Before the Dawn by Candace Camp

Author:Candace Camp [Camp, Candace]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: historical romance, historical fiction, WWII, World War II
Publisher: Clutch Books LLC
Published: 2019-08-19T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

The telephone rang, and Alyssa jumped to answer it. She had been waiting to hear from Ian since yesterday evening. A male voice asked for Alyssa, and when she identified herself, he told her to go to an office building not far from St. James’s Park and take the elevator to the fifth floor.

Alyssa threw on her coat and hurried over to the building. Inside, a glance at the directory on the wall beside the elevator told her there was nothing listed above the fourth story. She frowned, wondering if the caller had been wrong or had used the American system of numbering floors for her convenience. As she hesitated, a man rose from a bench by the door.

“Miss Lambert?”

“Yes.”

“I’m to take you up.” He led her into an elevator and told the operator to take them to the fifth floor. Alyssa realized that the entire fifth floor must be secret.

Her escort took her down a hall past several closed doors and knocked on the last one. Ian’s familiar voice called to them to enter.

“Hello, my dear.” Ian rose and came around his desk to take Alyssa’s hand. “How are you?”

“Fine.” Alyssa glanced around. “Is this where you work?”

He shook his head. “No, they have me in the basement of an old house outside the city. But this is a better place to meet people.”

When he remained silent after that, Alyssa prodded, “You know why I’m here.”

“Yes. Blakely recommended you highly, though he added that he disliked sending you into certain danger.” A thin smile touched his lips. “That caused some stir here, for Blakely is generally regarded to be lacking a heart.”

“And what did you think about it?”

“I think he’s right. It’s too dangerous a task to ask of any woman, although I’m sure you would be good at it. I won’t put you through another list of objections. No doubt you heard quite enough of that from Blakely. Frankly, I don’t want you to go.”

“But why? I don’t understand—if Everson praised me—“

“It’s not a question of your abilities; Blakely’s words only confirmed what we had already learned about you. Nor is it a question of my refusing to let you do the job. It is my preference that you not go. Sometimes I think that I have asked too much of people, that I have sent too many people to their deaths. And you have already given up a great deal.”

“I want to go.”

“I know. And if you are absolutely positive that it is what you want to do, I shall send you to the three people who make the decision on your suitability.”

“I’m positive that I want to do it.”

A smile escaped him. “Don’t you even want to hear what the job is first?”

“I wasn’t sure you would tell me.”

“I don’t think I need be quite that secretive with you. Your security has been well established. What we need is a ‘pianist.’”

Alyssa stared at him, confused. “A what?”

“Pianist. A slang term we use for a radio operator.

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