The train drew into Paris. Noor stepped out of the carriage and on to the platform a different person from the one who’d left just a few days before. She strode off towards the Metro, and her apartment, reaching it quickly.
The earthy and green smells of the potatoes and tomatoes in her bag reminded Noor she’d wanted to give Germaine a present. She trotted up the stairs and tapped on her door.
‘Madeleine!’ Germaine exclaimed. ‘Tell me, is everything OK in Auffargis?’
‘Yes, all’s well there. I brought you these.’ Noor handed her the package of vegetables.
Germaine buried her face in them. ‘Better than Chanel perfume,’ she laughed. ‘Thank you, thank you!’
Noor smiled. ‘When I go back in a week or so, I’ll bring you more. May I make a couple of telephone calls, please?’
Her first call was to Madame Balachowsky, who could hardly speak to Noor, she was so upset. The Nazis had been back to Grignon, and the first thing they did was dig up the lettuces. The Prof must have talked.
A shudder rippled down Noor’s spine. How badly must he have been tortured to have revealed the whereabouts of the radio set?
‘Bad news?’ Germaine asked.
Noor nodded. The Nazis had Norman’s set, and his codes. London could easily be tricked into believing he was transmitting. Lives were in danger. She had to act fast.
Her second call was to the agent holding her radio set. A few hours later it was delivered to her apartment. Noor ran her fingers over the leather case, glad to have it back. She had work to do.
How fantastic would it be if she could build a new circuit? She could actually make a difference to the war effort.
Glancing around the tiny room, her eyes settled on the clothes she’d left to dry. She strode across the room, scooped up the blouses and stockings and flung them into her suitcase, along with a few other bits and pieces she’d taken out. She needed to be ready to move on at a moment’s notice.
Antelme had given her various tasks, and she set about doing them as soon as possible. In the Tuileries gardens, there was a bench in the shade of some plane trees. It felt far from the Germans’ speeding cars and motorbikes and the fear that prowled the streets of Paris.
The day after she returned, Noor made her way to this oasis to meet Vaudevire and Viennot, Antelme’s contacts. They met there every few days over the following weeks. Noor passed on money Antelme had given her, and gathered valuable information from them to be sent back to London.
Apart from a fleeting return to Auffargis to say goodbye to Antelme in the middle of July, Noor stayed in Paris.
London had warned her not to transmit for a while, especially not from her apartment. There was no doubt now that the Germans knew of her. Their detection equipment was on the alert, waiting for her signals, ready to pounce. It was frustrating, but Noor knew she should heed London’s warnings – at least for the while.
A few weeks later, London flew one of the heads of the SOE into Paris. He arranged to meet Noor.
‘Bodington.’ The man had plastered-down hair and round, horn-rimmed spectacles. He stretched out his hand to Noor. ‘Major Nicholas Bodington. Here to see what has become of Prosper circuit.’ His handshake was surprisingly floppy. ‘One of the last remaining radio operators, I hear?’
Before Noor could answer, he continued. ‘Very good.’ He smoothed his little moustache. ‘I’d been here only one week when Jerry nabbed the pianist who came with me. Trap. Thought it smelled fishy. Lucky escape for me, but I’ve no operator now. So, I need your help.’
‘Yes, of course,’ Noor said, smiling to hear his English accent, wanting to laugh when he called the Germans ‘Jerry’.
‘Where’re you staying? How long’ve you been there?’
When Noor told him, he frowned. ‘Too long in one place. Need to keep moving, my dear. Keep Jerry guessing.’
Bodington found her a flat near the Bois de Boulogne, the huge park to the west of Paris. In five minutes, her suitcase was packed. She said goodbye to Germaine, and she was on her way, suitcase in one hand, radio set in the other.
The Bois de Boulogne: Noor remembered it as a green and peaceful place. She and her family had had a wonderful picnic by the lake there one day, the sun making the water sparkle, and the grass dapple with shadow. It was dusk when she arrived at the apartment, and she was tired. She hardly took in the details of her new home, just grateful for a soft bed to fall into.
She woke the next day to the sound of boots tripping up and down the stairs. She opened her door a crack. Closed it immediately.
German officers.