“What happened to him?” I ask softly.
“He was in the navy. He never came back.”
“He looks like someone I remember, but I cannot think who it is,” I tell her.
I keep looking at the photograph but recognition will not come. Vivienne can tell me nothing more and, this time, when I leave, I make no promise to return. I feel flat and disappointed and it is hard to sleep that night.
When I do, the scene has shifted and I am in a cell with rough stone walls. They are coming for me soon. I am shaking with fright. I cannot be silent for long, but can I hold out long enough for the others to escape? They have left me here for a long time and my courage is ebbing. The hours pass and I doze, worn out by exertion, pain and fear. I wake to the sharp crack of bullets somewhere outside. People are running and voices are shouting. Then silence. I wait, heart pounding. The footsteps begin again, more shouts and keys rattling in my lock. The door is flung open. A crowd of men are in the corridor. Some are injured and are being helped along. They are all making their way towards a doorway that stands open. I can see sunlight and trees.
I run out looking for him, screaming with delight. Jean-Claude is there. He is so tall I see him easily, pushing through the crowd towards me. I run into his arms, sobbing into the rough tweed of his jacket.
“What happened?” I ask him, when at last I can speak. Suddenly I realise that this reality is different.
“The Americans are in the village,” he tells me. “The Germans are leaving.”His voice is full of joy.
“Thank God!” I cling to him, trembling with shock and relief.
“I love you,” he whispers into my hair.
“I love you too.” We kiss.
There is a blinding flash of light, a roar. Darkness falls and I wake shivering in the dawn. We died. I am sure of it. I get up and go outside, looking down the quiet street. The new houses stand where the police cells used to be.
“What happened to the old police station?” I scream at Vivienne.
“The Germans blew up a munitions store further down the road.” She looks almost frightened at my vehemence. “They set a time fuse when they were forced to retreat. Before we could defuse it, the whole thing exploded. The blast demolished the police station and most of the buildings along the street. There were dozens killed.”
“Neither Annette nor Jean-Claude ran away,” I tell her. “I saw the whole thing last night. They were arrested and were in the police cells, waiting to be interrogated. They had just been released and were standing in front of the police station when the munitions exploded. I saw them die.”
She sighs and I want to weep.
“I know now what Annette had to do,” I say softly. “She had to warn Jean-Claude and Emile. If she hadn’t done so, neither of them would have escaped and the bridge would have been strong enough for the tanks to cross. Perhaps the Allies would have been defeated. I had to come here so I could clear Jena-Claude’s memory. I just don’t understand why it happened to me rather than someone else.”
We drink coffee and talk. She tells me stories. Some of them are funny and some make me cry. It feels as if I am at a funeral, but for people who died before I was born.
I wander over to her mantelpiece and pick up the photograph she showed me. Annette smiles back at me, as if in a mirror. They are all smiling at me. I look closer at Annette’s brother. His smile looks odd on a man’s face. I have seen that smile before, when I was very young. Then memory comes back and I am looking up into my mother’s eyes.
“What was Annette’s brother called?” I ask Vivienne, but I already know the answer.
Copyright © 2013 by Michèle McGrath
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the author.
All characters and events in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
My books are fiction set in history.
Written in English (UK)
Published by Riverscourt Publishing
Thank you for reading my book. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or the site where you bought it from.
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About Michèle McGrath
Award winning author, Michele McGrath, was born on the beautiful Isle of Man in the middle of the Irish Sea. She has lived in California, Liverpool, France and Lancashire before returning home. Living in Paris and Grenoble taught her to make a mean ratatouille and she learned the hula in Hawaii.
Michele is a qualified swimming teacher and manager, writing self help books on these subjects. Although she writes in many genres, her real loves are historical romance and fantasy. She has won numerous writing competitions, had second places and been short-listed many times. She has had tens of thousands of sales and downloads.
**Visit her blog at http://www.michelemcgrath.co.uk/blog
**Follow Michele on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/michele.mcgrath.books. She loves to chat with readers.
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What others are saying about Michele's books:
"From the very first and magical sentence, I was hooked on this novel."
Eddie on Kindle, reviewing Manannan's Magic.
“Set in post-revolutionary France, Duval and the Infernal Machine captures the atmosphere of suspicion and intrigue that reigned in Paris at the time. The author does a splendid job of immersing the reader into the darker corners of the city." Simon on Kindle reviewing Duval and the Infernal Machine.
“I have been terrified of the water ever since nearly drowning in Lake Michigan. My wife has tried to teach me to float - with no success - for 40 years. The techniques outlined in this book are easy to follow. Maybe finally, after all these years, I'll be able to swim and NOT be afraid of the water. Thanks Michele, wish you lived in the States so I could get private lessons." Steven on Kindle reviewing Learn to Swim, even if you are terrified."
“An intriguing and haunting short story, which the author says is based upon a real wartime experience. The fitting and satisfying ending will stay with me for a long time. An excellent story."
Gunnar on Kindle reviewing Five Lamps.
“Beautiful! Just 12 short pages, but it left me in tears. The author has such a delicate, lovely way with words that the sentences and sentiments were whispered over the pages. I will save this on my kindle to read again."
Tina on Kindle reviewing The Carpenter's Bench.
Books by Michèle McGrath
Easy Business Skills:
Easy Business Skills Box set
Easy Self Confidence
Easy Time Management
Easy Assertiveness
Easy Communication Skills
Easy Presentation Skills
Swimming:
Learn to Swim even if you are Terrified
Teach your Child to Swim: The Easy Way.
Novels:
The Manannan Series (Historical Fantasy)
Manannan’s Magic: Manannan McLir flees from a blood feud in Ireland and finds a tragic love with a young Celtic girl, Renny. Betrayal, a Viking invasion and a narrow escape all feature in this novel.
Niamh of the Golden Hair: Niamh is captured by Viking raiders and unexpectedly falls in love with her captor. When he is badly injured, she must find her father, Manannan, who may be able to cure his wound.
Emer’s Quest: Emer, Manannan’s granddaughter, dreams that her father will be shipwrecked. She rides after him to prevent him leaving but she is too late. She persuades friends to follow him. On her journey she meets Atli, a trader who offers to rescue her father if she will marry one of his sons. Unfortunately his son Hari does not want her.
Manannan Trilogy:Box Set
Ghost Diaries Series (Paranormal Romance)
Gigi’s Guardian: A romp through an unusual sort of Heaven and Swinging Sixties London. Ariane helps Gigi choose the right man to marry, after many trials and tribulations. A comedy romance with serious overtones.
Duval Series (Napoleon’s Police)
Duval and the Infernal Machine 1800: Rookie police agent, Alain Duval investigates the attempted assassination on Napoleon Bonaparte. The book features romance, terror and an unexpected ending.
Duval and the Empress’s Crown 1804: Police Agent Alain Duval is tasked with finding the crown but time is very short and his suspects many. Present when the crown disappeared are Napoleon's sisters, Princess Elisa, Princess Pauline and Princess Caroline. Are they involved or merely witnesses? Aided by his wife Eugenie and his friends Lefebvre and Fournier, Duval sets out to unravel the mystery.
Duval and the Italian Opera Singer 1805: Carla Cortini arrives in Paris claiming that her son is Napoleon’s child. She relates the story to Duval and enquiries seem to confirm that it is true. When Duval goes to tell her and take her to the Emperor, he discovers that the mother and son have been kidnapped.
Duval at Waterloo 1815: The last Duval book. Duval travels to Paris and gets caught up in the preparations for Napoleon’s last battle.
Napoleon’s Police: Box set of the first three Duval books published.
Regency Belles & Beaux
Lady Alice’s Dilemma: Lady Alice is enjoying her first London Season until her disgraced brother appears in disguise.
Miss Richmond’s Privateer (Coming shortly)
Books for Children:
A Night at the Manx Museum: Meet Manannan, a Manx cat, the great deer and many more characters.
Stories for Seven Year Olds: Three stories in one. A magical harp takes Shannon far away to a land of magic carpets and evil viziers. Rory is scared of heights, which is a problem because he is a robin who needs to learn to fly. Sun Sun Lau is a Chinese dragon who wakes up to find himself in the British Museum and has to escape from those who want to put him in a zoo.
Short Story Collections
Baker’s Dozen: Thirteen short stories in a range of genres including romance, fantasy, crime and history.
Bible Women: Five short stories of women in the New Testament, starting from the birth of Christ until his death.
Look out for free days and promotional offers on my website.
Gigi’s Guardian, A Night in the Manx Museum and Manannan’s Magic are available in paperback through Amazon and booksellers on the Isle of Man.
Find out more on:
http://www.michelemcgrath.co.uk
I would love to hear from you:
email: [email protected]
In my Dreams it is 1944 Again Page 2
