Miller Caldwell - A Reluctant Spy

Four hours after take-off the plane touched down and her heart fluttered as if she was a young girl once again. She saw birds on the grassy runway pecking at the stubble. She saw the obligatory fire engine stand down. The plane had made a safe landing.

Hilda left the plane and followed the line of twelve passengers to the terminal. They awaited their baggage, which soon arrived on airport trucks and was deposited on the ground to be reclaimed. Next, they passed through Customs; she had nothing to declare but was asked to show what was in her black case.

‘It’s my oboe. Do you wish me to play it?’ she offered playfully.

‘No, ma’am, but I wish you and your fiancé well.’

She looked at the man curiously. ‘You know him?’

‘I have no idea who he is, but I see you are wearing an engagement ring.’ She smiled.

As she passed through the door marked Welcome To Finland , she saw Francis for the first time in almost a week. He looked immaculate in his dark blue suit.

She dropped her baggage and ran into his outstretched arms. They hugged for a long moment, planted kisses on each other’s cheeks, then she turned to pick up her cases. However, they were gone.

Francis laughed at her look of consternation. ‘My driver will be packing them in the boot of the car. Come on, time to get you home.’

Outside the airport, the first thing she noticed was the Union Jack which hung limply on the bonnet of a Daimler. The car was polished black and shone in the sunlight, and Francis opened the door for her. They sat together on the rear seat. A glass partition separated them from the driver.

‘Are you hungry?’ he asked.

‘Yes, I am as a matter of fact. Shall we go somewhere for lunch?’

‘I have somewhere in mind.’

It was a fifteen-minute drive to the residential and diplomatic district of Helsinki. They drove up the driveway, and she saw a guard of honour outside the main entrance.

‘Goodness me, Francis, what’s going on here? Are you expecting someone important? I mustn’t keep you from your duties…’

‘Oh, it’s nothing much. Just an official welcome party for the ambassador’s fiancée.’

It was a very fine welcome indeed.

That night Francis and Hilda sat in the front lounge by a crackling log fire which gave off a pleasant aroma.

‘Well, my dear, you have been engaged for several days now. How does it feel?’ he asked.

‘I must be honest with you. I did not wear my engagement ring at the trial. I worried that it might reflect on you if I incriminated myself, or said too much. It was a huge responsibility doing my bit to convict Eicke, and I’m afraid there wasn’t much time to think about you. Except at night, of course. That’s when I indulged in some pleasant dreams.’

Francis took from his pocket a pristine white handkerchief and polished his glasses. ‘Doing your bit, you say?’

‘Yes, Francis. You couldn’t be with me, but Otto, Renate and Karl were there beside me, giving me courage. It may not make sense to you but I needed them.’

Francis moved closer to her and stroked her arm gently. ‘It’s all over now, Hilda. The war, the espionage, the trial; it’s finally over. It is a new era, darling. A time for new beginnings.’

He was right of course. She had reached the end of her war and all the demands it had made. Nevertheless, it had left an indelible mark on her life. Its repercussions would not fade from her mind for some considerable time.

Francis stroked her hand, running his fingers over her engagement ring.

‘So we’re engaged. The next step is marriage,’ he said.

‘Have you any thoughts on the subject?’ she asked.

‘Well, I don’t think we should wait for any length of time. Do you?’

‘I agree,’ she said. She had no wish to be the woman in the back attic for very long at all.

‘How would a couple of weeks suit you?’

‘Goodness. That doesn’t give us much time,’ she said, but realised she had no guests to invite from anywhere at all.

‘How much time do we need? The Lutheran pastor here says he will marry us, and the staff are beside themselves with the prospect of a reception at the embassy.’‘And the guest list? I assume you’re thinking of a small wedding, as it’s the second wedding for us both.’

‘Darling, if you like we can fly all our distant cousins over. I’ll be content with just a few.’

She found she was slightly disappointed at the thought of such a small affair, but she detected a crease in his eyelids, then a broad smile. Had he been teasing her?

‘There will be enough guests, I assure you. Some of the other national embassy staff has already been invited, with the staff of our own embassy. I suspect we will have about one hundred and fifty all told. We will dance to the music of the Finnish military band, and there will be a few smorgasbords for everyone to enjoy.’

‘My goodness, have you been planning this since your return to duty?’

‘Well, yes. I have had some time on my hands – work has been quite quiet ever since I arrived. Mind you, I have had some very helpful administrative assistance too – one of the rewards of the job.’

She smiled and kissed his cheek. Francis was a man who got things done, and she was tired of responsibility. It was good to have someone in her life who knew how to take charge. At last, she could look forward to the future.

She looked up at him and kissed him on the chin. He let his hand slide down her dress and he caressed her right breast. He held her firmly, and she found the feeling reassuring, a sensation missed for too long. Then she tapped his hand.

‘Two weeks. I am sure you can wait that long. You can start to count down the days as from today.’ He smiled, and they came together in a final embrace. Then she retired to her bedroom at the back of the embassy and Sir Francis climbed upstairs to his.

One day she mentioned that she would like to go for a walk around Helsinki. When she went upstairs in search of warm clothing, she found a blue and white scarf lying in a cupboard. At home, it would have looked like a football scarf, but in fact, it represented the national colours of this proud Scandinavian nation. The white scarf tails bounced on her back as she walked down the Ehrenstromsvagen beside the sea. The waves were at rest, and she imagined the low-lying islands would submerge if it became stormy. A multitude of these islands surrounded the capital’s southern flank. Seabirds comprising gannets, razorbills and gulls darted and soared all around the coast; there were also plenty of people relaxing.

The Finnish language was strange to Hilda’s ear. It had Germanic overtones, but the influences were also perhaps Estonian, a country now swallowed up by the Russian advance. There would be little point in her learning to speak Finnish. The English language had invaded the capital, and on the streets, many spoke their national language with many English words thrown in. Francis’ terms of appointment would no doubt lead him elsewhere before too long. That was just as well, as Finnish sounded a difficult language to master. Besides, there was no incentive to learn more than a smattering of words or phrases, just as she had done in Portugal. Where might they be after Finland she wondered? For a moment, she dreamt of Pacific islands, Caribbean banana crops or treks in the Peruvian Andes. Only time would tell. The Helsinki posting might turn out to be short-lived, but it would become very special to them both.

She asked for directions to Helsinki Cathedral. The walking distance involved proved to be longer than anticipated. This was where Francis had arranged for them to be married. She went inside. The organ was playing but no service was taking place. She sat down on a pew and reflected on her new life to the ethereal music.