Page 58 of Echoes of Betrayal

‘Well, Lizzie, it’s wonderful to have you home, darling. It’s not the same without you,’ said Rose Beaumont, fussing over Lizzie like she always did when she’d been gone for some time.

Her father, Reg, sat in his favourite armchair, trying to read his newspaper but constantly interrupted by the raucous goings-on of his family. Juliet and Evie were dancing to a tune on the radio, and Lizzie laughed at their bold moves and Evie’s funny expressions. She’d missed her sisters, and it warmed her heart to see them so carefree, even if it was only for a few moments. In times like these, they had all learnt to grab happiness whenever and however they could, before news of the latest wartime tragedy reached them.

Evie had flaunted the makeshift ring Chuck had given her the second she arrived home from her nursing shift. ‘He proposed on a moonlit walk by the Thames! It was so romantic, Liz. I’ll be a wartime bride, and after the war we’ll move to Ohio.’

Their mother had tutted, shaking her head. ‘It’s far too soon for an engagement. You barely know one another.’

Lizzie had patted her mother’s hand as if to say, ‘Let her dream.’ Chuck certainly seemed devoted. Evie showed her the smooth band her fiancé had spent hours tapping and hammering with a spoon to craft the silver shilling into a custom ring for his sweetheart. The inside was stamped with the coin’s original date from King George’s reign.

‘It is beautiful, Evie. And how romantic of him to go to the trouble to make that himself.’ Lizzie had squeezed her in a tight hug, emotional at the possibility of her little sister leaving them forever for America, but not wanting to ruin the moment.

Evie interrupted Lizzie’s thoughts, calling over, ‘Chuck has been teaching me some American dances. Here, let me show you.’ And she and Juliet launched into a new dance, and Reg rolled his eyes and buried his head in his paper.

Lizzie laughed. Now and then she felt her father’s gaze on her. He no doubt suffered when she was away on a mission, fearing she might never return and unable to share his worries with his wife, who thought she was doing administrative war work.

Wandering over to her father, Lizzie bent to kiss his cheek. He clasped her hand, and they shared a special father-daughter moment, which made her eyes well up. She and her siblings were blessed to have such caring parents.

Then the doorbell rang, and she hurried out of the room to open it. Jack stood there holding a bunch of gorgeous red carnations, hand-tied with silk ribbon. Feelings of pure love enveloped her, and Lizzie’s breath caught in her throat as she gazed at her dashing fiancé. He laid the bouquet on the dresser, and they swayed in each other’s arms, still lightheaded from the joy of being reunited.

She grasped his hand and pulled him through to the dining room. ‘Thank you for the beautiful flowers. I’ll put them in water and get you some tea. Come and say hello to everyone.’

Reg stood to greet Jack as he entered the room, and they shook hands, and Reg clapped his future son-in-law on the shoulder. ‘Good to see you, my boy. Never mind bringing him tea. This calls for a celebration—let’s have something stronger.’ He poured them both a generous shot of whisky, and Lizzie sat back down and released a sigh of contentment as her father and Jack chatted and sipped their drinks in quiet camaraderie.

A while later, Jack and Lizzie excused themselves to a chorus of complaints.

‘Must you leave so soon? I swear that office works you both half to death,’ Rose said. ‘When this war is over, you won’t know what to do with yourselves.’

Jack winked at Lizzie as he helped her into her coat. They were both certain they would work out what to do with themselves after the war, but for now Baker Street called.

London, two weeks later

In the cipher room, Lizzie watched the relentless rhythm of the Morse dots clattering onto the teleprinter, impatient to transcribe the incoming message.

We are constantly on the move and hiding in the Languedoc hills with the Maquis. The Milice are hunting the Toulouse Resistance down with terrifying success. Many from other groups captured, and one of ours taken too. Will message again as soon as have more to report. Too dangerous to carry out sabotage ops until further notice.

Angel and Heart.

It was a relief to finally hear from the leaders of The Lavender Network. The danger was constant and only increasing in Toulouse with the latest developments. There was nothing to do but wait for more news on when the network could resume its clandestine operations to disrupt German troops and transport movements.

Jack and Lizzie exchanged a knowing look. They understood what the arrest of one of their members meant. If they broke under interrogation, the entire network would be compromised. The Gestapo would torture them and beat their cover names, and possibly even their safe houses and contacts, out of them. All they could do was pray for Angel and Heart until they were back in action, and it was safe to drop in more weapons and explosives.

It was midnight when they left Baker Street and retired to their flat to get some sleep. Jack made them a cup of tea and added a shot of whisky for a nightcap. ‘Cheers to you, my love. In case I didn’t tell you enough, what you did in Bern and how you smuggled out the proof we need to pressure the Swiss to end their collaboration with the Nazis was remarkable.’

Lizzie raised her mug and grimaced as the whisky burnt her throat. ‘Thank you. It was a different scenario to my usual behind-enemy-lines mission. I never quite knew where the danger might come from next. Switzerland is full of spies and espionage, with the betrayal hidden by the establishment.’

Jack’s arm lay loosely around Lizzie’s shoulders as they snuggled on the sofa. ‘I hear your Legation boss is back in London and is being charged as a traitor. Well done on catching him out.’

‘Tom, my handler was excellent. It was he who caught Pemberton red-handed.’

Lizzie was still curious about Jack’s time at Bletchley, but he had avoided discussing it, and she guessed he couldn’t talk about it. Now she remembered the other thing she hadn’t asked about. ‘What happened with the strange intercepts I noticed on the Swiss channel? That seemed like foul play. Did you get to the bottom of it?’

Jack shrugged. ‘It was nothing to be concerned about in the end. There is so much going on at BP, it’s easy to get your wires crossed. The great news is our flow of intelligence from the SIS to Baker Street should operate much more efficiently from now on.’

‘That is wonderful news.’ Lizzie knew when not to overstep the intelligence boundaries. There were some operations that were best kept secret. And she had a secret of her own.

The following morning, Val produced a copy of Der Bund, the Swiss newspaper, and waved it in front of Lizzie.

‘What’s this?’ Lizzie asked.