‘Alors. We will leave shortly.’ He looked down at the dog who was now settled at his feet. ‘It may be difficult for you to take the dog with you to Josselin. Would you like to leave him with us? That I can explain far more easily to the German officer.’
Fitz hesitated before she replied. ‘I might not be able to come back for him,’ she said carefully.
‘He can stay with us for as long as is necessary,’ replied Yves.
‘Thank you,’ said Fitz. Although she knew this was the right thing to do, she couldn’t help feeling a little sad that they would be continuing without Scout – or Beau, as she suspected he was going to be known from now on. ‘That is very kind of you.’
‘It will be good to have a dog around again,’ said Yves, reaching down and ruffling the dog’s ear. ‘Do you think that is good, Beau?’
Chapter 18
Fitz was sorry to leave Scout behind, but she was also relieved. It would be better for her and Yvette and so much better for the dog. Yves and Vivienne seemed like genuine people who would take good care of him. She couldn’t imagine he would be tied up to a shed and neglected. It reminded her that there were good people about and although only a small act of kindness, it felt like something much bigger, and it warmed her heart.
The journey into Josselin went without any hitches. Sitting on the back of the hay cart with Yvette alongside her was a blessing for their legs, especially Yvette’s. The cart lolloped and bumped its way down the uneven track but the going was much smoother once they were on the main road.
Fitz had already agreed a cover story with Yves should they get stopped. He was going to a village near to Josselin to see his brother with some provisions and had spotted Fitz and Yvette on the road and given them a ride. A very normal thing to do, which shouldn’t arouse any suspicions.
Fitz allowed herself to relax for a while and as she took deep breaths of clean Breton air, her mind drifted to thoughts of Sam. She had asked Yves if he knew of any Allied pilots who had been downed in the area, but he had shaken his head and moved the conversation on. She wasn’t sure if he knew more than he was prepared to tell her or simply didn’t know.
The cart came to a halt at a crossroads. Yves turned around to speak to Fitz. ‘I have to go this way now,’ he said, indicating to his left. ‘You need to go straight on. Josselin is just down around the corner and down the hill.’
Fitz hopped off the back of the cart and helped Yvette down. ‘Thank you so much for your kindness,’ she said, shaking his hand. ‘Take care.’
‘Good luck,’ said Yves. And then to Yvette. ‘Don’t worry about the dog. He will be happy with us.’ He gave Fitz one last look before flicking the reins and, making a clicking noise, he drove the horse on.
Josselin really was just around the corner. Fitz could see the canal below and the huge castle walls running alongside the water. She knew from studying the map that the canal ran from Brest to Nantes. In any other circumstances, it would have been wonderful to walk alongside the canal or even take a boat, but with giant red Nazi flags draped from the windows of the château, the fairy-tale image was downgraded to one of a horror story. Even the bridge crossing the canal and leading into the town had been adorned with a Nazi flag.
From her vantage point at the top of the winding hill, Fitz could see a checkpoint on her side of the bridge. There was no other way across the canal to the town – she would simply have to run the gauntlet again.
Luck was on her side as the guards appeared to have little interest in her or Yvette, due to a woman at the checkpoint who was giggling and openly flirting with them. The soldier merely gave Fitz’s papers a cursory glance before waving her through.
She and Yvette walked along the canal path. The château was even more impressive close up. It must be at least one hundred feet from the ground to the top of the tower. The town itself was built on the hillside, and from what Fitz had been told and the maps she had studied before leaving England, the entrance to the château was on the other side at street level.
Around the side of the château, halfway up the hill that led to the centre of the town, Fitz spotted the well – the rendezvouspoint. They were early and she didn’t want to hang around too much in case they aroused suspicion.
‘Let’s see if we can get something to eat,’ she said to Yvette.
A few minutes later they were in the centre of the town where Fitz suspected, prior to the invasion and occupation, this had once been a bustling market. Today, however, it was empty. She spotted a boulangerie where there was a short queue from the doorway. Food was rationed here in France just as it was in Britain and during her SOE training Fitz had been advised that the black market was very much alive and thriving.
They tagged onto the back of the queue. Fitz didn’t mind that it moved slowly, it was a good way to kill time and to blend in with the locals. It also gave her the opportunity to scope out as much of the town as she could see. What she could learn now, might just save her life in an emergency.
She hoped she wouldn’t need a back-up plan, though. All she wanted was the kidnap plot to go ahead without any hitches. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was going to do with Yvette yet, but hoped one of her contacts at the château would be able to help.
Eventually they reached the head of the queue and were able to obtain a small block of cheese and two slices of ham. Fitz had found a quiet spot at the top of the street, where they could eat their food away from any spying eyes before they made their way back to the rendezvous point.
They were there a few minutes early. Fitz rested her bag on the wall of the well and pretended to rummage inside it for something. She had a hanky in her hand, ready to produce should any Germans ask her what she was doing. It was exhausting having to think about every action and ensure she had a valid reason, one that wouldn’t get her into trouble and would be accepted. She had been trained for all this butputting it into practice when the danger was very real was so much different to exercises and hypothetical scenarios back in England. No matter how hard SOE training tried, they couldn’t prepare someone fully for the real thing.
The December sky looked dark and ominously cloudy. Fitz hoped it wouldn’t rain before they met their contact, as they would look very suspicious standing in the street getting soaking wet. Fortunately, they had only been waiting a few minutes when Fitz noticed the woman from the checkpoint approaching. She smiled at Fitz and waved.
‘Oh, Claudine, there you are!’ She kissed Fitz on each side of her face and then enveloped her in a hug. ‘A Christmas feast awaits you at the château.’
It was the coded message Fitz had been told to expect. She answered with the prearranged response. ‘As long as there are chestnuts roasting and mulled wine warming, Margot.’
‘Of course, plenty for you to take home with you.’
Margot looked down at Yvette. ‘How lovely to see you, too,’ she said, before giving Fitz a quizzical look.
‘My niece,’ said Fitz.
