James Benn - The Rest Is Silence

“Not quite, Baron Kazimierz,” Great Aunt Sylvia said, appearing distressed and mischievous at the same time. “I once told you Louise did not change her will. That was not entirely correct. Farnsworth did not complete it, as I said. But Louise had a new one drawn up in India. She sent it to me, along with her suicide note. That is how I learned of her death, and I have kept that secret from Meredith and Helen to this very day.”

“The will named Peter Wiley as her child and left everything to him,” I guessed.

“Indeed. I have kept it safe all these years. I had no wish for the world to know of these sordid affairs, and I never imagined that the discord between Rupert and Meredith would fester so. However, I also have no wish for the government to take over Ashcroft House. I will take the document to Farnsworth and make certain the family maintains control. Such family as remains. Perhaps there is hope for the next generation.”

“Perhaps Edgar will turn out to be a good father,” I said, seeing no need to add without Meredith . “David needs a purpose in life as well.”

“Yes,” Great Aunt Sylvia said, nodding. “It was Meredith who wanted to keep the children at boarding school, not Edgar. And David mentioned wishing some of his fellow patients could visit. Perhaps healing will be a fitting role for Ashcroft House for the remainder of this terrible war. I shall speak to them both about it.”

“Did you suspect anything?” I asked, taking advantage of her momentary openness. Not that it mattered. I had no desire to put this strong but sad old lady behind bars.

“No, I truly thought I had been seeing things. After all, a minute or so later there was no one there. I must have seen Peter moments before Crawford took him away. I should have questioned Meredith’s sudden kindness in bringing me my morning tea, but I had waited so long to see the good side of her that I fear I set any suspicions aside.”

“It seems that Helen was not as eager as Meredith in this,” Kaz said.

“She was always the meek one. I’m more surprised that she pushed Peter than I am that she went along with Meredith. She always did whatever her older sister said. And it explains her sudden embrace of David, now that I think of it.”

“She needed a safe harbor,” I said. “He was it, scars and all.”

“And now he has another wound to deal with. Gentlemen, I must take my leave of you. I need to consult with David and Edgar about what we will do next. Farnsworth is a reliable family solicitor, but we may need a sharper mind in this matter. Baron Kazimierz, I hope you and David can still be friends. He is a decent man, and he needs what help he can get.”

“Perhaps after some time has passed,” David said from the doorway. “Not today.” He looked away as we passed, leaving us with the memory of his scarred and immobile face.

Outside, Big Mike was waiting for us.

“What happened?” he asked as we climbed into the jeep.

“Mrs. Mallowan was right,” I said.

It was a long ride back to London. After we’d filled Big Mike in on what he’d missed, Kaz and I managed to sleep, even sitting on Uncle Sam’s uncomfortable seats. We got to Norfolk House in Saint James’s Square in the late afternoon, and I grabbed a cup of joe and got to work typing up my report.

It wasn’t that I liked paperwork. It was because I knew Diana was in town, and this was her last night before her upcoming mission. I had to see her. I did the two-finger dance over the typewriter keys and ended up with three pages of army-style police report, along with two carbon copies, before five o’clock. Seventeen hundred hours, for those who prefer army time.

“Good job, Boyle,” Colonel Harding said, standing over me as I put the reports in a file to be stored away where no one would ever read them. “And completed paperwork, too. This calls for a celebration.”

At that moment, Diana Seaton entered the office. There were a few rows of desks between us, and the sunlight lit the frosted glass behind her, giving her severe First Aid Nursing Yeomanry uniform an ethereal glow. She stood silently, both of us grinning like schoolkids, neither moving for fear of breaking the spell.

“Sorry, Colonel, I have a date,” I said, rising from my seat.

“Hold on, Boyle,” Harding said, his hand on my shoulder, forcing me back down, his free hand signaling Diana to stop where she was. “I didn’t know Miss Seaton was in town.”

“What’s wrong, Colonel?” I said. “She wrote me a few days ago. She only has tonight before-before she has to leave.”

“That’s a problem, Boyle,” Harding said, facing me and leaning on the desk. “I know she’s leaving on a mission. We have a hard and fast rule here. No BIGOT can have contact with personnel destined for enemy territory prior to D-Day. No exceptions.”

“Colonel, I’m not going to spill the beans, don’t worry.”

“It’s my job to worry, Boyle. And I trust you both. But the rule is for everyone. I can’t make an exception. It’s too important.”

“Colonel,” I whispered. “She may never come back.”

“The answer is the same,” Harding said. “I’m very sorry.” He left to speak with Diana, who stood rigid, moving only to wipe a tear from her cheek. If I wasn’t such a tough guy, I would have bawled my eyes out. But I didn’t. I watched her as Harding left and signaled an MP to stand between us. We gazed across empty desks for ten minutes or so until she turned and vanished behind the opaque glass.

Kaz and I were driven to the Dorchester, where another MP escorted us to Kaz’s suite and said he had orders to stay outside our room until tomorrow. I got him a chair. Why should this poor slob suffer for enforcing Harding’s rule? And I couldn’t blame Harding much either. It did make sense, and he and I both knew I’d find a way to break loose and see Diana if I wasn’t under guard. Not that Kaz’s suite was such a bad lockup. We had a drink and put our feet up.

“Think you’ll get in touch with David?” I asked, trying to think about anything except Diana.

“Yes, I think so. If only to see how he and Edgar do with life at Ashcroft House. It will be difficult with the trial, but perhaps he’ll find a place where he fits in.”

“Both of them. Married life with Meredith couldn’t have been a bed of roses,” I said.

There was a knock at the door.

“Our jailer?” Kaz said.

“Maybe we should invite him in,” I said, heading for the door and making a fist as if to knock him out. Kaz laughed, which I always liked to hear.

“There’s a room-service guy here,” the MP said. Behind him was Walter, the Dorchester’s night manager. A decent guy, and not averse to a little black-market business now and then. He’d been on duty the day I first arrived in England, and he was always good to me, and he practically worshipped Kaz, as most of the staff here did.

“Come on in, Walter,” I said, wondering how come he’d pulled room-service duty. And who had ordered it.

“Yes, sir,” Walter said, pushing a cart into the room. There was a bottle of champagne on ice and two glasses, along with a vase of roses. The door shut behind him, and Walter winked.

“What’s going on?” I asked. Walter only smiled and lifted the white tablecloth. Out from under it emerged two shapely legs, followed by the rest of Diana.

“Thank you, Walter,” she said. “It was quite a smooth ride.”

“You’re welcome, Lady Seaton,” Walter said with a gracious bow as he placed the champagne and flowers on the table. “And now, Baron Kazimierz, your chariot awaits. We have another room prepared for you for the night.”

“Ah,” Kaz said. “Excellent! This is the kind of thinking that will win the war.” He gave Diana a peck on the cheek and then a hug, his fingers tightening on her shoulders.