‘The two men who came here today were either Canadian military or British government intelligence officers. Whoever they work for, they were intelligence. I was met by a similar pair when I returned from Canada and taken to RAF Brize Norton and interviewed. I took Aimée to my sister for Christmas and when I got home my house had been searched. They searched Alain’s grandmother’s house too and took Alain’s university books away.
‘It was Alain’s grandmother who helped me to evade RCAF intelligence in England. I didn’t fly to France, which I normally would have done, and which I’m sure they’d expect me to do. Instead, I took a ship across the Channel and several trains.’ Claire looked from Édith to André. ‘I wasn’t followed here, of that I am certain.
‘I am sorry they came here, but I couldn’t risk using my English passport and papers. If I had they’d have stopped me before I left England. I had no choice but to use my French passport, and the name and travel permit that I used in the Resistance.’ André lifted his shoulders and held up his hands as if to say it didn’t matter. Claire was family. More importantly, she had been a member of the Gisoir Resistance cell during the war.
Claire knew she would always be loved and supported by the Belland family. Even so, she had brought the intelligence services to their door. Something she had not wanted to do. ‘I knew it was only a matter of time before Alain’s commander got in touch with the SOE, the organisation that sent me to France to work with the Resistance in forty-one, but I had hoped Mr Smith, the head of the organisation, would refuse to give the commander my Resistance name and address--’
‘But the men who came here knew both, so he did,’ André said.
‘Yes.’ Claire took a tired breath and let it out slowly. ‘They might know I am in France, they might think I would come here at some point, but they can’t be sure of anything.’
‘Has your boss in the SOE betrayed you, Ma chère?’ Édith asked.
‘He wouldn’t have wanted to, but the intelligence services would have made it clear to him that he had no choice, given the importance of the situation.’
‘Which is?’ André asked.
‘Alain has been accused of spying for the Germans in the war.’
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Silence hung in the air like a dead weight. It was Édith who broke it. ‘Alain a spy? He is no more a spy than I am.’
André and Therese agreed. ‘Is there any evidence to back up this accusation?’ André asked.
‘No, of course not,’ Claire said, ‘Alain has been ill. He has what the doctor at Brize Norton called shell shock.’ She looked at Édith. ‘We went to Canada so he could have specialist treatment.’ Édith smiled sympathetically and nodded. ‘Part of the treatment was hypnosis and the professor, Lucien Puel, an eminent Swiss psychiatrist, sent Alain’s medical report and his findings to Alain’s base commander.’
‘Did you see the report?’
‘I saw a copy of it. I also saw a copy of the letter he sent. The report was a transcript of the sessions Alain had with Professor Puel. The letter was something very different. It was the professor’s personal opinion.’
‘I don’t understand how a doctor’s opinion could differ from what is on a medical report, however eminent he is,’ André said.
Claire blew out her cheeks and looked up at the ceiling. She’d have to tell them about Simone if she was going to tell them everything. She took a deep breath. ‘Alain had bad dreams, which was part of the shell shock. In the dreams, he talked about a woman called Simone. Professor Puel told Alain that he had survivor’s guilt. He said it was because when Alain escaped from the prison he left the woman behind.’
‘That makes sense,’ André said.
Claire didn’t want to tell her friends that she suspected Alain of having an affair with Simone while he was in the prison, and feared they were still lovers. There was no point. They would hate him for it, and she didn’t want that. Besides, she had come to France to prove Alain wasn’t a German spy, not an unfaithful husband. She would find out about Simone later when she had cleared Alain’s name.
‘I agree,’ Claire said, ‘but in the letter to Alain’s commander, Professor Puel said Simone was a German agent who had turned Alain while he was in prison.’
‘No!’ André slammed his fist down hard on the table. ‘I have met men who have been turned, who have informed on their comrades.’ His eyes flashed with anger as he spoke. ‘These men wear the black shadow of guilt. They saved their own lives, but they live with the blood of their dead comrades on their consciences.’ André shook his head vehemently. ‘These traitors carry the souls of their dead comrades around with them. You can see it in their eyes. Alain Mitchell is not one of these men.’
The street at the front of Édith’s house was deserted. There was not a car or a pedestrian in sight. Claire, dressed in Therese’s boots, coat and hat, carried her handbag. ‘Good night, belle-mère.’ She kissed Édith and whispered, ‘See you tomorrow.’ André kissed his mother goodbye, then took Claire’s arm, supporting her as they walked together along the slippery snow-covered path to the car. Claire turned and waved to Édith while André opened the passenger door. ‘Thank
