Innocence To Die For by Eidinow John

Author:Eidinow, John [Eidinow, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Endeavour Press
Published: 2017-05-10T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Three

Lying on his bunk in the bowels of the destroyer, Cherbourg-bound with the general and his entourage, he uneasily weighed the circumstances in which he, Peter Hill, had accepted an order to shoot … possibly shoot … probably shoot … to kill, a civilian; was now on his way, possibly, probably to carry it out. There was also the matter of this “reputation” he’d apparently acquired.

Through the metal of the bunk, he could feel the destroyer picking up speed, the metal humming, the thump of the screws increasingly heavy. The lesser evil? Could he say that about his shooting a civilian rather than allowing her to fall into Gestapo hands?

Madame Lagrange, the colonel had instructed him, was a British agent. And no ordinary agent. She had been planted in the Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s household in Paris, had even bolted with them to Antibes, but was no longer part of their much-reduced entourage. There were rumours of contacts between the duchess and the Germans, allied orders of battle passed over. The duke had held on to a cache of secret royal papers. There were concerns in Whitehall over his support for a peace settlement, his friendship with Hitler.

Now, what price the fact that British Intelligence had planted an agent on the former monarch? The damage Lagrange might do in German hands had plainly put the wind up the highest levels of government and intelligence. No doubt there was much else the woman knew. So, at a level well above this room in The Mansions, a decision had been taken that the national interest required “bring her home or send her to the devil”. And the summons had gone out to Special Duties. Colonel Ponsonby’s eyes had narrowed. A chance to show what SD could do, justify their claim to be the unit for unconventional missions done in unconventional ways – flexible, buccaneering, imaginative. More than this mission was riding on Peter’s – he’d called him Peter for the first time – shoulders.

The truly crucial thing, the colonel had said, was to plan his getaway. ‘Finding her and dealing with her is one thing. The tricky bit is making good your escape, if you need to. Know exactly how you’ll get out before you get in. That’s a rule of life. Have an alternative in mind. Plan your cover story in case you run into someone. At least you’re in uniform.’

And, Peter thought, could still be denied. But, after all, why shouldn’t he persuade her that London was a better bet than a Gestapo cellar?

Equipped with papers, passwords and contacts, off he’d set into the blue June evening.

‘This is just the job for you.’ Colonel Ponsonby had walked him to the lift. ‘And a flying start for the section.’

****

At a cacophonous Waterloo, a transport officer had directed him to the furthest reaches of the station for the general’s special train. The entrance to the platform had been roped off and armed military police guarded the barrier, meticulously checking papers and travel orders.

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