone, and they were here like a shot – uniformed guards and the Special Branch, even G2, the intelligence services of the army. I nearly got myself arrested, roaring at them to go in and get ye out straight away. But they said it was too dangerous and besides, they had been tracking Ingrid’s boss, Helmut Clissman, for ages and thought this was their chance to trap him and collect themselves a couple of German agents at the same time. I never put down such a long day in all my life.’

  Solange was trying to take it all in. ‘So, all the time, when I thought I was alone and going to die and would never see you or Dunderrig again, you were watching over me?’

  ‘I was in despair that you might be killed in front of my eyes. And in the end, I couldn’t save poor Ingrid.’ He sat down on the rock; his voice became anguished. ‘How did it get to this, Solange? Didn’t we see enough of it the first time? I thought if I came back home, I could keep myself and the people I love away from all the mindless death and destruction, but I couldn’t, no one can, it’ll find you. Now I have to break my son’s heart and tell him this news and little Lili will grow up without a mother. And where the hell is my own little girl? I don’t even know if she’s alive or dead.’

  His shoulders shook and Solange realised he was crying. In all the years she had known him, she’d never seen him break down like this. Dawn was creeping across the sky as she took Lili from him and set her down in the sand, where the child immediately set about happily digging a hole with her hands. She put her arms around him. After a while, his shaking stopped, and she sat beside him, still with one of his hands in hers. When he spoke, his voice had returned to normal, but there was something different about him.

  ‘I just want you all to be safe and away from all of this, but I can’t protect ye. When I thought something might happen to you today, Solange, I nearly went out of my mind. I swore to myself if we came out of this alive, I’d tell you the truth. Please don’t think what I’m about to say will change anything, but I just need to get it off my chest. I love you, Solange, not just as a friend. In fact, I’ve always loved you. But I knew you could never love me as you loved Jeremy, so I never said anything. All these years I was so grateful to have you, for me and the twins. I knew you didn’t feel the same way about me, so I just left it alone. But tonight, when I thought I’d lose you, I couldn’t bear it, Solange, honest to God I couldn’t. You don’t have to say anything. I know how you feel, and please, I beg you, don’t leave Dunderrig because of what I’ve just said. I don’t expect anything from you, but I just couldn’t have one of us die without saying that I love you with all my heart and I always have and always will.’

  Solange was silent as they sat together on that rock, the water gent
ly lapped on the sandy beach, and the little girl played happily on the sand. Lili was going to need them even more now. James would recover from Ingrid’s death, but it would take time. She and Richard were going to have to be strong in the months and years ahead. Solange already thought of Lili as her granddaughter and James and Juliet as her children. What would be so bad about loving this good, kind man, and having him love her? It had been so long since she’d been loved like that. Jeremy was from another life, and while she would always cherish the memory of him, that’s all he was now, a memory. Now, sitting here, the thought of living out her days with Richard, feeling loved and loving him in return, was very appealing. Already he confided in her and trusted her implicitly, and she realised she felt the same way about him. He had rescued her after Jeremy’s death; she had held him together in the aftermath of Edith’s departure. Together they endured the torture of not knowing what had happened to Juliet. The horrific events of the past few hours only confirmed what she had always known: Dunderrig and the Buckleys were her life.

  She reached up her hand and turned his face towards her. His once sandy hair was now silver, and his skin was weather-beaten from a lifetime of exposure to the wild vagaries of the West Cork climate. His once narrow frame had filled out, due to years of culinary warfare by Mrs Canty. Yet he still had the vivid green eyes of his children. Leaning towards him, she kissed him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He responded, holding her close. When they finally drew apart, she whispered, ‘I love you too.’

  Chapter 38

  The dinner was interminable. All the members of the Poitiers Gestapo, along with high-ranking army officers and their French girlfriends, ate, drank, and sang with such gusto it was hard to imagine there was a war on at all, let alone one they might very conceivably lose. Juliet studied the over made-up faces of the women and feared for them. She would not like to be in their shoes when the liberation finally came. The local people, after suffering years of deprivation and abuse, saw them as unpatriotic whores – ‘horizontal collaborators’ was the term used. When the time came, these women would pay dearly.