China Blue (The Dudley Sisters Saga Book 3) by Madalyn Morgan (top 100 novels of all time TXT) 📕

commandant shook her hand, congratulated her, and wished her luck. That was enough. She had no qualms about going overseas and no doubts about her strength, physical or mental. She had successfully completed every step of a secret agent’s training and looked forward to her first mission into occupied France.

Claire hauled her case across the entrance hall to her ground floor apartment. She dove into her handbag, couldn’t find her key, and began to panic. She dropped the case with a dull thud, knelt down and tipped the contents of her handbag onto the floor. ‘Phew!’ she gasped. The key was stuck in the lining. While she was throwing her belongings back into her bag, Milly opened her apartment door and leapt out.

‘You’re back!’ she shouted, dashing across to Claire. ‘You look all in. When you’ve unpacked come over to mine. I’ve got some eggs from a pal who hates them. I’ll do fried eggs and chips.’

‘Thanks, Milly, I’d love to. I didn’t have time to eat anything before I left, and I was too tired to go to the shops when I got back to London.’ Claire opened the door and threw in her suitcase and gas mask. ‘My feet are killing me,’ she said, kicking off her shoes.

‘By the time you’ve sorted yourself out supper will be ready.’ Milly handed Claire her handbag. ‘I’ll leave the door on the latch,’ she said, disappearing into her apartment.

Entering the sitting room, Claire shivered. The flat was so cold, bordering on damp. She decided to unpack later and set about building a fire. It took hold quickly and after putting the fireguard in front of it, she went to the bathroom and had a quick wash. Pushing her feet into her slippers, she grabbed her keys and crossed the hall to Milly’s flat. ‘Hellooo?’

‘Come in!’ Milly shouted from the kitchen. ‘Supper’s almost ready. There are a couple of bottles of beer in the sideboard cupboard. Open them, will you?’

‘Are you sure you don’t want to save them for a special occasion?’

‘This is a special occasion. Open them, woman!’ Milly ordered, bringing in bread and butter and a bowl of chips. ‘One minute and the eggs will be done,’ she said, disappearing back into the kitchen.

Claire opened a bottle of beer, shared it between the two glasses, and put the other bottle on the table. She had just sat down when Milly returned carrying two plates, with an egg on each. After passing Claire hers she spooned half the chips onto Claire’s plate and emptied the rest onto her own. ‘Help yourself to bread and butter,’ Milly said, taking a slice and dipping it in the yoke of her egg.

When they had finished eating, Milly lifted her glass of beer. ‘I got the job as a translator.’

‘Congratulations. I’m pleased for you,’ Claire said, lifting her glass and clinking Milly’s.

‘It’s been so long since the interview, I’d almost given up. I only got the letter today, in the last post. You’re the first person I’ve told. I’ll go to the phone box in the morning and ring my mum. She’ll be so pleased, dad too.’ Milly chattered on, hardly taking a breath. ‘I’m not sure which they’ll be more pleased about – that I got the job, or that I won’t be going overseas.’

For a moment Claire thought about her own mum and dad, wondered how they would feel if they knew she might soon be going to France. She tried to shake the thought from her mind, but she was tired and felt emotional thinking about them. ‘There’s no need to wait until tomorrow.’

‘For what?’

‘To speak to your mum and dad. Use my telephone. Ring them now.’

‘I didn’t know you had a telephone.’

‘It was in the flat when I moved in.’

‘Thank you – if you’re sure? I’ll pay you for the call.’

‘Don’t be silly. It’s the least I can do after you cooked me this lovely meal.’

While Milly telephoned her mother, Claire washed the dishes. Afterwards the two girls sat with the second bottle of beer and listened to the wireless.

Claire turned off the light and looked out of the window. There was a full moon. Four nights left of the eight where pilots would risk flying into France by moonlight. But with no French identity papers, clothes and accessories, Claire knew she wouldn’t be going to France this month. She dropped the blackout curtains back into place, felt her way across her small sitting room and switched the light back on. Itching for something to do, she flopped onto the settee and picked up a magazine. She had already read it.

She was out of her mind with boredom. She spoke to Eddie and her sister Bess on the telephone often, so when it rang she jumped up, ran to it, and sang, ‘Hello?’

‘Claire? It’s Vera Halliday here.’

‘Hello, Miss Halliday,’ Claire said, her heart beating with expectation.

‘Your French identity papers and clothes are here. Would you come into the office tomorrow at ten o’clock and collect them?’

‘Yes.’ Claire could barely control the excitement in her voice.

‘I’ll see you at ten. Make sure the clothes fit and the paperwork is in order. The colonel will brief you at eleven.’

‘Do I need to bring anything?’ Claire asked.

‘No, everything you need is here. See you tomorrow. Goodbye.’

‘Goodbye.’ Claire put down the telephone and squealed with excitement. At last things were moving.

CHAPTER NINE

‘What do you want to do, Captain?’ the pilot shouted.

‘Have we got enough gas to circle again?’

‘Once, but that’s it!’

‘We’ll have to go in blind,’ Mitch shouted into Claire’s ear. The cabin was so noisy Claire didn’t attempt to reply and nodded that she understood. There was a muffled banging on the side of the fuselage and the Halifax lifted and dropped. ‘It’s getting windy out