‘I do, but I don’t know anything about Helen’s work. All she has told me is that she is working as an interpreter for the Free French. I’m sorry I can’t tell you anything more than that.’
‘I shouldn’t have asked.’ Jean squeezed her daughter’s hand. ‘Why don’t you go and unpack while I get dinner ready?’
Over the next week they listened avidly to the news reports of the invasion. The troops were beginning to move inland, much to everyone’s relief. As Grace read the newspapers and tuned into the wireless every day, she knew the reports could not convey the real struggle each individual was experiencing. How were all those she cared about? Were they injured; were they alive? What about the people at the farm who had risked their lives for her – would they be all right? To have armies fighting desperately over your land must be terrible. Was Harry there? Of course he was – he would probably have been in the first wave. All those people were at the forefront of her thoughts, and one other she was dreadfully worried about.
Where are you, Helen? Are you still in France? If you are, please stay safe!
There were only two days of her leave left when James came to see her. The moment she set eyes on him she knew something was wrong. He looked drawn and ill. She took him into the kitchen and put the kettle on to make tea.
He sat down with a weary sigh. ‘I’m glad you are home, Grace. Are your parents here?’
‘They are both at work. Are you on leave?’
‘Yes, and I’ve got bad news. Tim was killed two days ago. I saw him go down and he didn’t stand a chance.’
Sadness swept over her. He had been such a lovely boy and so full of life. James must be devastated to have seen his friend killed like that.
‘I’m so sorry, James. What a tragedy.’
He nodded and gulped his tea down. ‘To have survived all the battles we’ve been in and then to be killed when the war could be entering its final stages is hard to take. Could you break the news to Helen for me, Grace?’
‘Of course. Would you like to stay here tonight? I’ve still got two days’ leave left.’
‘That’s kind of you, but I’m on my way to see Tim’s family.’ He stood up and hugged her. ‘Wish I could stay, but I can’t.’
‘I understand.’
She stood at the door and watched him walk down the street. His head was high and stride confident, as always. Anyone passing him wouldn’t know the pain he was feeling at this moment. He had seen many of his colleagues die, but he had been particularly close to Tim. She wondered if the scars they were all suffering would ever heal. When she thought about Brian she knew they would never completely go away, but she had to learn to live with them.
Closing the door, she wiped a tear from her eyes, very aware that this might not be the last time such news arrived.
Grace’s leave did not end on a happy note. Not only had she received the sad news of Tim’s death, but on the last day London had a new threat to face. On 13th June Hitler began sending over unmanned flying bombs, and once again people had to endure the danger and destruction these noisy and unpredictable weapons were causing.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
‘Sir, there’s a young girl here asking to see an officer. Says she’s English and has some important news.’
Dan looked up from the map he was studying and frowned. ‘Did you check her papers?’
‘Yes, sir, but they’re French. If she is English then they must be false. She sounds English, though.’
‘That doesn’t mean much. I can sound German if I need to. Bring her in and let’s see what this is about. Keep a guard on her.’
Dan folded the map and put it away; including any other papers he had spread about. No point taking chances in case she wasn’t who she said she was.
The girl who entered was of average height with dark brown hair and eyes. She certainly didn’t look English. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘It’s what I can do for you that is important, Colonel. I have come to tell you that there is a trap waiting for your regiment a mile down the road.’
‘We’ve scouted that area and found nothing.’
‘Two machine gun posts have been concealed in the hillside. They were set up during the night and when you advance they will be looking right down at you. It will be a massacre, Colonel.’ She pulled a tattered map out of her pocket and spread it out on the makeshift table. ‘This is where you are, and the guns are here. Not only are they well hidden, but they are hard to get to. We know because we tried to get a close look at dawn.’
‘We? Are you with the resistance?’
‘The men I’m with are. There’s no harm in telling you now; I am SOE. If you could give us enough explosives we can try to knock them out before you move forward.’
It was a plausible story but Dan was still cautious. ‘You can’t expect me to give strangers explosives, surely? I will need to meet the rest of your group before taking any action.’
She nodded and put the map back in her pocket. ‘I would have thought less of you if you hadn’t shown caution. We have also learnt that lesson, Colonel. I’ll take you to them, but you can only bring one soldier with you.’
It could be a trap, but then again she could be telling the truth. If that was the case, he had to take the chance. He nodded to the sergeant standing by the entrance of the wrecked building they were using. He acknowledged the silent command with a nod. ‘Very well, take us to them.’
Waiting in a small copse a short way from the camp were three men. Dan studied them carefully. They were all armed but showed no sign of aggression.
‘Ah, you found a colonel. Well done, Helen,’ one man said in perfect English and held out his hand to Dan. ‘I’m Harry, sir. Free French. And you are?’
‘Chester.’ Dan shook his hand, and then his gaze fixed on the girl. She was also staring back at him. ‘Your name is Helen?’
She looked him up and down and her smile widened. ‘Ah, yes, you fit the description of Major Daniel Chester, formally of the War Office while recovering from an injury.’
He had never seen this girl before and there was only one way she could know that about him. ‘Are you Grace Lincoln’s friend?’
‘I am.’ She held out her hand. ‘I’m pleased to meet you at last. Grace enjoyed working for you, and you helped her through a difficult time.’
‘We helped each other.’ He shook her hand and relaxed. They were genuine, and that meant the information was as well. ‘Thank you for coming to us. If you would all come back to the camp with me we can work out what to do about this problem.’
The unusual sight of their colonel walking with a girl and three civilian men, all armed, caused a buzz of interest when they returned to the camp.
Dan headed straight for the damaged farm house they were using as a base and turned to his sergeant. ‘Find Captain Bolton and Lieutenant Harris and ask them to come here at once. See if you can rustle up refreshments as well.’
‘Yes, sir.’
The officers appeared almost immediately, along with mugs of tea and a pile of sandwiches quickly prepared by their cook. Helen and the men tucked in enthusiastically, not caring what the sandwiches contained.
‘When did you last eat?’ Dan wanted to know.
Harry shrugged and grinned, taking another sandwich. ‘Can’t remember.’
‘You told me you were Free French, but you sound English and are not in uniform. Did you get separated from your unit?’
‘I work alone, Colonel, and go where I’m needed. The uniform is a hindrance when I want to blend into the background. I carry it with me, though. And I sound English because I was educated there.’
‘Ah, that explains it. I was educated in Germany.’
‘So I’ve heard.’
Dan gave him a speculative look. ‘And how do you know so much about me?’
‘Someone must have told me.’ Harry grinned and took another sandwich from the rapidly depleting pile.
That was all Harry was going t
o say and Dan knew it would be useless to ask more questions.
‘Let’s get down to work.’
They spent the next hour exploring ways of knocking out the gun emplacements. Then Dan ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. ‘Whatever we do is going to be risky and damned difficult. They’ve chosen a good spot by the look of it.’
‘Wish Bill was with us. He’d deal with them in no time at all. I’ve never met a man so skilled at blowing up things.’
‘Do you have any idea where he is?’ Dan asked. ‘He sounds just like the man for the job.’
‘I haven’t the faintest idea, and that man can’t be found unless he wants to be.’
‘Who is he?’ Dan was intrigued.
‘Captain William Reid masquerades as British Intelligence, but he’s really a spy, like Harry.’ Helen laughed softly at Dan’s astonished expression. ‘Ah, I see you know him.’
‘We’ve met, but I’m having a hell of a job believing this. France is a big country and the chances of our meeting like this must be astronomical!’
‘True, but here we are; and here you are stuck unless we can disable those guns. If you try to go another way it will mean leaving that trap for someone else to fall into.’ Harry rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ‘Whatever the risks are, we have got to deal with this. We’ll need plenty of explosives. It’s the only way, Colonel.’
‘I agree. I’ll get a team together and go with them.’
The room erupted with protest.
‘Sir!’ the lieutenant stepped forward. ‘With the brigadier dead you are our highest ranking officer. We are trapped here unless we can move forward and meet up with the other regiments. The men trust your leadership, sir. You are needed here.’
The two resistance men, who had remained silent until now, shook their heads. ‘You give us the explosives and we will do this. It is for us to put those guns out of action. We find them – we destroy them.’
‘Leave it to us, Daniel. The men are experienced and have more chance of getting up that hill unnoticed.’
‘I can’t let you go alone. This is our fight as well.’
‘What about a compromise?’ Harry suggested. ‘Let us have two of your best demolition men. Not you, though. Your men are right. Your place is here.’
‘Very well. I agree, but reluctantly.’
Dan heard the officers breathe an audible sigh of relief and could understand their concerns. Their situation was not good and it was imperative that they meet up with the others. The last thing any of them wanted was to find themselves surrounded and captured. He hated to stand on the sidelines, though, especially in a dangerous situation like this, but for the time being he was in command and had no choice in the matter.
‘Sergeant, find Adams and Walker. Harry, you go with him and explain the problem to them. Take their advice; they are experts, and then come back here.’
When the men left, Dan turned to Helen. ‘Would you like more sandwiches?’
‘No, thank you.’ She gave a grim smile. ‘It looks as if you’ve had a tough time getting this far.’
Dan nodded. ‘And if you hadn’t come to us we could have been cut down before getting any further. Somehow we have to fight our way out of this because I won’t be captured again!’ he growled. ‘We will be moving after midnight, no matter what the situation. We have to!’
‘We’ll do what we can to help.’
‘You have probably already saved our lives by alerting us to the guns.’
The men returned and Dan ran through the task with his men to make sure they fully understood what had to be done. ‘Have you got everything you need?’ he asked.
‘Yes, sir. If we can get close enough without being seen, we will deal with those guns.’
‘The light is just beginning to fade, so good luck to all of you.’
Dan’s men saluted and then hauled packs onto their backs before filing out.
‘Helen, you can stay here,’ Dan said when she headed after the men.
She turned her head. ‘I go with them.’
‘You don’t have to risk your life as well.’
‘Daniel, I have risked my life every day for more than two years. I am an excellent shot with good night vision. I can give them cover while they are working. See you later.’ She waved before disappearing.
‘That’s a brave girl,’ the captain remarked. ‘Hope they succeed.’
‘If they don’t then we will have to try again because we will be moving out soon. We can’t stay here much longer. Tell the men to be ready. If the way is cleared we’ll move out at once.’
‘Yes, sir.’ Both officers saluted and hurried out, leaving Dan and the sergeant alone.
Dan sat on a wooden box and rested his head against the wall. Waiting was always hard. If the brigadier had still been alive he could have gone with them, instead he had to delegate and let others take the risks.
‘Why don’t you snatch some sleep, sir?’ the sergeant told him. ‘I’ll wake you if you’re needed.’
‘I won’t be able to sleep until we’re safely out of this place. You can if you want to.’
The sergeant shook his head.
‘Let’s take a walk round then and see how preparations are going for the move.’ Dan hauled himself to his feet.
They spent the next hour touring the camp and talking to the men. They were naturally curious and concerned about the situation so Dan gathered them together and explained fully what was happening. All of a sudden there was a loud explosion, followed by another and another. The men were all on their feet staring at the flames leaping into the air as trees caught fire on the hill.
‘Looks like they did it, sir,’ one of the men shouted.
‘Lieutenant!’ Dan yelled. ‘Get ready to move out now while there’s confusion on that hill.’
The men moved with such speed that they were on their way in only five minutes and making their way towards the blaze. They moved in complete silence in case there was trouble lurking ahead of them. They had gone some way when Dan saw movement in a clump of bushes beside the road. He lifted his hands and everyone stopped quickly, and formed a defensive position. The breath hissed out of him in relief when he saw Adams and Walker step out grinning. They were followed by Helen, Harry and the two resistance men. They all appeared to be in good spirits and unhurt, which took a weight off Dan’s shoulders.
‘We’ve dealt with the guns, sir, and as many of the Germans as we could, but we think there are still a few hiding up there. They might cause a bit of trouble, but we should be able to deal with them all right.’
‘Well done!’ Dan shook hands with the Frenchmen and thanked them. Then he smiled at Helen and Harry. ‘You’ve probably saved a lot of lives, and we are grateful. What are you going to do now?’
‘Stay with you until you meet up with the others. We’ll scout ahead so you won’t know we’re there unless we spot trouble, then we’ll alert you.’
Dan nodded. ‘We are in your debt.’
Helen gave a quiet laugh. ‘You shouldn’t say things like that, Daniel. We might want to collect one day.’
‘Anything – anytime,’ he replied.
‘Oh, I can see why Grace liked working with you so much.’ She lifted her hand in a wave and the group melted away.
If there were Germans still on the hill they made no move to attack the troops and they passed that spot without incident. They made good progress for three days, meeting only sporadic resistance. There had been no sign of Helen or her companions as they moved forward, but Dan was sure they were out there. Then one evening Helen and Harry appeared.
‘There’s a large contingent of British troops over the next rise,’ Harry told Dan. ‘I’m leaving you now to rejoin my unit. I want to be with them when Paris is liberated. The information I have is that it could happen within the next couple of weeks.’
‘Good luck, Harry.’ Dan shook his hand. ‘It’s been good to meet you, and thanks for your help.’
‘My pleasure.�
� Harry hugged Helen and spoke quietly in her ear, then turned and strode away.
‘Where are the others?’ Dan wanted to know.
‘They have returned to their villages.’ She looked up at Dan. ‘About that favour?’
‘Name it.’
‘My work here is finished and I need to send a message to get picked up. When we reach your troops would you persuade them to let me use their wireless set?’
‘Of course. You’ll be glad to get home.’
Helen nodded and sighed. ‘I’ve been lucky to avoid capture for so long, Daniel. Many others have not been so fortunate.’
Dan studied the slim girl in front of him, noting just how weary she was. ‘I’ll see you get home, Helen.’
‘Thank you.’
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Paris was liberated on August 25th 1944, and that night they had a party in the mess. Grace sat with an untouched drink in front of her and watched the smiling faces as they celebrated. Her thoughts went back to the time she had worked for James. On occasions like this she would have been circulating, doing her job of seeing that the party went smoothly. It was a role she had enjoyed and she had felt useful, needed. She’d had an interesting job, a husband she loved and the future had looked good. All that had been wrenched from her and so many others. She shook herself mentally. It was useless to dwell on the past. That life was gone and would never return, not even when the war was over.
Snap out of it, Grace, she told herself sternly. This is a night to celebrate, not dwell on what had been. So you’re feeling lonely and useless with everyone close to you away – admit it! You’ve done all that was asked of you, so damned well finish your drink and join in the celebration!
Grace had just taken a sip of her drink and summoned up a smile when a corporal came up to her.
‘Sergeant Lincoln, Major General Haydon wants you to return to the office immediately.’
‘Thank you, Corporal.’ Once outside, Grace started to run. What had happened? Stan wouldn’t have sent for her tonight unless it was very important.
‘That was quick,’ Stan remarked when she rushed into the office.
The Day Will Come Page 23
