Paul distributed their identity cards, ration cards, and clothing coupons. Each woman was given a hundred thousand French francs, mostly in grubby thousand- franc notes. It was the equivalent of five hundred pounds, enough to buy two Ford cars.
They also got weapons,.45-caliber Colt automatic pistols and sharp double-bladed Commando knives. Flick declined both. She took her personal gun, a Browning nine-millimeter automatic. Around her waist she wore the leather belt, into which she could push the pistol or, at a pinch, the submachine gun. She also took her lapel knife instead of the Commando knife. The Commando knife was longer and deadlier, but more cumbersome. The great advantage of the lapel knife was that when the agent was asked to produce papers, she could innocently reach toward an inside pocket, then at the last moment pull the knife.
In addition there was a Lee-Enfield rifle for Diana and a Sten Mark II submachine gun with silencer for Flick.
The plastic explosive Jelly would need was distributed evenly among the six women so that even if one or two bags were lost there would still be enough to do the job.
Maude said, “It might blow me up!”
Jelly explained that it was extraordinarily safe. “I knew a bloke who thought it was chocolate and ate some,” she said. “Mind you,” she added, “it didn’t half give him the runs.”
They were offered the usual round Mills grenades with the conventional turtleshell finish, but Flick insisted on general-purpose grenades in square cans, because they could also be used as explosive charges.
Each woman got a fountain pen with a hollow cap containing a suicide pill.
There was a compulsory visit to the bathroom before putting on the flying suit. It had a pistol pocket so that the agent could defend herself immediately on landing, if necessary. With the suit, they donned helmet and goggles and finally shrugged into the parachute harness.
Paul asked Flick to step outside for a moment. He had held back the all-important special passes that would enable the women to enter the chƒteau as cleaners. If a Jackdaw were to be captured by the Gestapo, this pass would betray the true purpose of the mission. For safety, he gave all the passes to Flick, to be distributed at the last minute.
Then he kissed her. She kissed him back with desperate passion, clutching his body to hers, shamelessly thrusting her tongue into his mouth until she had to gasp for breath.
“Don’t get killed,” he said into her ear.
They were interrupted by a discreet cough. Flick smelled Percy’s pipe. She broke the clinch.
Percy said to Paul, “The pilot is waiting for a word with you.”
Paul nodded and moved away.
“Make sure he understands that Flick is the officer in command,” Percy called after him.
“Sure,” Paul replied.
Percy looked grim, and Flick had a bad feeling. “What’s wrong?” she said.
He took a sheet of paper from his jacket pocket and handed it to her. “A motorcycle courier from London brought this from SOE headquarters just before we left the house. It came in from Brian Standish last night.” He sucked anxiously on his pipe and blew out clouds of smoke.
Flick looked at the sheet of paper in the evening sunlight. It was a decrypt. Its contents hit her like a punch in the stomach. She looked up, dismayed. “Brian has been in the hands of the Gestapo!”
“Only for a few seconds.”
“So this claims.”
“Any reason to think otherwise?”
“Ah, fuck it,” she said loudly. A passing airman looked up sharply, surprised to hear a woman’s voice utter such words. Flick crumpled the paper and threw it on the ground.
Percy bent down, picked it up, and smoothed out the creases. “Let’s try to stay calm and think clearly.”
Flick took a deep breath. “We have a rule,” she said insistently. “Any agent who is captured by the enemy, whatever the circumstances, must immediately be returned to London for debriefing.”
“Then you’ll have no wireless operator.”
“I can manage without one. And what about this Charenton?”
“I suppose it’s natural that Mademoiselle Lemas might have recruited someone to help her.”
“All recruits are supposed to be vetted by London.”