“Anxious times, I’m afraid,” Hector said. “There is great fear of an imminent German invasion, although no one wants to admit it.”
“What about Churchill? Do you think he is the right man to take care of things at this time?”
There, perhaps that was the opening. “I believe he is doing the best he can in the circumstances,” Caitrin said.
“Perhaps he is, but will his best be good enough to save the country?”
“I don’t know. What do you think?”
Rupert paused and swirled his drink. “Churchill is not a man I would get behind. He is an opportunist, changes parties to suit himself. It can be hard to trust a man like that.”
“I understand.” Caitrin exhaled a silent calming breath and asked, “Bearing in mind his opportunism, would you say he was the kind of man to deal realistically with the Germans? Do you think he is the sort of man who would build bridges?”
“Bridges?” Rupert swallowed his drink. “I would not normally vote for him, but he knows Hitler is not to be trusted. This is not the time to build bridges; we need walls instead, damn big ones. And if anyone can pull the country together and keep the Germans from invading England, it’s Churchill.”
Caitrin sat back, relieved, and asked, “May I have another drink? That was good whisky.”
Rupert stood and took her glass. “I like this young woman of yours, Hector. She’ll keep you in your place.”
He went for the bottle and poured everyone a fresh drink, before sitting again to say, “I’m surprised to see you driving, Hector. I thought private vehicles had been banished from the nation’s highways. Petrol rationing and all that.”
“I’m taking it home, where it can stay for the duration, unless the government needs it.”
“Are you on leave?”
“No, I’m afraid I failed my physical,” Hector said and tapped his chest. “Wonky ticker. Quite a disappointing surprise, really.”
Caitrin could sense Rupert did not believe that either, and she waited for the next question. He was a cat playing with a favorite mouse. “Bad ticker, huh? Better go easy on him at night, Caitrin. You don’t want to lose a brand-new husband. Might need to line up a reserve one, just in case. Let me know if you do.”
Caitrin laughed. Rupert was truly a fascinating man.
“And you, young lady? Tell me, how do you occupy your time?”
“I’m a police constable.”
“Police?” His eyes widened. “Ooh, handcuffs and truncheons.”
“Rupert, if you don’t behave in front of our guests, I shall cut you off,” Penelope said, but with a forgiving smile. “That is going to be your last drink—”
“Before dinner,” he interrupted. “All right. Dinner. Nothing elaborate, we all eat out of the same trough here, so don’t dress up.”
He put down his glass, stood, and said, “Why are you towing a horse box?”
“It’s Albert,” Caitrin said to deflect him, although she knew he wouldn’t be diverted for long.
“Albert?”
“Hector’s father called his car Victoria, so I thought the horse box should be named Albert. Always being led by the nose and following one step behind.”
Rupert roared with laughter. “That is funny because it’s damn true. Well done, Caitrin, well done. Now, what’s in it?”
The question came flat and hard and caught her off guard. She said, “The Crown Jewels.”
But Rupert Madison-Hardynge was not Wendy the maid. “That’s impossible. Too damn small,” he said. “You’d need a bigger box. So it’s probably just the important parts, right? What the public thinks are the Crown Jewels. The crowns, orbs and scepters and such.”
“And such,” Caitrin said.
“Why do you have them?”
“To keep them safe. For our country.”
Rupert touched her cheek and turned to Hector. “I don’t know what you two are up to, but you should marry this girl, Hector. It would be the best thing you ever did for yourself. If she’ll have you.”
* * *
The flagstone-floored bedroom, white-walled and cold, was small, as was the bed. The only furniture was a half-sized wardrobe and a chest of drawers. With a great sigh Caitrin sat on the edge of the bed. “That was unexpected.”
“Unexpected? That’s a Welsh understatement. It could have been an absolute disaster,” Hector said. “Imagine if we found out Rupert was a member of Die Brücke after he discovered we had the Crown Jewels.”
“That he worked it out so easily is what concerns me. It means the longer we’re out here, the more likely someone else will do that too.”
“We have just five days left,” Hector said as he sat next to her. “What if we stop at only one more home and then go directly to mine? One long day’s drive tomorrow, spend two days at home, and we can get to Greenock easily from there in two days.”
“You, me, and your mum.” Caitrin fell back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling.
“At least we know my mother’s not part of Die Brücke.”
“Maybe so, but can you vouch for all the cocker spaniels?”
