Beneath the Dover Sky

by Murray Pura

  There was a soft knocking at the door and then it opened. Catherine stuck her head through the opening. “Baron?”

  “Yes, Catherine?”

  “I’m sorry to interrupt your talk with Albrecht, but there was a phone call for you. The gentleman only wished to leave a message.”

  “Ah, yes. What was it?”

  “Deutschland uber alles. That’s all he said. Does that mean anything to you? He was a bit of an odd duck.”

  “Thank you, Catherine. I agree the man who called is indeed a strange one. But his message makes perfect sense.”

  “All right. We’ll see you two in a bit.” She closed the door.

  The baron kept his hidden pistol on Albrecht and nodded. “The Brotherhood of the Oak no longer exists.”

  “I suppose it gives a man like you pleasure to say that.”

  “It gives me no pleasure at all, Albrecht. It was something that had to be done if Germany is to experience a resurrection.”

  Dover Sky

  The motorcycle came to a stop and the rider climbed off.

  “I’m looking for Lord Preston.”

  Lord Preston was sitting in the shade by the manor and brushing his three Belgian shepherds. “I’m Lord Preston, young man. Do you have a cable for me?”

  “Yes, m’lord. It came to us marked highest priority so I was sent up from Dover at once.”

  “I see.” Lord Preston got to his feet and took the telegram from the courier.

  Lady Preston sat upright on the porch swing. “Is it from Jerusalem? Another baby, I hope.”

  “It’s from Germany, my dear.” Lord Preston gave the courier a five-pound note. “Thank you very much indeed.” He watched the courier turn and leave before opening the telegram as the motorcycle roared off.

  Lady Preston watched him battle the urge to ball the note in his fist once he’d finished.

  “What is wrong, William? Is Catherine all right? Is it the baby?”

  “Nothing is all right now. Nothing.”

  “Please tell me what the cable says.”

  He slowly turned to face her and read it aloud:

  LORD PRESTON

  THE BARON HAS BETRAYED US. HE PERMITTED STORMTROOPERS TO MURDER THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE OAK WHEN THEY MET LAST WEEK. IN ADDITION HE HAS JOINED THE NAZI PARTY AND IS NOW A HIGH-RANKING OFFICER WITHIN HIMMLER’S SS.

  MY FAMILY AND I ARE NOT IN DANGER AS LONG AS I FOLLOW THE NAZI PARTY LINE. FUTURE BOOKS I WRITE CAN ONLY DISCUSS THEOLOGY PROPER NOT THEOLOGY AND POLITICS AND CERTAINLY NOT THEOLOGY AND HITLER. I MUST WATCH WHAT I TEACH AT THE UNIVERSITY IN THE FALL. ALL THIS AND ADOLPH HITLER IS NOT EVEN IN FULL POWER. THERE ARE GRIM DAYS AHEAD FOR GERMANY. THE BARON CLAIMS HE IS OUR PROTECTOR AND SAYS THAT IS WHY NONE OF US WERE HARMED BY THE BROWNSHIRTS. HE SAYS WEGNER WAS A NAZI PLANT IN THE BROTHERHOOD. WE HAVE SEVERED RELATIONS WITH THE BARON AND HIS DAUGHTER. EVA HAS JOINED THE NAZI YOUTH. I AM SORRY I CANNOT SEND YOU BETTER NEWS.

  ALBRECHT

  Lady Preston left her husband and walked into the manor. Passing Skitt, she asked if he’d seen Jane.

  “I believe she’s feeding the swans with Lady Caroline and Lady Holly,” Skitt responded. “Do you wish to speak with her?”

  “I do.”

  “I shall go down to the pond at once.”

  “Send one of the footmen, Skitt.”

  He left through the front doors as if she hadn’t spoken. Lady Preston shook her head and carried on up the staircase to her room. Sitting at her reading desk, she pulled a large scrapbook towards her that she’d been working on. The first page had fine gold script across its black surface: Libby’s marriage to Commander Terrence Fordyce, May 24, 1931. She lingered over the black-and-white photographs that followed, especially the ones of the baron posing with her and her husband, ones of Eva linking arms with Jane. For a moment she felt she should remove the pictures. She went to another set of photographs instead.

  The gold script read, Robbie and Shannon off to Palestine again with Patricia Claire in October. I long for the day Robbie will be based in England. There were photographs of Robbie and Shannon and their daughter at the dock, and others of the three of them walking up the gangway, looking back at the camera. Several showed them standing on the deck and waving.

  “Too far away,” murmured Lady Preston. “You three in Jerusalem. Catherine and Albrecht and Sean and Angelika in Germany. All of you too far away. All of you in danger.”

  She put a hand to her face and closed her eyes a moment. She prayed. Then she looked back at the scrapbook and turned pages until she found the picture she wanted. It took up an entire page and was mounted sideways. Tugging it away from the corners that held it in place, she glanced at the families standing on the lawn shoulder to shoulder: Caroline with Cecilia in her arms, Kipp beside her, arm around her waist, Matthew and Charles standing in front of them; Edward and Charlotte to their left, Owen sitting with two-year-old Colm in his lap on the grass; Emma and Jeremy with the twins, Peter and James, and their young son Billy; Victoria, Ben’s arm around her shoulders, Ramsay and Timothy standing at attention and not smiling like everyone else; Catherine and Albrecht holding hands, Sean gripping his mother’s other hand, Albrecht cradling Angelika in his free arm; Libby and Terry with Jane standing between the two of them, beaming, their hands resting on her shoulders; Robbie and Shannon and Patricia Claire at the end of the row, each of their faces darker than anyone else’s, including Terry’s. Behind all of them stood William and herself, as well as Harrison and Holly. At her husband’s feet, unseen by the camera lens, were the three Belgian shepherds—Flanders, Poppy, and Charlemagne. Turning over the photograph she saw her handwriting in India ink: All together in one spot at the same time. Miraculous.

  “I hope this happens again soon,” she said out loud. “I don’t know how, but soon, Lord.”

  “Grandmum?” Jane stood in the doorway, flushed from running in the summer heat. “Skitt said you wanted to see me and that it was important.”

  Lady Preston nodded and smiled. “Indeed, I do wish to speak with you, and yes, it is a matter of some importance, my dear. Please sit down in that chair there.”

  Jane took her seat. “Is something wrong? What did I do?”

  “You didn’t do anything, my dear Jane. Set your mind at ease about that.”

  “Then why do you have such a serious look on your face?”

  “Because I have serious news to tell you. We just received a telegram from Germany.”

  “Oh…is the baby all right?”

  “The baby is fine. It is something else. I want to say first of all that I am sorry, so very sorry, but you may not correspond with Eva von Isenburg anymore.”

  “Skitt, may I see you for a moment, please?”

  Skitt had just stepped into the manor, humming under his breath, an engagement ring from a pawnshop in Dover in his pocket. Thoughts of meeting Montgomery that night by the pond and what he would say to her dominated his thoughts. He slipped into the small room Holly used as an office and smiled.

  “How may I help you, m’lady?” he asked.

  “Well, you’re quite chipper, aren’t you? I suppose a day off agrees with most of us. Please have a seat.”

  Still smiling, Skitt hitched up his pant legs and placed himself in a chair. “So what’s this about then?”

  Holly appeared reluctant to begin, glancing at a ledger open on the desk in front of her and tapping a yellow pencil against her teeth. Finally she turned to face the butler.

  “We’ve had an amazing run at Dover Sky, Skitt. Almost ten years we’ve been using it as a year-round home for members of the Danforth family, and you’ve been butler for all of them. You’ve done an extraordinary job.”

  “Thank you, m’lady. It’s hard to believe a decade has gone by.”

  “Near to it. An astonishing set of years. Marriages, births, the children growing like weeds. I’m sorry to tell you it must now come to an end.”

  “What’s that?”

  Holly met his gaze witho
ut enthusiasm. She turned the pencil around and around in her fingers. “Lord Kipp has purchased a home in London. He’s had enough of only seeing Caroline and the children on weekends. We can’t blame him, can we? It so happens Lord Edward has done the same. I imagine sharing a flat with his father whenever Parliament was in session finally wore thin. Both of them bought places within a few blocks of each other and of Jeremy and Emma, so they’ll have a bit of a village going on amongst themselves.”

  “I see.”

  “It’s much the same story for Commander Fordyce and Libby. He’s weary of driving from Plymouth and Devonport whenever he has shore leave. He’d much prefer to have his wife and daughter closer to hand. It’s true there are the four months he’s in the Med each winter, but the rest of the time he’s in British waters and would dearly love to be able to pop in and see his loved ones whenever the opportunity presents itself. He’s in the process of securing a house near homeport. He wants Libby and Jane moved in by the time he returns from winter maneuvers in May. Montgomery, naturally, will move with them.”

  “Of course.”

  Holly half-smiled. “All of this is months away so far as Commander Fordyce and Libby are concerned. It’s only September, and Libby and Jane shall be remaining here for the winter. However at Easter they will move into their new house. Once they’re gone, any reason for Dover Sky to remain open year ’round is gone. Harrison and I will be returning to Ashton Park at summer’s end next year, as will the rest of the staff. Tavy is senior butler at the Lancashire estate. We’d like to keep you on, but I’m afraid the only position available would be senior footman.”

  “Footman?”

  Holly’s face reddened. “I’m so sorry, Skitt. Both Harrison and Todd Turpin will be handling grounds at Ashton Park, so there’s no opening there, I’m afraid.”

  “What about groundskeeper here at Dover Sky?”

  “Ah, well, Fairburn is returning.”

  “What? Fairburn?”

  “His services are no longer required at the estate where he was employed in France. He applied to return here to his former duties at Dover Sky some time ago, and naturally Lord Preston could not refuse.”

  Skitt stared at her. “Where does that leave me, Lady Holly?”

  “You are a valued family servant, Skitt. We wish to see you employed here through the fall of 1933. Once the families have left and Lord and Lady Preston have completed their summer holiday, you will be released from your duties. Harrison and I shall remain until Fairburn arrives. If you don’t wish to take up a position as senior footman at Ashton Park, perhaps you might wish to serve as assistant chauffeur or in some other capacity.”

  “Assistant? I expect I might find that a bit difficult, Lady Holly, after having been my own man for so long, so to speak.”

  “I well understand that, Skitt. If you wish to move on to another family, no one will think the worse of you for it. The Danforths will provide excellent references and assist you in finding suitable employment. Good butlers are worth their weight in gold. It would not be long before we found you another family.”

  Skitt cleared his throat. “Thank you, but there is the matter of Montgomery. We have reached an understanding, you see.”

  “Have you?”

  “Well, I hope we have. I expect I shall find out soon enough. Has she been told about her move to Plymouth and Devonport in the spring, do you know?”

  “I believe Libby spoke with her this morning.”

  “This morning?”

  “Yes. Libby was at a loss to explain why Montgomery seemed down at the mouth with the news. What you’ve just told me makes her reaction perfectly understandable. I’m so sorry, Skitt, but there’s no reason to keep Dover Sky open after Easter.”

  Skitt’s mood hadn’t improved by the time he made his way to the pond to wait for Montgomery. The moon was a thin slit cut by a silver blade, the stars like the small diamond in his pocket that he had half a mind to toss in the water. The September night was as soft as cashmere, yet his mind was jagged with ruined plans and a bleak future. When he saw Montgomery approaching silently over the lawn, he tried in vain to put a smile on his face and hold it. She took his hands and gazed up at him.

  “You look absolutely shattered, love,” she said. “It’s good to see that.”

  “It’s good?”

  “I should have felt devastated to come down here and find you dancing a jig what with the news. I felt horrible this morning after Libby spoke to me. She was puzzled for I’m no better at hiding my emotions than you are. I told her it had nothing to do with her or Jane or the Commander. Honestly, I adore them. Don’t be angry, but I had to let the cat out of the bag a bit. I said you and I had come to an understanding, and it would be difficult to have you at one place and me at another. Was it wrong of me to tell her that?”

  Skitt let the air out of his lungs and shook his head. “Not at all. I did much the same thing. It changed nothing. I got her sympathy and little else. The Commander’s household is too small to require the services of a butler.”

  “I shall go with you, Skitt, wherever you have a mind to go. I shall. Cheer up. We’re not going to be separated.”

  “You can’t let Libby down. They count on you to help them with Jane. She needs you. She’ll be a young lady soon enough.”

  “There are plenty of English maids who can fit the bill.”

  “Fit the bill?” Skitt laughed. “You act and speak so much like one of us it takes a quaint expression like that to come along and remind me you’re American. I love you dearly, Montgomery, but you can’t let Libby and Jane down. You really can’t. You might feel all right about it for a day or two, but then you’d think of Jane’s tears and fall apart.”

  “I wouldn’t, you know.”

  “You would, you know. Imagine if we got a letter saying Jane was having a rough go and was down in the dumps and they couldn’t bring her out of it? Don’t tell me you wouldn’t feel it like a dagger to the heart. That’s the sort of woman you are. It’s one of the reasons you’re a treasure. You can’t abandon the Fordyces and trail after me to heaven knows where. It won’t work.”

  She wrapped her arms around him. “Then what are we going to do? I might not be able to live without Jane, but I can’t live without you either.”

  “I don’t know. I swear I don’t.”

  “What’s in your pocket?”

  “What d’you mean?”

  “You keep playing with something. You won’t even put your arms around me.”

  Skitt took his right hand out of his pocket and embraced her. “There. Will that do?”

  “I’m not a chore, surely.”

  “I’m distracted by the day’s events. Even Fairburn, the former groundskeeper who quit and worked for another family, warrants more attention than I do. They’ve rehired him as groundskeeper here.”

  “He doesn’t warrant my attention!” She kissed Skitt on the lips and darted her hand into his pocket. They wrestled briefly, but she pulled away and ran off towards the water. She opened her hand, and the moonlight glinted off the ring. “Oh!”

  Skitt watched her. “It’s not much.”

  “Not much? It’s adorable. I utterly love it.” She smiled at him. “Who’s it for? Norah Cole?”

  “Don’t be mad. You know who it’s for. But what’s the point?”

  “What’s the point?”

  “We can’t do anything about it. You shall go to Plymouth, and I shall wind up in northern Scotland or Wales or the Isle of Man, for all I know. I might as well be on the moon and you on Neptune.”

  “We’ll work it out, my love.”

  “How?”

  She came back to him and put the ring in his hand. “I don’t care about how right now. I just want to receive my ring properly, that’s all. If it is to be my ring.”

  “Of course it’s your ring. There’s no one I love half so much as you. But it’s such a small thing…all I could afford.”

  “It’s a great thing. I want to
wear it with all my heart.”

  “Very well.” Skitt turned the ring over in his hand and watched the wink of light hit the diamond. “I’m at a loss for words, really.”

  “Come on, Skitt. You can go on about rugby scores till everyone’s asleep in their ale.”

  “Rugby scores are easy. It’s just numbers. A beautiful woman is something else again.”

  “Well, that’s a good start. Carry on.”

  Skitt put his hands behind his back. “I’ve asked for some help.”

  Montgomery looked around quickly. “From whom? Not Harrison.”

  “From William.”

  “What! Lord Preston?”

  “I have it here.” Skitt unfolded a piece of paper. “Shall I go ahead?”

  “Yes, yes, go ahead. I’m going to die if we keep up this dance.”

  Skitt squinted and read the words slowly as one of the swans, waking up, flapped its wings.

  Let me not to the marriage of true minds

  Admit impediments. Love is not love

  Which alters when it alteration finds

  Or bends with the remover to remove

  O, no! It is an ever-fixed mark

  That looks on tempests and is never shaken

  It is the star to every wandering bark

  Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken

  Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

  Within his bending sickle’s compass come

  Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks

  But bears it out even to the edge of doom

  If this be error and upon me proved

  I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

  Montgomery smiled. “Wonderful. Your voice is perfect. And you did write it out, after all.”

  “So I did.” Skitt brought the ring out from behind his back. “Your eyes flash just like it flashes, you know.”

  “Do they?”

  “Black jewels. I’ve been fascinated by them ever since I first saw you years ago when you came to Dover Sky with Michael and Libby and Jane.”

  “Really?”

  “They dazzled me. I used to have a fancy for Lady Catherine y’know. But not after I had a look at you.”