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Contents (71)
  1. Contents
  2. London—26 October 1940
  3. London—7 May 1945
  4. London—26 October 1940
  5. Bethnal Green—June 1944
  6. London—26 October 1940
  7. Kent—April 1944
  8. London—27 October 1940
  9. London—November 1940
  10. Kent—April 1944
  11. Golders Green—July 1944
  12. London—November 1940
  13. Kent—April 1944
  14. London—November 1940
  15. London—November 1940
  16. Oxford—April 2060
  17. Bletchley—November 1940
  18. Dulwich—Summer 1944
  19. London—November 1940
  20. Bletchley—December 1940
  21. Dulwich—Summer 1944
  22. London—December 1940
  23. Oxford—April 2060
  24. London—December 1940
  25. Saltram-on-Sea—December 1940
  26. London—December 1940
  27. London—December 1940
  28. London—29 December 1940
  29. St. Paul’s Cathedral—29 December 1940
  30. St. Paul’s Cathedral—29 December 1940
  31. Ludgate Hill—29 December 1940
  32. Blackfriars Tube Station—29 December 1940
  33. St. Paul’s Cathedral—29 December 1940
  34. The City—29 December 1940
  35. St. Bartholomew’s Hospital—30 December 1940
  36. St. Paul’s Cathedral—30 December 1940
  37. Croydon—October 1944
  38. London—Winter 1941
  39. London—Winter 1941
  40. Croydon—October 1944
  41. London—Winter 1941
  42. London—7 May 1945
  43. London—Winter 1941
  44. London—Winter 1941
  45. London—Winter 1941
  46. London—Winter 1941
  47. Kent—April 1944
  48. Imperial War Museum, London—7 May 1995
  49. Dover—April 1944
  50. Imperial War Museum, London—7 May 1995
  51. Wales—May 1944
  52. London—Spring 1941
  53. London—May 1944
  54. London—Spring 1941
  55. Imperial War Museum, London—7 May 1995
  56. Kent—June 1944
  57. Imperial War Museum, London—7 May 1995
  58. Kent—October 1944
  59. London—Spring 1941
  60. Croydon—October 1944
  61. London—Spring 1941
  62. London—Spring 1941
  63. London—Spring 1941
  64. Imperial War Museum, London—7 May 1995
  65. London—19 April 1941
  66. London—19 April 1941
  67. Imperial War Museum, London—7 May 1995
  68. London—7 May 1945
  69. London—19 April 1941
  70. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  71. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“As I was saying, none of our defenses is at all effective,” Stephen said calmly. “The only way to stop them is to prevent them from being launched in the first place.”

The lane was narrowing. She turned off it onto another, which was just as narrow and even more rutted. She glanced at her watch: one o’clock.

She needed to get them out of the danger area before 1:08, when the second V-1 had hit the bridge. She drove faster, praying for a road to turn onto. They passed a field of barley and then an ammunition dump, which the convoy had probably originated from, another field, another, and then a small grove of trees. Beyond it lay a bridge.

Of course, Mary thought, and glanced at her watch again. 1:06.

We are all going to have whistles as Mr. Bendall thinks if we are buried, it will be useful to our rescues. This I consider quite useful, and if buried shall whistle with all my might.

—VERE HODGSON’S DIARY,
28 February 1944

London—26 October 1940

AS SOON AS THEY REACHED THE LANDING OF THE EMERGENCY staircase, Mike asked Polly, “What if the retrieval team was in Padgett’s looking for Eileen, just like we were?”

“But … they can’t have been,” Polly stammered. The idea that some of the fatalities might have been the retrieval team had never occurred to her. The possibility so knocked her back on her heels that for a moment it seemed entirely possible. It would explain why there’d been five casualties—the three there were supposed to be and the two-man retrieval team.

“Why couldn’t they have been?” Mike pressed her. “Who else could they be? You heard Eileen’s supervisor. Everyone who worked there had been accounted for. And that would explain why they haven’t been found yet—because they don’t know there’s anyone to look for.”

“But they knew Padgett’s was going to be hit. They wouldn’t have gone—”

“We knew it was going to be hit, and we did. What if they saw us go in and followed us? If they didn’t realize we’d taken the elevator down, they might still have been looking for us when the HE hit.”

There was no reason why a retrieval team, like historians, couldn’t be killed on assignment. And if that was what had happened, then Oxford hadn’t been destroyed and Colin hadn’t been killed. And Mike hadn’t lost the war.

She wondered if that was why he was so determined that this was what had happened. Because, bad as it was, it was better than the alternative. On the other hand, it could explain why their retrieval teams hadn’t shown up, and why there were five fatalities.

You don’t know for certain that there are, she reminded herself. You need to find out. And soon, before Mike heard about the five.

I must go to the hospital tomorrow. And keep him away from Miss Laburnum and newspapers till then. He’d said they needed to check her drop and see if it was working. If she could take him there as soon as they got out of here—