Operation Rose

By Hannah Howe

Beside a graffiti-embellished pew, I turned to Rose and said, “You’re taking great risks for us.”
“Freedom is worth the risks,” Rose said.
“What about the risks to your family?”
Rose turned and offered me an angry glare. “Who said that I have a family?”
“I assumed that you are married,” I said, “with children.”
Rose looked like a housewife. She wore no rings on her fingers, yet her whole manner suggested a housewifely air.
“I would rather not mention my family,” Rose said.
“I understand,” I said.
At that point, the sound of an organ reverberated through the cathedral. Its sudden appearance caught me by surprise. It startled Rose and made her jump.
“I must go,” she said.
I nodded. “Take care.”
I waited and listened to the organ. The sound was modern, electrified. I didn’t recognise the tune, but it was pleasant enough.
Outside, I walked through the narrow alleys, along the cobbled streets. I couldn’t explain why, but I loved cobbled streets.
At a distance of five hundred metres, I turned and stared at the cathedral, and reflected on Rose. I considered that she was an enigma. Maxime Durand had vouched for her. London trusted Durand, but I had my doubts about him. For security’s sake, I reckoned that I should learn more about Rose.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Goylake Publishing
• Release date: Jul 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781739738815

Hannah Howe

Hannah Howe is the bestselling author of the Sam Smith Mystery Series (Sam's Song, book one in the series, has reached number one on the amazon.com private detective chart on seven separate occasions and the number one position in Australia). Hannah lives in the picturesque county of Glamorgan with her partner and their two children. She has a university degree and a background in psychology, which she uses as a basis for her novels.Hannah began her writing career at school when her teacher asked her to write the school play. She has been writing ever since. When not writing or researching Hannah enjoys reading, genealogy, music, chess and classic black and white movies. She has a deep knowledge of nineteenth and twentieth century popular culture and is a keen student of the private detective novel and its history.Hannah's books are available in print, as audio books and eBooks from all major retailers: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, Kobo, iBooks, etc. For more details please visit https://hannah-howe.comThe Sam Smith Mystery Series in book order:Sam's SongLove and BulletsThe Big ChillRipperThe Hermit of HisaryaSecrets and LiesFamily HonourSins of the FatherSmoke and MirrorsStardustMind GamesDigging in the DirtA Parcel of RoguesBostonThe Devil and Ms DevlinSnow in AugustLooking for Rosanna MeeStormy WeatherDamagedEve’s War: Heroines of SOEOperation ZigzagOperation LocksmithOperation BroadswordOperation TreasureOperation SherlockOperation CameoOperation RoseOperation WatchmakerOperation OverlordOperation Jedburgh (to follow)Operation Butterfly (to follow)Operation Liberty (to follow)The Golden Age of HollywoodTula: A 1920s Novel (to follow)The Olive Tree: A Spanish Civil War SagaRootsBranchesLeavesFruitFlowersThe Ann's War Mystery Series in book order:BetrayalInvasionBlackmailEscapeVictoryStandalone NovelsSaving Grace: A Victorian MysteryColette: A Schoolteacher’s War (to follow)What readers have been saying about the Sam Smith Mystery Series and Hannah Howe..."Hannah Howe is a very talented writer.""A gem of a read.""Sam Smith is the most interesting female sleuth in detective fiction. She leaves all the others standing.""Hannah Howe's writing style reminds you of the Grandmasters of private detective fiction - Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and Robert B. Parker.""Sam is an endearing character. Her assessments of some of the people she encounters will make you laugh at her wicked mind. At other times, you'll cry at the pain she's suffered.""Sam is the kind of non-assuming heroine that I couldn't help but love.""Sam's Song was a wonderful find and a thoroughly engaging read. The first book in the Sam Smith mystery series, this book starts off as a winner!""Sam is an interesting and very believable character.""Gripping and believable at the same time, very well written.""Sam is a great heroine who challenges stereotypes.""Hannah Howe is a fabulous writer.""I can't wait to read the next in the series!""The Big Chill is light reading, but packs powerful messages.""This series just gets better and better.""What makes this book stand well above the rest of detective thrillers is the attention to the little details that makes everything so real.""Sam is a rounded and very real character.""Howe is an author to watch, able to change the tone from light hearted to more thoughtful, making this an easy and yet very rewarding read. Cracking!""Fabulous book by a fabulous author-I highly recommended this series!""Howe writes her characters with depth and makes them very engaging.""I loved the easy conversational style the author used throughout. Some of the colourful ways that the main character expressed herself actually made me laugh!""I loved Hannah Howe's writing style -- poignant one moment, terrifying the next, funny the next moment. I would be on the edge of my seat praying Sam wouldn't get hurt, and then she'd say a one-liner or think something funny, and I'd chuckle and catch my breath. Love it!""Sam's Song is no lightweight suspense book. Howe deals with drugs, spousal abuse, child abuse, and more. While the topics she writes about are heavy, Howe does a fantastic job of giving the reader the brutal truth while showing us there is still good in life and hope for better days to come."

Book preview

EVE’S WAR

OPERATION

ROSE

EVE’S WAR

OPERATION

ROSE

Hannah Howe

Goylake Publishing

Copyright © 2022 Hannah Howe

All rights reserved.

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Goylake Publishing, Iscoed, 16A Meadow Street, North Cornelly, Bridgend, Glamorgan. CF33 4LL

Print ISBN: 978-1-7397388-6-0

eBook ISBN: 978-1-7397388-1-5

Printed and bound in Britain by Imprint Digital, Exeter, EX5 5HY

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organisations, places and events are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is purely coincidental.

Author’s Note

The characters in Eve’s War are fictional. However, all the stories and the incidents within these stories, from the personal to the public, are based on real events.

The series is structured into twelve books, each of approximately 20,000 words, set roughly two months apart. Within the back matter of each book, you will find potted biographies of the real heroes and heroines of the SOE, the people whom Eve Beringar, Guy Samson and Mimi Duchamp are based on. It’s been an honour to read about these incredibly brave and principled people. I hope you will enjoy their stories and the exploits of my characters in Eve’s War.

Hannah’s books are available in print, as eBooks and audio books with translations in progress

Eve’s War

Operation Zigzag

Operation Locksmith

Operation Broadsword

Operation Treasure

Operation Sherlock

Operation Cameo

Operation Rose

Operation Watchmaker

Operation Overlord

Operation Jedburgh

Operation Butterfly

Operation Liberty

Ann’s War

Betrayal

Invasion

Blackmail

Escape

Victory

Stand-alone Novel

Saving Grace

The Sam Smith Mystery Series

Sam’s Song

Love and Bullets

The Big Chill

Ripper

The Hermit of Hisarya

Secrets and Lies

Family Honour

Sins of the Father

Smoke and Mirrors

Stardust

Mind Games

Digging in the Dirt

A Parcel of Rogues

Boston

The Devil and Ms Devlin

Snow in August

Looking for Rosanna Mee

Stormy Weather

Damaged

Sugar Daddy

The Olive Tree: A Spanish Civil War Saga

Roots

Branches

Leaves

Fruit

Flowers

To my family, with love

Chapter One

November 1943

Guy’s bed was not as comfortable as my bed at the Le Roux farmhouse. However, with Guy at my side it did have its compensations...

I awoke after a restful night’s sleep. I stretched my legs, and raised my arms above my head. The blankets shifted and I caught sight of my naked belly. It looked bloated. Maybe I’d put on weight.

Guy entered the bedroom, whistling. In the mornings, he was always bright and cheerful. In my humble opinion, as a morning grouch, no one had the right to be that bright and cheerful before noon.

Guy walked over to the bed and kissed me. Then he opened a small suitcase and examined its contents. At noon, he would travel to Marseille to meet up with other network leaders.

I sat up in bed and Guy glanced over his shoulder. Good morning, he smiled.

If you say so, I groaned.

Sleep well? he asked.

Very well, I said.

Then why so grumpy?

I’m not grumpy, I said. The problem is, you are excessively cheerful.

I can’t help it, he shrugged. I’m a morning person.

You’re also a night person, I said, recalling the pleasures of the night.

Once again, Guy shrugged. Life offers so many exciting possibilities; it’s a shame to waste too many hours on sleep.

When you sleep, I said, you sleep like a log.

Maybe that’s the secret, Guy said, quality over quantity.

I ran my fingers through my hair and stumbled out of bed. I need a shower, I said.

I’ll make you some coffee.

Make it a pot, I said, a large pot.

Naked, I walked towards the bathroom. Guy watched me go. We’d reached the point of total familiarity. We were comfortable with each other in every aspect of our lives. On the one hand, that was a blissful thought, on the other it was scary because it meant that I had so much to lose, should Guy decide to call time on our affair.

Guy’s shower was a hit and miss affair; sometimes the water was hot, most times it was cold. Nevertheless, I completed my ablutions, slipped into a bathrobe and joined Guy in the kitchen.

Feeling better? he asked.

I nodded. I’m nearly awake now.

Guy poured me a cup of coffee and I sipped it with glee. We’d acquired some genuine coffee on the black market; it tasted so much better than the tar that passed for coffee these days.

The coffee satisfied, but my morning cravings demanded more. I could murder a cigarette, I said.

You still have cravings?

Uh-huh. But only when I wake up.

You need something to distract you, Guy said.

I toyed with my bathrobe in sensuous fashion and shimmed over to him. I could be such a hussy at times. Who was I kidding? I could be such a hussy all the time.

Why don’t you distract me, I said.

I’d love to, Guy said, taking me into his arms, holding me close, but I have to pack.

I loved the feeling of Guy’s arms wrapped around me. I loved placing my head on his shoulder. I loved the way his fingers caressed my hair and back. I loved him. I loved everything about him. This sensation should have created feelings of absolute joy, of bliss. However, I was married, so that bliss was tempered with guilt. Also, I was scared of the intensity; literally, I’d never felt this way about anyone before.

You’d better get dressed, Guy said.

Reluctantly, I nodded and we broke our embrace.

In the bedroom, I slipped into a blouse then struggled into a pair of slacks. I reckon these slacks have shrunk, I said.

Or maybe you’ve put on weight.

Do you think I’ve put on weight? I frowned.

Guy circled me. He studied me, appraised me in scholarly