Day Will Come (19 page)

‘They have been told that what we are doing is very risky, so what we don’t know we can’t reveal if we are caught. If you are questioned, you met me at a hotel in Paris where you work as a receptionist. It is used by high-ranking German officers so you can’t give the name for security reasons. We have been lovers for almost a year, but I have never talked about myself or what I do. Whatever happens, don’t let your guard drop for a second.’

‘Understood. I’ll be very careful. I’d like both of us to come out of this alive.’

‘If I get into trouble you must try to get away. Don’t wait for me. I’ll meet up with you when I can. You are not to put yourself in danger by wondering what has happened to me. Harry is waiting at the farm, and he’ll take you to safety.’

‘Let’s hope that won’t be—’ Grace stopped talking abruptly. ‘There’s a roadblock up ahead!’

‘I’ve seen it. Smile nicely, and remember you can’t understand German.’

They were waved down and Bill stopped. When he got out of the car the soldiers on guard snapped to attention, and while Bill was talking to one of them, the other walked towards the car. Grace smiled, pretending she didn’t understand what he was saying. Bill strode over and told her, in appalling French, that she had to show her papers. It was routine.

Talking to Bill rapidly, she handed over her fake papers for inspection.

Bill distracted the guard by shaking his head and saying that he couldn’t understand what she was saying when she gabbled like that, making the guard laugh. After giving her papers only a cursory glance, he handed them back.

The other guard had been on the field telephone and Bill went over to him. Grace couldn’t hear what was being said, but when the soldiers saluted again and Bill came back to the car, relief flooded through her as the barrier was lifted to allow them to continue their journey.

Once they were well away, Bill said, ‘The chateau is a mile away and someone will be there to meet us.’

Tall iron gates had been erected at the entrance and barbed wire was stretched around the perimeter as far as the eye could see. There was also a tower, and on top were guards with a mounted machine gun. Not surprising the resistance hadn’t been able to get near, and the place had caught their interest back home. Her insides churned uncomfortably. Bill was taking an enormous risk, but he appeared quite relaxed about it.

‘Stay in the car,’ he murmured, as he got out and walked over to meet the two officers waiting for him.

They talked for about ten minutes but it seemed like hours to Grace. When Bill looked across and beckoned to her she took a deep breath and got out of the car. When she reached them, one of the officers spoke good French and began to ask her about her visits to the chateau as a child. Fortunately, learning about the place had been the final part of her training so she had a clear picture of it in her mind. Smiling, she told him what she remembered and explained how she had so wanted to visit again.

‘Disappointing for you,
ma cherie
,’ Bill said, ‘but it is now a military base.’

Grace nodded and sighed. ‘I would have liked to sample the wines. Are the vineyards still here, sir?’

‘They are, but wine is not being produced at the moment. There are ample supplies in the cellars, though. I cannot allow you in today, but there will be a social this evening.’ He turned to Bill. ‘Perhaps you would both like to join us?’

‘We would be happy to come.’

‘I will tell the guards to expect you, and they will escort you to the chateau.’

‘We will look forward to tasting some of the wines,’ Bill told him.

As they drove away Bill said, ‘I can say you are unwell and come on my own.’

Grace looked at him in astonishment. ‘No you won’t! We are in this together, and you need me as a distraction.’

‘It’s going to be very dangerous. I will be slipping away from the party to see what I can discover, and our chances of getting out of there again are not high.’

‘I’m coming with you, Bill! Don’t start worrying about me. That’s just what Stan was concerned about, and it’s the worst thing you can do. I’ll take my chances, just like you.’

He reached across and squeezed her hand, but said nothing. She took this as acceptance.

They spent the afternoon walking round the village like tourists. It was not a comfortable time. An SS officer was regarded with hostility and Grace had to ignore the looks of contempt thrown her way as she walked arm in arm with him. Even this was dangerous in case someone took the opportunity to get rid of a lone German, but he was supposed to be on leave and they had to act the part. It was a relief to get back to the hotel.

They had brought their luggage with them, including the wireless, not wanting to put the family at the farm at risk of it being discovered. They had hidden it in the only place available – under the bed. Grace pulled out the one evening frock and hung it up to let the creases fall out. Again it was a simple style, but elegant and a shade of blue that matched her eyes perfectly.

By seven o’clock they were on their way. While they had been getting ready, Grace’s nerves had been jangling, but when they arrived at the chateau a strange calm settled upon her. She smiled at Bill. ‘Wonder what the wine is like?’

‘We shall soon find out,’ he said, laughing softly as he
slipped her hand through his arm. ‘Here we go! If all goes well we could be on our way home in a couple of days.’

Grace didn’t need to ask what would happen if it all went wrong – she knew, and so did Bill.

The main hall was packed with soldiers of every rank and quite a few women among them. Grace scanned the crowd quickly and noted that Bill was the only SS officer present. In one way that was a relief because they could have asked too many questions, but the other thing was that this made him stand out from the crowd.

The officer they had met earlier that day came over as soon as they entered the room. ‘Welcome to our little gathering. Please help yourself to the food and drink.’ He smiled at Grace. ‘Please allow me to let you sample the chateau wines. We have some excellent ones.’

‘Thank you.’ She smiled enthusiastically as he escorted her to the bar.

He gave orders to the barman who then lined up six bottles and small glasses. He poured from the first one and handed it to Grace, asking for her opinion.

She took only a tiny sip of each as they worked their way through the selection, knowing she had to keep a clear head. As they discussed the virtues of each wine, Grace blessed James who had taught her a lot about wines at their frequent business functions.

‘You are very knowledgeable about wine,’ he said, giving her an admiring glance.

‘I like good things.’

‘And your escort can give you those things?’

Grace glanced across the room and saw Bill talking to a group of men. ‘He can – and does.’

‘You are the only woman here not adorned with expensive jewels. They expect such gifts.’

‘Trinkets mean nothing to me. I prefer a simple look.’ This officer was probing her relationship with an SS officer, and Grace knew she must be very careful.

He smiled, moving closer. ‘A woman as beautiful as you does not need gaudy embellishments.’

He was flirting with her! She bowed her head and smiled. ‘A charming compliment, sir.’

‘Do you think your escort would mind if I asked you to dance? Is he the jealous type?’

‘I would be happy to dance with you, and no, he isn’t jealous or possessive. He trusts me.’

‘Lucky man to have found such a treasure,’ he said, guiding her to the dance floor.

During the evening she danced with several of the officers, and often with Bill, but she avoided talking too much to the women in case they caught any hint that she was not quite what she seemed.

Around eleven o’clock she was dancing cheek to cheek with Bill who whispered in her ear, ‘They’ve all been drinking heavily so I’m going to slip out. Quite a few of the women have been shipped in from the village for the men, and a bus is due to take them back at twelve o’clock. If I don’t appear, you are to get on that bus and get out. Don’t hesitate.’

‘I’ll do as you say.’

He asked one of the waiters where the toilets were, then kissed her cheek and walked out.

There was no sign of Bill when the party began to break up, so Grace mingled with the other girls and got on the bus with them. They had all had a lot to drink and didn’t take any
notice of her. She was worried sick about Bill, but he had told her to leave and she must obey his instructions. They had just driven out of the gate when there was a huge explosion and alarms began ringing. She held her breath, expecting the bus to be stopped and searched, but it didn’t happen. Something had gone wrong. And why had there been an explosion?
Oh, Bill, if you’re still in there, how are you going to get out?

When they reached the outskirts of the village the bus was stopped, a soldier got on and walked along, inspecting each of the women closely. The driver was explaining to another soldier where they had come from. The girls were lively with drink and joked with the soldiers, so Grace joined in, not wanting to stand out from the others. After every inch of the bus had been searched, they were allowed to continue.

Grace bit back a sigh of relief as the bus drove along, but her relief was short-lived. The village was swarming with soldiers searching every home, including the hotel. She was dismayed when she saw one was carrying the wireless set, and another all of their luggage. They were looking for her as well now!

The bus stopped in the middle of the village and they were ordered off and told to return to their homes immediately. They went in different directions and Grace stayed with four who were walking together, all the time looking for somewhere to hide. She couldn’t go back to the hotel, and desperately needed somewhere safe where she could decide what to do.

Her chance came when she saw a place they had explored on their sightseeing trip. When they reached the narrow passage between two houses she glanced around to make sure they weren’t being followed, and then she slipped
away from the girls. Once in the passage she removed her shoes and ran as fast as she could for the trees at the back. The area was rough and overgrown and very dark, but she didn’t stop until she was inside the dense forest of trees. The decision when to stop was made for her when she tripped and fell heavily. She stayed on the ground trying to control her ragged breathing, listening for any sign of pursuit.

All was quiet.

How long she stayed like that Grace didn’t know, but she eventually sat up and began to assess her situation. It was dire. She was in an evening frock, battered and bruised from her flight through the undergrowth, and the Germans were searching for her. At least she was still free, and she desperately hoped Bill was also hiding somewhere. He had said Harry would be waiting for her if there was trouble, and the obvious place to make for was the farm. That wasn’t going to be easy because the mess she was in meant she could only move at night.

She dragged herself to her feet, grimacing with pain, and trying to get her bearings. There was still some of the night left so she had better try to cover some ground before dawn. It was imperative that she got out of this area, so she set off, hoping she was going in the right direction.

Dawn was just beginning to lighten the sky when she found a small stream, but as it didn’t look too clean she just moistened her mouth and spat it out. She had left the trees behind a while ago and there didn’t appear to be anyone around so she took the chance to try and clean herself up as much as possible. Then she tore a few inches off the frock to make it shorter and draped that piece of material around the neckline to fill it in. From a distance it should now look
more like a summer dress. It wouldn’t pass close up, though.

Grace crept towards a nearby road, needing to find out exactly where she was. It was a huge relief to see that even in all the confusion she had been travelling towards the farm. There wasn’t far to go but it was light now and too dangerous to continue. The only place to hide for the day was in a deep ditch by some thick bushes. She climbed into it, covered herself with whatever loose vegetation was available, and closed her eyes to wait out the day.

Exhaustion overcame her and she slept for a while until hunger and thirst woke her up. At last it was dark and Grace was able to make her way to the farm.

Two hours later she stumbled through the farm gates, hardly able to stand due to the damage she had done to her feet on the journey. It had been impossible to wear her flimsy evening shoes over such rough territory.

Not wanting to put the family in more danger by going to the house, she headed straight for the barn. Climbing up to the loft took the last of her strength, but she made it and collapsed onto a pile of straw.

There were voices. Someone was giving orders. Grace surfaced sluggishly. After all that effort she had been caught!

‘Grace! Wake up!’

English! Her eyes snapped open and she saw Harry bending over her. When she tried to speak nothing came out.

One of the men from the farm held a bottle of water to her lips and began to give her a sip at a time.

‘Easy,’ Harry said when she tried to take the bottle. ‘Have some bread as well.’

The two men watched her silently as she tore off lumps
of bread and sipped the water. When she’d had enough she managed to say, ‘Thank you.’

‘Where’s Bill?’ Harry wanted to know.

‘I think he was still at the chateau.’ Her voice trembled. ‘I left him behind, Harry. I shouldn’t have done that no matter what he’d told me to do.’

‘You did the right thing.’

She shook her head, the enormity of what had happened finally registering with her.

‘There wasn’t anything you could do.’ Harry gripped her arms, making her focus on what he was saying. ‘If you had been caught they could have used you to make him give them information. For his sake, and everyone involved, you had to get away. Do you understand?’

‘I suppose so.’

‘There’s no suppose about it, Grace. You had to avoid capture. Bill knows what he’s doing. He can look after himself, and being on his own will give him more chance of escaping.’

Of course she knew that, but it didn’t make her feel any better. ‘There was an explosion. Why would something have exploded?’

‘Bill must have found something vital and decided to get rid of it there and then.’

‘But he didn’t have any explosives with him.’

‘Bill, among many other things, is a demolition expert. If he wanted to destroy something, he would have found a way.’

‘Good heavens, Harry! I’m beginning to realise that I don’t know this man.’

‘You’re not the only one to feel that way,’ he laughed. ‘He’s like a chameleon. Now tell me what happened.’

The story was soon told, and when she was finished, Harry cursed. ‘The discovery of the wireless is a real problem. You did well to remain hidden because after quizzing the hotel owners about your appearance they’ll be searching everywhere for you. We’ve got to get you away from this area. You’ll need new papers and clothes. That will take a few days to arrange. The Germans have already been here so let’s hope they don’t come back. Stay here and rest. The family will take care of you. I’ll be back as soon as possible.’

‘Is there any chance of letting London know what has happened?’

‘The area is in uproar, Grace, and we can’t risk it. You’ll have to tell them when you get back.’

‘How am I going to do that?’

‘Over the Pyrenees into Spain and then on to Gibraltar. It’s going to be a long, tough journey, so eat, rest and let your feet heal.’

Grace looked down at her lacerated feet, grimaced and held up the shoes she had been careful not to leave behind. ‘I couldn’t run in high heels, but I’ll make the journey, no matter how rough.’

‘I know you will. Bill wouldn’t have brought you if he hadn’t been sure you were strong enough, mentally and physically. You were here to give Bill a believable reason to be looking around the chateau. You have played your part well and done exactly what was required of you. Don’t feel upset or guilty about leaving Bill behind. What we’ve got to concentrate on now is getting you home.’