The Life That I Have

Chapter 35

There was another air-raid that night; the worst for many weeks.

  Constance and Bobby sat in a public air-raid shelter and began to alter the date on Constance's papers, making her a few years older.

  Bobby was nice, and Constance liked him. To her, it felt like only a few minutes till the all-clear went. She left the shelter, her papers in hand. She was so happy, in spite of the horror and destruction around her. At first she had scorned the women's services, now she could barely wait to joint the Auxiliary Nurses.

  Constance realized how nice it was to have a friend around her own age. Even though Bobby was twenty-four, and Constance sixteen, he treated her like a lady. She had friends, but most of which had been evacuated to the country.

  As she drew nearer to her street, she saw more and more houses just gone: evaporated by a bomb. Soon, she realized she had gone to far. But how? She had not seen her house. Something terrible entered her head. It couldn't be true! No!

  She sprinted back to where her house was, or rather, had been. An air raid warden was clambering over the wreckage. Constance stumbled over to him.

  "Where are the people who lived in this house?" she asked, desperately.

  "Two of them. Blow to bits just like that. Both dead, mother and daughter."

  Constance didn't want to hear anymore. Almost in shock, she turned slowly and began to walk briskly in the direction from which she had come. Bobby would know what to do. He would help her.

  "Bobby!" Constance wailed as the door opened. "Bobby, it's gone! Destroyed!"

  "Wait, calm down. What's happened?"

  "I got home, and there was nothing there! The blitz!"

  Bobby paused. Constance was a nice kid, but he didn't want to be responsible for her.

  "What about your family?" he asked.

  "I don't have any! Not anymore! Oh, God, what will I do now?!"

  An idea flashed into his head.

  "Come with me. I'll take you somewhere where they will look after you."

  "Not a home! You promise me it's not a home?"

  He nodded sincerely. Perhaps TOO sincerely.

  "Don't worry, Constance. My friend will look after you."

Phillipa Haycock was going on one of those rare visits to her superior, Colonel Adamson.

  She was slightly puzzled by his summoning of her. The last time he had wanted to see her in person was when they were arranging a top secret mission concerning Dunkirk. Since then, they had conversed by telephone.

  Phillipa always felt uneasy going to other people's offices. She was used to being the one behind the desk.

  "Come in," Adamson's voice boomed.

  Phillipa Haycock entered.

  "Ah, Pip. I'm glad to see you. Sit down." He indicated to a leather chair.

  After seating herself, Phillipa asked:

  "What do you want to see me about, Jim?"

  "Ah, well, it's about that girl, Anya Devlin. You see, we're desperately short of people to send out France. SOEs. Do you think she'd be interested?"

  "I shouldn't think so. She has a newborn baby to think about."

  Colonel Adamson looked a little disappointed.

  "Ah, well. Can't be helped. But that wasn't the only reason I asked you here. It was about that man she told us about, Rudi Hein. Do you think he can be trusted?"

  Phillipa paused for a moment before replying.

  "Anya Devlin certainly thought so. The whole Maquis apparently did too, and they're quite choosy. Why do you ask?"

  "Well, because I've been thinking. He'd be very useful to us. First-hand information on the way the Luftwaffe works. What do you think? Good wheeze?"

  "Yes... very good wheeze."

Bobby pulled the car outside a large, wooden sign, screaming the word 'ORPHANAGE'.

  "What are we doing here?" Constance demanded.

  Bobby ignored her and indicated to a woman who had just come up to the car.

  "Constance, this is Mrs Lee. I think she'll really look after you," he said, inhaling deeply from his cigarette as he spoke.

  "But I'm not an orphan!" she said, clearly confused.

  Mrs Lee opened the car door.

  "Come on, Constance. Come and meet the other girls."

  With Mrs Lee pulling, and Bobby pushing, Constance had little choice but to get out. Bobby waved cheerily as he began to drive off.

  "Let go of me!" Constance shouted to Mrs Lee, who had taken a firm hold of her arm. Twisting herself free, Constance started to run after the little car.

  "Don't leave me, no! Bobby! Bobby!"

  The car gained speed and soon it had left Constance far behind. She stood there for a minute, her mind blank. It was cold, so she put her hands in her pockets where she felt a piece of paper. Her forged papers.

  "At least I still have these," she whispered to herself.

Paul took the message to Dominique who studied it carefully.

  "They want Rudi to go England," she said to Laurent.

  "Why?"

  "It doesn't say. It just says 'expect arrangements in next SKED'."

  Laurent took the message and read it through thoroughly.

  "Do you suppose Anya told them about Rudi?"

  "Obviously, or how else do they know about him?"

  "Do you think they are going to– I don't know. Put him in a prisoner of war camp or something?"

  "No, not unless they had good reason. Anyway, we have to obey the people in London."

  "No, Dominique. YOU have to obey London. Rudi doesn't."

  Dominique smiled.

  "He does if he doesn't want to be put in a prisoner of war camp."