Page 57 of Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure

“I’ve watched Tommy,” Clive said. “I think I could, but I would rather not use the radio right now. It’s quite possible that they’ve found us because they’ve cracked a Resistance cell in Marseille. They may well be eavesdropping on anything we say, so we’d only invite Nico to walk into a trap.”

“Oh gosh. You may be right,” she said. “But I’m going to get a message to him somehow. I’m not going to let those brutes take him and the abbot. It’s just possible he left the speedboat at the dock. They don’t seem to have noticed the steps down the cliff. I can go down there without being seen.”

“You’re rather fond of him, aren’t you?” Clive asked.

“Yes,” she said. “Rather fond. Very fond.”

“You plan to take the boat and go looking for him?”

“If I have to,” she said.

“That’s running an awful risk.”

“What choice do we have?” She heard her voice rising.

“I should come with you.”

She could tell he was trying to do the right thing. “Absolutely not. You have to stay here and bluff it out if they come back before me. Tell them I always go for my walk over to the Calanques at this time of day.”

He nodded. “I’d better go and clear up the studio. Make sure there are no traces of anything incriminating.”

As he was about to walk away, the French doors opened and Roland came in. “I’ve just had the most delightful snooze,” he said. “I was reading, and I fell asleep in the sun. Now I’ll get a lovely tan. Is it lunchtime yet?”

“The German military were here,” Clive said. “They’ve taken Tommy.”

“What on earth for?” Roland looked amused. “If there is anyone who obviously doesn’t pose a threat to the might of the Führer, it’s dear Tommy.”

“Let’s hope they see it the same way,” Clive said. “Come on, Roland, you can help me pick some vegetables for lunch. Let’s see what’s ripe. Grab a basket.” He glanced back at Ellie and nodded.

As they went towards the vegetable garden, past one of the guards, she slipped away in the other direction, out of the French doors at the back of the house, across the terrace and down the steps cut into the cliff.

She half expected to see German sentries waiting for her at the bottom, but the little harbour stood there, quiet and deserted.

No sign of any boat, or of Nico. If he had spotted German soldiers at the villa, then he would have moved off again, and hopefully gone to warn the abbot.

That would be the best thing that could have happened.

But in case he had no idea that they had been discovered, Ellie still felt she had to warn him.

She stared at the coastline, rocks and tide pools jutting out at the headland before it curved around into the harbour of Saint-Benet.

Can I do it? she asked herself. It was worth a try.

At least she didn’t have to cross any beach that could have been mined.

She started clambering over rocks. Some were taller, dry and with good footholds.

At other points the surface dipped lower so that they were submerged at high tide and covered in seaweed and slime.

She pressed bravely on, slithering and going on all fours at times, feeling the weight of time on her shoulders.

She rounded the headland and saw the village before her, nestled in its narrow valley.

How pretty it looked with its pastel houses glowing in the midday sun and the water sparkling in the harbour.

Such a perfect setting of peace and security.

But at least there was no German gunboat to be seen.

She continued until after several minutes she picked up a proper path.

She ran along this, conscious of her wet legs and skirt, hearing her shoes squelch.

As she came to the harbour, she spotted two of the fishermen at their boats.

“Help. Over here!” She called to them. They came around the harbour to her.

“What is it, madame? Has there been an accident? You are hurt.”

She saw him looking at her legs and realized that she had skinned her knees on the rocks. Blood was running down. “No, it’s not me,” she said. “It’s Nico. Do you know where he is? We must find him right away.”

One fisherman looked at the other. “He went out in his boat,” he said. “Not the fishing boat of his father, but that little toy of his.”

“Do you know which direction?”

“Towards the city, I think. Who knows why? Better not to ask these days. There are certainly no visitors to escort.”

“We have to find him.” Ellie was still gasping for breath. “The Germans came to my house. I don’t know if the officer was part of the Abwehr or what, but they have taken Mr Tommy away. They may well be back for Clive and me, so there is not much time.”

“Taken Mr Tommy?” The man looked incredulous.

She wasn’t going to explain any more.

“But they want Nico.”

“Ah, so Nico has been doing more than fishing,” one of them said, nodding to the other. “We wondered what he was doing out in that little boat of his with no tourists around.”

“Is it black market? Is that it?” the other asked.

“Of course not,” Ellie snapped, her nerves at breaking point. “He’s aiding ... you know.”

Her brain was racing, wondering what she could say that would not give too much away. “If you find him, just tell him they’ve taken Mr Tommy. Tell him they know everything, and he must not come to the villa.”

The man seemed to understand. “All right.”

Ellie grabbed his arm. “So can you try to find him? That boat of his is easy to spot, isn’t it?”

The man still looked doubtful. “If he’s gone all the way into Marseille? I prefer to stay away myself. That port is crawling with Germans.”

“But we can’t let them take him, can we? They’ll shoot him.”

The fisherman nodded, as if he realized this was probably true. “Very well,” he said. “I was about to take my boat out anyway. I’ll do what I can. And Jacquot here, he’s working on his torn net, so he’ll be in the harbour if Nico returns.”

“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you. Tell him not to come up to the villa. There are German guards.”

“So how did you get out?”

“Down the steps and around the cliff,” she said. “Not the easiest route. And now I must go back so that I am not missed. I don’t want to put anyone in more danger.”

“You’re a brave woman,” the fisherman said. “But if you’ve managed to get away from German guards, why go back? You could make your way down the coast to where the Italians are. They’d take pity on you, I’m sure.”

“I left the others,” she said. “And I may need to vouch for Mr Tommy. We have to get him away from those monsters.”

“Well, I wish you luck,” he said. “God be with you.”

She nodded, tears stinging at the backs of her eyes, and retraced her steps, returning to the house without any guards having noticed her absence.