The Life That I Have

Chapter 30

"So, it's only the German's food that we're drugging?" Marilyne asked, wanting to make absolutely sure before they started to inject the ominous liquid from the brown bottles into the various food articles she had spread out before her.

  Laurent nodded.

  "I've already mixed it, so one syringe-full should be enough to knock them out. And, unless they eat the whole lot, it won't do them any harm."

  "Pity," Gilles said, only half-listening.

  Marilyne looked down in amazement at all the bottles.

  "Where on earth did you get all this?" she asked, studying one of the bottles.

  Laurent blushed.

  "I know the local midwife quite well. She's a friend. She gave it to me, no questions asked."

  Marilyne smiled and stuck her syringe neatly in a loaf of bread.   

Anya unpacked her things miserably. How she ached to feel the fresh breeze on her face, to see the Maquis scurrying around the castle. And to feel Rudi's arms around her.

  It was then she noticed the letter Alexander had given to her. She was dying to know what it said about her. 'Be kind and look after her for she is little more than a child', she imagined bitterly.

  She knew that she was being unfair to Alexander, but she resented him for making her leave France. Anya decided to deliver the letter first thing in the morning, before she gave in to the temptation to read it!

Back at the cave, Marilyne was exhausted, and what concerned Jean-Marc, looked it.

  "You have to make yourself look normal," he told her.

  Marilyne looked skeptically into the small mirror she was holding. She had dark circles under her eyes, and the rest of her face was deadly pale.

  Once again, it was Denise who saved the day.

  "I have a bit of makeup in my room, I'll go and get it."

  When Denise had left the room, Marilyne told Jean-Marc what Laurent had said.

  "Laurent said it would take about half-an-hour to knock them out," she explained.

  "That's good. Gives time for the second sitting of lunch to have eaten before they start dropping."

  Marilyne frowned.

  "But not everyone may eat," she pointed out. "There are bound to be some people still awake, and they'll raise the alarm."

  Jean-Marc smiled.

  "We'll cut the telephone wires so no help can be called for, and sabotage all the vehicles so they can't go anywhere.  Every person involved in the mission will be armed with a gun and chloroform."

  Marilyne was still skeptical about the plan's ability to succeed, but decided to keep quiet. At that moment, Denise returned, and while Marilyne was making herself look like a normal person again, Alexander went over and spoke with Jean-Marc.

  "You OK?" he asked.

   "I wonder how many lives saving the one will cost?" Jean-Marc said, more as a statement than a question.

  Alexander wasn't quite sure how to answer this.

  "Rudi's a nice kid..." he said feebly. But then he remembered all the times Rudi had saved him; back at the cave when he had risked his life to get vital medical supplies. "... And I think we should do all we can do to help him," he concluded.

Anya looked around her. It was a nice street, and the houses were enormous. She could barely imagine Alexander marching down the street, at least not the way she had known him, with his torn and oil-stained uniform.

  The number she wanted was right at the end of the row.

  The door was quickly opened by a good-looking girl of about sixteen, with a round face, deeply set grey eyes, and luxurious dark brown hair.

  "Miss Cooper?"

  "Yes?"

  "Is your mother in?"

  "Yes. Why?" the girl asked warily.

  Anya was about to reply: 'It's about your father', but stopped herself at the last moment.

  "I'm Anya Devlin. I need to speak to her."

  Anya was lead through an extravagant hallway to a neat and tidy kitchen where a woman was busy cooking.

  "Mrs Cooper?"

  The woman looked up. Her eyes were red and swollen from many hours of crying.

  "I have some news– of your husband."