Wartime at Bletchley Park by Molly Green

Author:Molly Green [Green, Molly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2022-04-06T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

‘Will you please come to the training room, Dulcie?’ Wanda said, two days later when Dale was on the hated midnight shift.

Dale glanced at the clock. Just gone four. She badly needed a cup of tea.

Sonia looked round curiously. ‘Sounds ominous.’

Dale shrugged. As far as she was aware there wasn’t any problem. She was never late. She did her shifts without complaint and rarely got involved in the other girls’ conversations at break times.

Wanda waved her to one of the chairs, now set round the table where the Enigma machine still sat.

‘How are your new digs working out?’ was her first question.

The question seemed innocent enough, given Wanda’s recent unfriendliness, but Dale was on full alert.

‘Um, fine, thanks.’

‘And you still won’t tell me where you’ve moved to?’

Dale shifted in her chair. What was all this about? Before she could think of a reply, Wanda said:

‘I know you’ve gone to Langton Hall.’

Dale gave a start.

‘As your supervisor I need to know.’ Wanda narrowed her eyes. ‘I knew it would be something special because you were so cagey about it.’

‘I was asked not to broadcast it.’

‘Rather different from where you were, I should think,’ Wanda commented drily, although her eyes gleamed.

‘Yes, it is,’ Dale said, beginning to feel uncomfortable. This was leading somewhere.

‘Well, I haven’t called you in to discuss your accommodation,’ Wanda said abruptly. ‘It’s for another matter – rather more serious, I’m afraid.’

Dale’s heart jumped.

‘Your previous landlord, Mr Draper, has made a serious allegation against you.’

Dale frowned. ‘Oh?’

‘He said you know the rules that you were not to invite anyone into your room unless you had his permission, and he distinctly heard you talking to someone on your last evening.’

‘I’ve never had anyone in my room.’

‘No, he said on second thoughts he realised no one would get past him or his wife.’ She looked at Dale. ‘So he concluded you were talking on a radio transmitter.’

‘What on earth is he on about? I was—’

Wanda held up her hand in that irritating way she had. ‘But what Mr Draper was more concerned about was that it sounded like you were talking to whoever it was in German.’

Dale let out a peal of laughter. ‘Oh, that,’ she said, thankful she could explain. ‘I was practising my German out loud.’ She looked at Wanda. ‘Do you know, I thought I heard someone outside my door – in fact, Mr Draper has a nervous cough and I was sure I heard that – but when I went to look, there was no one in sight. He must’ve been eavesdropping and got hold of the wrong end of the stick.’

Wanda kept her gaze on Dale. ‘He says he’s been harbouring a German spy.’

‘What?’ Dale’s face screwed up in disbelief.

‘Yes, they were his words,’ Wanda said.

‘How ridiculous. I’m so thankful to be out of that horrible place. Well, at least his mates would have told him in no uncertain terms that he was having them on. No one would have believed such a fantastic story.’

‘Oh, but I’m afraid they did.

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