I nodded. “I know. It’s just that…”
“It wasna yer fault. There was no way to know wot would happen, and Alex did what came natural, which was to protect ye.”
“I could have handled that wee bugger,” I replied as anger took the place of other emotions.
“Aye, and perhaps in that, the ‘wee bugger’ was fortunate...this time. Next time, perhaps.”
I could have sworn there was a smile there. I looked over at him. “When,notif,there is a next time, I will see the matter done to the wretched creature.”
“Ah, no longer a wee bugger?”
He was teasing, and I supposed that was the only way to look at the situation. For now. But there would be payback. I silently promised myself.
“Ye perhaps understand wot it is to see someone ye care about injured or worse.”
I did understand. However…
“Come along, now,” he said then, as the train began to move, slowly at first as it pulled from the station, then gathering more speed as it left the rail yard.
“We need to see if there is any word from Miss Lucy.”
There were two telegrams waiting for us. One from Lucy, the second from my great-aunt. Brodie opened Aunt Antonia’s telegram first. He read it to himself, a slight frown forming.
“For heaven’s sake. What does she have to say?” I asked.
I expected what would have been the usual, informing us that Lucy would be in contact, a reminder to be careful. That foreigners could not be trusted. Perhaps an update on the wedding plans, and then the usual question about when we might be returning regarding said wedding plans.
However, this was my great-aunt, someone I loved dearly, who had lived her life so far quite outside the usual constraints of society. Someone, I had learned quite young, who was predictably unpredictable.
At Brodie’s prolonged silence, I became quite anxious. Had she taken a fall? Had she been out and about in her motor carriage again and suffered an accident? Or was it about Lily? Some mishap? Had she run away, as she had recently threatened over her lessons? Something I could sympathize with, though I would never say it.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” I grabbed the telegram from him.
“Greetings, my dears.‘L’will be replying directly withinfo.”
Info?
Good heavens, an abbreviation and referring to Lucy as“L,”no doubtmy great-aunt’s version of using code words.
If the situation wasn’t so dire, I would have laughed as I continued to read.
“Sir Laughton was most helpful and have added Herr Johannes Wagner, Kaiserstrasse, Frankfurt, to the guest list. Have wired intro if you should call on him. Regards.
She had not added her name. I did notice that the telegram had been sent under another name.
“Sir Laughton, her attorney,” I commented as I folded the telegram and put it in my travel bag. And a contact we now had in Frankfurt through him.
“What does Lucy have to say about the inquiries she was to make?”
“The Times, one year ago; person you mentioned-S; substantial criminal record; charged with murder, escaped, last seen in Frankfurt, Germany, June this year; known associate S. Bruhl leader of criminal group responsible for kidnapping, robbery, smuggling, extortion. Said to keep company with an actress from the theater.”
“Bruhl appears to be a well-rounded fellow,” I sarcastically commented. I could only assume that the ‘actress’ Lucy mentioned, might be Angeline Cotillard.
“And verra dangerous with those activities,” Brodie replied.
“I should respond to Lucy’s telegram,” I said then. “She deserves to know about Alex, and reassure her that he will be all right.”
“It is best we don’t communicate more than absolutely necessary,” Brodie replied. “If we’re to have a chance of finding Szábo.”
