by David Gilman
*
‘This place is quiet,’ Mitchell told Danielle as the local bus met the Norvé train after an uneventful journey from Paris down into what was once Vichy France. The bus trundled through the narrow tree-lined roads. ‘Chickens and pigs and cows. Not much happens unless we make it happen.’
Danielle, still weak from her ordeal, drew strength from being close to her father. His protection and love eased the scarred memory of her mother’s death. ‘I’m happy to be with you and your friends, Papa, and I’m looking forward to meeting Madame Bonnier and Simone.’ The girl hesitated, a look of uncertainty. ‘I can tell by the way you speak of her that she is someone special to you.’
Mitchell put his arm around her. ‘She saved my life. She’s a brave woman who stood by my side when I was alone and frightened. But your mother… Danielle, I cannot abandon her so soon.’
Danielle kissed his cheek. ‘We will never forget Mama, I know that, but… I am alive because you saved me, Papa, and you did that because Madame Bonnier helped you. I am grateful to her.’ She smiled with an understanding wiser than her years. ‘Don’t be alone and frightened again.’
She turned her gaze to the sun-speckled branches, the flickering light causing her eyelids to grow heavy. The rolling gentleness of the countryside smoothed away the sharp-edged memories of the city. She could smell the sweet cut grass. As she closed her eyes she let the low rumble of the bus lull her asleep with the promise of awakening to a new beginning.
In his mind’s eye, Mitchell saw Gaétan’s old house, the chickens and the lazy cat in the yard and the ghosts of the traitors that would haunt the place for some time to come. But Juliet would have made her own warm mark on the house by now and Edmond would have prepared the way for Mitchell to take control of the Norvé group with Ginny Lindhurst as his radio operator. It would be renamed the Gideon circuit. His new identity as the mathematics teacher at the local school meant that from this quiet backwater he would ensure that the enemy knew what it meant for terror to come in the night. There was still much to be done to defeat the enemy.
He wondered if there would ever be a time for them to return to England. He eased a strand of hair from the face of the frail child who slept in his arms. Until that time came he was content knowing that France and Juliet Bonnier held his heart captive.
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Acknowledgements
About David Gilman
About the Master of War series
Also by David Gilman
An invitation from the Publisher
Acknowledgements
I am indebted to my publisher Nic Cheetham at Head of Zeus, who extends unconditional encouragement when I write a standalone novel in between my ongoing Master of War series. In 2017 he published my one-off novel The Last Horseman, which became a finalist in the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize. That he has once again extended me leeway to write Night Flight to Paris indicates, yet again, his wonderful support. I would like to express my thanks to the fabulous team at Head of Zeus who work so diligently on my behalf.
I cannot sufficiently thank my editor, Richenda Todd, who painstakingly edits my work with such consummate skill and immense patience. Her dogged questioning of anything that is not written clearly enough makes an enormous difference.
My thanks to my tenacious agent Isobel Dixon and the team at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency, a great bunch of people. James Pusey and Emanuela Anechoum continue to sell my books to other countries. Samuel Hodder and Daisy Way keep tabs on all the things that I cannot in the complex world of foreign tax forms and payments. Resham Naqvi deals with contracts and always gets me to sign in the correct place while Juliet Pickering has widened my ever-increasing audience by handling the audio rights for my books both here and abroad. There are numerous people in various foreign markets who work with my sub-agents, and I am grateful for the degree of enthusiasm from them and my overseas publishers who translate, publish and arrange audio recordings of my books.
Finally, I am always encouraged by my readers and Facebook friends when they contact me via my website or on social media; their generous comments are very welcome and appreciated, as are those from readers who post reviews on sites such as Amazon and Goodreads and other social media. Sharing their enthusiasm has widened the readership for my various books. I thank you all.
David Gilman
Devonshire
2018
About David Gilman
DAVID GILMAN enjoyed many careers, including firefighter, soldier and photographer before turning to writing full time. He is an award-winning author and screenwriter.
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About the Master of War series
Amid the carnage of the Hundred Years’ War – the bloodiest conflict in medieval warfare – a young Englishman rises from longbowman to knight.
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Also by David Gilman
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An Invitation from the Publisher
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First published in the United Kingdom in 2018 by Head of Zeus Ltd
Copyright © David Gilman, 2018
The moral right of David Gil-man to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN (E) 9781788544894
ISBN (HB) 9781788544900
ISBN (XTPB) 9781788544917
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