We'll Meet Again (32 page)

‘Do you think they’ll make it?’

‘God willing, and only if the wind doesn’t change.’

She was numb with cold and a deep sense of loss and foreboding as she allowed Billy to lead her back up the beach. At the bottom of the steps she turned for one last look, but suddenly the mouth of the cove was clearly visible and even more disturbingly she could see the outline of the small craft. She gripped Billy’s arm. ‘I can see the boat. The fog is lifting.’

‘By God, so it is, but only from ground level. I don’t think the lookouts could see them from the cliff tops.’

‘Better pray that they can’t,’ Meg said, placing one foot on the first step. ‘Please God, please don’t let it clear until they’re out to sea.’

Climbing upwards was much harder than climbing down and they had to stop frequently. Meg’s legs trembled and her muscles screamed in pain as she forced herself to continue her ascent, glancing over her shoulder every now and then to peer anxiously out to sea.

‘Go on,’ Billy urged from below. ‘Don’t stop.’

They were about halfway up the cliff when the first shot rang out. Meg clung to the hand rail, praying for their deliverance. A volley of shots echoed round the cove, ricocheting off the cliffs. It seemed to Meg that all hell had been let loose. The air was thick with the smell of cordite.

‘Go on. Go on.’ Billy was on the step below, pushing her upwards.

Meg fell onto the grass at the top of the cliff, gasping for breath. She found herself staring at a pair of booted feet and the muzzle of a rifle was poked in her face with the abrupt command in German to put her hands up. Billy was seized by rough hands and dragged across the ground.

‘Stop that,’ Meg cried, struggling to her feet. ‘Leave him alone. Can’t you see he’s an old man?’

The German soldier dug the rifle into her ribs. ‘Silence. You don’t speak.’

At this moment Meg didn’t care if the whole German 319 Infantry Division was surrounding her. Her only concern was for Gerald, Hugh and Tom in their bid to escape from the island. In the time it had taken for them to climb the steps, the fog had lifted
completely and a warm westerly breeze had parted the clouds, allowing a pale yellow moon to light up the scene. She made a move towards the edge of the cliff, desperate to catch a glimpse of the boat, but she was dragged backwards and her hands bound behind her with a length of rope. She looked helplessly across at Billy but he shook his head. They were forced to walk at gunpoint along the narrow cliff path, torn at by brambles and stumbling over stones, until they came to the gun emplacement.

‘Inside.’

Billy was thrown in head first and Meg tumbled in after him. It was dark and the air was stale with the rank smell of human sweat and gun oil, but the soldiers withdrew, leaving them on their own. Meg could hear their booted feet stamping up and down on the concrete as they kept watch outside.

Billy was coughing and his breathing was laboured.

‘Are you all right, Billy?’ Meg’s eyes gradually became accustomed to the dark and she could see him doubled over and retching miserably.

‘Winded, that’s all.’

‘I hope they got away.’ She struggled to a sitting position and leaned against the cold, damp wall.

‘Yeah, me too.’

They lapsed into silence, broken only by Billy’s occasional cough and the sound of the sea crashing on the rocks a couple of hundred feet below. It was cold and dank and there was no way of escape. Meg
did not much care what the Germans did to her at this moment; all her thoughts were with Gerald and the men who had been with him. Brave and gallant but misguided. If only he had listened to reason and stayed on the island. Guilt battled with grief. He was her brother and her friend and he had risked his life because of a situation that was not of their making. She choked on a suppressed sob.

‘They did what they had to,’ Billy said, almost as though he had read her thoughts. ‘They were young and wanted to fight.’

‘You talk as though they’re dead.’

‘Don’t think they stood much of a chance, miss.’

Meg closed her eyes, and when she opened them again she realised that she must have fallen into the deep sleep of physical and mental exhaustion. Her head ached and the ropes cut into her wrists. Cramps shot through her arms and legs and the damp seemed to have permeated her whole body. A faint grey light shone through the slits in the concrete, and although she had lost all sense of time she realised that it must be daybreak. She glanced anxiously at Billy who was slumped on one side, his stertorous breathing the only sign that he was still alive.

A sudden burst of activity outside banished the last hazy remnants of sleep. A vehicle pulled up outside with the squeal of brakes, followed by the sound of brisk footsteps and curt orders given in German. Bolts were drawn back, the steel door screamed on its hinges and a man wearing the
uniform of a high-ranking German officer stepped into the confined space, filling it with his presence. Sunlight flooded in behind him leaving his face in shadow.

For a moment Meg clung to him, barely able to believe that this was not part of her dream, and then reality hit her like a slap across her cheek. The hows and whys of his being there were insignificant details. The wonderful truth was that he was here now, holding her so tightly that she could hardly breathe. The terrors of the last few hours were banished to the realms of a nightmare. ‘Rayner.’

‘Are you hurt, Meg?’ His voice was deep with concern.

‘I’m all right.’ Safe in the circle of his arms, she leaned her head against his shoulder, giving herself up to the luxury of being held by the man she loved, but she knew in her heart that the danger was far from over. She forced herself to remain calm and objective. ‘Please take a look at Billy. I’m really worried about him.’

‘Of course.’ Rayner set her back on her feet and with a deft movement untied the ropes that had cut into her wrists leaving them sore and chafed. He went to kneel beside Billy, raising him to a sitting position. ‘It’s all right, Meg. He’s not injured, as far as I can see.’

Billy opened his eyes. ‘It’s you, Captain.’

Rayner helped him to stand and freed him from his bonds. ‘We must get you both to safety. Don’t say anything. Just follow me.’

He was about to open the door but Meg caught him by the arm. The question that she hardly dare ask tumbled from her dry lips. ‘What happened to Gerald? Did he get away?’

He hesitated for a moment and then he shook his head slowly. ‘It was a gallant attempt but they didn’t stand a chance.’

‘The fog must have protected them.’

‘It had lifted.’

‘Bugger!’ Billy muttered. ‘Begging your pardon, Miss Meg.’

‘It could be a mistake? They were a long way from the guns.’ Meg’s eyes searched Rayner’s face for an answer, but even as she spoke she knew that what he had said was the truth. She bent her head to hide the tears that flowed unchecked down her cheeks. ‘Poor Gerald.’

‘He knew the risks. He was a brave man.’ Rayner’s voice cut crisply through her misery. If he felt regret, he was not allowing it to show. ‘You are more important now. I’ve got to get you two away from here. Keep calm, follow me and don’t say a word.’

Meg gulped and wiped her eyes on her sleeve, hooking her arm around Billy’s shoulders. She could feel him shaking and his weathered face had crumpled into a contour map of lines. She must be
strong for both of them. ‘We’re ready. Open the door.’

Stepping outside into the pale early morning sunlight, Rayner strode off, motioning them to follow him. The soldiers snapped to attention as he passed, and suddenly he was just another German officer. Loving him as she did, Meg had managed to push their different loyalties to the back of her mind, but now they were painfully clear. Returning the salutes of his men, Rayner walked towards a parked staff car. The driver saluted smartly and opened the door, standing stiffly to attention. Ignoring Meg and Billy, Rayner slipped into the front seat leaving them to scramble into the back as the driver leapt in and started the engine. As the car sped through the narrow lanes Meg was beginning to feel anxious. ‘Where are you taking us?’

‘You’ll find out soon enough. You are both under arrest.’ Rayner’s curt reply startled her even though common sense told her that he was acting out a part. Within minutes they were driving through the gates of Colivet Manor and Meg suppressed a sigh of relief.

‘Hauptmann Dressler will deal with you both,’ Rayner said, as Meg and Billy climbed stiffly out of the staff car. He turned to the driver with a curt command in German.

‘
Danke
, Herr Major.’ The driver marched off towards the stable block at the back of the house.

With a ghost of his old familiar smile, Rayner
turned to Meg. ‘The promise of breakfast does wonders for morale.’

She stared at him, her tired mind struggling to come to terms with everything that had happened in the last few hours. ‘You’ve been promoted to major?’

‘It’s just a title. It doesn’t mean anything.’

Billy coughed and shuffled his feet. ‘Can I go now?’

‘Yes, and you should rest,’ Rayner said, shaking Billy by the hand. ‘Last night’s activities won’t be mentioned. I’ll see to that.’

‘Thanks,’ Billy said gruffly and, with a weak attempt at a grin, he loped off towards his cottage.

‘Poor Billy. He had been Eric’s friend for years and he was fond of Gerald. Now he’s lost them both.’

‘I understand. I’m truly sorry.’

He sounded sincere but Meg could not help feeling that to him Gerald’s death was just one of the misfortunes of war. He was eyeing her warily, his expression carefully controlled. Tense, nervous and exhausted, Meg felt an irrational wave of anger wash over her. How dare he walk back into her life after disappearing from the hospital ward and not even attempting to get word to her? She thought of the anxious days and sleepless nights that she had spent worrying about him, and now he stood there calmly flaunting the rank of major. It had not taken him long to resume his position in the enemy ranks, and she, like a fool, had been overjoyed to see him. ‘You’re not sorry at all,’ she said slowly. ‘You hated Gerald.’

‘That’s not true. Of course I’m sorry that a brave man died. If I had any reservations about Gerald it was because he was putting you all in danger by being here and pretending that he was your brother.’

‘He was my brother, or rather my half-brother, although we didn’t know it until recently. Now I’ve got to tell our father and his mother that he’s dead. How do I do that?’

‘He took his chance, Meg. He knew the risks.’

Shaken, exhausted and confused, Meg could not bring herself to look at him. ‘That sounds so callous.’

‘You’ve had a terrible experience,’ he said gently. ‘I am truly sorry about Gerald, but he knew what he was doing.’

She raised her eyes to his face. ‘You disappeared from the ward. You didn’t even try to contact me and I thought you were dead. Now you’ve turned up promoted to the rank of major and fit as a flea.’

‘I apologise for not being dead.’

‘Now you’re laughing at me. How dare you make jokes at a time like this?’

‘I’m not laughing, and you need to go home and rest.’

She glared at him; his very reasonableness conspired to make her ever angrier. She wanted to lay the blame for what had happened on someone and he was wearing the right uniform. She had feared for his safety, longed for his presence and yearned for his embraces. She had fallen in love with the enemy and in doing so had unwittingly sent
Gerald to his death. Whatever happened now, she knew that she would have to live with that fact for the rest of her life. Anger was replaced by deep sadness. ‘We’re on opposite sides and however much we pretend that it doesn’t matter it will always come between us.’

Rayner stared at her, his face pale and drawn. His eyes had dulled from blue to grey, like the sea on a cloudy day. ‘I love you, Meg. Nothing can alter that.’

She heard the words and knew they were heartfelt but she felt as though something had died within her. ‘Maybe I’ve been living with a young girl’s dream of romance. The war has changed everything.’

‘I’m still the same person I was when we first met.’

She shook her head. ‘No. We’re both different. Your compatriots killed my brother. How can I live with that?’

He raised his hand and then let it fall to his side. ‘Ironic, isn’t it? Von Schmettow himself ordered my promotion for my part in helping to keep some of my fellow countrymen from drowning when our ship was sunk. It seems that the nearer you are to being killed the higher the promotion.’

‘I can’t cope with this now,’ Meg said, turning away from him. ‘Please go.’

He reached out and caught her by the wrist. ‘You think I deserted you, but that isn’t true. When the hospital ward was closed the medical officer decided I was fit to go back on duty. I was never sent to the
underground hospital, but I had no way of getting a message to you without arousing suspicion and putting you in danger. I was in headquarters when the message came through that an escape attempt was being made. I had no idea it was Gerald and his friends.’

‘And if you had?’

‘I still couldn’t have saved them.’

She shrugged her shoulders. ‘It’s not just the uniform. It’s the conflicting loyalties that will always come between us. I can’t love anyone who could stand by and watch innocent men murdered in cold blood.’ Choked by tears, she ran up the steps, ignoring his pleas for her to stop. Wrenching the door open she burst into the entrance hall, coming face to face with Nordhausen.

‘Have you been out during curfew, Fräulein Colivet? Hauptmann Dressler will be most interested to hear this.’ He took a step backwards as Rayner followed Meg into the house.

‘I will speak to Hauptmann Dressler.’

Nordhausen jumped to attention and saluted, his eyes starting from his head as he took in Rayner’s new rank. ‘Herr Major.’

Meg walked slowly towards the staircase. She would not let them see that she was close to breaking point and that one word would breach the dam that she had built up inside herself, releasing a flood of uncontrollable tears and grief. She could feel Rayner’s eyes on her as she mounted the stairs,
counting each step as she went in an effort to concentrate her thoughts. She refused to glance back. She must not show any signs of weakness now or she would be lost forever.