the pocket, she knew instantly that this belonged to a member of high command. Vivi was confused and disappointed. This case wasn’t from François’s crash, but obviously another plane, maybe shot down by their own forces.
‘Now we’ve gone and done it, Vivienne,’ spluttered Tassker with great concern. ‘Look at the state of that. That’s a Nazi uniform. What’s a Nazi’s uniform doing on a plane all the way over on this coast?’
Vivi shook her head, trying to make sense of it herself, then she had a thought. ‘The man I’ve been nursing was from France. It can’t be his. Or maybe it was something to do with the work he was doing,’ she offered.
‘We should probably just close it up again and say nothing,’ PC Tassker said, sounding desperate.
Vivi shook her head. ‘I need to know what this is, Henry.’ She knelt down and started to rustle through the clothes and then she found some paperwork in a sealed container, that had amazingly mostly survived seawater damage. The uniform did indeed belong to a member of high command. She opened it up, and to her horror, there was the picture of her patient and below it the name, Major Marcus Vonstein.
She shook her head in disbelief and tried to make sense of this. Surely this was wrong. Why did François have German paperwork if he was undercover for the French Resistance? Then a fear-inducing thought struck her, as she remembered every single word that she’d told him about the Prosper Network.
She didn’t even wait for Henry to close the suitcase. She marched right back to the house, her heart beating hard in her chest, and straight to François’s room, flinging open the door. Her patient was sleeping. She didn’t wake him gently.
Slamming the door behind her she snapped in German, ‘Major Vonstein, I presume.’
Instantly his eyes opened and he looked concerned.
‘You have found my suitcase,’ he said quietly, answering her back in German.
She looked into his eyes and she tried to read him. But he was blank and it took everything within Vivi’s control not to grab her bandage scissors and stab him with them. He had deceived her. Instead, she approached his bed, her body shaking with anger.
‘You used me. You used me to find out information.’
He shook his head vehemently.
But before she could say anything else, the door opened again and in came PC Tassker with the Military Police who were always present at the hospital. Vivi translated for them all.
‘We have reason to believe that you’re a member of the high command of the German army and, in that respect, we must take you into custody.’
François’s eyes did not leave Vivi’s and she saw the desperation in them as he answered.
‘As you can see, gentlemen,’ he said pointing to his leg, ‘I am unable to resist your request.’
One of the military policemen continued, ‘You shall now be guarded, and as soon as you are well enough, you will be transported to a prison that we have locally for enemies of the Allies.’
The patient nodded.
They walked over and handcuffed him to the bed.
Vonstein shook his head in disbelief. ‘That is unnecessary. My leg is broken.’ He then shouted after Vivi as she started to leave, ‘Miss Hamilton, I want to thank you. I am grateful for all your care.’
Vivi did not look back. She had too many feelings going on inside her shaking body. Mainly anger and frustration, but she also felt so foolish she was beside herself. As she rushed from the room all she could think about was what she had said to him, and the people she might have put in danger, yet again.
The next day, an officer arrived from the local regiment, ahead of the members of the intelligence services who would arrive from London in a few days to interrogate the prisoner. Vivi was summoned to the matron’s office to meet with them.
PC Tassker introduced him to Vivi. ‘This is Vivienne Hamilton. Her family owns this manor. You can trust her. She also speaks fluent German.’
The field officer eyed her quizzically. ‘And why is that, young lady? Why do you speak German?’
She looked between the two of them and the matron. She knew that she wasn’t supposed to really speak about SOE, especially after what had just happened with Vonstein. But what was the harm now?
‘I lived in Europe for some time. And I have, in the past, done war work. That can be checked upon. I’d rather not talk openly about it,