And where on earth was she going? Evelyn continued walking, her hands in her pockets and her head down against the brisk wind. They couldn’t just continue to flee north ahead of the Germans with no clear destination in mind. Eventually they would run into the advancing forces. They had to have a destination well before that happened.
She pursed her lips thoughtfully. Perhaps she should try for the Swedish border after all. Peder had been right when he said that it was unlikely for the Swedish to detain a British national. However, if Anna was correct and they refused any refugees at all, then she would be trapped at the border in the face of the advancing German army and, more importantly, the Gestapo and SS. Was it worth the risk? On the other hand, what were her options?
Evelyn exhaled and glanced back at the car. If Peder could get through to London, Bill would be able to advise her. She had no idea what the best course of action was anymore, except to keep moving and avoid the Germans.
Strangely, she wasn’t in a panic over the thought of the advancing enemy troops. So far, aside from the sight of the silent warships in the water outside Oslo, she hadn’t seen any of the troops, nor heard any bombs or gunfire. Of course, they were nowhere near the coast where the invasion forces were undoubtedly landing, and that distance encouraged her to think that perhaps she would be able to get out of Norway without coming face to face with the Germans after all.
“Marlene!” Anna called.
Evelyn turned to find her waving her back. She hurried back to the car, her brows raised in question.
“What is it?”
Anna waved towards the car where Peder had unrolled the back window.
“The Germans have landed at Bergen and Narvik,” he said, looking up from his radio. “After we left Oslo, the batteries at Oscarsborg Fortress sunk one of the ships. The rest retreated and landed troops further south. They’ll reach the city soon.”
“Where else have they landed?” Evelyn asked, leaning against the car.
“I don’t know yet. That was all I managed to get so far. I’m still trying to get through to London, but no luck yet.”
“What if he can’t get through?” Anna asked Evelyn.
“I’ll have to keep trying as we go,” she answered with a shrug.
“My brother’s unit is near Trondheim,” Anna said slowly. “I think perhaps we should try to reach them. If nothing else, the army may have a better chance of reaching London.”
“They would have to know why and who they’re contacting, and that’s impossible,” Evelyn said, shaking her head. “No. I still think Sweden is my best course, but I want to wait and hear from London first. They may have something else in mind.”
“Yes, but in the meantime, we need to keep moving. If we head towards Trondheim, we will be moving into territory held by the Norwegian forces.”
“If they haven’t fallen,” Peder said from the car. “There’s no guarantee that Trondheim is safe. It’s a harbor, and for all we know, the Germans may have landed there.”
“Then we continue on, but we must try to move towards friendly forces,” Anna argued. “If the Germans do sweep inland, we’ll never make it on our own.”
“That’s true, too,” he admitted.
Evelyn exhaled.
“All right. We’ll go north until I can reach London,” she said reluctantly. “But if we run into any fighting, I’ll argue that we move east towards Sweden if I haven’t got through to my handlers.”
“Agreed,” Anna said with a nod. “Peder, how much longer do you need? I’ve finished filling the tank.”
“I’ll try for a bit longer,” he said. “If I haven’t got through in ten minutes, we’ll continue. Do either of you know how to drive?”
“I do,” Evelyn said. “Do you want me to drive?”
“If you do, I can sleep.”
“I don’t mind,” she said with a smile. “In fact, I enjoy driving. You stay back there and sleep. As long as Anna is willing to tell me where I’m going, we’ll be fine.”
“Good. I’ll sleep and then continue trying to get through on the radio for you,” Peder said, stifling a yawn.
“I’ll go pay for the petrol.” Anna turned towards the building on the other side of the small pump. “And I suppose I will warn them of what’s going on.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Evelyn offered, but Anna waved her away with a smile.
“No. Go familiarize yourself with the car. I’d rather not end up in that ditch over there.”
Evelyn was betrayed into a laugh and turned to go around to the driver side door. The likelihood of her landing them in a ditch was virtually non-existent, but Anna had no way of knowing how skilled a driver she was. Her only regret was that she didn’t have the speed of Gisele’s Bugatti or her own Lagonda. Or Miles’ Jaguar.
Evelyn slid behind the wheel of the Volvo, her smile fading with the thought of Miles. He would be horrified if he had any inkling of where she was or what she was doing. He thought she was in Wales on a training course. Instead, while he was flying his Spitfire on patrols over the English Channel and having drinks at the pub, she was fleeing across Norway ahead of the German army with two compatriots who were risking their own lives to help her. Miles could never learn the truth, and as the war went on, the secrets and the lies would only continue to build until she didn’t know if he would ever forgive her.
And that was almost as terrifying as the prospect of being caught by the advancing Germans.
Chapter Nineteen
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Oslo, Norway
8am
Eisenjager glanced up at the apartment building before him and moved out of the way
