Code Name Verity Part 1, Chapter 10 Summary

Ormaie 22.XI.43 JB-S

As the BMEIOPG promised, Maddie's air taxi work remains much the same, but now she's transporting people she isn't allowed to talk to, and who obviously aren't pilots.
In September 1942, she ferries Queenie from undisclosed location to undisclosed location, but it's dark and Queenie doesn't identify herself until they hit the ground because she doesn't want to distract Maddie during the flight.
That night, Maddie sleeps at the RAF Special Duties base.
When Queenie and the rest of her team return triumphantly from France the next morning with several shot-down American pilots and French ministers, champagne, and Chanel No. 5, Queenie is beyond thrilled with the success of her first mission.

Here the narrator pauses to ruminate on the importance of freedom.
She also realizes she's at the point where she'll have to begin talking about herself before her arrival in Ormaie, and she's not happy about it.
She wants to keep thinking about flying with Maddie and about the lovely dream she had where she and Maddie were safe and headed home.
The narrator is in a lot of trouble with Engel and Thibaut for pranking Engel that morning, and she distracts herself by inventing a flirtatious relationship between the two of them.
She says the general air has become more urgent around the prison—something is going on, but she doesn't know what.
She is feeling tired and lightheaded, and decides to list all her flights with Maddie to help herself get through.

The narrator titles the next section "RAF Special Duties, Operational Cross-Country."

This section continues the story of Maddie's life as an air taxi pilot for the SOE.
In April 1943, Maddie and Queenie find themselves at the airfield where Jamie is now stationed; Queenie is hustled off for a mission, and Maddie knows she won't return until the next morning.
Jamie and another pilot are bound for a pick-up/drop-off in France, and a less experienced pilot whom the narrator calls "Michael" is supposed to follow them, find another point, and turn around. Just for practice.
Maddie is totally jealous of Michael, so Jamie suggests she fly along.
After some arguing and working out the logistics of it, the others decide it's okay, so Maddie flies to France with Michael.
Michael does fairly well, but Maddie has to remind him not to follow the other planes all the way to Paris.
Maddie and the squadron leader talk about the trip while Michael walks off whistling "The Last Time I Saw Paris."

The narrator titles the next section "Debriefing."

This section continues later the same night.
Maddie makes it to bed at about 4:00AM—she's sharing a room with Queenie, but she's too excited to sleep.
Queenie comes in at 5:30AM, turns on all the lights, and sits down in front of the mirror.
Her hair is pulled back starkly, and she's wearing harsh make-up; she doesn't look like herself.
As Maddie watches, she realizes Queenie's throat and arms are covered with bruises.
Maddie tells Queenie about the flight to France, and Queenie reveals her secret identity: as Eva Seiler, a German liaison, she interrogates prisoners.
One of them attacked her that night, which is how she got the bruises.
Queenie is clearly shaken up, and Maddie holds her sobbing friend until she falls asleep.

As she finishes her story, the narrator is very tired, but a new guard keeps burning the back of her neck with his cigarette every time she stops writing, so she covers pages and pages with the poetry of Robert Burns.
The poet's name makes her think of Maddie, burned up in the wreckage of her plane.