'Oh, not our ambassador. I phoned Uncle Juan. My mother's brother is the Spanish ambassador to the Court of St James,' said Detta, mollifying him. 'He's usually very well informed.'
Arvid von Troll cleared his throat. 'Well, I must apologize for my tone, Fraulein von Aichborn. We'll take your advice about the present.' He hesitated. 'I suppose your uncle Juan doesn't happen to know who will be Ramsay Macdonald's successor?'
'I asked him that too,' Detta was happy to tell him. 'Stanley Baldwin, he says.'
'Herr von Neurath will be impressed,' Troll said, with obvious satisfaction. 'You can ask a favour in return.'
'May I have the whole of Saturday off?'
'You may,' Herr von Troll generously agreed.
She rose early on Saturday to pack her raffia bag, containing toiletries, towel, new Bleyle and her Agfa box camera. A blouse, bright wrapover skirt, matching shorts and sandals completed her ensemble. Detta was armed for the encounter.
She knocked on Marlene Kaschke's door at seven-thirty. 'It'll be no use knocking. Fraulein von Aichborn.' Frau Wolke told her. 'Some man she knew fetched her yesterday. Even paid her rent. Would you like an egg for breakfast?'
Detta did not reply. She was feverishly trying to come up with a solution to the problem that had so unexpectedly arisen. But there was no solution without someone to play gooseberry. Goodbye, weekend on the water, she thought furiously.
They were far from prudish at home in Aichborn. At the age of six, Detta had helped the head groom take mares to the stallion. Her mother had used the example of Lina, a kitchen-maid impregnated by a seasonal worker who had long since moved on, to explain that even if you weren't married you could find yourself in circumstances that were far from desirable, since a child needs a father and a woman needs a husband. It all depended on doing things in the right order, she said, so it made sense to get your man to the altar before having fun with him. Because it was indeed fun, the Baroness happily concluded her explanation, and you could have fun more often and for longer with a husband — where, for instance, was Lina's seasonal worker now?
The practical Detta thought all this sounded very plausible, although she would have liked to know more about the fun. At the next opportunity she asked Lina, who told her in a whisper how you went about it and why it was so nice.
From then on Detta looked at the village boys in a completely different way, and the idea of'having fun' crept into her longing dreams. To make sure they remained dreams, her mother sent Adelheid with her as a chaperone when Bensing drove her to dancing classes in the nearby town, or when one of the young gentlemen from the neighbouring estates accompanied her to a summer ball. Detta saw nothing wrong in that. It wasn't a matter of morality but of etiquette, just as everyone knew you didn't eat fish with a knife.
Although she had come of age, and there was no one to keep an eye on her in the cosmopolitan city of Berlin where anything went so long as you enjoyed, it would never have entered her head to break the rules of etiquette. But now everything was different. Very well then, I'll eat my fish with a knife, she thought daringly, and took the BMW out of the Kantstrasse garage.
She parked the car by the Stossensee bridge and, in high spirits, ran down the countless steps carved out of the steep slope. David Floyd-Orr's shock of red hair was visible from far away. He was wearing a white polo shirt with immaculate, white linen trousers, and instead of a belt he had knotted a Winchester old school tie around them.
'Good morning, Detta. How nice of you to come.'
'Hello, David, thank you for asking me.' That was enough to satisfy English good manners. 'My friend Marion is so sorry, she can't come. She's not feeling well.' She looked out at the Stossensee, which despite its name was not really a lake, but a bay just off the river, bordered by old trees. Landing stages ran out on all sides, like wooden fingers pointing at the water. Yachts, motorboats and rowing boats rocked at their moorings. 'It's really lovely here.'
'I practically live here in the summer. This way, please.' They walked over sun-warmed planks to a motorboat. Its name, Berrie, stood in shiny letters on the prow. The Union Jack above it made a pleasant change from the swastika flags flown by the other vessels. David helped her on board. Everything here was brass and mahogany.
'There's an awful lot to clean,' said the ever-practical Detta.
'Not this weekend, though. Down here.' Three steps led down to the cabin that reached all the way to the bows. The seats by the two long sides could be pulled out to make comfortable beds. A wall cupboard contained the tiny galley with its spirit stove. David pointed to the zinc-plated refrigerator. 'We're just waiting for the man to bring ice to keep our drinks cold, then we can start. I thought we'd go past Potsdam up to Brandenburg, and then go a little further into the Havelland tomorrow. We'll be back here tomorrow evening, if that's all right by you?'
It was all right by Detta. The slight smell of marshy water, oil and gasoline, the gentle rocking of the water, the tinny sound of a gramophone playing on the boat next to David's — it was all new and fascinating.
The man with the ice delivered his load, stowed it below decks with a clatter, and wished them a nice weekend. David undid the rope and pushed off from the landing stage. Puttering, the engine started and took the boat at a leisurely pace under the Stissensee bridge and into the Havel, which opened out before them.
Down in the cabin Detta found a white, peaked cap with an anchor on it, and put it on at a rakish angle over her left ear. She had taken off her wrapover skirt and was now sitting on the cabin roof in shorts, with her knees drawn up. She looked over the gleaming, silvery water where white sails bobbed, slender canoes cut their way through the water, and now and then a motorboat left its wake behind. She felt free and at ease, the way she usually felt only in the saddle.
Gradually they gathered speed. David stood at the wheel, concentrating as though he were steering Bertie close to a cliff. It was a little while before Detta realized that he was desperately trying not to stare at her bare legs and, to her amusement, was not entirely succeeding.
'If you'll take the wheel I could fix our drinks. Just keep going straight ahead. And if an iceberg appears, please avoid it.'
She couldn't help laughing, for he said this totally straight-faced. The last man to make her laugh had been Tom Glaser back in Aichborn. How long ago that seemed. She felt a tiny pang, and then it went away. David disappeared below deck and after a few minutes brought up two tall, misty glasses clinking with ice.
'I hope you like Pimm's Number One?'
'Tell me what's in it first.'
'Well, originally only Mr James Pimm knew that. He was an apothecary in London around 1840, and he invented this gin-based drink at his customers' request. The herbs and spices added to flavour it are still the secret of his heirs. Lady Phipps made the lemonade to top it up — she's the wife of our ambassador Sir Eric — in an attempt to keep the younger members of the embassy staff away from the demon drink. And the cucumber strips, with a slice of orange and another of lemon, are my personal ingredients.'
'Tastes good,' she pronounced.
All the same, we'd better stick to just one glass, what with the sun and the aforesaid demon.'
Detta chuckled.
'Did I say something funny?'
'No. It's just. ' She couldn't help coming out with it. 'It's just that I really don't need a chaperone with you.' David went red — and even redder when, soon afterwards, Detta appeared on deck in her sky-blue Bleyle.
They passed the Wannsee. Potsdam and then Geltow went by, and they cast anchor in a bay near Werder. Detta, standing very straight, went to the bows. She felt more self-conscious about her figure than ever before. I hope he doesn't think my thighs are too thin, she worried. At home, swimming in the Aich with the village boys and girls, such a thought would never have occurred to her. For safety's sake, she avoided his gaze by jumping into the water. David came in after her. She dived, and surfaced again a little further on. He swam after her with long strokes. She went down again, and then came up behind him. She repeated this game several times — it was fun to tease him a little. Then she dived down right under the boat and kept close to its side.