Grace caught her breath. ‘That’s dangerous, sir.’
‘I know. In your opinion is he good enough?’
She had never seen her boss worried, but he was now. ‘His German is excellent, and he has enough acting flair to pull it off. Actually living among them, though, means he mustn’t let his guard drop for a moment.’
Stan nodded. ‘I might have to ask you to step in as interpreter if things go wrong. My German isn’t good enough. Do you think you could do that?’
‘Yes, sir,’ she told him confidently. ‘I won’t let you down if I’m needed.’
‘Thank you, Grace.’
Chapter Eighteen
It had been past midnight when they had arrived at their destination and Grace hadn’t taken much notice of her surroundings. The sound of birds singing woke her, and the early morning sun was streaming into the room. She jumped out of bed and ran to the window, and the sight that met her eyes brought a smile of pleasure to her face. They were on a farm.
There was a knock on the door and a middle-aged woman looked in. ‘Ah, you’re awake. I thought you might like a cup of tea.’
‘I would love one. Thank you. We didn’t have much time to get acquainted last night. My name is Grace.’
‘I’m Enid. I hope you slept well.’
‘I did. The bed was so comfortable and it was quiet after London. Is this your farm?’
‘It’s been in my husband’s family for three generations. Drink your tea before it gets cold. Your officer is already up and about.’
‘Is he!’ Grace quickly drank the tea. ‘Then I must hurry.’
‘No need to rush. He’s gone riding with our son, and they won’t be back for a while. Come down when you’re ready and I’ll cook you a nice breakfast.’
There was such a tempting smell coming from the kitchen and it only took Grace thirty minutes to find out what was for breakfast. She couldn’t believe the amount of food put in front of her – two eggs, bacon, sausage and mushrooms.
‘You can’t give me all this,’ she gasped. ‘It’s taking all your rations!’
Enid laughed. ‘It’s all from the farm, dear, and with an important officer staying with us we are expected to feed you well. You eat up and enjoy it.’
‘Do you take in guests regularly?’ Grace asked, already tackling the sumptuous breakfast.
‘We are quite remote and it’s often convenient for military officers to stay here. The prisoner-of-war camp is only a few miles away, and my husband, Dave, was told you needed to be near. We are happy to help in any way we can.’
‘That is kind of you,’ Grace said, clearing her plate. ‘Do you mind if I have a wander round until my officer returns?’
‘Not at all, dear. You go where you like.’
It was a lovely morning and Grace stopped by a field of golden corn almost ready for harvest. It was such a beautiful and tranquil sight after the noise and destruction of London. She sighed, Brian would have loved this. It had always been his dream to live in the country.
She continued walking, deep in thought, and then she heard her name being called. Lieutenant Grover was striding towards her and she saluted when he reached her.
‘Do you know where Major General Haydon is?’
‘He’s gone riding, sir.’
‘We’ll have to find him, we are needed at the camp.’
On hearing that, Grace’s tranquil mood evaporated and was replaced with worry.
‘I’ll see if anyone knows where he might be.’
She was just about to return to the house when horses appeared from behind a barn.
The lieutenant made his way over to them, and after a short discussion Stan Haydon came to Grace and told her to come with them.
Nothing was said when they got into the waiting car and drove to the camp, where the commander was waiting for them.
‘What’s the problem?’ Stan looked worried.
‘Not sure how serious it is, but you might need to get your man out of there. I can’t pull him out because it will look suspicious. The best way would be to interview several of the prisoners, including the captain. That way he can let us know if his identity has been discovered without anyone else knowing. I’ll choose them.’
‘Right. Go ahead.’ Stan turned to Grace. ‘Come with us.’
The commander looked at Grace and shook his head. ‘You can’t bring a woman in here. It will be too unsettling for men locked up without female company.’
‘They won’t be interested in me, sir,’ she pointed out, disappointed that she was going to be sidelined again. ‘I’m English.’
The camp commander grinned. ‘Where did you find her, Stan?’
‘She was recommended by several people, so I sent for her thinking she could easily be dismissed.’ He laughed softly. ‘I was wrong. You are right, though. Stay in the car, Grace, and I’ll send for you if I need you. I’m not sure my German will be up to this.’
‘They all speak passable English, Stan.’
‘Ah, that’s all right, then.’
Grace watched them walk away and disappear in to the camp. Just when she thought they might give her something important to do, she had been told to wait – again! She had never been overly ambitious, always content to be a good secretary, but after her lovely husband had been taken from her so cruelly she burnt to be useful. She wouldn’t call it revenge; not the same emotion that Dan struggled with, but it was close. The way things were going she was going to have to rethink her contribution to this war, and settle for what she had been trained for. If she could make an officer’s life easier by taking care of all the details in his day, then that would be of help, surely.
The driver put his head in the car. ‘This might take some time. Would you like me to see if I can get you a cup of tea?’
‘That would be lovely, thank you. White, no sugar, please.’
‘I’ll see what I can do.’
The tea was welcome and Grace spent the time talking to John, the driver. It was two hours before Stan and the lieutenant appeared.
‘Is everything all right, sir?’ Grace asked as they drove back to the farm.
‘For the moment. There was a fight last night and Bill stepped in to stop it, earning himself a cut lip for his trouble. I wanted to take him out, but he insists on staying. I’ve told him to keep out of trouble.’ Stan sighed wearily. ‘Not much hope of that. The daft sod!’
‘I’m sure he is well aware of the dangers, sir, and will be careful.’
‘Hmm.’ He didn’t sound as if he quite believed that as he handed her a small exercise book. ‘Can you read that?’
The pages were filled with shorthand, and after a quick glance she nodded. ‘He obviously wrote this in a hurry, but I should be able to make sense of it.’
‘Bill said you would. I want you to decipher that and make me a copy when we get back to the farm. We’ve got a typewriter in the boot of the car.’
‘Yes, sir.’ Grace had continued reading and gave a quiet laugh at one of Bill’s descriptions.
Stan sighed noisily. ‘You can leave out the swear words and any irrelevant remarks. I only want the facts, Grace.’
‘His language is quite moderate, sir, but he does have an amusing way of describing things.’
‘Don’t I know it! If he wasn’t so darned clever I wouldn’t put up with him.’
‘No, sir.’ Grace looked at the man beside her and they both laughed. ‘He’s also very charismatic and I even liked him when, for a brief period, I thought he was a German pilot.’
‘That’s the effect he has on all the women. He reminds me of Dan Chester. They are both too clever for their own good, don’t you think?’
‘Both are intelligent, I agree, but I wouldn’t say they are similar in character.’
‘I suppose you’re right, but they are both damned difficult men to handle.’
Grace nodded, and they smiled knowingly at each other. This was the most relaxed they had ever been with each other, and it was a go
od feeling.
She worked all afternoon on the captain’s notes. Some of it had clearly been rushed and was difficult to decipher, but this didn’t worry her. She was enjoying the challenge, something that had been lacking in this job so far, and as the notes took shape she could see there was important information there. Bill was obviously good at his job and she was sure that Major General Haydon would be pleased.
They had been given a room downstairs to use as an office, and as soon as the notes were typed she took them down there.
‘Good – you’ve finished.’ Stan held out his hand for the document. ‘What have we got, Grace?’
‘I think you’ll find some of it useful, sir.’ She handed over the papers and went to leave, but he told her to stay. She waited while he read, frowning the way he always did when concentrating.
‘We’ll have to get some of this checked out, but if true, Bill will have gleaned some information. I’m not sure if it’s important enough to put his life at risk in this way, though,’ he remarked, looking up. ‘I’ll give him two more days in there and then I’m getting him out.’
‘Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?’
‘No, that’s all for today. You’ve done a good job on this. We will just be playing a waiting game for the next day or so.’ He smiled. ‘Why don’t you take this opportunity to learn to ride?’
‘A horse?’ she asked, horrified.
He laughed at her expression. ‘You’ll love it. Meet us by the stables at seven in the morning.’
‘Is that an order, sir?’
‘If that is what it takes to get you on a horse – then it is. I don’t believe you are afraid of horses or anything after the tales I’ve heard about you and Dan.’
‘Yes, well …’ her mouth twitched in amusement at the memories.
‘So you might as well add horse riding to your skills.’
‘Yes, sir.’ As she left the room she could hear him laughing. She was beginning to like this job – at last.
Horses were not for her, Grace vowed as she slid out of the saddle, relieved to feel solid ground under her feet. That had been the most uncomfortable two hours she had ever spent.
‘There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?’ Stan said as he dismounted.
Grace glared at him. ‘I would rather tackle an army assault course than get on another horse!’
‘You did well considering it was your first time.’ He grinned. ‘What could be more enjoyable than an early morning ride in beautiful countryside?’
‘Would you like a list, sir?’
‘You’re not a country girl, are you?’ he laughed. ‘Come on, let’s get breakfast. I’m starving.’
Fortunately she didn’t have to repeat the morning ride again. The next day she was kept busy until the evening when Bill arrived at the farm still wearing his German uniform.
‘What are you doing here?’ Stan exclaimed the moment he walked in the door. ‘We had arranged to collect you in the morning.’
‘I escaped.’ Bill winked at Grace.
‘Be serious, damn you! What happened?’
‘I’d done as much as I could there without arousing too much suspicion, so I decided to come and visit you. Nice place. Is there any food?’
Stan gazed up at the ceiling in exasperation. ‘Don’t tell me you broke through the fence.’
‘I walked out, but I did bring two guards with me for appearances’ sake. I told the men they were taking me to another camp. What about that food?’
‘Grace, for heaven’s sake arrange that for him. We won’t get any sense out of him until he’s had something to eat.’
‘What would you like, Captain?’
‘Anything, Grace. I missed dinner.’
There was plenty of a delicious mutton stew left from dinner and they watched as Bill devoured two helpings, and then sit back with a sigh of satisfaction.
‘Didn’t they feed you in the camp?’ Grace asked.
He nodded. ‘It wasn’t as special as that, though. You can’t beat fresh farm food. I hope we’re staying here for a couple of days, Stan?’
‘We will be leaving first thing in the morning, but I’ll let you have breakfast first. If you’ve quite finished eating I want your report.’
‘Tonight?’
Stan nodded. ‘Bring your notebook, Grace.’
Grace followed the officers, and took her seat, ready to record what was said at the meeting. She had assumed they would want to talk in private, but she was being included – again. There was now hope that she was trusted at last.
The debriefing went on for two hours and Grace had pages and pages of notes. ‘Would you like this typed up tonight, sir?’
‘Good Lord, no. It’s midnight. Leave that until we get back to Aldershot.’
They had only been away for a few days, but there was a pile of correspondence waiting for them. Grace began to sort through it, putting the urgent ones out for immediate attention and the two personal letters to one side for later. There was an enormous amount of work to get through before thinking of anything else.
It wasn’t until lunchtime the next day that she had time to read her letters. The first one was from James saying they would be in London on Saturday and could she meet them at the Savoy. The thought of an evening out with James and Tim made her smile in anticipation. The smile quickly faded as she read the second letter. It was from Helen’s parents asking her if she knew where their daughter was. They hadn’t heard from her for a couple of weeks and that was unusual, so they had taken a trip to the New Forest where they thought she was stationed, but she wasn’t there. No one would give them any information and they were worried.
Grace immediately wrote to them explaining that secrecy was necessary, and because Helen’s work as an interpreter was probably sensitive it wasn’t surprising they weren’t given any information about her. She could have been sent anywhere in the country and finding time to write wasn’t always easy. Grace sealed the letter, hoping it would help to put their minds at rest. It had planted a seed of doubt in her mind, though. Their letters to each other had been irregular with lengthy gaps in between, but Grace understood the situation they were both in, and it hadn’t worried her.
‘Ah, Grace, you’re here.’ Bill came in and sat down. ‘I want to give Tim back his watch. How do I get in touch with him? Is he still at Kenley?’
‘As a matter of fact I’m meeting him and James in London on Saturday evening.’
‘Marvellous! Would you mind if I came along? I’d like to see him again.’
‘I’m sure you would be very welcome. They will be there around six o’clock.’
‘Terrific! I’ll commandeer a car.’ He stood up, smiling broadly and then bent to kiss her cheek. ‘Thanks, Grace.’
‘Keep your hands off my staff!’ said sharp voice from the doorway. ‘Try your amorous advances on women of your own rank.’
Bill grinned boyishly, not at all put out by the reprimand.
‘I was just thanking Grace. We’re going to meet James and Tim on Saturday. Want to come?’
Stan laughed softly. ‘You’re lucky – I’ve got another appointment or else I might have accepted.’
Grace watched the two men. They always spoke to each other like this but the respect they held for each other was evident.
Laughing, Bill kissed her cheek again and marched out of the office.
Stan was shaking his head. ‘Don’t get attached to that man, Grace. He will end up in serious trouble before this war is over. Like Dan Chester he’s a risk-taker.’
‘I don’t intend to become fond of anyone, sir. I don’t want to suffer the pain of loss again.’
‘Of course not. Sensible girl.’
It was lovely to see James and Tim again. They were both fully recovered from their crashes and back to flying again, which was the only thing they wanted to do. Grace introduced Bill to them and they were soon all laughing at Tim’s account of seeing a German pilot in Grace’s office.
‘I’ve gatecrashed your evening to return your watch, Tim.’
‘Oh, thanks. We can swap back.’ He removed Bill’s watch from his wrist. ‘I’ve been wearing it all the time to keep it safe.’
Bill gave the young pilot an incredulous look. ‘You take to the air every day, being shot at, and you think that was keeping it safe?’
Both pilots grinned, and James said, ‘He’s safer in the air than driving a car. Did it help with your masquerade?’
‘Perfect.’
‘You’ll join us for the rest of the evening, Bill?’ Tim suggested.
‘I’d like that.’
They found a comfortable corner to sit and talk, enjoying a quiet, relaxing evening together. It amused Grace to see the looks being cast her way and could almost hear their thoughts — what was a girl of low rank doing with three officers?
‘It’s a shame Helen isn’t home as well,’ James remarked.
At the mention of her friend the worry came back and Grace wished she knew what Helen was doing. She seemed to have disappeared. That wasn’t unusual in this war, of course, when secrecy was so tight and you often didn’t know where your friends and relatives were.
‘I’m hoping she will be able to come home for Christmas. It is ages since I’ve seen her.’
‘When you write next time, tell her we’re expecting her.’
‘I will, James.’ Grace smiled at Tim. ‘It would be fun to go dancing again, wouldn’t it?’
‘It certainly would.’
The tone of his voice made her study him intently. Tim had answered as if he doubted that would happen. Bill and James were talking together so Grace leant forward and spoke quietly. ‘What’s the matter, Tim?’
‘What makes you ask that?’
‘Just a feeling, and it has something to do with Helen. Don’t you want to see her again? If that is so, please say and we won’t come out with you again.’
‘I would love to see her again and I really hope she does make it home soon.’
There it was again. His demeanour had changed at the mention of Helen; he had become guarded. ‘What aren’t you telling me, Tim?’
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