Just Another Girl on the Road

By S. Kensington

Summer 1944: Stranded behind enemy lines in France, eighteen-year-old Katrinka Badeau escapes German deserters with the help of Major Willoughby Nye. Once an employee on her father’s merchant ship, Nye is now part of an undercover Jedburgh operation, working for the Allies. When he offers her a job on his team, she accepts.
Her work throws her together with Sergeant Wolfe Farr, the team’s tough-talking radio operator, and they embark on an intense love affair. But Katrinka is not prepared to accept Wolfe’s plans for the future. And her love for Nye, which has evolved from an adolescent crush to that of a young woman, still endures.
With the liberation of France, both men are sent to the Far East. Realising what she has lost, Katrinka joins a small entertainment troupe, and sets out on an arduous journey around the world to find Wolfe. But when the three are finally reunited, which love will withstand the test of time? 
Praise for Just Another Girl on the Road: 
"Difficult history, abuse, war and love combine in this emotional examination of the end of World War II… A deep, evocative read …inventive, finely-woven and captivating." – IndieReader 
 "Well-plotted and often exciting… An informed, imaginative tale that adds some romance to a well-researched war story." – Kirkus Reviews

• Language: English
• Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
• Release date: Jul 10, 2019
• ISBN: 9781838599355

Book preview

9781838599355.jpg

Praise for 'Just Another Girl on the Road'

A stellar debut...

Kensington combines multifaceted, unforgettable characters with strong, lyrical prose. The pacing of the novel never slows down despite the crucial details of the covert operations hefty on espionage plotting and blood-and-guts combat scenes...This deeply engrossing page-turner is the one not to be missed."

- The Prairies Book Review

"The Second World War must be one of the most written-about topics in history, but every so often a new angle on the conflict comes along and turns the tropes on its head. Just Another Girl on The Road is very much in that ballpark...The dialogue and character actions are wonderfully crafted, and the intense love stories that evolve around the lead character become as much a core part of the plot as the battles and the struggles. Expect twisting history, elation, sex, tension, and a genuine respect for the subject matter."

- James Hendicott for IndieReader

Kensington’s breezy novel tackles a captivating aspect of World War II, the parachuting guerrilla warriors that constituted Operation Jedburgh...The sequence of events, largely between D-Day and VE Day, is well-plotted and often exciting, with the international cast fitting in seamlessly with historical events... An informed, imaginative tale that adds some romance to a well-researched war story.

- Kirkus Reviews

This is Kensington’s first novel. Her ability to weave such an intricate and multifaceted story of the resistance in France as a first-time novelist is to be commended...Though the story contains many memorable characters and an intriguing plot, it is Katrinka and her insatiable love of life that is the crux of this work. A strong female character who unapologetically embraces her sexuality, Katrinka is unforgettable. This book offers a fast-paced plot and romance within a historical setting. It grabs one’s attention from its very first words and never lets go.

- Kat Kennedy, US Review of Books

"It’s only when you get to the end of this book and look back that you realise the tour de force of the plotting. It’s a masterpiece... The different threads of the story weave in and out, touching each other, sometimes explosively, sometimes poignantly. It’s tempting to second-guess how a book will work out, but there was no point in doing this with Just Another Girl on the Road. Events never worked out as I thought they would, but equally, as I read they seemed inevitable. The finale shocked me and has stayed with me for days after I finished reading..."

- Sue Magee, The Bookbag

A creative, absorbing novel about human connection in the face of war...

- BlueInk Review

Copyright © 2019 S. Kensington

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Matador

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Harrison Road, Market Harborough,

Leics LE16 7UL

Tel: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

Web: www.troubador.co.uk/matador

Twitter: @matadorbooks

ISBN 978 1838599 355

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Matador is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd

For V

and for restless women, and the men who love them.

The journey itself is my home.

– Matsuo Basho

Contents

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

Acknowledgements

Reading Group Questions

1

France, 1944

Screams shattered the late afternoon air, causing Sergeant Farr and Corporal Valentine to dive for cover at the base of a small rise. Topping the rise was a derelict farmhouse, its roof and walls half covered with creeping ivy. A door slammed back as a German soldier and girl hurtled down the steps and into the bramble-covered yard.

The man was bare-chested except for an empty shoulder holster; his uniform trousers hung beltless and unbuttoned around his waist. He grabbed the girl’s hair, yanking her toward him. Something silver glinted in her hand. She slashed at his leg and the man cried out.

Farr and Valentine crouched behind the cover of a short wall. The two men were checking the area for a possible drop zone. They were out of uniform, dressed in farm-laborer clothing. Farr tensed as another soldier appeared in the doorway. He was smiling. Christ, what was going on? He didn’t want to be watching this.

The man grabbed again. Dragging the girl up the steps, he threw her against the wall of the house. The girl’s head hit wood with a loud crack and her legs crumpled. He shoved her upright, knocking the knife away. Pushing himself onto her and fumbling with his trousers, he lifted her shapeless dress with one free hand. The girl kneed him hard in the groin, and the man jolted back on his injured leg, cursing. She wrenched free and tumbled down the steps, falling off-balance into the dirt. The man swore again and plunged down the steps after her.

Valentine pulled out his gun and hissed, We ought to teach those bastards something.

Farr grimaced. They’d been ordered not to engage.

Valentine persisted, We ought to teach them something.

The girl was having trouble getting back up.

Farr nodded curtly. Right, let’s go.

The men broke cover, firing their pistols. Too late, the surprised Germans scrambled for their weapons. The men worked their way up the hill, covering the building in a hail of bullets as their opponents fell. It was over in a matter of seconds.

Sprinting to the barn, Valentine dodged a tethered horse that reared back in fear. The girl was now half-sitting, one hand pressed against her shoulder, the other groping in the dust.

Farr ran up the steps to the house, gripping his pistol with both hands. He inspected the dead soldier sprawled behind the railing, then kicked open the door, stepping over the other dead body. Walking cautiously into the adjoining room, he froze in the doorway. A tumbled bed with blood-soaked sheets occupied one corner, severed ropes dangled from its bedposts. The body of a half-naked German soldier lay dead on the covers. His uniform tunic was drenched in blood, and his groin mutilated. Strewn across the floor were a few tubes holding small tablets. Farr picked one up. The word ‘Pervitin’ was printed across its red-and-blue label. What the hell? he muttered.

A shout brought him running back outside. Valentine grappled with the girl on the steps as she twisted frantically to get away.

Farr gripped the man’s shoulder. Let her go.

"She cut me." His hand was bleeding.

Valentine dropped the girl’s arm; the retrieved knife clenched in her fist. She stumbled into the yard staring at them, and the men stared back. Her shoulder trickled blood, and there were rope burns on her wrists and lower legs. Splotches of bruising marked her body. A knife sheath protruded from her partly laced, high-top shoes.

She was silent now, trembling violently. Dark hair rumpled past her shoulders, half covering her face. She wore a summer frock, but the sash was torn and the dress hung from her, sack-like. Farr judged her to be between sixteen and eighteen years of age.

Valentine started forward, and she fell back a few steps, raising her knife.

Let her be, Farr said quietly, not taking his eyes off the girl. Stand back.

The girl looked up at him, and their eyes locked briefly. Something flickered in those dead eyes, giving Farr an unexpected flush of warmth. The horse’s high whinny broke the stillness, and in a moment the girl whirled, darting away.

Farr leaped forward. Get her!

The terrified horse reared, its forelegs chopping air. Throwing a glance at the approaching men, the girl grabbed the horse’s mane, managed to swing a leg over his back, and slashed down on its tether. The men scattered as she guided the skittish animal, snorting and prancing in a nervous semicircle, out into the yard. Leaning low and clinging to its mane, she dug her heels into its sides. Barely under control the horse lunged, taking a shortcut across the fields, and headed hell-bent for the fence. The main road lay just beyond.

Farr clenched his teeth. She won’t make it.

The horse rushed the fence at a full gallop. Gathering himself, he sailed over, with the girl clinging to his back. The sound of hooves faded as they cantered down the road and disappeared.

Farr realized he’d been holding his breath, and let out a harsh sigh.

From the opposite end of the road, two men on a battered Norton motorcycle sped toward them, swerving suddenly into the cover of thick brush. Farr watched his team officers, Major Nye and Lieutenant Raphael, scramble from the bike.

Nye scanned the area, then approached. All clear, Sergeant?

Yes, sir. There was a—

The major cut him short, striding up the hill toward the house.

Raphael squinted, his gaze raking over the surrounding fields and farmhouse. This will work well for the drop. Is everything in readiness?

It’s ready, sir, and clear. We found a few Germans up there, probably deserters. They were acting very erratic. They had a civilian.

The lieutenant spun around. These Germans, where are they now?

Dead.

And the civilian?

A girl.

A girl? Where is she?

Gone.

And the soldiers. You shot them?

Yes, sir, he paused awkwardly. One was already dead.

You were instructed not to engage. Had they not been deserters, we would all be in trouble, and this drop zone unusable.

Farr’s jaw tightened. I judged it necessary, sir.

Raphael dragged shaking fingers through his hair. Spotting Valentine, he motioned him over. Corporal, there is a first aid kit in the Norton’s satchel. Tend to that hand.

He turned back to Farr. Everything is in order for tonight’s drop. We will remain until then and distribute supplies. God willing, the plastique as well.

Farr knew the evening’s plans hinged not only on a successful supply drop, but the arrival of an agent from the coast, bringing with him enough plastique to blow Pont du Namandie Bridge. This would stop, or at least delay, a large group of German forces bringing fresh tanks and troops north to the Normandy battlefields. These same soldiers had wiped out a village a few weeks earlier, in retaliation for Resistance attacks. The entire village.

Raphael continued, After this drop, my liaison will find us a new camp. Already we have stayed too long.

Yes, sir. Farr hesitated, recalling the girl. Her battered face looking up into his. He’d seen enough battered faces to last a lifetime.

Sergeant? Is there something else?

The girl is hurt, Lieutenant. I think she’s in trouble.

That is not our concern; she will go back to her village. Help Corporal Valentine with his hand.

Yes, sir.

* * *

Valentine was repacking the first aid kit when Farr noticed Major Nye emerge from the farmhouse, heading full tilt down the hill. Nye was British and had seen combat in North Africa before training with the undercover Jedburghs. He was an older man, quick to laugh, and known for his ingenuity, intelligence, and in times of crisis, an almost cruel ruthlessness.

Nye reached the road and pulled Raphael aside. Lieutenant, a word with you, please.

Farr strolled across the road, fiddling with the strap on his watch as he listened.

What the bloody hell happened up there? demanded Nye.

The lieutenant filled him in, including the wounded girl.

"A girl?"

Yes, sir. Sergeant Farr said she was hurt. She has run away.

How long ago? Where did she go?

I am not sure; he did not elaborate.

Very good. Go up to the farmhouse and inspect the dead men for any documents. We’ll have to get those damn bodies out of here before the drop.

Raphael started for the farmhouse, and Major Nye waved Farr and Valentine over. He glanced at Valentine’s bandaged hand, frowning. Corporal, check the fuel tank on the Norton.

Checked it this morning, sir; it’s running on fumes.

Then we’ll use fumes. He nodded to Farr. Talk with me, Sergeant.

Both men turned away from the bike and walked into a small group of trees.

Brief me on what’s happened here, Nye requested.

Farr studied the man’s face. So, he had seen it.

I understand you had contact with a civilian: a young woman.

Yes, sir.

Nye’s voice was clipped and tight. Tell me about it, if you please.

Farr briefly related the afternoon’s incident.

What did she look like? How long has she been gone?

Farr described the girl and was startled to see a flash of excitement cross the major’s face.

Where was she headed?

She took off on the horse down the main road, towards Ange de Feu. She left about a half hour ago, sir, right before you pulled up.

Nye swore under his breath. He paced in front of a tree for a few moments, then stopped and turned to Farr. Yes. Now I want you to go and find her.

Sir?

"Go and get her. Take Valentine with you on the Norton. Avoid checkpoints and stay hidden. If you’re stopped, you do the talking. Don’t let Valentine open his damn mouth. Show them your working papers, and you should be all right. Let us know immediately you find her."

Yes, sir.

And take Jack. Raphael’s bloody pigeon knows this area better than the Germans. He’s in the small carrier under the gas tank. Valentine can handle him. Raphael and I will take care of the bodies, then head back to camp through the woods.

Yes, sir. Farr turned away, a grim smile set on his face. Whatever plans were being hatched, it now involved the girl.

* * *

Crossing the road, Nye slumped onto a tree stump, trying to absorb the last few minutes. Was it her? Could she still be alive? Wiping the sweat from his brow, he took out his map.

His Jedburgh team had been dropped just after D-Day into this Deux-Sèvres area of France. The heavily wooded area was about eighty kilometers southwest of Poitiers, and less than that distance to the coast. The trees gave his small Jed team and the local French Resistance, or Maquis, as they were known in the countryside, ample cover in German-held territory.

It could be done. The drop was not until midnight. The Maquis had found them a new campsite where they would hide the supplies and wait for the plastique. Nye knew what the others did not. Their agent, Degare, hadn’t made it to the ship, and the plastique was still there. Had they been betrayed? Was there an informant among the villagers? Or the Maquis? They needed that plastique.

He thought again of the girl. Did she have papers? If not, he needed documentation and proper clothing. They had to have ID. Raphael’s liaison, Pascal, handled false documents. Pascal would have to move on it this evening. Stay up all night if necessary. The drop must be organized. Too much needed, too quickly. He blocked these worries out. The main thing was to find her; Farr would track her down.

In the few short months they’d worked together, Nye had grown to rely on this steady American who had come to him from the Office of Strategic Services. Farr had been assigned as a wireless radio operator for Nye’s Jedburgh Team EDMOND, when theirs had been killed in the parachute drop. Like other men who came from the OSS, Farr was freewheeling, independent, and unorthodox. Nye liked the man and trusted his instincts. He guessed Farr to be in his mid-twenties. Of medium height, he possessed an unremarkable face, except for his eyes. Nye would not care to see those eyes staring at him from down the barrel of a gun.

He stood up as Raphael approached, stuffing the map back into his pocket.

Excuse me, sir, but what in God’s name has occurred up there?

Just as you see, Lieutenant. The Germans were holding the girl. It appears she either had, or acquired a knife. He paused. Did you see the tablets?

Raphael nodded.

"The Germans call it Panzerschokolade: tank chocolate. Gives them the ability to stay awake long hours, but beats the hell out of a man’s nervous system. He glanced at a small knapsack in Raphael’s trembling hands. What is that?"

I found it in one of the soldier’s kits. I think it must belong to the girl.

The major seized the bag, riffling through its various identification papers. On the front of one small card, the picture of a young woman gazed up at him. He stared. It was her.

* * *

Nye and Raphael were still sifting through papers when Valentine appeared, pushing the Norton. Farr began stowing supplies into a rucksack. Raphael winced as Valentine stuffed Jack’s small wire carrier inside his jacket. Easy with that, Corporal.

Nye pulled Farr aside. Find her, Sergeant, we need her. And handle this with care, she might be a bit difficult.

Farr glanced at Valentine’s bandaged hand. Will do, sir.

Use any bit of persuasion, Farr. Whatever it takes.

Farr straightened up and looked at him. Nye returned his look with steady eyes.

Ready to go, sir, Valentine said.

Very good. Report back on your status; use code names only.

Yes, sir.

The major jerked his head, catching a disturbance out of the corner of his eye. But it was only the filtered sunlight, scattering leaf shadows across the road. He released his grip on the hidden pistol, letting out a long breath. Right. Good luck then.

Valentine climbed on the Norton, and Farr settled on the back with the rucksack. Pulling a tight circle in the road, Valentine shot off with a lurch.

Raphael turned to Nye with a frown. Sir, what is this all about?

Nye shook his head. Leaf shadows or not, he was feeling uneasy. We need to take care of those bodies, then get the hell out of here. I want you to contact Pascal for some false documents. They have to be done tonight.

Raphael raised his eyebrows. That may be impossible.

Contact the man. I’ll explain everything when we get back to camp.

* * *

She had only gotten a few kilometers down the road. They saw the horse first, its head down, and grazing in a field. Valentine skidded to a halt, and the horse bolted. The girl lay sprawled in tall grass, just off the roadway. Hearing the bike she pushed herself upright, rising unsteadily to her feet. Farr dismounted, handing his pistol to Valentine. He noticed the torn sash was now wrapped tightly around her waist, the knife sheath jammed into it. She had been crying. He approached cautiously, with arms spread. Valentine remained on the bike, watching intently.

Farr spoke in passable French, Do not be afraid. We are allies. We only want to—

She turned and fled.

Shit. Cursing, Farr took off after her.

The girl ran away from the road and into a wooded area. She slid down an embankment and raced along a stream bed. Farr stumbled after her, just managing to keep her in view. Tripping over a log she fell, then scrambled to her feet, pulling herself up the bank and back into the trees. Farr closed the distance, and when she stumbled again, he surged forward and grabbed her by the waist. They both fell, rolling down a short slope to the bottom, where he landed on top of her.

Crying with worn rage, she pulled her knife from its sheath. He gripped her flailing arms and held her still with the weight of his body.

She was coughing in short spasms, no longer fighting. He rolled off, wrenched the knife from her hand, and thrust it behind his belt. Then he hunched over her, taking in deep gulps of air. After a moment he straightened, and pulled out a tin flask from inside his jacket. She watched, still gasping for breath. He unscrewed the top, crouching over her once more.

Drink this.

She twisted her head away.

Drink it.

She turned to face him, and it was there again, that long assessing look from the farmyard. He felt the same warm rush of response.

Reaching up to steady the flask, she took deep gulps, paused, and then took several more. She sank back to the ground, struggling to keep her eyes open, still looking at him. He remained kneeling beside her.

She touched his sleeve, and he jumped.

Boche? she whispered.

"No Boche. Morte. They are dead." The fierceness of his reply startled him.

Her eyes closed. In a moment she was out of it, her fingers still gripping his sleeve.

Farr gave a drawn-out sigh and sat up, gently removing her hand. He glanced around. They’d run a fair distance, but were not far from the road. Pulling out a handkerchief, he doused it with water. The gash on her shoulder needed tending.

He wiped back the tangle of hair and got a good look at her. She was older than she’d first appeared; her bruised face was fragile and small-boned. He couldn’t judge her exact age, but this was no child. He remembered the shock, feeling her fully formed body beneath his weight.

At the sound of the Norton’s engine, Farr gave a loud whistle and stood, raising his arm.

A few minutes later, Valentine appeared. Slipping the rucksack to the ground, he crouched next to Farr.

Finally run out of steam? How is she?

Wiped out. Drank most of the flask. There’s a slash on her shoulder. Rope burns, bruises and cuts.

Valentine nodded. Well, the way she was running, I doubt there’s any broken bones.

Where’s the Norton?

Hid it in some brush.

Farr pulled a medical kit from the rucksack. Did the major tell you what this is all about? Who she is?

Valentine shook his head. Just that the drop is on for tonight and the plastique will be delayed, but coming. Evidently, Degare made it to the ship. We’ll be changing camp after the drop. About time too.

Farr nodded. The recent Gestapo attack on a safe house had everyone jumpy. They’d interrogated the farmer for information. When he hadn’t talked, they’d tied his body to a tree and looped a rope around his neck. Then using the man’s tractor, they’d ripped his head off.

Valentine watched Farr sort the bandages and begin cleansing the girl’s shoulder. Your radio parts coming in with the drop?

That’s what I’ve been told. We’re dead in the water out here without a working wireless. The mobile Special Air Service team is out past Ange de Feu, hidden in the woods. The SAS team leader sent out a coded message on their set telling HQ what we needed. He paused. The lieutenant’s pissed about the attack this afternoon. My fault.

Well he wasn’t there, was he.

Farr glanced at the young corporal’s face. Valentine, or ‘Val’ as he preferred to be called, had come to the Jedburghs from the Special Operations Executive, or SOE, as a radio operator and mechanic. Born and raised in France until he was eight, he was sent to live with his paternal grandmother in England when both parents died in an automobile accident. Powerfully built and broad-shouldered, he’d lied about his age, and joined the army at sixteen, just after the US invasion of North Africa. They’d only worked together for a short time, but the younger man had developed an intense bond with him. Farr wanted to believe Val regarded him as an older brother, but he knew it was more than that.

Farr shook his head. He was right. If they’d been regular troops, we’d be in a shitload of trouble right now. And the drop zone, blown. Farr poured sulfa powder onto the girl’s shoulder and affixed a bandage. What I want to know is how this girl got mixed up with the deserters. Is she French? A Maquis? He gave Val a sideways glance, Did you go inside the house?

No.

Farr briefly related what he’d seen.

Val whistled. Then I’m fortunate to have escaped with just a cut. His tone became somber. Do you think she was…?

Yes.

Val shifted uncomfortably. This little one has had a bad time of it.

Yes.

Val hauled himself to his feet. Jack’s with the bike. I’ll send him off with a brief message and map, to tell them we have her. Guess I’ll be on watch tonight.

Farr frowned. All night? I can do half—

Val interrupted. The major made rather a point of it. Said if we found her, I was to come back on the bike early tomorrow. He gave me directions to their new camp. You’re to stay and wait for contact.

Farr watched him disappear into the bushes, then stood up and stretched. He looked down at the girl’s flushed face. There was a large stream close by and plenty of cover, if they could move a bit further into the trees. He didn’t like being out in the open. It was safer in the trees.

She did not wake, but flopped her head against his shoulder as he maneuvered up a small incline to a sheltered clearing. Placing her on the ground, he went back for the rucksack and supplies, putting them next to a tree. He pulled out a blanket, carefully wrapping it around her. Then he sat down against the tree and lit a cigarette.

Farr watched and smoked, listening to her quick breathing. The evening sunlight cast long shadows over the grasses, and the rasping of cicadas disturbed the air. A faint smell of smoke drifted on the wind. He knew the French were making charcoal, burning piles of twigs. Distant memories of a camping weekend with his father came back to him. The old man had been sober that time. It was a good trip.

A while later Val returned, and Farr signaled from their new position. After unpacking the rest of the supplies, Val pulled out a small parcel of food. They ate the dark bread and cheese in silence.

Did the major tell you anything more? Val asked.

Not much. Someone wants her. Badly.

Val stood up, stretching. Get some sleep. I’ll be close by, on watch. I’ll come and wake you before leaving.

* * *

Farr woke to the girl’s screams. He lunged forward covering her mouth, holding her to his chest.

Quiet, he hissed.

She reacted violently to his grip.

He eased up, whispering, Please. There could be danger. Please.

Val came running, pale-faced in the moonlight, his pistol drawn.

Farr shook his head, his voice taut, Nightmare.

The corporal slipped back into the darkness. Farr held the girl until she