by CW Browning
“I understand.” Evelyn continued pacing around the room. “You’re right. This is not an easy choice, nor one I feel I should leap into without serious consideration.”
“I agree.”
“But you said you would have to move quickly to establish my cover story that I gave to Herr Voss,” she pointed out. “I have to make my choice quickly.”
“Yes.” Bill glanced at his watch. “You also must return to England immediately.”
“What?!”
“Regardless of what you decide, you need to be out of Paris by nightfall. Should you decide to decline my offer, it is safer for you to be in England as soon as possible. If you choose to come work with MI6, you will need to be debriefed in London, the sooner the better. If we’re going to establish an iron-clad identity based on Maggie Richardson, we need to move quickly.”
“But…what am I to tell my aunt and uncle? And my cousins? I’m not due to leave for another three weeks!”
“Evelyn, I don’t need to tell you how serious this is,” he replied, standing and looking at her with a hint of regret on his face. “I’m sorry that I ever put you into this position, but we’re in it now. You really must return to England. I’ll make the arrangements and accompany you to London.”
Evelyn stared at him in dismay. Leave Paris? She wasn’t ready to leave Paris!
“I can’t just leave Paris! What am I going to say?”
“They know your father is in Vienna?”
She nodded, watching as he went around his desk and seated himself.
“Tell them your mother needs you home. Perhaps she is ill? Nothing serious, but she wants someone with her,” he suggested.
“I…suppose…oh, is this really necessary? I despise lying!”
He looked up at that, an unexpected gleam of laughter lighting his eyes.
“For someone who despises it, you’re apparently very good at it,” he pointed out. “Just ask Herr Voss!”
Evelyn waved a hand impatiently. “That’s different.”
The laughter in his eyes disappeared and he shook his head.
“No, Evelyn, it isn’t,” he said soberly. “If you decide to work with us, you will be lying to your family every day. It is no different from lying to the enemy. You must be as willing to convince them as you are to convince the enemy. It is the only way you will survive.” He reached for a bell pull on the wall behind him. “I’ll ring for Francois and he’ll take you to Marguerite. Have a cup of coffee with her and by the time you’re finished, I’ll have made the arrangements.”
Evelyn turned towards her vacant seat and picked up her handbag. There was no help for it. She was going to have to go back to England, and she would have to make a choice before she reached Dover.
Something stirred deep in her belly and her lips tightened imperceptibly. She knew that feeling, and it didn’t bode well for a continued peaceful existence. It was the same feeling she’d had years ago behind a hedgerow in Hong Kong, a feeling of excitement mixed with apprehension, and she was as powerless to ignore it now as she was then. It was the same feeling she’d had yesterday at the library while she sat at the table, debating whether or not to continue. It was the knowledge that her next choice would change the course of her life, for better or worse.
It was also the realization that the choice had already been made.
Evelyn had made the decision before ever coming here today. She had made it the moment she got up from the table in the library and went up the spiral stairs to retrieve the envelope from the book. She had known then, deep down inside, that there would be no turning back. She had committed to something larger than herself, and there was no returning, now, to the carefree existence she’d been enjoying, or the blessed ignorance therein. Herr Voss, Karl and Josephine had all shown her a world that was cloaked in shadows, shadows that at once terrified and intrigued her.
Shadows that would surely lead her straight into war.
Other Titles by CW Browning:
Shadows of War Series
The Oslo Affair
The Exit Series
Next Exit, Three Miles
Next Exit, Pay Toll
Next Exit, Dead Ahead
Next Exit, Quarter Mile
Next Exit, Use Caution
Next Exit, One Way
Next Exit, No Outlet
The Exit Series: Books 1-3 (The Exit Series Box Set # 1)
Available on Amazon
About the Author
CW Browning was writing before she could spell. Making up stories with her childhood best friend in the backyard in Olathe, Kansas, imagination ran wild from the very beginning. At the age of eight, she printed out her first full-length novel on a dot-matrix printer. All eighteen chapters of it. Through the years, the writing took a backseat to the mechanics of life as she explored other avenues of interest. Those mechanics, however, have a great way of underlining what genuinely lifts a spirit and makes the soul sing. After attending Rutgers University and studying History, her love for writing was rekindled. It became apparent where her heart truly lay. Picking up an old manuscript, she dusted it off and went back to what made her whole. CW still makes up stories in her backyard, but now she crafts them for her readers to enjoy. She makes her home in Southern New Jersey, where she loves to grill steak and sip red wine on the patio.
CW loves to hear from readers! She is always willing to answer questions and hear your stories. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
If social media isn’t your thing, she can also be reached by email at [email protected] and on her website at www.cwbrowning.com.
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Note from Author:
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed The Courier, please take a moment to leave an honest review. Reviews are invaluable to authors, and it would be greatly appreciated!
Copyright © 2020 by Clare Wroblewski
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Dissect Designs / www.dissectdesigns.com
Book design by Clare Wroblewski
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is entirely coincidental.
CW Browning
Visit my website at www.cwbrowning.com
First Printing: 2020
Table of Contents
The Courier
Author’s Note:
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
About the Author
Note from Author: