TWELVE
I HADN’T EXPECTED to see Gwendolyn come through the door. “Hello!” she said brightly. “It’s just me. I’ve been hearing strange noises from this room and I was getting worried. At home, we’ve had birds come down the chimney, and they make an awful mess if you don’t get them out right away. I couldn’t find anything, though. I guess it was just old-house noises.”
“Yes, it can be quite a creaky old house,” I said. I wasn’t sure I believed Gwendolyn’s story, though I couldn’t very well accuse a guest of lying. Why hadn’t she just told Miss Tanner?
“I didn’t mean to pry, but while I was in there, I got distracted by some of the photographs.” She laughed, and her whole face lit up. “There is another adorable one of Crispin when he was a baby. Your brother has such a funny expression on his face, as if he’s surprised by the world.”
I knew which one she had seen. I had always loved that picture of Crispin. His black hair came to a tuft at the center of his head and his round eyes looked out at the world with amazement. He’d kept that look as he grew older, though more than a bit of mischief crept into all of his later photographs. My parents could hardly keep him contained. He’d wanted to explore everything without a thought for his own safety. Though I hadn’t been told what he was doing when he disappeared, I was sure it was something dangerous he’d been the first to volunteer to do.
I realized Gwendolyn was still standing there. I found it odd that she was so interested in our family photographs, but I knew it wouldn’t be polite to comment on that either, so I just said, “Yes, it’s a nice photograph.”
I was glad she didn’t seem to want to talk after that, because I didn’t want to talk any longer about Crispin. When she mentioned something about checking the costumes, I left her to go downstairs.
At breakfast I discovered that Lucas had volunteered to take the pony cart into the village to pick up more supplies, so I didn’t see him at all. I tried to make myself useful, but Miss Tanner and Mrs. Brickles kept saying they didn’t need any help, though they clearly did. It was amazing that Lucas had managed to convince them they should let a guest help yet I couldn’t, though he’d probably just grinned at them and they’d given in.
By afternoon, preparations were pitched into a frenzy after Mrs. Underdown’s troupe arrived. Helpers had been tasked with moving every available chair into the hall, and Mrs. Underdown kept changing her mind as to whether we should serve the refreshments in the dining room or in the drawing room. One actress who played a lady’s maid named Jelly had a fit of nerves and burst into tears, claiming she’d never be able to remember her lines.
Gwendolyn became the steady voice we needed. She steered Mrs. Underdown into choosing the drawing room, she calmed the crying actress, and she handled every costume mishap with a smile, as if she enjoyed it all.
Mrs. Underdown had also decided all the actors and the orchestra should have a light dinner there at Hallington to keep them in the “spirit of the company,” and Mrs. Brickles provided sandwiches for everyone. I could only imagine what was going on in the kitchen.
While we were eating, scattered about among the dozens of chairs now in the hall, Gwendolyn came over and sat down by me. “I think the play will be a great success,” she said. “I participated in a theatrical in Somerset for some men training there, and they enjoyed it immensely. It doesn’t matter that it’s just an amateur production.”
“This is very amateur,” I said. “I’ll be amazed if we get through it without some major mistakes.”
“Don’t worry. The play is so farcical, the audience will concentrate on that. They’ll be so surprised by Mrs. Underdown in her queen of Atlantis costume that nothing else will matter. In fact, they may be laughing so hard they won’t even hear the lines.”
“I hope so. Thank you for all your help.”
“You don’t need to thank me! I’m having a wonderful time. I feel so lucky to be here.”
“I’m glad.” She had been a major help, and I decided I liked her better than many of Margaret’s other friends I’d met.
“You should get ready,” she said. “It’s almost time.”
I went back up to my room to change, wanting a little time away from everyone else.
As I was changing, I glanced over at the wardrobe. The door was ajar, but I was sure I’d shut it when I’d put Andrew’s package away. The latch didn’t work properly, so I always shut it firmly to make sure it would catch. If I didn’t, it banged open and shut with any breezes coming in.
I walked over to it and noticed a bit of brown paper on the floor, the same sort of paper that was covering Andrew’s package. Looking in, I thought the package wasn’t in exactly the same place as it had been before. I took it out. The bit of paper had to have come from it. As soon as I looked at it, I could tell someone had opened the package and tried to rewrap it. They hadn’t done a good job. The rip was much larger, revealing more of the gray fabric and a bit of braid. I realized what I was looking at.
It was a German uniform.
Shuddering, I dropped the package on the bed and stared at it. I hadn’t wanted to believe where the clues were leading me, but I knew now. Lucas was going to fly into Germany and, for some reason, go to the village where my cousin had lived. It was incredibly reckless. I didn’t understand why Andrew was letting the plan happen. I didn’t understand any of it. I could feel anger growing inside me. Did Lucas think this was some sort of lark, one he could charm his way through? How could he be so careless with his life?
I heard footsteps going down the hall and opened my door in time to see Andrew going into his room. He was carrying something. I grabbed the package and ran to the door that he’d closed.
“Andrew, I have to talk to you!” I said, trying not to let my panic get the better of me.
He opened the door and his eyes immediately went to the package. He looked up and down the hall and then motioned for me to come in, shutting the door behind me.
I handed him the package. “Someone took it out of my wardrobe and opened it. It’s a German uniform, isn’t it? Are you going to tell me what’s happening?”
His face turned white. “Are you sure someone opened it?”
“I’m sure.” I explained about the rip.
He put the package down and grasped my hands. “I hate involving you in this, but I don’t have a choice. We’re in trouble.”
“You’re scaring me, Andrew.” My mouth went dry. I’d wanted to know what was happening, but now that he was about to tell me, it became all too real. It was no longer a game.
“Someone in the house is definitely working for the Germans,” he said.
I pulled away from him. Even if I had suspected it, hearing it made me feel sick. “Who? It can’t be Lettie. It can’t be Mrs. Brickles. We know that doesn’t leave too many possibilities. It’s either Hannah or Gwendolyn or, or … Miss Tanner.” Why hadn’t I thought of her before? It would explain so much, and she spoke German.
“That isn’t everyone,” he said quietly.
“Yes it is,” I said. “Except for the village girls Mrs. Brickles brings in when she needs them.”
Andrew didn’t say anything. He just stood there like he was waiting for me to figure it out.
I ran through everyone in the house once again, as if I could have forgotten someone. “Who? It can’t be Mr. Applewhite. Not only is the very idea ridiculous, he never goes into any part of the house except the kitchen area. He lives over the stables. There is no one else in the house except … except Margaret. No. You can’t be thinking it’s Margaret.”
His expression didn’t change. I stared at him, waited for him to laugh and say of course it wasn’t Margaret. He didn’t.
“No!” I shook my head. “It’s not Margaret! That’s absurd!”
He grabbed my hands again. “I don’t think it is Margaret, but we can’t eliminate any possibilities based just on our feelings. Right now I need you to do something for me. It will take all your acting talents
. I don’t have time to find out who it is. Lucas and I need to leave tonight, but no one can know. Tomorrow, I want you to act like we are still here. Act as if we’ve gone to Cranwell very early. Act as if you saw us leave.”
Letting go of my hands, he went over to the desk and pulled out a piece of paper, then scribbled something on it. “Tomorrow afternoon, go and do some gardening at the entrance of the park. When you come back, you’ll pretend someone from Cranwell delivered this. It says we’ve been called to London unexpectedly.”
I took the note. “You have to tell me more than that. It’s something in the village where my cousins lived, isn’t it? Lucas said he used to have family in Germany. That’s part of the reason, isn’t it? He’s going to Germany and it has something to do with his family and something to do with the village.”
Once again, Andrew didn’t answer. I wanted to shake some words out of him. I tried to remember if Lucas had said anything else about his background. I couldn’t think of anything. I decided to use a different tactic. “You have to realize he’ll never make it. His German isn’t good enough to get by even as a tourist in normal times. How can you let him go?”
For the first time, I noticed what Andrew had brought into the room. Two rucksacks lay on the bed. I tried to tell myself it didn’t mean what I thought it did. It didn’t work, and there was no escaping it. Two rucksacks, two people. I took a step back and grabbed hold of the desk chair to steady myself. “You’re going too, aren’t you?”
He went over to the window and looked out. “Don’t press me, please, Mina. The less you know, the safer you are. You need to get down to the play. Everything has to seem normal.”
I couldn’t just walk out of there and ignore what I’d seen. “Is the German uniform for you?” He didn’t answer. “I’m not leaving until you tell me,” I said. “I have to know.”
He sighed. “I suppose it doesn’t matter if you know now. Yes, it’s for me. I’ll wear it because I won’t stand out so much. Any man my age would be in uniform. And it’s an officer’s uniform, so I can use that authority to deflect questions if I have to. My German is good enough for that. Please go now, Mina, and after the play, do what you can to keep attention away from us when we leave. Lucas doesn’t know about the change in plans yet. I’ll pull him aside as soon as I can. I’m going to have to time our departure so no one notices.”
I made myself walk to the door. I didn’t know how I’d bear it if Andrew didn’t come back. He’d always been part of our lives. Our family couldn’t stand one more part being ripped away. But I wouldn’t fail him. I’d felt helpless ever since Crispin disappeared. This was my chance to actually do something rather than just watching everyone else take on the burdens of the war.
Numb, I went downstairs, hoping that by some miracle the war would end tomorrow and there would be no need for them to throw themselves into danger.
Every step through the house reminded me of our lives before the war. As I passed through the entrance hall and saw all the furniture had been moved, a picture flashed in my head of the first time Andrew and Crispin had let me take part in their games. It had been so blustery and cold that we were all stuck inside. The two of them had the brilliant idea to reenact the Battle of Crécy. They had spent ages rearranging all the furniture to make hiding places and base camps. I was recruited to play a dead French soldier lying on the floor so Crispin could leap over me to advance on the English forces. Since I was willing to do anything to get to play with them, I took my role very seriously, holding as still as possible. I had loved every minute of it.
A stray tear sneaked out of my eye, and I wiped it away as I went into the yellow sitting room, our makeshift backstage area. I put a smile on my face, determined to help where I could. Mrs. Underdown, out overseeing the arrival of the guests, kept coming to the door and calling for quiet. People took turns peeking out to watch the crowd grow.
“It’s going to be a full house,” Hannah announced as she came in. Gwendolyn had recruited Hannah to help keep track of costumes, and the two of them began helping people with last-minute adjustments to their headdresses.
The show started. I forced myself to concentrate, though all I could think of was the sight of the two rucksacks on the bed. I was waiting for my cue when Andrew came into the room; I hadn’t expected to see him again. He motioned me over.
“Have you seen Miss Tanner?” he asked in a whisper. “No one seems to know where she is.”
“No, I haven’t seen her for a while. I just assumed she would be overseeing the setting up of the refreshments.”
“She was, but she’s not there now. If you see her, tell her I need to speak to her.”
He left and I went back to trying to listen to the play.
“Is everything all right?” Gwendolyn’s voice came from behind me. I had forgotten that Gwendolyn and Hannah were in the room. I turned around. “We saw Lord Andrew come in. He looked worried.”
“Everything is fine,” I choked out.
Mrs. Underdown rushed in, nearly plowing into Hannah, who was now by the door. She held up her hands for silence. “I want you to know that we have the very great honor to have His Majesty, Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George, in the audience. I myself greeted him.” The gasps were so loud that they could probably be heard in the hall. Mrs. Underdown continued, “Now, I’ve been told he doesn’t want any special notice, but please try not to turn your back on him as you move around the stage.”
That would make for some rather awkward scenes, but I decided not to argue. When I was finally onstage and just standing in place, I took the opportunity to locate the prince. He was easy enough to spot. I couldn’t tell if he was enjoying the performance or not.
All in all, only minor mishaps occurred. One of the swords broke, a few people forgot their lines, and the actress playing the maid had a bit of a cry when her costume ripped. I went backstage to change and found the girl dashing about the dressing room looking for a needle and thread. Gwendolyn and Hannah had gone, so I helped her tie an extra sash around the tiny rip, assuring her that no one would notice.
Luckily, Prince Doro’s voice stayed even, and he managed to at least look in Princess Toto’s general direction as he declared his love for her. The audience laughed in the right places, and laughed in some extra places as well. Mrs. Underdown beamed throughout the play, even during the parts where her character was supposed to be serious.
When the show ended, we went out to bow, and then Margaret came up onstage and invited everyone to the drawing room for refreshments. I had wanted to stay on the stage for only a few moments, but so many people came up to speak to me that I couldn’t get away. The prince hadn’t stayed, no doubt fearing he’d have to deal with Mrs. Underdown fawning over him.
As we stood there, I realized that I didn’t see Lucas anywhere. I wished I’d been able to say goodbye to him. Better that I hadn’t, I told myself; I wouldn’t have wanted him to see me cry. If they were strong enough to face going off into such danger, I was strong enough to let them.
As soon as I could, I went down to the kitchen to thank Mrs. Brickles and the rest of the staff. I knew my mother would have done that, and I wasn’t sure Margaret would think of it. The kitchen was still bustling. Even Mr. Applewhite had been recruited to put away the heavy pots and pans. Mrs. Brickles looked exhausted. No Miss Tanner, though.
A girl came in, one I recognized as someone from the village who helped out whenever we had large parties.
“Why aren’t more of the trays back down?” Mrs. Brickles asked her. “I don’t want to wait all night to put things away.”
“We’re trying, Mrs. Brickles, but Hannah said she had to leave, so it’s just me and the other girl from the village,” she said.
Mrs. Brickles put down a plate. “Where did Hannah go?”
“She had to go check on her mother, who’s been ill and taken a turn for the worse.”
Mr. Applewhite snorted. “If that woman is ill, I’m ready to meet my maker. She wa
s in the village earlier today, lording it up in the apothecary’s, boasting how she’s bound for London soon, having come into a nice windfall. She made a rude remark about the mud on my boots too, saying she’d be glad to get back to London so she’d never have to see mud again. How John Davies saw fit to marry her, I don’t know. I know he left home trying to make more of himself, but he took a wrong turn with that woman.”
“What are you talking about? She wasn’t married to John Davies,” Mrs. Brickles said, putting away some of her knives. “John and my sister Betsy were planning to marry when he died. My da went to collect his things from his room in Lincoln after his accident to bring them home to his mother. He lived by himself in a rented room. There wasn’t a wife.”
“What?” Mr. Applewhite exclaimed. “That woman told the apothecary she’d come back here because her dear husband John had spoken so fondly of the place. She even cried a few tears about how he was taken so early in the accident at the docks.”
“That’s strange,” I said. “Hannah told me her mother loved it here, and loved her garden, but couldn’t work in it much due to her rheumatism.”
Mr. Applewhite snorted again. “That woman has never been in a garden, I wager. And if she’s got rheumatism, she certainly doesn’t act like it.”
I remembered overhearing Hannah tell Lucas that she and her mother had been in a theater company. She had mentioned then how much her mother hated the country, which certainly didn’t fit with her mother’s supposed love of gardening. It almost sounded as if Hannah’s mother was two different people.
Or that Hannah was.
“Excuse me,” I said. “I have to get upstairs.”
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
THE FASTEST WAY upstairs from the kitchen was by the back stairs. I ran up two flights, but neither Andrew nor Lucas was in his room. I looked out the window. There were still people leaving, but I couldn’t tell if any of the remaining cars belonged to Andrew.
All Is Fair Page 11
