 Gibbons 's first job was with the British United Press ( <unk> ) news agency , where she decoded overseas cables which she rewrote in presentable English . During slack periods she practised at writing articles , stories and poems . She made her first trips abroad , travelling to France in 1924 and Switzerland in 1925 . Swiss Alpine scenery inspired several poems , some of which were later published . In 1924 she met Walter Beck , a naturalised German employed by his family 's cosmetics firm . The couple became engaged , and enjoyed regular weekends together , signing hotel registers as a married couple using false names . 
