The Courier Read online

  The Courier

  CW Browning

  About The Courier

  Before there is war, there are those willing to fight...no matter the cost.

  France, 1938. While Hitler rebuilds Germany, and French and English leaders focus on appeasement, one man risks everything to smuggle information out of Munich – and into the hands of a young woman.

  Evelyn Ainsworth is enjoying a carefree summer with her relatives in the high society of Paris. When her father stops to visit on his way from London to Prague, she never dreams that one favor for him will change her life forever. For beneath the glittering gaiety on the continent, a menacing shadow is growing. While many choose to look the other way, there are some who are desperate to combat the growing evil.

  And others even more desperate to empower it.

  Offered a chance to make a difference, Evelyn is drawn unexpectedly into a world she didn’t know existed. A world where war is much closer than anyone thinks, information is gold…

  …and no one is safe.

  Author’s Note:

  In 1938, England and France were trying desperately to avoid another war. Still reeling from the long-lasting effects of the First World War and the Great Depression, neither country wanted another expensive military conflict. With unemployment at an all-time high, and their citizens increasingly looking to communism and socialism for answers, both governments felt that it was in their best interest to appease Adolf Hitler, rather than oppose him. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain believed fervently in the policy of appeasement, trusting Hitler’s promises of peace for Europe, and guided England accordingly.

  Not all members of the British Parliament were convinced. A few stood firm in the belief that another war with Germany would be inevitable if Hitler were not stopped. With little encouragement from the government, and even less funding, it was left to them to try to prepare for a war while the rest of the world actively tried to avoid it. They were not alone, however. The coming conflict would ultimately be won by the ordinary men and women who stepped up to do extraordinary things in defense of their countries and their freedom – often at the cost of their own lives.

  It is to the memory of those fearless men and women that this series is dedicated.

  Table of Contents

  The Courier

  Author’s Note:

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  About the Author

  Note from Author:

  “Whoever lights the torch of war in Europe can wish for nothing but chaos.”

  ~ Adolph Hitler, Speech to the Reichstag in Berlin May 1935

  Prologue

  Tai Po District, Hong Kong: 1930

  Two young people raced across the grassy clearing, ducking behind a row of thick hedgerows along the outer edge, breathing heavily. The girl’s hair had partially slipped out of her ponytail and the boy looked at her, trying to catch his breath.

  “No fair!” he exclaimed. “You cheated. I wasn’t ready!”

  “Sssshhhh!” The girl shushed him, pulling him down further behind the bushes. “Do you want them to hear you?”

  “Who?” the boy obediently lowered his voice. “What are you talking about?”

  “This is what I wanted to show you,” she whispered. “Look!”

  She pointed through a break in the hedge and they both peered through the greenery. An immense garden was on the other side, and in the center, a large square area had been marked out with gray stones and the grass inside was worn down. There, within the square, twelve people were dressed in identical robes and stood in four rows. A taller man stood facing them in the front, his hands clasped behind his back. His garb was different from the others, similar in style but a different color.

  The boy glanced at her. “What is it?”

  “Some kind of class,” she whispered back. “Watch!”

  The boy made a face but turned his gaze back to the strangely dressed people on the other side of the shrubbery. He still wasn’t used to the way they dressed here. He and his parents had been here for three months now, but he still thought it looked like the local people wore pajamas.

  All thoughts of their strange clothing disappeared a second later as he watched the twelve people move in unison, lunging forward on their left leg and raising their hands in what looked like some kind of weird pose. He watched in awe as they went through a series of motions that were unlike anything he’d ever seen before.

  “What is it?” he finally whispered, tearing his gaze away to find his companion watching intently, enthralled.

  “I think it’s some sort of ancient fighting technique,” she whispered back. “I heard the one in the front instructing them the other day and was able to make out a few words.”

  The boy stared at her, the class momentarily forgotten. “What? You understood him?”

  She shrugged, never taking her eyes from the spectacle on the other side of the hedge.

  “A little. Only a few words.”

  “Does your father know that you come here, spying on the locals?” the boy demanded. “And that you’re trying to learn Cantonese?”

  She looked at him, her blue eyes flashing.

  “He knows I’m learning Cantonese. He encourages it. He says I have an ear for languages.”

  “And does he also encourage you to sneak away from your tutors and leave the property to come spy on…on…whoever these people are?”

  “Stephen Mansbridge, just because you’re fourteen doesn’t mean you can boss me around!” she said hotly, tossing her head. “I’m not hurting anyone.”

  “What if you get caught?” Stephen asked, glancing at the people in the clearing. “That man watching from the back of the house doesn’t look very nice.”

  The girl turned her gaze to the older man who sat on a stool under a tiled awning, watching the class in progress.

  “I haven’t quite made up my mind who he is,” she said thoughtfully. “I don’t know if he’s another teacher, or if he’s like a patron. He never speaks, at least, not that I’ve seen.”

  “How often do you come here?”

  “Every day.”

  Stephen let out an exclamation and grabbed her arm.

  “Evie, what if you get caught?”

  She scoffed and pulled her arm away.

  “They have no idea I’m here,” she assured him. “They’re too busy doing their exercises. Besides, why should they be concerned with me? I’m just a girl.”

  “Which is why you shouldn’t be here!” Stephen said. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  “But I don’t want to go!” Evie turned her attention back to the students in the square. “Don’t you wish you could learn something like that?”

  Stephen looked at her as if she had three heads.

  “Like what? We don’t even know what that is! It could be a mating dance for all you know.”

  She sighed and looked at him in disappointment.

  “I thought you would find it interesting.”

  “Well, I don’t,” he said roundly, “and neither should you. You’re a girl. You should be learning girl things, not running around the countryside all alone.”

  “You sound like your mother,” Evie muttered. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”

  “I left it in England,” he retorted, grabbing her hand. “Come on. I’m two years older than you, so you have to listen to me.”

  “No I don’t,” she objected, pulling her hand away. “You’re not my father.”

  “If I was, I’d lock
you up until you’re an old lady.”

  Evie stuck her tongue out at him. “Well you’re not, so there!”

  Stephen glowered at her. “Fine. But I’m going to tell your father!”

  The girl hesitated, clearly unsure if he was bluffing. Sensing her hesitation, Stephen nodded confidently.

  “I will! I swear it!”

  With a huff, Evie turned away from the hedge with a pout. Stephen grabbed her hand and pulled her away, heading back across the clearing.

  Neither of them were aware of the pair of old, dark eyes following them from under an ancient, tiled awning. The old man shifted on his stool as the teacher in the front caught sight of the retreating young people through a gap in the hedges. He started towards the edge of the property purposefully, but halted at a single word from the old man. He turned to look at him in surprise, but the old man didn’t spare him a glance as he thoughtfully watched the young girl hurrying across the clearing.

  Chapter One

  Tai Po District, Hong Kong: 1936

  Evelyn Ainsworth tucked her arm through her father’s and took a deep breath of warm, balmy evening air. The sound of laughter and music floated from the back patio where the guests had spilled outside to enjoy an after-dinner drink and some respite from the overcrowded rooms within. The lights from the house joined forces with torches placed near the stone-flagged patio to light up part of the manicured lawn, but the rest was in cloaked in shadows. She hugged his arm as they strolled into those shadows, away from the guests.

  “This was lovely,” she told him, looking up into his angular face. “Thank you!”

  “I wish it could have been more. You only turn eighteen once,” he replied with a smile. “When we return to England, you’ll have a proper come-out.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Is that really necessary?”

  He chuckled. “I’m afraid so, Evie. Society demands it, and so does your mother.”

  “Well, I certainly don’t want to disappoint Mum,” she said, glancing back at the patio where a tall, elegant woman was entertaining their guests with polished ease. “I know it’s important to her.”

  “It’s important to both of us, and it should be important to you. It’s your opportunity to take your place in society.”

  “Oh posh, you know I don’t give a fig for any of that.” She paused then smiled ruefully. “Although, I do enjoy parties. And you never said what you thought of my new dress!”

  Evelyn pulled away to spin around in front of him. Diaphanous pearl-gray material shimmered in the moonlight and flared around her ankles as she twirled.

  “I think you look stunning,” Mr. Ainsworth said with a fond smile. “I can’t believe how quickly you’ve grown. Your brother will be amazed when he sees you.”

  Evelyn tucked her arm back into his as they strolled along a gravel path alongside beds of exotic flowers.

  “I miss Robert. I can’t wait to see him again. He wrote that he’s learning to fly with a local flying club while he’s at Oxford.”

  Her father grunted. “So I’ve heard.”

  “How exciting! I wish I could learn something new and fun like that.”

  Mr. Ainsworth looked at her in some amusement.

  “Is that so? Learning an exotic fighting technique isn’t new and fun enough for you?” he teased. “I seem to recall that when you convinced me to allow you to attend that Kung Fu school of yours, you did so by telling me you wanted learn something fun and different.”

  She looked at him ruefully from under long, darkened lashes.

  “I did,” she admitted with a grin. “And you know I love it. I wish you wouldn’t call it Kung Fu. It sounds so silly. It’s called Wing Chun, and I think that sounds much more interesting. I have my final test next week. Sifu says I’m ready. I have advanced past his senior students.”

  Her father chuckled.

  “Of course you have,” he murmured. “Tell me, Evie, is there anything you won’t do if you put your mind to it?”

  “There seem to be many things,” she retorted with a short laugh. “I’m struggling with Russian, as you’re well aware, and mother says my sewing is deplorable.”

  He waved his hand dismissively.

  “Evelyn, my dear, if you weren’t struggling with learning Russian, I’d begin to wonder if you were even human. I have nothing but respect for you even attempting it.”

  “Well, you’re the one who always said I should learn all the languages I could because I have an ear for them. I’ll admit, though, I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew with that one.”

  Her father looked down at her and shook his head.

  “You’ll conquer it, I have no doubt. You managed Cantonese without any difficulty at all, which is no small feat.” He paused in the darkness and faced her. “What will you do with all these languages and Kung Fu, I wonder? Have you given any thought to what you’d like to do with your life? The world is yours, my dear.”

  “Well if mum has her way, I’ll marry a nice, respectable man and set up house, entertaining every chance I get,” Evelyn said with a flash of white teeth.

  “With Stephen Mansbridge, perhaps?” He winked at her. “He was very attentive at dinner.”

  Evelyn shrugged. “He’s always very attentive,” she replied. “He will make someone a very good husband.”

  “But not you?”

  “Not me.”

  They walked for a moment in comfortable silence, then she stole a look up at his profile.

  “Dad?”

  “Yes?”

  “Stephen says that something is brewing on the continent, in Europe,” Evelyn said slowly. “He thinks Herr Hitler’s move into the Rhineland is a sign of things to come. Do you think he’s right?”

  Mr. Ainsworth was quiet for a long while, then he sighed.

  “I don’t know, Evie,” he finally said. “I really don’t know. There are many who say that the Rhineland has always been part of Germany and, therefore, it was only right for them to take it back.”

  “And what do you say?”

  “I think Germany violated the Treaty of Versailles. Whether rightly or wrongly, doing so was a grave move, and not one that you would think Germany would take lightly.” He shook his head. “But then, everything seems to be out of control all over the world, not just in Europe. There is unrest everywhere, and the struggle for borders and power has grown more pronounced as countries are trying to recover their economies.”

  “Stephen thinks there will be another war. He says it is inevitable.”

  Her father glanced at her sharply.

  “Nothing is inevitable, Evie,” he told her. “The world is not ready for another war. Heaven knows we certainly aren’t; England hasn’t recovered from the last one.”

  Evelyn was quiet and he stopped under a tree, turning to face her.

  “What is it that’s bothering you?” he asked.

  She looked at him and sighed, pulling her arm away from his and absently walking a few steps towards a clump of shrubs.

  “Do you think that’s why Robbie’s learning to fly airplanes?”

  Her father watched as she plucked a large evergreen leaf from one of the shrubs, toying with it as she turned back to face him.

  “I think it’s highly unlikely. Your brother is getting bored in his final year at university. He wants some excitement, and flying gives him a thrill.” He grinned at her. “You should be able to understand that easily enough. Isn’t that why you wanted to learn to drive?”

  Evelyn wave a hand impatiently. “That’s different.”

  “How is that different?”

  “Well, because a car stays firmly on the ground, for one thing!” she replied with a short laugh. “If we do go to war, you know that Robbie will want to fight.”

  “Is that what this is all about?” Her father crossed to her and reached for her hands. “Evelyn, it’s your birthday. You shouldn’t be worrying about a war that may or may not ever happen. There is no reason for us to go to war.
Yes, the world is unstable right now. Between the fascists and the socialists and the communists, the political landscape is changing quickly and bringing new challenges with it. But you must understand that we have leaders in London who are committed to keeping the peace and doing what is best for Britain.”

  “But Stephen says—”

  “Stephen needs to stop filling your head with this nonsense,” he said grimly. “I’m surprised at him. He should know better.”

  “It’s not nonsense if it’s true.”

  He looked down at her and sighed heavily.

  “You’re right,” he agreed. “It’s not nonsense. It’s very serious. However, there is nothing to indicate that another war is even a thought in anyone’s head. Hitler says himself that he wants only peace for his Third Reich. And let’s not forget that his military is strictly monitored by the Treaty.”

  “The treaty that he already violated by moving into the Rhineland,” she pointed out. “What’s to stop him from ignoring it and building his army back up?”

  “Britain, France and the United States, for starters. Come. Stop your worrying. It’s your birthday and you should be enjoying yourself, not standing out here discussing world politics with your dull old father.”

  Evelyn twinkled up at him and tucked her arm through his again.

  “But I like standing out here discussing world politics with you,” she told him. “You listen to what I have to say and don’t think me strange for being interested in something other than fashion.”

  “Considering the fact that world politics is a large part of my duties here, I’d find it very strange if you didn’t find it interesting,” he replied, turning them back towards the house. “You’re very like your mother in that respect. I’m incredibly fortunate to have two intelligent females in my life.”

  “And we are incredibly fortunate to have you in ours,” Evelyn answered promptly. “I can’t begin to imagine what my life would be like if I had the misfortune to be daughter to a man who didn’t understand me.”