‘I’m leaving for Paris. I am now with the Nazi Party,’ she stated harshly.
The shock on Terrier’s face was visible and he backed off, not waiting to hear any more, blending into the crowd as he was so good at doing. But Vivi sensed he was still staring at her from somewhere inconspicuous on the platform. As she boarded the train and made her way into the carriage, it broke her heart to sit there looking out for him, to know that all of these people may have thought so poorly of her. But Vivi reminded herself that it was for the greater good. If her faith in Marcus was right, it would be a matter of weeks, and then once this mission was finished, she could come back, and she and Terrier and Anne-Marie could laugh about it, and she could explain how she’d been undercover. But right now the pain in people’s faces as she appeared to have deceived them was a lot harder than she’d anticipated.
Once they were in the carriage, and confirmed they were alone, they slid the door shut, and the train moved away. Vivi felt the weight of what she was doing. Why did she constantly jump into things without thinking them through? She looked at Marcus. What if he really was a Nazi? She hadn’t thought about that for some time, but suddenly it struck her once more. He could be a double agent. He could say all these things just so he could get back into Paris. Marcus looked down at her then with great compassion.
‘You’re doing really well, Vivi,’ he whispered to her in English. ‘I know this is hard for you.’ There was such a gentleness in his tone and such care for her. He took her hand then and kissed it, gently. ‘Thank you, brave warrior. I am so grateful to you, and so will Mr Churchill be when I tell him. You have trusted me and now I think you deserve the same. You know already I have to go back undercover as a Nazi. But the reason the timing is imperative is because the Allies have a large planned offensive coming up and my job is to thwart Hitler’s efforts to get accurate information. I have been careful to progress my career to a place where I can do this. It is dangerous work and if I am found out, I will be executed, but if I don’t do it thousands of people could die. This war has to end and Hitler is a madman who must be stopped. I just hope I can help speed it up.’
She nodded, understanding the gravity of what he had to do.
When guards came on the train to check her papers this time, it was very different being with Marcus. When one emboldened inspector asked to see her papers, Marcus reprimanded him so harshly for demanding something from his assistant that the poor man couldn’t apologise enough. Though it was clear getting false papers for her had to be a priority, Vivi actually felt sorry for the guard, knowing the authorities on and off the train weren’t the Gestapo, just local law-enforcement officers, strong-armed into working for the Germans, and people who cared little for who was who.
As the train moved on through France towards Paris, Marcus told her about his childhood, and stories of him and Marcel. She saw the sadness behind his eyes, but also the relief to be doing this for them. He continued to tell her about his life as they wove through the countryside, only becoming stiff and Nazi-like whenever somebody walked down the corridor and looked in.
They made a plan. If she was to remain, she would become his secretary. That way he could keep her safe. ‘As soon as we get to Paris,’ he told her, ‘I will get in touch with a contact I can rely on to get you false papers.’
On arriving at the station, Marcus took her straight to his apartment. Once he unlocked the door and they walked in, he sank into a chair, obviously exhausted, not only from being in a great deal of pain from his wounds, but also from the pretence they had been keeping up. Vivi quickly took care of him, changing his bandages and getting him into bed.
It was only at this point that Vivi broke down. All the stress and pressure and the lying overcoming her, welling up inside her, and she started