‘Good God, this is ridiculous. Don’t you have anything better to do?’ She took the bag off her handlebars and handed it over to him.
He looked inside and opened her little stub of red lipstick, worn down so she now had to scoop out some of the inner tube with her finger to apply it. He looked inside her purse and her heart raced as she imagined he might steal from her. He opened it and raised his eyebrows. ‘You have a large number of Reichsmarks here.’
‘Not so as you’d notice,’ she said.
‘I have noticed,’ he said simply. ‘What are you doing with the money?’
‘Nothing. I withdrew it from the bank and it’s ready if I should need it.’ In truth it was for Doctor Durand to help pay for Lise’s ongoing presence.
‘For black market purchases?’ the soldier asked.
‘No, of course not,’ Persey said sharply. The money she had in her purse was nowhere near enough to purchase anything of use on the black market; she knew that much. What she’d have given for the chance to buy a bag of sugar on the sly. But even that had gone up to an eye-watering sum now, when it could be found. ‘What kind of person do you think I am?’ she said primly.
He inched closer. ‘You are the kind of person who runs through the woods in the middle of the night when you should not.’
Persey stiffened, waited for what was sure to follow.
‘I was reprimanded for that.’ He let the sentence hang in mid-air.
‘Reprimanded for what?’ Persey asked cautiously, but wished she’d not let the conversation continue.
‘For insisting it was you.’
‘It wasn’t me,’ she said quickly.
‘This is what your … what shall we call him … boyfriend? This is what your boyfriend said at the time. Assured me you would not do such a thing.’
‘He’s not my boyfriend,’ she said, hoping to push the conversation off course, hoping he wasn’t about to arrest her, or take her to the Gestapo. But if he did, and they searched her … She had not been quick enough to remove the papers from her brassiere, had not even heard the soldier behind her.
He looked past her, dismissively.
‘You had better continue on your way, Miss Persephone Le Roy of Deux Tourelles.’
He watched as she climbed back onto her bicycle, and slowly set off. She would not turn and look at him, would not make eye contact again with him if she could help it. She prayed that he wasn’t following her. Minutes later, when she reached the edge of the Durand property, she paused and only then did she allowherself the luxury of turning. She climbed from her bicycle, propped it against the fence and bent to tie her shoelace so that, should he pass her, he would hopefully not think she was stopping there. Mrs Durand opened the front door and raised her hand to wave. Persey shook her head at her sternly and Mrs Durand immediately closed the door understanding something was amiss.
Persephone waited, listening closely. There was more than her life at stake here. There was the doctor and his wife. There was Lise. Persey changed her mind. It was not worth the risk to any of their lives, delivering this bundle. They had others who were listening to the wireless, surely. It wasn’t just her. And delivering the news of Italy turning their backs on the Germans and joining the Allies was not worth such risk to any of them. No, she wouldn’t do it. Not now. She could try again later.
She could see Mrs Durand watching from the kitchen window and Persey smiled weakly, gave a small shake of her head for the second time, hoping it relayed everything she needed it to, turned her bicycle round and went back the way she’d come. It was only as she saw him, up ahead where the coast path snake-lined the cliff that she realised her mistake. She should not have gone back the way she’d come. Of course he would know she could not have visited anyone in such a short space of time. She should have carried on, gone a very indirect route towards town.
The soldier looked at her with an expression that told her she was right to have feared him. She chastised herself for her stupidity and nodded to him in recognition as she attempted to pass him.
‘You have chosen not to make your visit?’ he said, barring her way. She came to a stop.
Why was he still here? On his own? What was he doing? Was he waiting for her?
‘No, I’m afraid you stopping me like that has now made me late. I don’t have time,’ she said tersely.
‘Perhaps you will visit your friend later. Just down there is it?’
She made to start pedalling, choosing not to reply.
‘I am talking to you,’ he said.
‘What do you want?’ she snapped. ‘Why are you following me?’
‘It is you behaving erratically.’
‘Leave me alone,’ she demanded.
