“I’m not sure I understand the mission,” Jeremy said when he was alone with Paul and Crockatt. “Are we to rescue Ferrand Boulier or not? Has he been arrested?”
The major responded, “We don’t know, but he might get captured, or even turn himself in to save his friends. Regardless, the network needs to continue to function. You’d normally be considered too close to the issues to be part of the task, except that the participants in France already know and trust you. We don’t have time to formulate a better alternative.”
“So, what am I supposed to do?”
“I’ve barely had time to think things through,” Crockatt said. “The first hurdle is getting you over there. Teams are to be structured with a leader, a radio operator, and a courier. The other members joining you are mostly trained, but you’re not, at least not for this specific leadership role. Again, we don’t have time. You’ll have to rely on what you picked up in combat and while evading across France. We need you on the ground there tomorrow night, but even the way we get you in and out of the country has to be worked out.” He smiled sardonically. “You caught us in our infancy. Everything is experimental.”
A puzzled look crossed Jeremy’s face. “What happened to Claire? She seemed upset when she left.”
“She doesn’t want you going on this mission,” Paul cut in. “Menzies sent her back to Bletchley to care for Timmy. They’ll stay in the apartment while you’re gone.”
“You won’t be going back there at least until after your return,” Crockatt added.
“But why?” Jeremy asked, startled. “I should say goodbye to Timmy. He’ll be confused when he doesn’t see me, and he’s lost enough people that were important to him.”
“There’s no time,” Crockatt said brusquely. “If we’re to get you into France tomorrow night, we need every minute to plan and prepare.”
Something about his tone caused Jeremy to scrutinize the major’s face, which remained impassive. Jeremy swung around to search Paul’s expression. His brother only shook his head.
Jeremy’s concern rose. “What happens to Timmy if something happens to me?”
“The Foreign Office is still searching for his relations, and until they’re found, you are still his guardian. Claire and the nanny will take care of him on your behalf.”
“Timmy will always have a home with the Littlefields for as long as he needs one,” Paul interjected. “Rest assured of that. I’ll be looking in on him regularly.”
Not quite mollified, Jeremy asked, “Can’t I at least see him before I leave?”
Crockatt shook his head. “You can’t go back to Bletchley, unless you want to cancel the mission.”
Jeremy shot the major a piercing look but said nothing. An image formed in his mind of the first time he had seen the little boy crawling back into the smoke and flames on the Lancastria. The memories flooded in again.
He turned on the major fiercely. “Promise me,” he rasped, his voice suddenly hoarse. Then he whirled on his brother. “Swear to me that you will let nothing bad happen to Timmy. I promised his mother.”
A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. Vivian opened it. “The operations and logistics people are ready for Jeremy,” she said.
Jeremy glanced at her without seeing her. When his eyes focused, he was startled at her presence. He peered at Paul again with a probing expression.
Paul nodded with a set jaw and furrowed brow. “I swear.”
Jeremy shifted his gaze to Crockatt.
“Count on it,” the major said. “Now,” he continued, changing the subject, “while you meet your team, draw your gear, and get up to snuff on procedures, Paul and I will put a mission concept together. We’ll be ready with it this evening.”
After Jeremy had left with Vivian, Paul turned to Crockatt. “Do you think he knows why he can’t go back to Bletchley?”
“He’s not dumb,” Crockatt replied. “He knows he’s going to France in civilian attire, and if he’s captured, he could be shot as a spy. Or he could be tortured, in which case he would want to know nothing about Bletchley. Thankfully, he knows nothing of Enigma.
“From his view, all factors that precipitated this mission emanated from radio transmissions coming out of Marseille to Lord Hankey’s fledgling organization. For him, Bletchley Park was just a place to stay. We must keep it that way.”
Paul agreed, but refrained from mentioning his other concern. If Claire is right, and Jeremy is smitten with Amélie, they could endanger each other and the entire Boulier network.
47
“You’ll have to jump, ol’ boy,” Major Crockatt said. They were in an old farmhouse north of London. Its pastures had been converted into an airfield, its barns into supply huts and training facilities. “You’ll fly across the Channel in a Lockheed B14L Hudson bomber.” He was almost apologetic. “We’re contemplating having Lysander aircraft land in France for future missions, but we don’t have time to make the necessary preparations for this round. We’d have to find fields, establish air and ground signals, train reception teams. All of that is infinitely more difficult for landing a plane than flying over and dropping people off.”
While the major spoke, a senior sergeant held up assorted items, called them out, and put them in various pockets of Jeremy’s kit. Further down the room, other non-coms checked out Jeremy’s courier, Théo, and the radio operator, Brigitte, a very small woman. Jeremy had met them earlier in the day.
Watching them while being briefed, Jeremy struggled to surmount misgivings over the woman. Then he remembered Amélie facing two German soldiers on a rain-soaked night on the road above
