Dennis Wheatley - The Shadow of Tyburn Tree

"The servants will say only what I tell them," she replied at once. "They are my serfs and brought up to die rather than disobey me. But the matter of the coaches presents a most tricky problem."

He smiled. "If you can trust your people, I think I have a way to prevent the suspicions of the police being aroused. After the coaches have taken us to the port we mil send them off again to Ekaterinburg. Whenever they halt near a village or town the maid and valet can make purchases of poultry, eggs, fruit and so on, just as they would if we were still with them; but you must instruct them to say that what they buy is for us, and to keep the blinds of this coach down whenever it is driven through a street. The police, who seem to miss little in this country, will then believe us to be pursuing our journey as intended and duly report our progress."

"What a clever husband I have," she laughed. Then, when they had finished their meal she called the servants round her, gave them their orders, and made each of them kiss her ikon in token of obedience.

As soon as dusk had fallen the coaches were turned about and set out on their three-hour drive back to St. Petersburg. On reaching the outskirts of the city they took a circuitous route to avoid all the main streets, and soon after ten o'clock reached the timber-wharf without incident.

The White Rose out of Hull was lying there with only a mast-light burning. While the servants began to unload the baggage under Natalia's supervision Roger went aboard and introduced himself to Captain Tommy Bell. The Captain proved to be a jolly, red-faced, downright little Yorkshireman. He damned the Russians for a set of "scurvy cheating knaves," called Roger "lad" and told him to bring aboard "the Missis."

Within an hour they were installed with all their belongings in a clean roomy cabin under the poop, and for the next three days they did not leave it. On Wednesday, the 12th of September, the White Rose set sail for England, and Captain Bell took them down to a cubby hole normally used for confining drunken or mutinous seamen, where they remained hidden while the ship was cleared by the Customs off Cronstadt. By mid-day the formalities were completed, sail was set again, and they were able to come up on deck as the ship headed for the open waters of the Gulf.

It transpired that Tommy Bell had a great fund of racy stories, and as soon as he found that Natalia was not easily shocked he kept his passengers in fits of laughter at every meal, their gaiety being added to by her attempts to imitate his Yorkshire dialect.

They had left St. Petersburg with the chill of autumn already upon it, the first snow being expected in a few weeks, but the weather" remained good and became somewhat warmer as the ship steadily ploughed her way south. She called at Reval, Libau and Dantzig, then on the morning of Wednesday, the 19th, dropped her anchor in the roads of Copenhagen.

Although Roger's honeymoon had been thrust upon him, he had to admit to himself that he had thoroughly enjoyed it. Captain Bell's unfailing good humour and Natalia's own happiness had both con­tributed to making things easy for him, and not a single incident had occurred to arouse the sadistic viciousness that he so hated in her.

But now he had to give his thoughts again to his own work. Had he been free to do so he would have gone straight from St. Petersburg to Stockholm in order to acquaint King Gustavus with the Danish plan of campaign. As it was he considered that he had been lucky in losing so comparatively little time; since, although he had overshot the mark by being carried so far south as the Danish capital, he felt sure that Mr. Hugh Elliot would find swift means to send a despatch to Stock­holm. He must therefore see the British Minister as quickly as possible, and once this duty had been performed, he would be able to return with a clear conscience in the White Rose to England.

On learning that the ship was to lie for two nights off Copenhagen, he decided that it would be worth while to take Natalia ashore and put up at the Silver Hart, as it would both make a pleasant break in the voyage for her and enable them to enjoy themselves in the city more easily.

By two in the afternoon a hackney coach deposited them with their baggage at the inn. As soon as their things had been carried up to a room, he asked her if she would mind unpacking while he went out for an hour or so, as he wished to change some money and also to call on Baron le Houze, the French Minister, who was an old acquaintance of his.

She agreed without demur; so he ran downstairs, picked the carriage with the most promising-looking horse from a line of vehicles awaiting hire outside, and told its coachman to drive at top speed out to Christiansholm.

On arriving at Mr. Elliot's house, he learned, to his relief, that the Minister was at home and would see him at once. After greeting Roger as an old friend, Hugh Elliot asked him to sit down and tell him how he had enjoyed his trip to Russia.

Roger laughed. "Strap me, Sir! But I am monstrous lucky to have got back here alive. To be brief, I penetrated the Russian lines with news of import for King Gustavus, narrowly escaped being tried for murder, had to poison myself to avoid becoming the lover of the Empress, got married to Count Andrew Razumofsky's daughter, and was exiled to Siberia. I trust within the next two days to find an opportunity of entertaining you with a full account of these trifles; but at the moment I must beg leave to return as swiftly as possible to my inn. No doubt you are already aware that the Danes intend to attack Sweden. The purpose of this flying visit is to give you the essence of the Danish campaign, so that you may transmit it with all speed to Stockholm. Instead of advancing direct on the Swedish capital, as one would naturally expect them to do, they intend to overrun the south and capture Gothenborg."

"Good God, man!" Hugh Elliot exclaimed, springing to his feet. "Are you sure of this?"

"Indeed I am. I had it from the Czarina Catherine's own lips."

"Then we are undone!" The Minister's face showed acute alarm, as he hurried on. "Prince Charles of Hesse-Cassel and the young Crown Prince of Denmark have been in Norway for weeks past raising an army there. They are said to have mustered twenty thousand men, and are expected to march against Stockholm any day now. But if they march south Gothenborg will fall to them without a blow, and with it will founder all hope of Sweden proving the buckler of the Triple Alliance in the north."

"Why so, Sir?" asked Roger, utterly astounded.

"Because Gothenborg is Sweden's greatest commercial city. Its loss will deprive Gustavus of more than half his supplies of war-like stores, and his credit will be ruined. Seeing his cause so utterly lost his discontented nobles will then declare openly against him and force him from the throne. His overthrow would so strengthen Russia, Austria, France and Spain that the security of every other country in Europe would be menaced.

Hugh Elliot paused for a second, then added with swift decision. "This Danish plan will render the King's position desperate, but speedy news of it may yet enable him to save himself. 'Tis imperative that you should leave instantly to carry a warning to Stockholm."

CHAPTER XX

FOR THE HONOUR OF ENGLAND

"HOLD fast, Sir!" Roger exckimed. "I'd gladly oblige you, but to journey into Sweden at a moment's notice is more than I can undertake."

"Why so?" Elliot shot at him. "Despite your extraordinary experi­ences in Russia you have survived them looking monstrous fit. What is there to prevent you setting out immediately I have made the necessary arrangements?"

"The fact that I brought my wife out of Russia with me. She is awaiting my return at the Silver Hart; but we lie there for two nights only, then rejoin the ship that is carrying us to England."