Thornton wrote another number and slid the card back to Jim who promptly countered with another amount and returned the card to Thornton. He considered it for a moment then nodded agreement.
Jim took the card and wrote an address on it. ‘Send me five hundred in cash to cover mine and Cobb’s expenses and then deliver the rest to this address … tell them it’s a gift from His Majesty, don’t mention my name.’
Thornton looked at the address, ‘The Widows and Orphans Society? Are you serious?’
Jim just stared back at him.
‘Is he serious?’ Thornton asked Cobb.
‘Probably,’ he replied, ‘he does things like that.’
‘Okay you’ve got a deal,’ said Thornton, bemused. ‘When do you think you’ll be ready to go?’
‘What’s today, Tuesday?’ asked Jim, ‘I’ve got some business to take care of first, shall we say next Monday?
Cobb said, ‘Monday’s fine by me.’
Thornton said, ‘Monday is good, that will give me time to get your papers ready. Best you don’t travel under your real names. Right, we need to work this out carefully. What do you say we meet up the day after tomorrow and begin planning.’
‘Where shall we meet?’ asked Cobb, ‘Your bookshop?’
‘Do you really sell books?’ asked Jim.
‘Yes … but that’s not all I do there.’
‘Well in that case, why not come here?’ invited Jim. ‘Less chance of being disturbed.’
They agreed to meet at Jim Darby’s on Thursday morning. Cobb and Thornton put on their overcoats and hats and after shaking hands with Jim, left.
Jim Darby stood at the window and watched the two of them walking away down the street, looking for a cab. He smiled and walked over to the roll-top bureau and slid up the cover. That was an incredible stroke of luck, he thought.
He hadn’t lied when he said he’d been reading when they arrived. He looked down at what lay on the desktop … a map of Pils-Holstein and the train timetables across Europe. He had been planning to go on his own but it would be good to have Cobb at his back, someone he could rely on.
And that was a surprise, Duke Luga or one of his party being the werewolf, Jim wanted revenge on that creature for attacking his people in the East End. It would make it doubly pleasurable to rob the duke now. And then once the Seal was recovered and Cobb had possession of it then it would be time for a little payback.
This is your Mission …
Cobb returned home after the cab dropped Thornton off at his flat. It was getting late but Adele and Won Lungh were still up. Adele was sitting in the living room with the cat in her lap, while she read a book.
‘Hello,’ Adele greeted him warmly. ‘Have you and Thornton had a nice night?’
‘Actually we were out on business, that’s what I need to talk to you about,’ he said gravely.
Adele put down her book and placed the cat on the floor. ‘It sounds serious,’ she said.
Cobb paced up and down the room for a moment before stopping in front of the fire with his hands in his pockets. ‘Thornton wants me to do a little job for him, it involves Jim Darby too. He wants us to go abroad, to a little European country in the Alpen Mountains called Pils-Holstein and recover an item for him.’
‘Why does Thornton want you to do this? He’s just a bookshop owner isn’t he?’
‘Not exactly. I’m not quite sure what his role in this is but it seems that this request comes unofficially from the government. Apparently, it is crucial that they are not seen to be involved in this, so Thornton is acting as some sort of middleman for them and that’s why he has asked Jim and I to do it. We have no connection with the government so it can’t be traced back to them.’
‘Judging by what you’ve said I can understand why Thornton has asked you, but why Jim, what has he got to do with it?’
‘Well it turns out that Jim is quite good at this sort of thing,’ Cobb said carefully, ‘recovering items.’
‘Recovering items that haven’t been lost yet, you mean. I noted the lock pick.’
Damn she was smart, thought Cobb. ‘Er … something like that.’
‘Well, I am learning a lot about your friends and relations, tonight. I suppose you’ll tell me next that he’s a “cat burglar”,’ she said pointing at Lucifer, the cat.
‘I shouldn’t be at all surprised if he was.’
‘Sounds exciting, when do we go?’ she asked.
‘Er … that’s just it. We aren’t going, that is … you’re not, just Jim and I.’
‘And what makes you think you won’t be taking me??’ she asked coldly.
‘Look Adele, you can’t come with us. What we are going to do will be illegal and that makes it dangerous. We have to break into a castle and steal the Great Seal of Pils-Holstein. That castle happens to be the home of … of … some werewolves. It could get a bit hairy, no pun intended, and I don’t want to take you where you will be in danger.’
‘Werewolves? Has this got anything to do with that werewolf that was on the loose in Londum?’
‘Yes. Thornton believes that they were a bunch of foreign dignitaries visiting this country from abroad. That is why we are going to go to their country and steal this Great Seal so they can be deposed. Call it revenge.’
‘And why shouldn’t I accompany you? I could be very useful.’
Cobb swore the temperature in the room had dropped by about twenty degrees. ‘But I don’t want you to come along, it will be too dangerous.’ He tried to speak soothingly and not let it escalate into an argument. ‘Is there anything to eat, I’m hungry?’ he said, trying to change the subject and defuse the situation.
‘I’ll fix you something,’ she replied.
As she headed into the kitchen followed by Cobb, the cat tagged along hoping to blag some food.
Won Lungh got to his feet from where he had been sitting at the table reading a paper. ‘Missee Adele, Missa Cobb, can I get you something?’ he asked.
‘It’s okay Won Lungh, I can fix it. It’s time you went to bed anyway.’
Cobb wondered if he had time to wash up before eating. He asked, ‘How long will supper be?’
‘Four inches … it’s a sausage!’ she snapped.
Probably not, thought Cobb.
Won Lungh and the cat looked at each other and quickly exited the room in opposite directions, for both of them knew that hell hath no fury like a … well … like a woman, actually.
Adele got a frying pan out, put some fat into it and began heating it on the gas ring. Cobb sat at the table.
When the fat had heated up she threw some sausages into it. ‘These are left-overs from dinner, I’ll just heat them up for you.’
After a few moments of silence, Cobb had another go at easing the tension. ‘They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.’
‘No it isn’t,’ she retorted. ‘It’s straight through his ribcage with a carving knife. I studied anatomy, remember.’
Cobb began again, ‘Adele, I just don’t want to put you into any danger.’
‘Oh? So I’m not capable of taking care of myself, am I not? And who was it that dragged you out of a Caledonian Loch and saved your life? And later when you died and went to the after-life, who was it that followed you there and brought you back?’ She punctuated each question by stabbing the sausages with a fork, which made Cobb wince in empathy.
‘I know all that, and believe me I’m grateful, but then we had no choice. We had to do those things to survive, this is different. This time you don’t have to be there, so I don’t want you to be. I couldn’t stand to lose you too.’
‘And have you thought about how I might feel about losing you?’ She tipped the sausages out of the pan onto a plate. ‘Cobb, I thought we were a team! I thought that whatever we went through, we would go through it together. But I see that I am just meant to be the little woman who stays at home while the men go out and do the dangerous, important things in the world. Well, enjoy your supper
,’ she slammed the plate in front of him, ‘I’ll just be off and do some knitting, shall I?’
With that she stormed out of the kitchen and stamped her way up the stairs.
Oh dear, thought Cobb. What made it more painful was that this was their first argument. (With each other that is. Obviously they’d had arguments with other people before … well, you know what I mean.) He wondered exactly how deep he was in it with Adele, would this require merely an abject apology or the purchase of something really expensive to get him out of trouble. Only time would tell.
***
Next day Cobb walked into the drawing room and saw Adele sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper; Lucifer the cat, was dozing on his favourite chair. It was time to smooth things over with Adele, so he had a bunch of flowers concealed behind his back.
‘Hello Adele, what are you reading?’
‘A paper,’ she replied without looking up. Oh dear, he thought, it’s a good job this is a big bunch of flowers.
‘No I meant, what are you reading in the paper, anything interesting?’
‘Hatched, Matched and Dispatched,’ Adele replied.
‘Scuse me?’
‘Births, Marriages and Deaths,’ she explained.
‘Ah I see. Don’t you find it suspicious that they all die in alphabetical order? I’ve always thought that was strange. Someone should look into that,’ he joked.
Adele gave him a cool look. ‘I see you have all the wits in your family. Well … half of them at least.’
He produced the flowers with a flourish. ‘I’ve bought you these … I just wanted to say sorry about last night.’ Although Cobb’s and Adele’s relationship was fairly new, he had been married previously so he knew one of the basic rules … as far as the woman is concerned, the man is always the one in the wrong, so it’s his duty to apologise. The best way to deal with this whether it was right or wrong, Cobb had always reasoned, was to just do it and then you could move on.
‘Oh Cobb! They’re lovely, thank you so much.’ Adele put down the paper and stood up. She took the flowers from him and placed them carefully on the table then she wrapped him up in a big hug and planted a big smacker on him. Always works, thought Cobb. And you should see what happens if you write them a poem!!
‘Cobb, I’m so sorry we fell out about this. Of course you’re right, it would be silly for both of us to go, it’s too dangerous and you’ll have enough on your plate without having to worry about me as well.’ She pulled him down beside her on the sofa.
Across the room, Lucifer woke up and stared blearily at them to what the fuss was all about. His eyes narrowed as he saw Cobb with his arms around Adele. Lucifer had become very possessive of Adele since she had joined the household and he resented any signs of closeness between Adele and Cobb.
‘I’m so glad we’re friends again,’ said Adele. Cobb agreed, last night had been uncomfortable, laying in bed back to back, not speaking.
Cobb leaned into her and kissed her on the neck. He could smell her perfume and it reminded him as always, of summer meadows. ‘Yes, me too, we shouldn’t fall out, should we?’
‘Are you thinking what I’m thinking?’ she asked.
He looked down at her gently swelling bosom, it had been very lonely in bed last night. ‘I’m not sure ... has it got anything to do with whipped cream?’
‘No of course it hasn’t! What I meant was-’
Weeeoooww! Lucifer launched himself across the room and landed in Cobb’s lap, digging in his claws.
Adele jumped up in surprise. ‘Aaaaaagghhh!!’ screamed Cobb as he leapt to his feet in agony. Lucifer stuck out in front, his legs rigid and his claws embedded into Cobb’s thighs. Adele caught hold of Lucifer and tried to pull him free but was unable to dislodge him.
The drawing room door flew open with a crash and Won Lungh ran in waving a large frying pan. He had been in the kitchen when he heard Cobb’s anguished cry and thought they were under attack. Grabbing the nearest weapon he had rushed to their aid. His eyes swept the room for danger and then came to rest on the strange spectacle of Cobb hunched over Lucifer and Adele trying to pull the cat free. Won Lungh’s forehead wrinkled in puzzlement, ‘What going on here?’ he asked suspiciously.
‘Quick Won Lungh, the cat has dug his claws into Cobb’s legs and he won’t let go! Help me free him.’
Won Lungh waved her aside. Placing his thumb and forefinger on either side of Lucifer’s neck, he squeezed gently. The cat slumped and as he passed into unconsciousness his claws retracted from Cobb’s flesh. As they cleared the material of the trousers, Lucifer dropped off Cobb and Won Lungh caught him deftly in the frying pan. ‘Don’t worry, he only sleep.’
This was too much for Adele and she burst into a fit of giggles. The sight of Won Lungh apparently frying the cat while Cobb bent over watching him with a painful expression on his face just pushed her over the edge.
‘Well thanks for the sympathy!’ muttered Cobb through clenched teeth.
‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s just so … ridiculous,’ she gasped through her laughter.
Won Lungh slid the cat gently out of the frying pan onto the sofa as if he were serving up a pancake. ‘There kitty … you just rest there.’
Adele went over to Cobb, ‘There, there … let me take you up to the bedroom and put some ointment on those scratches.’
As Cobb, with Adele’s assistance, hobbled painfully out of the room, he glared at the sleeping cat resting peacefully on the sofa. Right cat, one day you’re going to get yours, he promised silently.
***
Cobb and Thornton arrived at Jim Darby’s house. Jim let them in and took their hats and coats. He showed them into the drawing room and went off to get them a pot of coffee. Cobb and Thornton made themselves comfortable. Thornton unpacked his briefcase, laying out maps and other paperwork onto the coffee table.
Jim came in and put down the tray. He poured them all cups of coffee and then joined them at the table. ‘Okay, Mr. Wells, let’s begin, what can you tell us about Pils-Holstein?’
Thornton opened a map of Europe and spread it out on the coffee table. ‘Pils-Holstein is in the Alpen Mountains,’ said Thornton.
‘Where the Muesli comes from?’ asked Cobb.
‘That’s right. It’s only a small country, some 160 square miles. You could spit across it if the wind was behind you. Population 16,000 scattered across the country with only a few thousand living in the capital city of Magdeburg. As you can see, it is only a dot of a country surrounded by Gaul, Deutschland and Osterreich. Native language Pils-Holstein which is a regional variation of Deutschen.’
‘Oh, that’s okay then,’ interjected Jim. ‘I speak fluent Deutschen.’
‘Good, you can do all the talking then. I only speak Albion,’ said Cobb.
‘Anyway,’ continued Thornton ‘there are only a few routes through the Alpen Mountains into Osterreich, the main country of the Ostro-Ungarian Empire, our biggest threat to European peace. Pils-Holstein is the only one that favours friendly relations with Albion, and signed a treaty allowing us free passage through Pils-Holstein in time of crisis, due no doubt to the fact that their previous ruler was related to our own beloved king.
‘However, that treaty is now due for renewal and the present ruler is not so kindly disposed towards Albion. We know he is entertaining overtures from Osterreich and Ungary to go into their camp. That cannot be allowed to happen. So you two are going to make sure that it doesn’t.’
‘Good for us,’ said Jim as he lit a cigarette. ‘It makes a change to be one of the good guys.’
Thornton and Cobb looked at him curiously.
‘Sorry, please continue.’
‘Okay, well you will have to take the boat train from Wellington Station to Dubris where you will catch the channel ferry. The train at the other side will take you to Paree where you can stay overnight and then catch another train that will take you to the south of Gaul. From there you will take a train into the mountains and across Sc
hweitzerland. From then on its coaches until you reach Magdeburg.
‘When you reach the borders of Pils-Holstein, you will be subjected to a rigorous search by their customs people. Due to the nature of Duke Luga’s little … er … affliction, they work very hard to ensure that no silver whatsoever is allowed into the country. So there is no point in trying to smuggle silver bullets into the country, they are quite thorough.
‘Once you are in the country, make your way to Magdeburg and book into a local hotel, posing as hunters. They are quite common even in the winter months. The country is run as a police state but they tend to leave outsiders alone if they don’t cause a fuss and don’t get involved in local politics.
‘At the edge of the city is the castle where Duke Luga lives. That is where you will find the Great Seal. Break into the castle, locate the Seal and steal it. The details of that, I leave to you,’ he finished, indicating Jim.
Jim stubbed out his cigarette, fetched the coffee pot and topped up everyone’s cup.
‘So tell us about Luga,’ asked Jim.
‘Grand Duke Luga von Pils-Holstein. Mid-forties, married to Grand Duchess Kayla. For many years a minor league member of Pils-Holstein nobility when Henried was the duke. He used to occupy the majority of his time competing in fencing matches.’
‘Fencing matches?’ asked Cobb.
‘Oh yes,’ replied Thornton. ‘That sort of thing is very popular with the European nobility and the Army officer classes. They have special fencing academies where they train. It is a matter of honour to have duelling scars on one’s face, it shows that you were man enough to face someone in combat. Luga doesn’t have any though, probably due to his regenerative powers. They would heal up every time he transformed, I imagine. Anyway, Luga devoted all his time to that before seizing power and became one of the best, if not the best, swordsman in Europe.’
‘So we’ll have a problem if we … cross swords with him, so to speak,’ asked Jim.
The Londum Omnibus Volume One (The Londum Series Book 4) Page 35
