His legs ached, and the bottoms of his feet burned. How was Emily faring? He squeezed her shoulder.
She turned and smiled, her teeth flashing.
Still hanging on apparently. The girl…no, woman, was indefatigable. He’d love a chance to tell her family. He blinked and shook the thought aside.
More time passed, and the forest thinned.
Their escort held up his hand. “We have arrived. Wait here for approximately an hour, maybe a little more. The train will come, chugging at minimal speed because of the incline of the tracks. The door on the second to last freight car will be open. Climb inside and ride until the engine slows again at the next slope. Jump off and travel east for two miles until you come to a small village. Enter the Café Pâtisserie and order a beignet, saying you wish you could have a dozen. Your contact will be wearing a green turban and matching sash. Godspeed.”
“Merci.”
The man bowed and vanished through the trees.
“Might as well make ourselves comfortable.” Gerard shed his pack and sat on the ground. “I don’t know about you, but I could use a rest.”
“I’d love to remove my boots, but I might never get them back on.” Emily dropped beside him. “I’m exhausted, yet my senses are on high alert. The alternating boredom and terrorizing fright are wearing me down. I may sleep for a week when we get back to England.”
He chuckled. “Me, too. Hopefully that will be enough to overcome the fatigue. What will you do after that?”
“Providing I don’t get sent on another assignment immediately, I’d like to do something frivolous.” She shrugged, bumping his shoulder. “Shopping holds no allure, well, clothes anyway. I can lose myself in a bookstore.”
“Then you’ll love Hatchards. The bookshop was founded in the early eighteenth century.”
“Which means they’ve survived other wars. Impressive.”
“Agreed. Then what will you do?”
He felt her turn in the inky blackness, but he kept his gaze averted.
“Why all the questions?”
“We’ve got time to kill, need to stay awake, and it’s too dark for tic-tac-toe.”
Emily snorted a laugh. “Point taken.” She sat up straight. “Okay, here’s my fantasy for when we return. After I’ve slept for a week, of course.”
“Of course.”
“I’ll take a steaming hot bath with a tub full of water. I don’t know how the British stand it, with their tepid water only four inches deep. Anyway, then I want to stuff myself full of food that is not potatoes or turnips. Perhaps prepare a nice, juicy steak. After that, I’m going to park on an overstuffed sofa and read until my eyes spin. I might go for a walk in Hyde Park, but that may seem too much like the trekking we’ve been doing. Finally, I’ll take a nap. Boring, huh?”
“I’ll take boring any day.”
“No, you won’t, but thanks for saying.” She sighed. “I wanted excitement. Little did I know…” Tension colored her voice, and she repositioned herself, jostling his arm.
Warmth from her body permeated his jacket, and he fought the desire to draw her into his arms, to tell her everything would be all right, and they could handle anything together. But that too was a fantasy.
A light pierced the night, and the ground vibrated. He jumped up. The train was earlier than anticipated. Did its arrival portend good or bad?
He bent to help Emily rise, but she’d already scrambled to her feet. “Why is the train already here?”
“I wonder the same thing. The Germans pride themselves on adhering to a timely schedule. Perhaps too soon is better than too late.”
She lifted her rucksack and slung it over her shoulder. “Guess there’s one way to find out.”
Rocking and shimmying, the rumbling locomotive trundled past their position. The churning clickety-clack of the wheels slowed, and Gerard nudged Emily. “It won’t be long now.”
Hunched over, they crept toward the tracks then trotted alongside the train.
Five cars. Four cars. Three cars. Two cars. As promised, the door on the next carriage stood open. What or who was inside? His heart skittered. Please God, let this work.
“Go.” His hiss split the air.
He threw himself toward the yawning cavity, and his body slammed against the floor of the car with a grunt.
Emily landed beside him, her legs hanging over the edge. She rolled to her side and groaned. Clutching her knee, she whimpered.
“You’re injured.” He bolted upright then bent over her, his hands hovering above her leg. “How bad is the pain? Do you think it’s a sprain, or did you break it?”
With eyes squeezed shut, she moaned. “I’m not sure. It feels like there’s a knife sticking into my knee cap.” Her voice was thin. “With any luck, it’s only bruised, but if not, you should leave me behind, I’ll—”
“Absolutely not. We are leaving this country together. No argument.”
In the dim moonlight, a crooked grin split her face, and she opened her eyes. “What about your threat not to carry me if I sprained an ankle or busted a leg?”
His breath expelled in a whoosh as he snickered. Once again, she’d proven she was a strong, resilient woman. He couldn’t let anything happen to her. He wouldn’t. “I need to examine your injury. Do you want a silver bullet to bite on?”
“No, but thanks for the offer. How well did you do on the first-aid course?”
“Well enough. Now, lie still while I see how bad the damage is.”
“The good news is I won’t have to pretend to be a cripple, but the bad news is I will slow us down.” She closed her eyes and laid her head on the floor.
He tugged up her pant leg to bare her knee. He pulled out his flashlight and cupped one hand around the bulb before clicking on the power. He held the beam close. Already beginning to discolor in shades of black and blue, the puffy joint was crisscrossed with abrasions. He prodded the knee. Warm, but not hot. A good sign. He moved the leg side to side.
A swift intake of breath escaped Emily’s lips, but she didn’t cry out.
“Your knee doesn’t appear to be broken, and the swelling is minimal, so you may only have a slight sprain. You banged it up pretty good, so it’s going to hurt for a while. Let me wrap it in case you did twist the muscles or ligaments.”
“Thank you, Doctor. You’re my hero.”
“Funny.” His chest swelled. She was obviously being sarcastic, but her words bathed his weary soul in pride. He liked the idea of being her hero. Too bad that would end when they reached England.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Emily shifted on the hard floor, and pain radiated up her leg. She pressed her lips together, holding her breath. How could she continue with a bum limb? Gerard must be disgusted with her. She’d repeatedly messed up their mission, and now she was impacting their ability to get home because of her injury.
The train slowed, its wheels squealing against the tracks. No time to dwell on her situation. Their moment to disembark had arrived. She took a deep breath and climbed to her feet, swallowing a groan as her knee protested at the movement.