The '44 Vintage

' Patron!' The fist banged on the door again, and this time the urgency in the voice overrode any possibility of refusal.

'Which makes it all the more important that your major dies before he can betray his secret,' said De Courcy harshly. 'In the meanwhile— Excusez-moi.'

He rose from his seat and pushed past them to the doors. ' Qu'est-ce que c'est, Gaston—Jean-Pierre—

Louis-Marie, qu'est-ce que tu peux bien faire ici?' He unbarred the door and stepped out of the ambulance, closing the door behind him.

Winston stared for a moment at the closed door. 'You don't think maybe you were taking a risk, talking in front of that guy, Lieutenant?'

'Dr. de Courcy?' Audley shook his head. 'No, Sergeant. The doctor's a good republican, not a Communist. And besides, if he had switched, then he wouldn't have bothered with us once he knew we couldn't find the loot for him. All we can do is stop anyone else finding it—and he knows that.' He shook his head again. 'Our problems will start when we've dealt with the major . . . You know what we've got ourselves into?'

'One hell of a mess, Lieutenant—that's for sure.'

Audley stared into space. 'An understatement. When I think about all the trouble they've been to—the Communists planting false information on us ... our side setting up a special operation at short notice—

with a hand-picked bunch of professional thugs—hand-picked because they had no connection with the French, too ... then I begin to wonder just what it is that we're trying so hard not to find.' He switched back to Winston, and then suddenly to Hauptmann Grafenberg. 'I owe you an apology, Captain.'

The German straightened up in surprise. ' Bitte?'

'I should have left you with the Boucards. But I had a plan to use you to get into the chateau. It would have been as dangerous for you as for us'—He shrugged apologetically, almost like a Frenchman—'but it was all I could think of. Fortunately it isn't necessary now.'

The young German stared at him blankly. 'I am at your service, Herr Leutnant.' Then an odd flash of recognition animated his face. 'I understand that you have ... a difficult duty to perform. And I understand also that I am in your debt for the risk you took on my behalf.'

'Yeah. And I guess you understand also that we've stopped fighting Germans too, huh?' murmured Winston.

Price, Anthony - [David Audley 08] - The '44 Vintage

'Yes.' The German gave a quick nod. 'That too, I understand.'

The American gave a short laugh. 'That's right, mein Herr—welcome to World War Three.'

Audley sat up sharply. 'My God, Sergeant! You're exactly right: World War Three is what it is—the first skirmish of World War Three! What a perfectly bloody prospect!'

Butler felt strangely comforted. General Sir Henry Chesney had been right all along. And he, Corporal Butler, might live to be Second Lieutenant Butler yet if he survived the next few hours.

The ambulance doors swung open.

'Trouble,' said Winston instantly.

He was right, thought Butler: trouble was written all over De Courcy's face.

'They are in the chateau.' His voice cracked.

'Who?' said Audley.

'Your comrades—your major!'

'But—how can they be?'

De Courcy pointed. 'The German vehicles—the ones which have been passing on the road—they were from the chateau. They left four hours ahead of time. Louis-Marie saw the first of your men go in—men in khaki with blackened faces, from the woods opposite the main gate.'

Butler looked at Audley.

Everyone was looking at Audley.

'And also . . .' For once words failed Dr. de Courcy.

'Also?' echoed Audley.

'There are strangers on the road, Louis-Marie says. Frenchmen who are not from Civray.'

'Surprise, surprise,' said Winston.

Price, Anthony - [David Audley 08] - The '44 Vintage

Audley looked at him. 'We should have reckoned on the Germans doing that, Sergeant,' he said mildly.

'It was the obvious thing to do, when you think about it.'

'It was? So now what's the obvious thing for us to do, Lieutenant?'

The obvious thing was to run away as fast and as far as possible, thought Butler. But that was the one thing they couldn't do, nevertheless: they had a date with World War Three which couldn't be broken.

'The obvious thing'—Audley blinked—'is to blacken our faces and harden our hearts—and go and see what's happening.'

22. How they passed the gate of Chateau Pont-Civray