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‘Has anything happened?’

The old man shook his head. ‘Not as far as the Germans are concerned. They’ve not even been back here. But I have an airman above the pigsty. Two nights ago, I heard a plane in the
distance that sounded as if it was in trouble. When I went outside I saw a white parachute in the moonlight. Jasper found him.’ Raoul sighed. ‘He was the only one to get out. The plane
crashed some miles away, so I don’t think they thought to look for anyone here.’

‘That was a bit dangerous, Papa, when the farm might be searched any minute.’

Raoul shrugged with a typical Gallic gesture. ‘What could I do? He was lost and very afraid.’

‘We’ve come for the wireless set, but I’ve no wireless operator now. Leonie’s not well enough yet. Besides, we don’t want her transmitting from our hideout. Their
detection equipment would soon track us down.’

‘The man who came here – Bruce, was it? – could he transmit from here if you leave it for a little longer?’

Emile pondered the problem. He’d wanted to remove the wireless set, to get rid of any evidence that would implicate his parents, but there was the airman to think of now.

‘I’m surprised they’ve not found it,’ he murmured.

‘They nearly did one day when Leonie was transmitting, but she saw them and led them away. They were so busy chasing her that they didn’t think to check the barn. That was the same
day they arrested her.’

‘If you’re sure you want to take the risk, Papa, I’ll get a message to him. Tell him to come here.’

Raoul nodded. ‘I’ll show him where the wireless is – if he can operate it, that is – then he can come and go as he needs to. He won’t even need to come to the farm
each time and we can deny all knowledge if he’s caught.’

‘Won’t you and Maman come with me? You’d be much safer. You’ve done enough already and I fear for Maman – for both of you.’

Raoul shook his head. ‘If that lovely girl can take that sort of punishment and not say a word, then we can do no less.’ He smiled fondly. ‘Your mother is showing a courage
that not even I knew she possessed. No, don’t worry about us, my son, just take care of yourself – and Leonie.’

Rob came to the farm the following day. ‘I am a trained wireless operator,’ he told the farmer and his wife as he sat in their kitchen. He was about to tell them that he and Beth had
trained together and then he stopped himself. The less anyone knew, the better, as recent events had proved. They were all now sure that Beth had given no information away, though she had suffered
terribly for her bravery. Rob, however, had other news from the town.

‘The German officer who helped Leonie escape has been arrested. He will be court martialled and most likely shot by firing squad as a traitor to his country.’

‘How did they find out it was him?’

‘Apparently, there was a sentry on duty when he took Leonie out to his car behind the Town Hall. He didn’t question it at the time and they didn’t find out she was missing
until the next morning, which gave you time to get her to safety. But when the hullaballoo started, the sentry realized that Major Hartmann had not been acting under orders and he told his
superiors what he knew. So, Hartmann most certainly saved her life at the expense of his own.’

Quietly, Raoul said, ‘I think he was in love with her. That’s why he did it.’

‘Poor man,’ Marthe murmured. ‘I’ve always believed that the ordinary German people don’t want to be at war any more than we do. It’s just the
Nazis.’

‘I’m sure you’re right, Madame,’ Rob agreed as he got up. ‘And now, Monsieur, if you will show me where the wireless set is hidden, I won’t need to come to
the farm any more. It would be safer.’

Raoul led him up the field with Jasper at his heels. The dog was restless, looking around him as if searching for something or someone.

‘I think he’s missing Leonie,’ Raoul said. ‘We all are.’

Rob said nothing, but he was thinking about the merry, clever girl he had known through training and more recently here as his wireless operator and courier and now she was lying hurt, viciously
beaten by ruthless men. His resolve to continue the fight strengthened.

He sent a brief message to London identifying himself and stating that he was taking over from Leonie, who had been arrested and tortured, but was now safe. No message came back immediately and
Rob knew that the authorities would be trying to verify if he was genuine. If she had spent some time in German hands, they would think that perhaps her wireless transmitter had been captured and
that the message came from a German posing as an operator. Careful checks would have to be made before London would trust him.

And the British pilot would just have to put up with the smell of Raoul’s pigs for a while longer.

Beth’s injuries healed, though she still limped as it would take some time for the toenails on her left foot to grow again.

‘I need to get back to work, Emile. I can’t just stay out here doing nothing. I’m a burden on you all.’

Emile put his arm around her shoulders. There was so much he would have liked to say to her, but they were in the middle of a war and living as fugitives and it was neither the time nor the
place. However, there seemed to be an understanding between them even without the words being spoken. They sat close together when eating and if it was deemed safe to light a fire at night, they
sat in front of it, the flickering flames lighting their faces as they glanced at each other often.

‘You’re not a burden on any of us. Besides,’ he grinned impishly, ‘being the only woman here, it’s taken for granted that you’ll help with the
cooking.’

Beth chuckled. Despite what she had done, her role as a woman and a woman’s duties were not in doubt! Then her smile faded. ‘Maybe I ought to go back to England – next time
there’s a pick-up.’

Emile’s arm tightened around her shoulders. ‘Don’t you dare. I want you here – with me, where I can keep my eye on you. If you go back, they’ll only send you out
again as soon as they think you’re fit and goodness knows where they might send you then. Besides, you’re doing a grand job here. Bruce is itching for you to be well enough to take over
the wireless operations again. He’s finding it very tough and dangerous to keep going out to the farm every time to send and receive messages.’

‘But I can’t go back to the farm, can I? It wouldn’t be safe.’

Emile shook his head. ‘No, it wouldn’t. Papa told me only last night when I risked a quick visit to the farm, that he and Maman had been taken into the town for questioning, but
allowed home again after a couple of hours.’ He laughed wryly. ‘I think the Germans realized that their supplies would be seriously depleted if they arrested either of them.’

‘Thank goodness,’ Beth said with heartfelt relief. She had been so worried about the old couple.

‘I’ve been talking the matter over with the others and we think we’ve found a solution. On the opposite side of this wood there’s a bit of higher ground and we think you
could transmit from there. It would be a bit of a trek, but I don’t think the Germans bring their detection equipment anywhere near there. What do you think?’

‘If they did suspect, though, wouldn’t it bring all of you into danger? I wouldn’t want that.’

‘We’re all aware of that, but it’s more important for us to be in contact with London. We’re already getting short of equipment, ammunition and explosives, though luckily
food is no problem. The farmers near here are all partisans.’

So it was arranged. Emile fetched the wireless set from the barn one night and the following day it was hidden in one of the old cottages. ‘It’ll have to be carried there and back
each time, but we’ll do that for you and we’ll always have at least two of the group come with you to keep a look out whilst you’re working.’

The new system worked well and soon Beth was back in touch with London. Supplies were dropped and pick-ups arranged quickly and successfully. If it was possible to be happy in such dire times,
then Beth believed herself to be just that. She felt comparatively safe now, even safer than she had done living with the Détanges where visits from the enemy were always a probability. But
now, even though living rough, she felt a contentment she had not expected.

And she was truthful enough to acknowledge that it all had to do with being close to Emile.

Archie was home from sea for a few days, but he was restless.

‘There’s summat up, Edie. I can feel it. I don’t know what it is, but I’m on edge and I don’t know why.’

Edie glanced at him. This was not like Archie at all. A more placid, rational man you couldn’t meet.

‘I expect they’re planning an invasion.’

‘Who?’ Archie’s tone was unusually sharp.

‘The Allies, of course. Who did you think I meant? Not Hitler now. He made a mess of things when he didn’t push for it in 1940, but turned his attention to Russia. Thank God he
did’ – her gratitude was heartfelt and sincere – ‘else I don’t know where we’d all have been by now.’

Archie smiled and teased, ‘So you do take a bit of notice of the news, then?’

Edie sniffed. ‘Hard not to when you’re at home and even when you’re away’ – there was no need for her to remind Archie that she deliberately never listened to news
bulletins when he was at sea – ‘Lil’s always popping round to give me the latest. She should have been a reporter for the paper. She’s always first with a juicy bit of
gossip. And now, whenever she calls in to say hello, Ursula always wants to know what we’ve heard and it all has to be gone through again.’

‘Does she now?’ Archie murmured and frowned.

‘Well, I can’t stand here gossiping all day, Archie Kelsey. This ironing won’t do itself and if you want clean clothes to go back to sea, you’d better get out me way.
I’ve got to get it all done today if you’re sailing tomorrow.’ Edie never forgot the superstitions that might help to keep her beloved Archie safe.

‘Right then, I’m off down the pub. Harry might be there. He often pops in at lunch times now when Jessie’s busy. He reckons she’s hardly ever at home.’

Edie looked up sharply. ‘Is he grumbling? Because if he is—’

‘No, no, not at all,’ Archie reassured her swiftly. ‘Not Harry. You know Harry – he never complains about owt. I reckon in his eyes your Jessie can do no
wrong.’

‘He’s a good husband, I’ll say that for him.’ Edie glanced up and smiled. ‘We’ve been lucky – me and Jessie – to find such lovely men to marry
us.’ She kissed him soundly before turning back to her irons heating on the hob. ‘It’s just a shame,’ she murmured, ‘that poor Jessie and Harry didn’t have
children. They’d have made lovely parents.’

‘You know,’ Archie said as he put on his jacket, ‘I’m surprised they’ve never adopted. There’re plenty of poor kids out there who need a loving
home.’

‘Aye, and there’ll be a lot more when this lot’s over. The bombing will have left orphans. Archie,’ she stood up quickly, ‘we could—’

‘Now, now, Edie love, I know you’re feeling lonely just now, but you’ll have plenty to do once they all get home after the war.’

Edie smiled good-naturedly. ‘Perhaps you’re right, if only it would hurry up and happen.’

‘Besides, we might be thought too old now, love.’

‘I don’t think Jessie would be, though. I might suggest it to her.’

‘Go carefully, then. It’s a touchy subject.’

‘You could have a quiet word with Harry.’

Archie shook his head and put up his hand, palm outwards as if fending off her suggestion. ‘Oh no. Men don’t talk about things like that. Well, we don’t, any road up. We leave
that to you womenfolk.’

On 6 June, 1944, the hoped-for invasion of Europe began. It was a long, long day and the whole country waited, half in fear, half in hope, until news came through at last that
the Allies had a foothold once more on French soil.

‘We can’t fail now, can we?’ Lil said anxiously to Edie. ‘Surely we can’t lose now.’

Edie was smiling. ‘Course we can’t. It’s like Harry said when he made that toast at Christmas – this really could be the beginning of the end.’

‘Oh I hope so, I do hope so.’ Lil murmured and then pondered, ‘I wonder where Frank is, Edie. D’you think he’s there?’

Edie’s face fell. ‘I reckon – if he’s had the chance – yes, he’ll be in the thick of it. If nothing else, he’ll want to get back into France to avenge
his brother’s death when we were driven out. I just hope he – he keeps safe.’

Lil nodded, her throat too full to speak for a moment. She looked upon Frank as her own son and always had done, even before he became her son-in-law. She didn’t dare to imagine what would
happen to Irene if Frank didn’t come back. She didn’t want the same life for her daughter as she had had. She patted Edie’s arm and turned away, managing to say huskily,
‘I’ve shopping to do. I’ve got your list, Edie. I’ll see what I can queue for today.’

In France, Emile, his compatriots and Beth had been busy. Beth now had her wireless working again and had been able to receive and transmit vital messages in preparation for
the planned invasion. And Bruce, miraculously undiscovered, had been a vital link. The group had carried out sabotage, blowing up railway lines, bridges, German ammunition dumps and generally
irritating the enemy and slowing down the resistance to the Allies, who would now, ironically, be classed as the invaders – but invaders who were this time welcomed by the French people.

‘There’ll be reprisals,’ Raoul warned Emile on one of his night visits to his parents’ farm. ‘They’ve already shot four men from the town.’

‘Is Bruce still safe?’

Raoul nodded. ‘He came here yesterday. He told us about it.’

Emile frowned. ‘We ought to think about getting him out of there. If he were to be arrested now, it would be certain death for him after probably being put through hell first.’

‘He could come here,’ Raoul said, but Emile shook his head. ‘No, you and Maman have done enough. You’re still hiding British airmen when necessary and that’s
dangerous enough.’

‘I wish Leonie could come back to us. We miss her.’

Emile smiled. ‘I know, but it would be very unsafe for her and for you too. Besides, she’s doing a grand job with us. We’ve even got her doing the cooking.’