The Iron Storm by CW Browning (classic literature books TXT) 📕

ago that she’d left Anna and Erik on the ridge above Namsos; and Peder in a ravine to die.

“Are you all right?” Josephine asked her, drawing Evelyn from her reverie.

“Yes, why?”

“You had a strange look on your face.”

“Did I? I was just thinking about how I can’t feel my toes,” Evelyn said with a laugh. “Thank you for the tea. It’s wonderful.”

“It’s perfectly horrid, but it’s hot,” Josephine said cheerfully. “Don’t you have any boots with you? You really need them for the country around here.”

“No doubt, but I didn’t need them for Brussels. I have some wonderful high-heeled sandals that are stunning, but they won’t do anything for the cold.”

Josephine laughed. “No they won’t. I have an extra pair of boots, but I think your feet are smaller than mine.”

“I’ll be fine, really. I just need to warm up. It’s the damp, that’s all.”

“The fire will be warm soon,” Luc said with a nod. “It will be better then. This is a cold house. It’s old and drafty.”

Evelyn smiled and sipped her tea, looking up as Jens came into the room. He had a scarf wrapped around his neck and looked as cold as she felt.

“Marie, have you seen the map we were looking at earlier?” he asked. “I thought we left it in the kitchen, but I can’t find it now.”

“I put it on the table in the hall,” Josephine said. “I was afraid it would get something spilled on it at supper.”

“Thank you,” Jens said with a smile. As he was turning towards the door again, he caught sight of Marc and his radio and stopped, the map forgotten. “Is that yours?” he asked, walking over to the table. “This is impressive. It’s a good one.”

Marc looked at him in surprise. “Do you know radios?”

“Yes. It’s what I do. I’m a wireless radio operator, or was until the Nazis invaded.” Jens leaned down to examine the machine. “Very nice. I have mine with me. It’s smaller than this, but it does what I need it to. I used much larger ones in my work, of course.”

“This was given to me by my government,” Marc told him. “I’ll have to give it back.”

Jens looked around and pulled up a chair, sitting down next to the table.

“It’s got fantastic range.”

Josephine looked at Evelyn. “Have we lost them both for the rest of the night?”

“It appears so,” Evelyn said with a laugh. “I suppose there are worse things for them to be fascinated by.”

“They’re certainly necessary, at any rate,” Josephine said. “Are you really going to go to Paris?”

Evelyn looked at her in surprise. “Of course. Why do you ask?”

“It just seems that with the Germans moving so unpredictably, perhaps the capital is not where you want to be right now,” the other woman said slowly. “I’ve been thinking about the situation all afternoon. If we can’t hold the German army at Sedan, it would be an easy, straight shot to Paris.”

“And then I would be trapped there,” Evelyn finished for her. “Perhaps.”

“It’s certainly something you should consider.”

“What about you? If we can’t hold them at Sedan, what will you do?” Evelyn asked after a moment.

“We have to remain here as long as possible, at least until the others return from across the border.”

“If the Nazis keep advancing at this pace, we’ll have to fall back whether or not the others have returned,” Luc said, lighting a cigarette and tossing the match into the fire.

“Fall back to where?” Jens asked from the table near the window, his attention caught by the conversation taking place in front of the fireplace. “Towards Paris?”

“Yes.”

“We could go to Vervins,” Josephine said thoughtfully. “I know someone there who could put us up for a few days.”

Luc made a face. “A few days? And then what? If we have to start falling back, it would be best to split up. If we stay together, it will be harder to find accommodations.”

“There’s always Marle,” Marc said, looking up from his radio. “My uncle has a farm just outside town with several outbuildings. We would be more comfortable there. I’m sure he would allow us the use of one of the barns, at the very least.”

“Marle!” Jens exclaimed, looking startled.

The others looked at him in surprise and Evelyn raised her eyebrows.

“Have you heard of it?” she asked. “That’s strange. It’s not a very well-known town at all.”

Jens looked flustered for a moment, then he chuckled and scratched his neck ruefully.

“I’ve heard of it, yes. Someone I went to school lived there before moving to Belgium. I’d completely forgotten until just now. I’m sorry. I was just excited that there was somewhere I knew besides Paris!”

Luc chuckled. “If nothing else, this war will introduce you to many more places you never knew existed,” he told him. “Then you can tell your grandchildren of your adventures in France during the war.”

Evelyn watched Jens thoughtfully for a moment before turning her attention back to the others.

“If you have family in Marle, then I’d advise that over Vervins,” she said. “Not that it’s any of my business, but I know I’d be more comfortable with family nearby.”

“Are your family in Paris?” Luc asked her.

Evelyn thought of Tante Adelle, Uncle Claude and Gisele and Nicolas. Their house in Paris was like a second home to her, but she hoped to God that they weren’t there now. They had planned to leave and go to their country residence in the south if the Germans did attack France. God-willing they had followed through with that plan.

“No. They are in the south, near Toulouse.”

“Then they’re well out of it,” Josephine said with a nod. “Perhaps you should consider going there instead of Paris. I know it’s your home, but it’s better to be safe.”

“If the Germans make it to Paris, even the south won’t be safe,” Marc said bluntly. “If they enter Paris, it is because France is already lost.”

The statement was a sobering one, and Evelyn felt a heavy weight settle in her gut. He