The Spy Who Inspired the First Bond Girl | Evening Star | 1

0:00Christine Granville:Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of The Spy Who ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. July 1944. The village of Saint-Agnon-Vercors, southern eastern France. Christina Skarbek sleepily opens her eyes and sees a glowing pink sky outside her broken hotel window. The dawn's beauty is at odds with the aerial bombing that's been raging all night. She gently wriggles out of the sleeping embrace of her spy chief, Francis Camard, dresses quickly and crosses to the window to drink in the brief loveliness. Scarbeck's a Pole who has been spying for Britain since the outbreak of World War II.

0:48Christine Granville:A few days ago, she parachuted into France to help Camard and his local resistance network. But yesterday, the Germans set out to obliterate that resistance in a massive offensive. A bomb explodes nearby, shaking the hotel and startling Gamar awake. He leaps out of bed, dressing hurriedly. He stands beside her and watches the bomb's drifting smoke darken the dawn light. He takes her hand. I'd say good morning, but I'm not sure it will be. Scarbeck smiles and kisses his shoulder. Now, what makes you say that? They both tense at the telltale sound of a Luftwaffe bomber coming close. Scarbeck peers urgently into the sky.

1:31Christine Granville:The plane banks as it comes into view and heads straight for them. Frozen in horror, they watch as the plane comes closer, so close they can see the pilot. The hotel is his target. Gamard drops to the floor, trying to pull Scarbeck down. If they release the bomb now, it'll come through this window. But Scarbeck resists, refusing to crouch. She watches the bay doors open and the bomb begin its flight. She takes a deep breath. She will meet death on her feet, looking it firmly in the eye.

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3:12Christine Granville:I'm Indravarma, and this is The Spy Who, an Audible original. Beneath the veneer of the everyday lurks the realm of the spy. It's a dank, murky world full of dark corners, sinister motives and corrupted morals. A place of paranoia and infiltration, sabotage and manipulation. In this season, we tell the story of Christina Scarbeck, also known as Christine Granville. Born a Polish countess, her childhood nickname was Wespereil, meaning Evening Star. She was the first and most daring female spy of World War II. Her beauty, quick thinking and numerous acts of heroism made her a legend within British intelligence.

3:58Christine Granville:But while she survived the Nazis, she couldn't survive the peace. Her story of heroism and tragedy inspired the character of Vesper Lind in Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel, Casino Royale. A quick note. We are using her real name, Christina Scarbeck, but some listeners may know her as Christine Granville, the cover name she adopted partway through the war and then kept. What you're about to hear are dramatised reconstructions of events based on the information that's been made public. But remember, in the shadow realm of the spy, the full story is rarely clear. You're listening to The Spy Who Inspired the First Bond Girl.

4:43Christine Granville:This is Episode 1, Evening Star.

4:52Christine Granville:December 1939, London, the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service, a.k.a. MI6. Intelligence officer George Taylor studies the attractive brunette in front of him and wonders what to make of her. She's pretty much forced herself into the chair opposite him by leveraging her contacts in British diplomatic circles. Now she's explaining why. I must do something to help my home country, and I think the British are my best hope. Scarbeck's husband is a Polish diplomat. They were travelling to his new post in Kenya when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. They arrived in London a few days ago, determined to help the war effort.

5:36Christine Granville:But Scarbeck's ideas are more ambitious than most. If you help me to get to the Tatra Mountains, I propose to ski from there into Nazi-occupied Poland. I will take propaganda materials with me so the Polish people know they are not alone. Taylor's lips quiver in amusement. He's usually the one handing out the missions, but this forthright woman has already decided hers. I can be a courier between British intelligence and the Polish resistance, taking in messages and smuggling out intelligence. I see. Despite his bemusement with Scarbeck, Taylor sees potential in the idea. He works in Section D, MI6's Irregular Warfare Unit, which organises sabotage and guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines.

6:23Christine Granville:There's no doubt that someone who knows the territory, skis and can speak several languages, would be useful. Britain wants to shore up resistance inside Poland and tie up the Germans there as much as possible. Skiing through the Tatra Mountains is treacherous. Are you sure you're up to it? I have skied through an avalanche in that area. I can handle the conditions. Taylor strongly suspects any man with a pulse would help Scarbeck if she asked. But her beauty could also be a risk. Well, there's merit in what you propose, but I would feel more comfortable if you had a man with you. What about your husband?

7:02Christine Granville:Scarbeck shakes her head defiantly. He's 20 years older than me and has been rejected for military service. He'll only slow me down. I have his support for this. Taylor grapples with his thoughts. Britain has already sent men behind enemy lines, but he recoils at the idea of sending a woman into the path of death or torture. Still, his job is to sabotage the Germans with all the tools at his disposal. Chivalry is less important right now than willing and able volunteers, wherever they come from.

7:40Christine Granville:An hour later, St. Ermin's Hotel, London. Skarbek looks around the hotel lobby, searching for her husband, Jerzy Gizitski. He's at a table smoking and reading the newspaper, but on seeing her wave and approach, he gives the waiter an order. She kisses his lined face in greeting. Hello, darling. I can see from your smile it went well. I've ordered you a vodka. Thank you. Skarbek is irritated that he's ordered her drink for her, but controls it. Despite his domineering habits, Jerse is still better than her first husband, a wealthy businessman who expected her to cook and keep house for him. Your drink, madam.

8:21Christine Granville:Skarbek sips her vodka. I need to go in for a briefing tomorrow and then I leave in two weeks. If you're leaving that soon, we had better buy you some warmer clothes. Skarbek smiles at him gratefully. His support right now makes her forgive all his flaring tempers. Skarbek was born into one of Poland's oldest noble families. She was taught to ride, shoot and ski before the age of seven and was then packed off to a religious boarding school. While she was there, her father lost the family fortune and estates. Skarbek took a job as a receptionist and married her first husband out of desperation.

9:00Christine Granville:Unfortunately, she disliked middle-class married life almost as much as typing and answering phones. Despite being so much older, Yerzé was a fellow aristocrat, who offered her international travel, enough money for servants, and encouraged her taste for adventure. Yerzé leaves a few shilling coins on the table. Xavi Skarbek nods and takes his arm. She knows she's lucky to have found two men, in Yerzé and Taylor, who agree that her talents are of more use behind enemy lines than on the sidelines.

9:37Christine Granville:A few weeks later, Café Flourish, Budapest. Skarbek weaves her way through the polished wooden tables and furtive conversations. This café is a popular hangout for Poles who've escaped the Nazis and a hub of secret activity. Although Hungary is on friendly terms with Nazi Germany, its historic ties with Poland mean many turn a blind eye to Polish resistance activities. Skarbek notices a large group at the back, and at its centre, she recognises a childhood friend, Andrzej Kowarski. He's recounting a story from the heroic last stand of Poland's army. They found me under one of the burned-out German tanks and insisted on getting a doctor.

10:22Christine Granville:I said, I don't need a doctor, you idiot. I need a blacksmith. Kowarski pulls up his trouser leg to reveal a prosthetic limb made from wood and iron. He stops abruptly as he catches sight of Skarbek. There is no mistaking the instant admiration in his blue eyes. Skarbek can't help smiling flirtatiously in response. Andrzej Kowarski, you have been busy since I saw you last. Which, as I recall, was after an avalanche had fallen on you. Kowarski gets to his feet and takes her hand, kissing it with a roguish look. Countess Skarbek, the bravest woman on skis I ever met. What happened with your leg?

11:04Christine Granville:Ah, well, I'd like to say I lost it in the defence of my country, but actually a friend shot me in the foot during a hunting trip. Kowarski grins beneath his movie star moustache and ushers her to a seat beside him. He's a few years younger than her, and she feels a wave of pity for the brilliant horseman and skier that is no more. Sensing it, he shakes his head at her. No need to feel sorry for me. I've discovered the joy of fast cars. In fact, I recently acquired a lovely Opel Olympia from an obliging Nazi officer. He felt you deserved it, did he? I never asked, but it was a fair trade. He captured my brigade at the time.

11:48Christine Granville:Now, tell me, Vespriel, what are you doing in Budapest? Skarbek eyes the animated conversations around her and lowers her voice so only Kowarski can hear her. I'm here as a journalist, but in reality I'm working for the British. Kowarski's face darkens. Why? The British have abandoned Poland. No, they haven't. But it's complicated. Why don't we discuss it privately? Perhaps tomorrow evening over dinner? Skarbek looks at Kowarski coyly through her eyelashes. She feels breathless at her own daring. She has always felt a connection and attraction to Kowarski, but it has intensified in just a few minutes.

12:30Christine Granville:She knows she must see him again. Their eyes lock and she feels electricity crackle. He kisses her hand again. Being asked to dinner by a beautiful woman, how could I refuse? Two months later, Budapest. Skarbek sits alone in her flat, waiting impatiently for Kowalski to return. After their first dinner together, Skarbek and Kowalski surrendered to passion. Since then, they've spent every second they can together. Kowalski works for the Polish army in exile, running escape lines to get as many men as possible out of Nazi-occupied Poland. Skarbek has been helping him over the past month, because her own mission has stalled.

13:16Christine Granville:She's made contact with Poland's resistance network The ZVZ But for reasons she doesn't understand They don't trust the British and have refused to help her get to Poland Understanding her frustration, Kowarski promised to introduce her to someone Who could help her reach Poland She hears men's voices downstairs and quickly opens the door Beaming at Kowarski and his friend Jan Marusasz Come in. The vodka is waiting. A few moments later, the three of them are around the table clinking glasses. Nazrovya. Skarbek downs her shot in one and feels its fire slip down her throat. She eyes Maruzasz with a determined look.

14:00Christine Granville:He is a former Olympic skier who now takes information and people across the Tatra mountains. Jan, could you take me into Poland? Maruzasz is taken aback. He thought this was a social visit. Sorry? I'm working with British intelligence, and I have pamphlets that tell our people Britain has not forgotten them. Sure. Would you like me to take a cow on my skis too? This isn't a joke. She stands angrily, glaring at the Olympian. I've been waiting months for the Zet-Vouset to organise my passage. Will you help me or not? Are you mad? Even without the German patrols, it's too dangerous. It's the worst winter we've had in years.

14:39Christine Granville:The temperatures are minus 30 and the snow has buried many of the huts. Even for me, it's a nightmare. You will never survive it. I'm stronger than you think. Maroussas looks to Kowarski. Do you think this is a good idea? Kowarski shrugs and throws back another vodka. If anyone can make it, she can. And she's very stubborn, as you can see. You're both mad, but I'm not. I won't do it.

15:07Christine Granville:A few weeks later, the Tatra Mountains near the border between Poland and Slovakia. Skarbek follows the dark shape of Marusash through a raging blizzard. It's so cold it hurts to breathe. It even hurts to blink as ice clings to her eyelashes. The shadow of a hut looms out of the fog. Using the last of their strength, Skarbet and Marussash push the snow away from the door and collapse inside Skarbet is unable to get up again Marussash looks at her, worried He starts a fire and helps her into bed By the time he puts a blanket over her, she is already asleep

15:53Christine Granville:She wakes sometime later with a gasp Disoriented, she blinks and listens to the furious storm outside

16:03Christine Granville:There it is again, a cry for help Someone's in trouble She leaps up and runs for the door, yanking it open But Marousash is too quick for her He drags her back and slams the door shut No, you'll die out there Someone's in trouble. They need help. It's the wind. Or Germans. Go back to sleep. Skarbek gets back into bed, but cannot sleep.

16:29Christine Granville:The next morning. The blizzard has cleared, leaving a bright blue sky and a sea of glittering snow. But Skarbek feels haggard after her sleepless night, and Maruzash is anxious. Clear visibility means more chance of being spotted by German patrols. They push off on their skis, zigzagging down the final descent on their journey. A few hours later, she sees Marussas stoop to pick something out of the snow. It is two mountaineering rucksacks. Her stomach drops as she scans the area for the owners. Scarbeck's worst fears are soon realised when she sees two bodies half buried in the snow.

17:17Christine Granville:Oh, no. No. She scrapes the snow from their faces. It is a fair-haired young couple frozen in their final embrace. Wiping away her tears, Skarbek turns on Marulsash. Look, here are your Germans. She covers the two bodies with pine branches and draws a cross in the snow next to them, the best grades she can manage. Then she puts her skis back on and angrily pushes on towards enemy territory.

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18:57Christine Granville:March 1940, Warsaw, Poland. Skarbek walked through Warsaw in shock. Whole blocks have been razed to the ground, including many of the city's most beautiful buildings. She parted ways with Marussash at the foot of the Tatra Mountains and continued her journey to the capital alone by train. Now, with a headscarf tied peasant style around her hair, she picks her way down streets she no longer recognizes. Huge piles of rubble are on either side, with pieces of furniture and the remains of walls poking out of them. Around her, people carry water in buckets or clutch food to their chests And everywhere she looks are the huge red, white and black flags of the Third Reich At the end of the street, a group of German soldiers are shouting at a crowd of people carrying suitcases The very old and very young are being shoved onto trucks The others are beaten with batons to hurry them along the street All wear armbands with the Star of David Skarbek knew the Germans were forcing Jews to live in ghettos But seeing the brutality first-hand sends a cold chill down her spine Alarmed, she ignores her instructions to only make contact with the Polish resistance Instead, she turns and runs as fast as she can to her family home Forty minutes later and out of breath she's relieved to find the elegant four-story apartment building intact.

20:30Christine Granville:She rushes up the stairs and hammers on the apartment door until it is opened by a tall, elegant woman in her 60s. Mama! Thank God! Christina! Her mother ushers her inside before embracing her tearfully. But later, over tea, Scarbeck frowns at her mother. Mama, why have you not left Warsaw? Don't you know what the Germans are doing to the Jews? news. Scarbeck's mother is the daughter of a well-known Jewish banker. She shakes her grey head stubbornly. I am a Scarbeck. I converted to Catholicism when I married. They would not dare touch me. Mama, the Nazis are animals. They do not care about our family's history.

21:10Christine Granville:It's a miracle you've not been denounced. What of our goldfeder relatives? Her mother turns away sadly and Scarbeck knows without being told they have already been sent to a ghetto. But they registered themselves as Jews. I have not. I have many friends in Warsaw who will protect me. Besides, where would I go? I can get you to Britain. Mama, please, we have to get you out as soon as possible. No, my darling. I appreciate your concern, but I will be fine. Now, after dinner, we should light a candle at St. Alexander's Church. For two days, Skarbek tries to convince her mother to leave Warsaw. Eventually, she slips away defeated and resumes her mission.

21:57Christine Granville:Two days later, Warsaw. Skarbek is ushered into the small kitchen of a workers' cottage. She's here to meet members of the ZVZ, the largest of the Polish resistance networks, and the only one officially working on behalf of the Polish government in exile. Two men in workers' clothes greet her with faces of stone. She smiles. Hello, my name is Madame Marchand and I... No, it's not. Scarbeck stops, confused by the curt interruption. You are Countess Christina Scarbeck. You've been in Warsaw for three days. You've visited your mother, a well-known Jewess, and told everyone about a dead couple you found on the mountain.

22:35Christine Granville:Scarbeck's face reddens. She hadn't realised how indiscreet she had been. The second Zet-Vouzet fighter leans forward. We told you not to come. Why would we want someone who can't follow orders and has no idea how to operate covertly? I'm sorry, I realise that now, but please, I want to help and I will learn. No, you're working for the British. They knew Hitler was going to invade and they stopped us building up our army. We don't need you or them. Go back to Budapest. Skarbek blinks away tears, but at being directed towards the door, she feels a surge of anger. You are foolish. Poland needs all the help it can get.

23:16Christine Granville:The Germans have torn apart our country. I think it's time you left, Countess. Skarbek stalks past them with her chin thrust up and then slams the door behind her in fury.

23:33Christine Granville:A week later, Skarbek knocks hesitantly on the door of an apartment in a wealthy part of Warsaw. It belongs to a woman called Teresa Lubyenska. Ah, Madame Marchand, I'm so glad you have visited me. Come in, come in. Lubyenska is also an aristocrat, but older than Skarbek. The women know of each other, although they've never met. So Skarbek was intrigued when Lubyenska sent a message asking her to visit. I want to introduce you to a very dear friend of mine, Stefan Witkowski. In the lounge is a man in his late 30s wearing a threadbare suit and a childish smile. He leaps forward and shakes her hand energetically.

24:17Christine Granville:Pleased to meet you. Very pleased indeed. Witkowski's name sparks a memory for Skarbek. I remember a story about a Witkowski who managed to destroy a castle while building a death ray machine. I think it was. You're not related, are you? Witkowski reddens and rubs a hand through his thick, wavy hair, making it stand on end. That was a slight miscalculation of the electricity required for... Anyway, it doesn't matter. Skarbek looks at him round-eyed. He is the eccentric military design engineer she remembers laughing about at parties. Witkowski paces the room with a feverish energy. These days, I use my business in Switzerland as a cover for an intelligence network across Poland.

25:02Christine Granville:And I hear through my contacts that you are a British agent offering help. Yes, but the Zet Vuzet doesn't want my help. The Zet Vuzet are control freaks. They hate me because I won't kowtow to them. So perhaps we can make an arrangement. Yes, that sounds ideal. Good. We call ourselves the Musketeers. If I give you intelligence to smuggle to the British, then you need to return with funding. How are you funding it now? Ah, that is where our friend Teresa comes in. Lubyenska smiles wistfully. I am selling my jewellery. My only son is dead, so my money may as well help Poland. But it will soon run out, I'm afraid.

25:49Christine Granville:Skarbek touches the older woman's hand in sympathy, but Witkowski interrupts the moment by lifting Skarbek to her feet. Your codename will be Fly. You must wait in Warsaw. I will be in touch when I have intelligence for you. He smiles and guides her out the door. Skarbek is walking on air. At last she can achieve her mission. But as she walks back to her lodgings, it occurs to her that she never mentioned her propaganda materials. She also agreed to all of Witkowski's terms without asking for anything in return. She bites her lip. She must get better at this. But soon she is smiling again. At least she has a purpose and is truly helping her country.