“Hmm, yes.”
“Or that I didn’t take the one bound for Calais which departed earlier.”
He pressed a fist over his mouth, stifling a yawn. “Yes. Now tell me, why are we headed to Brussels? Do you think this Emilie will be there?”
I wasn’t fooled for a moment that he’d told me everything, but I allowed the matter to drop. For now.
“I doubt she’s in Brussels.” I turned to gaze out over the passing scenery. It seemed surreal to think of how not so long ago, the guns had roared in the distance and whistling shells had shattered the tranquility of this peaceful setting. The very scent of the damp soil and the air rich with grass and wildflowers stirred memories of this landscape.
I studied Sidney’s profile, wondering if it evoked memories for him, too. Though he had been stationed along the Somme for much of the war, not in Flanders, and the terrain and soil composition there were different.
“But I know Captain Landau is there,” I continued. “He was the man I mentioned who was in charge of the military section of our Rotterdam Station. I worked closely with him in the latter years of the war. And I know he’s been assigned to Brussels since the armistice, working to liquidate the British intelligence networks in Belgium and northeastern France.”
“You think he might know where she is?”
“If we’re lucky, she’s still living in the same place she was during the war. The place I’m familiar with.” I sighed. “But somehow I don’t think it’s that simple. I’m hoping Landau may know where she is. But if not, maybe he’ll know how to find her.”
“And what of these threats Ryde told you an old colleague mentioned?”
“Yes, I’m hoping Landau has some more information he can share with me about that as well.”
Sidney must have sensed I was holding something back, “You think he won’t?” He darted a swift glance at me before returning his eyes to the road. “Or you don’t know if he’ll share it with you?”
I should have known he would guess. After all, he’d spent four and a half years in the trenches as first a lieutenant and then a captain, being forced to blindly follow the orders of officers far behind the front. Officers who often didn’t share the information they possessed, and who weren’t required to explain their decisions to subordinates.
I grimaced. “When I visited my colleagues at Whitehall Court, they were less than forthcoming.”
“But you said you worked closely with this Captain Landau?”
I nodded.
“And you said he’s working with a limited staff. So perhaps he’ll appreciate your initiative.”
“He always appreciated it before. Truthfully, he was one of the least narrow-minded of the lot. He grew up on a farm in the Transvaal of South Africa, and he shared a bit with me about his mother, who I gather is a strong, resourceful, eminently capable woman, so I think that accounts for it.”
“She must have been one tough dame. Particularly given the fact that for a period of her life the Boer War must have been going on.”
“It was. His father was caught up in it.”
Sidney’s eyes met mine, perhaps comprehending for the first time just how young Captain Landau was. “I’m curious to meet this fellow.”
“Yes, I always suspected the two of you would get along famously.”
* * *
It being late in the day by the time we reached Brussels, we found a hotel for the night near The Grand Place, surrounded by its beautiful, Gothic buildings. Fortunately, the city stood far enough from the front to avoid the shells, which had damaged so many other cities. I’d always loved Brussels, having stayed there a number of times before the war on the way to visit my great-aunt where she lived near Münster, Germany.
As we stretched our legs, looking for a restaurant for dinner, I was relieved to see that much of the drab state of disrepair that had marked the city during the war had faded away. The shops that had sat closed or nearly empty, unable to replace their inventory, were open again. And while still not filled to their pre-war standards, it was good to see the customers bustling in and out.
There were notices about the impending celebrations for Belgian National Day, their first since the armistice, and the city displayed the country’s fiercely independent spirit proudly. Who could blame them after such a long and terrible war and occupation? Streamers in Belgium’s national colors and flags festooned many of the buildings, while signs announced “Vive la Belgique!” I couldn’t help but smile.
The following morning, we made our way to the rue Stevin, not far from the British Embassy and the large green space of Parc du Cinquantenaire with its grand triumphal arch, built to celebrate the country’s fiftieth year of independence many years earlier. The building where Captain Landau lived and worked was lined with charming stone town houses. A young clerk opened the door to our knock and ushered us inside before scurrying out on his own errand.
I breathed my first sigh of relief that the young man hadn’t told us Captain Landau was out of town. I was well aware of the great deal of travel his task required, interviewing several thousand agents scattered about Belgium and northeastern France, so to find him in residence was a stroke of luck.
However, my pleasure at such fortuitous timing did not last long.
No sooner had we strolled through the door into the echoing entry hall than a familiar voice rang out. “Verity Kent, is that really you?”
I looked up into a pair of laughing eyes.
“By Jove! It is you.” He crossed the room to take my hand in his. “And dash if it isn’t good to see you.”
I blinked up at him, feeling rather stunned.
“And this must be your long-lost husband, resurrected from the dead.” He shook Sidney’s hand. “Good to meet you, old chap. Any man capable of securing our girl’s affection must be a dashed fine fellow.”
This was spoken without a trace of irony, and nearly made me choke. Recovering myself with some effort, I gestured to the man before us. “Sidney, this is Lieutenant Alec Xavier.”
“It’s captain now,” he corrected me good-naturedly.
I shook my head. “Yes, of course.” I forced a smile. “It’s good to see you, too. I hadn’t expected to. Lord Ryde gave me the impression you were traveling.”
He grinned that same blinding smile I remembered. The one that enabled him to gain information from just about any susceptible female in the near vicinity. “I’m always traveling. In fact, I’m off from Brussels this afternoon, so it’s my great fortune to be here now to see you arrive.”
“Yes, how fortunate.”
If he could hear the reluctance in my voice, he didn’t show it.
“But what brings you back to Belgium?” He paused to search both my and Sidney’s faces. “From your expressions, I doubt this is a social call.”
I glanced up at my husband, seeing the watchfulness in his gaze. He evidently noticed my shock and discomfort, and if I didn’t pull myself together quickly, it was only a matter of time before he put two and two together.
“Given your encounter with Lord Ryde at the War Office, I’m sure you’re well aware that we’re here for information,” I replied, arching my eyebrows in gentle reproof. I might be out of practice, but I was not going to fall victim to such an obvious ploy for our confidence.
His whiskey brown eyes gleamed. He always had enjoyed sparring. “About La Dame Blanche. About the threats to its agents. Then I suppose you’re really here to see Landau.” He tipped his head to the right. “Come with me.”
We followed him into another room, this one filled with the rapid click of typewriters, and across to a door. He rapped twice and then opened it to poke his head in.
“Oh, good. You’re alone.” He opened the door wider. “Guess who’s here to pay us a call?”
I was gratified to see Captain Landau’s face break into a smile at the sight of me. He wasn’t an altogether unattractive man, though his small eyes and round face were rather dominated by a misshapen
nose, and his ears that stood out from either side of his head like the handles of a Grecian urn. However, he was possessed of a sharp wit, a natural manner with people of all stripes, and an incredibly quick mind—all of which had propelled him into his position at such a young age and helped him to succeed. That, and his command of multiple languages. It was from him that I’d learned much of my Dutch.
“Mrs. Kent, what a lovely surprise! And of course, this must be your husband I’ve heard so much about.” He shook his hand heartily. “Quite a sacrifice you made going undercover like that to capture those traitors. I admire you terribly for it.”
Sidney appeared staggered by these words. “Oh, well, thank you.”
“It couldn’t have been easy, especially keeping it all from Mrs. Kent.” He glanced at me in question. “You didn’t know, did you?”
I shook my head. “Not an inkling.”
His face relaxed again. “I thought not. Mrs. Kent was always remarkably cool and capable. Had to be to fool all those Germans. But for her to have feigned such grief would have to make her the greatest actress of our time.” He gestured toward the chairs before his desk before rounding to resume his seat. “I worried after her, you know. Concerned she might do something imprudent and get herself caught, or worse. But she came through it all well enough.”
It was maddening how people could talk of my grief over the loss of my husband as if it was some jolly jest, all forgotten for the best now that he was discovered to be alive. But as always, I swallowed my annoyance and straightened my skirt as I settled into the left chair while Sidney took the right. Xavier leaned against the wall, hovering at the edge of my field of vision.
In any case, Landau was wrong on one point. I had done something imprudent. It just hadn’t gotten me captured or killed.
But I should have known he would sense some of my turmoil. “When I read about your survival in the newspapers, I was extraordinarily happy to hear it.” He gazed at me fondly. “Couldn’t have happened to a better lady.”
I returned his smile with a gentle one of my own.
He clasped his hands in front of him. “But what brings you to Brussels? I suspect this isn’t strictly a social call.”
“I’m afraid not.” I glanced at Xavier, who was eyeing me with interest.
Landau’s gaze traveled over Sidney. “I suppose you’ve read Mr. Kent into whatever the situation is. Impossible to avoid, really.”
“Yes,” I replied, relieved he hadn’t questioned this decision.
“But shall I ask Captain Xavier to leave?”
I considered this and then shook my head. “No, he may know something we don’t.” Then I inhaled a deep breath, electing to dive straight to the heart of the matter. “I need some information on the whereabouts of one of the agents I worked with from La Dame Blanche. I’m worried she may be in danger.”
For a moment I thought I’d shocked him, but then he tipped his head back and laughed. “Well, by Jove, if the old darb wasn’t right. C said he suspected you’d be coming to see me about just such a thing, and here you are.”
CHAPTER 14
“C told you I was coming?” Somehow, I felt I should have been more astonished, but having worked with the chief for four years, I couldn’t say that I was.
Landau nodded and leaned back in his chair. “Had a cable from him just yesterday. Said he had a hunch you’d be headed my way. I thought he was going barmy. That you’d be cozied up with your husband somewhere, not traipsing over to the continent.” He lifted his arms to gesture to us. “But here you are.”
I didn’t know quite how to respond to that. As it was, I was fighting a guilty flush, as if I’d failed on some point in my devotion to my husband. I certainly couldn’t look at Sidney.
Fortunately, Landau continued, his face settling into more serious lines. “All right. Tell me all. This must be important.”
Though curious what C’s instructions to him had been, I knew better than to ask. In any case, I viewed his resolve to hear everything I’d learned as a good sign. Why else would he waste his time?
Unless he needed to know more to effectively block my efforts?
I shook that possibility aside. I felt I knew him well enough to expect more courtesy than that.
So I launched into my tale of the séance at Madame Zozza’s, her conjuring of Emilie, and the things I’d discovered since then. I also made mention of the medium’s real name of Mona Kertle, hoping either man would recognize it, but both protested having any knowledge of the woman. When I’d finished, his brow was scored with furrows.
“Well, that is concerning.” He sighed, staring sightlessly at his desk as he gave the matter some more thought.
I was accustomed to this response, for he never did anything hastily. I was merely gratified he hadn’t brushed the entire matter off as inconsequential, or told me it was none of my business, as Major Davis had. At one point, his gaze flicked to Captain Xavier, as if in question, and then back to his blotter.
For his part, Xavier still lolled against the wall, one ankle crossed over the other. Not a flicker of his real opinion showed in his eyes. But then I’d learned long ago how very good he was at concealing his thoughts. He’d had to in order to survive the assignments he’d undertaken.
By all appearances, Sidney seemed unruffled by my former superior’s silence as well. He settled back in his chair, removing his cigarette case and tipping it to each of the men. Landau waved it off, but Xavier crossed to take one with a softly worded “thank you.” However, I knew my husband well enough by now to realize that when he was growing tense or anxious he often chose to smoke in order to mask it. Especially when he exhaled so deeply after his first drag.
Xavier seemed to take note of this as well, watching him through half-closed eyes as he exhaled a stream of smoke. I wasn’t certain I liked him taking such an interest in Sidney. But then again, he probably did such things without even thinking, having lived so many years covertly.
Landau tapped the arms of his chair, coming to a decision. “I have met this woman you speak of, this midwife who operated under the code name Emilie. I interviewed her some months ago, and she was very much alive. Her real name is Rose Moreau.” My face must have registered my surprise, for he smiled. “Yes, it is difficult to imagine a woman less suited to such a name.”
My lips curled in answering amusement. “Where did this interview take place?”
“In Liège, at the former secret headquarters of La Dame Blanche. She had insisted on coming to me, rather than the other way around. Which was not entirely unusual. A number of other members did the same.” He frowned. “However, Emilie did ask me to convey any further correspondence or compensation from us to her former chiefs there in Liège, and they would forward it on to her. She said she’d decided to move, and she wasn’t quite certain where she would settle.”
“Did she say why?”
“She said the memories were too painful for her to remain in her old home, and I did not question this assertion. After all, she’d lost her husband and son to the war.”
I had not known this, though I had guessed. As a general rule, the agents in La Dame Blanche did not discuss their personal lives with one another, and I had been only too happy to abide by this. The less I could recall about them, the better, in case I should be caught and subjected to the German’s third-degree methods to elicit information from me. Plus, for rather more selfish reasons, I’d no desire to share my own troubles.
Landau grimaced. “Now I wonder if I should have.”
“Could she have moved for another reason? Perhaps to hide from someone? She seems to have been doing her best to keep her whereabouts unknown.”
He shrugged. “That I don’t know. But she didn’t seem unsettled or frightened. Merely worn down, as so many others were.”
My mouth twisted in commiseration. After four and a quarter years of war, who of us wasn’t? But the Belgians and the people of northeastern France had also been forced to contend with
a harsh foreign occupation as well. Conditions had been insufferable, the people near starvation. And those working for British intelligence had known they could be betrayed or discovered at any moment.
Landau glanced up at Xavier. “You had nothing to do with La Dame Blanche, but did you by chance have any dealings with Madame Moreau? Ever hear the Germans mention her?”
At this comment, Sidney shifted in his seat, obviously deducing Captain Xavier’s wartime service had been an interesting one.
“I’m afraid not,” Xavier replied.
Landau shook his head. “I’m afraid I’m at a loss.”
“What of these threats Captain Xavier mentioned to Lord Ryde? Could Madame Moreau have received one?”
“Yes, we were just discussing that.” His chair squeaked as he leaned back, clasping his hands over his stomach. “They’re very odd, almost childish in nature. Letters scrawled in large letters on bits of paper or cardboard and left on their doorstep. I quite honestly don’t know what to make of them.”
“What do they say?”
“Various things. ‘I know who you are.’ ‘I’m not fooled.’ Or simply, ‘Spy’!”
My eyes widened.
“Most of the recipients have not been concerned. After all, many of them wanted their wartime service to be known. So many of the young men could not escape the occupied areas to join the armies and do their duty as they wished, so they settled for doing their bit here. And for the most part, they’ve been lauded for it.”
“But not by all?” I pressed, pouncing on his hesitation.
He shared a look with Xavier, as if debating how much to say. “The vast majority of Belgians are happy to have their country back and see the Germans sent packing. But there have been a few who are not so pleased. German loyalists who were content for things to remain as they were.” His face tightened with displeasure. “Most of these German loyalists have been satisfied with making their malcontent known in small, petty ways. But in May, someone bombed the police station in Blanken-berge, killing two officers and seriously injuring two more.”
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