Page 52 of Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure

Ellie sat on the side of her bed, staring out into the blackness of the garden, trying to digest all that she had learned and felt.

That Nico was Jeannette’s son was almost too much to believe, and yet it explained his behaviour, and she had sensed he wasn’t lying to her.

That he was now working with the Resistance was a worry, both on his behalf and on hers.

If he stayed at this house, he would put them in danger, too, and yet she couldn’t say no if he needed help.

And there was the other matter, the fact that he desired her, that she had definitely felt something for him.

I’m too old for such nonsense, she told herself, but there had been a shiver of excitement when he looked at her that way and told her he wanted her.

After so many years of not being desired, of being taken for granted, of occasional passionless sex after Lionel had drunk a good deal of wine with dinner, it felt strangely exciting to realize that she might not, after all, be too old.

When Ellie got up in the morning, Nico was gone. Over breakfast she told Tommy and Clive about the nighttime visit and warned them that he might have to spend the night on occasion if he couldn’t get back into the village.

“So he’s working with the Resistance, is he?” Tommy said. “I must talk to him about that.”

“Oh, I don’t think he’d like to talk about it,” Ellie said hastily. “The less we know the better. That’s what he said.”

“No, I mean I’d like to find out how we can help,” Tommy said. “I feel that I’d like to be doing something useful, and Clive can offer his forger’s talents.”

“Oh no. Please don’t get involved,” Ellie said. “These are brutal men. Look how many Resistance workers have been executed in the North.”

“But we only have a chance of defeating those brutes if we all help out,” Tommy said. “Don’t worry. I can’t see myself blowing up any railway lines or shooting generals. But I’m sure there’s a small job I could do.”

Apparently he had a conversation with Nico, and the small job turned out to be a radio positioned under the floorboards of Tommy’s bedroom. Nico came up to instruct him how to use it, and he started leaving messages he had received in the big stone urn on the terrace for Nico to pick up at night.

“Italy has occupied Corsica,” he said at dinner one night. “That is good news. It gives us more chance of an escape route, if anyone needs it. The Italian guards won’t be as strict, and that coastline is so mountainous and rocky that they can’t put guards everywhere.”

Ellie felt a shiver of fear. Tommy was enjoying being part of the action, but now, for the first time, they were in the midst of danger and the war had become real.

Rations were cut severely, and they heard that local farms had had their livestock taken.

But still the chickens and goats survived at Villa Gloriosa.

Ellie and Mavis took down the extra eggs and milk to be shared with those who needed them most. It seems the Germans had not yet discovered the villa.

Perhaps they thought those steep steps merely led up to hiking trails to the Calanques.

After the Germans had been in evidence for a few weeks, Ellie came home to find they had a visitor.

The viscount was in their sitting room, sipping a cup of herb tea.

He looked less like his sophisticated and polished self than usual; in fact he looked positively unkempt, as if he had dressed in a hurry.

“Thank God you have returned safely,” he said as Ellie walked in.

“None of us is safe any longer. They came to my villa today—German officers. Horrible, rude men. They pushed my servants out of the way, looked around the house and told me to get out, as they would now be occupying it. And keeping my servants to look after them.”

“How awful, Roland. What did you say?”

“I asked where I was supposed to go, and they said there was a pension in the village that would probably have room for me if I had no relatives nearby. They stood there while I packed a couple of suitcases into my motor car. Luckily they didn’t requisition that.

I got out quickly before they could change their minds.

So I came here. I couldn’t think where else to go. ”

“Of course you can stay here,” Ellie said. She turned to the other men. “If that’s all right with you?”

“The more the merrier,” Tommy said. “But don’t expect the Ritz. We live very simply.”

“Don’t we all these days?” Roland said. “Do you know there is no coffee to be had? And those ruffians will now get their hands on my wine cellar. I muttered to my butler that he should close it and hide the key, but I bet they’ll force it open.”

Ellie went upstairs and made up the bed in the last of the bedrooms. She was tempted to offer her own room to Roland and to take the room that was clearly designed for a servant, but she had become comfortable in that room with no wish to move, and besides it was where Nico knew to find her if he ever needed to in the middle of the night.

He had not stayed at the villa again, but she had seen him cross the garden and knew that he was coming and going at night.

She told Tommy to mention nothing of this to Roland.

She feared he would give in all too quickly to Nazi interrogation.

She wondered about herself. Of course she would not betray Nico.

But what if the Gestapo came, or the Abwehr?

So far it had only been regular soldiers who stayed in the village, but if she were ever taken for questioning, could she hold out? If they tortured her?

I know nothing, she told herself. I would genuinely have nothing to tell them. They’d have to believe that.

“That Nico,” one of the fishermen said, when she was down in the village and casually asked after him. “He’s finally decided to work for a living. He goes out in his boat almost every day now. Makes a good catch, too.”

Ellie wondered if there was a double meaning in those words.

Did the man know he was also running supplies for the Resistance as well as catching fish?

It appeared the Germans didn’t, so far. Nor had they yet discovered the villa.

The officers held loud parties at Roland’s chateau.

The sound of their late-night singing and laughter drifted from over the hill.

Roland was proving to be not the easiest of guests.

Tommy and Clive, usually so easy-going, were clearly finding him a strain.

“Do you know—he took two eggs this morning,” Clive said. “Two eggs. And he put all that sugar in his coffee. Doesn’t he know we are on rations?” He rolled his eyes. “And yesterday he asked Tommy to polish his shoes.”

“And did Tommy do it?”

Clive gave a little grin. “Tommy said there were no servants in this house, and anything he wanted done he’d have to do for himself. He went away in a huff, but he did later come down to ask for the shoe polish.”

It was going to be a big adjustment for Roland, Ellie thought.

He’d probably never had to do a thing for himself his whole life.

He was lucky to be with three such patient people.

After a few admonitions, he seemed to realize that they were being kind to him because he started to offer to help set the table, do the weeding.

However, he declined at being asked to collect the eggs.

“Horrible birds, chickens. Absolutely murderous eyes. They’d peck you to death if they could.”

A month went by with nothing terrible happening.

At the villa they were still surviving quite well with enough eggs, cheese, vegetables plus the occasional fish that could be bought from the dockside.

Christmas was approaching, but there was no sense of excitement or anticipation in the village.

The boulangerie was now barely given enough flour to make small loaves—one each per family.

“There will be no b?che de Noel, no special patisseries, no holiday at all,” Madame Blanchet said.

“And one of those cursed Germans had the nerve to ask me why I do not bake pain au chocolat. I told him we have not seen chocolate for two years now. If he’d like to produce some for me, along with the necessary butter, I will most certainly bake him a pain au chocolat. ”

Ellie came out of the shop with her small loaf and had started towards the steps when she heard a scream. Bruno’s mother was running towards her, her hands waving in panic.

“You must help me, madame,” she screamed. “My boy. They’ve taken my boy.”

“The Germans have taken Bruno? Why?”

“The officer saw him, asked why he wasn’t working in a factory and then realized he was not as other men.

So they came in a big black lorry and took him away.

They said there is no food for those who are not useful to society.

And nobody did anything to help me. They let it happen.

They just watched and let him be taken. Where can those devils have taken him? ”

“I really don’t know,” Ellie said. She felt sick. She had heard that within Germany they had removed those with disabilities, sending them to the notorious labour camps, or perhaps to their deaths.

“He won’t be able to cope without me,” Bruno’s mother said, clutching at Ellie’s sleeve. “You know what he’s like. How easily he gets frightened, and then he starts talking gibberish.”

“I wish I could do something for you,” Ellie said. “Have you spoken to Father André? To Monsieur Danton? They could perhaps enquire officially to see where he might have been taken.”

Tears were streaming down the woman’s face. She shook her head fiercely, causing tears to fly out. “What good are they? They believe we should not make a fuss and thus keep the village safe. But it’s my son. My poor Bruno.”

“I’ll do what I can,” Ellie said, although she had no idea what this might be.

She thought she might have a word with Father André, just in case the word of a priest might help, and she was on her way to the church when she saw Nico.

She ran over to him, grabbing his arm. “You have to help,” she said, breathless. “They’ve taken Bruno.”

He looked down at her with concern. “That poor boy. I feared this might happen. But I’m afraid it’s too late to do anything. If they’ve already taken him, there is little we can do.”

“We can stop them,” Ellie said. “You could stop them. You must be able to send a message to somebody, someone who can help.”

He was frowning. “I’ll come up with you and try to contact someone on the radio. It depends how long ago it was and where they are taking him.” He put an arm around her shoulder. “Come on, then, let’s hurry. Did you bring your motor car?”

“Of course not. There’s no petrol,” she said. “I always use the steps.”

He didn’t say any more, but together they climbed the steps, pausing, panting at the top before going into the house. Clive opened his mouth to say something when he saw Nico, but Ellie shot him a warning look and shook her head as Nico ran up the stairs. A little later he came down again.

“They will try to intercept the lorry before it reaches the train station, assuming he is to be deported to a camp or even to Germany,” he said. “But they are not hopeful.”

“At least we tried,” Ellie said. “That’s the main thing. That poor woman. She dotes on that boy.”

Nico looked at her with concern. “I fear it is getting worse,” he said. “The Germans are suffering defeats. They fear the Allies will come up through Italy. There are already reprisals. So for God’s sake, stay up here out of the way.”

Ellie walked with him out of the front door.

“Listen,” he said. “We should have a sign if you need me.” He paused, looking around.

“The property can’t be seen from the village, which is lucky for you, but useless for me.

” He walked around to the terrace overlooking the sea.

“But from my boat or even from the end of the harbour, I could see these palm trees. If you erected a washing line, maybe between the trees? Hang out your laundry regularly on it, but if you need me, hang out something ...” He paused, thinking.

“Something blue, the colour of France, eh? And I’ll come right away. ”

“Something blue,” she agreed.

“I made up a room for you,” she said, “but you haven’t needed to stay the night.”

He shook his head. “I didn’t want to disturb you. I have managed to slip down into the village without the sentry seeing me.”

She realized that he did not want to involve her, to let her run any risk. She reached out to touch his sleeve. “Nico, don’t take chances,” she said.

He looked at her tenderly now. “I have to take plenty of chances, I’m afraid, but I want to involve you as little as possible.” He put his hand gently against her cheek. “I wish things were different,” he said. “I wish I could protect you better.”

“I’m fine up here, really,” she said. “It’s you I worry about. If they catch you carrying weapons or even messages, they’ll shoot you.”

He patted her cheek now. “Luckily I know this coast better than they do. There are plenty of little coves where I can hide out if I spot an enemy ship. And my speedboat can outrun most of them.” He paused, thinking. “I want to ask a favour of you.”

“Go on.” Ellie wasn’t sure what was coming next.

“My mother. If anything happens to me, will you take care of her? Take her in? Look after her? I’m all she has.”

“Of course.”

“You promise?”

“I promise. But let’s not think about such possibilities. I want you to stay safe.”

“So do I, actually.” He smiled. Then his lips brushed her forehead, and he hurried off.

It was the next day that Tommy received a message.

Resistance fighters had indeed intercepted the lorry in Marseille.

They had created a roadblock and opened the back door for the prisoners to escape.

Most ran away but Bruno just stood there, unable to decide what to do next.

The Germans shot him. Ellie had to give this news to his mother and let the woman cry on her shoulder.

“My Bruno,” she kept saying. “My little boy. All I had in the world.”

Ellie felt a profound sense of failure, even though she had done all she could ... They had all done all they could. Sometimes the odds were just too great.