The news that they might have to flee from the house very soon had caused a commotion. Beatrix was close to hysteria and Kees Dopff flailed his arms like a windmill, pleading with Amalia Janssen not to abandon the tapestry on which her father had worked so sedulously and so long. It took some time to subdue them. Amalia sat them down in the parlour and tried to reason with them.
'It may be that we're able to stay right here,' she said.
"Then why this talk of running away?' asked Beatrix.
'That's only a last resort.'
'Who says so?'
'Captain Rawson.'
And do you believe everything he tells you?'
'Yes, I do.'
'You hardly know him, Miss Amalia.'
'I know him well enough to trust him.'
'Well, I'm not sure that I do,' said Beatrix. 'After the things that have been going on here, I don't trust anyone.' She turned to Dopff. 'Do you?' He shook his head violently. 'There you are.'
Amalia was patient. 'Captain Rawson has been sent to help us,' she explained. 'There's no call for you to know why. Suffice it to say that his arrival has been the one thing to lift my spirits since my father went missing. I'm as reluctant as either of you to quit this house but, if it's essential, then we must do as we're told.'
'What about your father?'
'Captain Rawson is making enquiries about him.'
'Oh, I wish I knew what was going on,' Beatrix wailed. 'I never wanted to come here in the first place.' Dopff's expression showed that he agreed with her. 'But at least we had a fine house.'
'It may have served its purpose, Beatrix,' said Amalia. 'Now why don't you and Kees gather together the few belongings you'll be able to take if we're forced out of here.' She saw the anguish on Dopff's face. 'There's no call for alarm, Kees,' she went on, softly. 'I promise you that we won't leave the tapestry behind.' He brightened immediately. 'You'd better be ready to take it down from the loom.'
Dopff nodded and left the room. Amalia sent the servant off to pack her bags. About to go to her own bedroom, she saw a horse pull up outside the front window and recognised the rider. She ran to the door to admit Daniel then brought him into the parlour.
'Well?' she asked. 'Did you see Monsieur Lefeaux?'
'He was not able to help us,' replied Daniel, sadly.
'Didn't he know where Father was?'
'I'm afraid not, Miss Janssen.'
'What exactly did he say?'
'That doesn't matter,' said Daniel, keeping the awful truth from her. 'What has become clear is that you must leave here tonight. I called on my friend and he's willing to look after us for a while. He has a horse and cart.'
'How far must we go?'
'The house is on the other side of the city.'
'Who is this friend?'
'His name is Ronan Flynn and he has a warm Irish heart. He and his wife will look after us until we're ready to leave Paris.'
'And when will that be, Captain Rawson?'
'When we've discovered where your father is.'
'Someone must know,' she said with an edge of desperation.
'Yes, Miss Janssen, and I think he's standing outside in the street. That man who's been watching the house is still there. If anyone knows what's going on, he does.'
'What are you going to do?'
'I'm going to have a friendly word with him,' said Daniel.
Chapter Seven
They waited until evening shadows began to lengthen and the streets began to clear of people. Daniel then issued his instructions. Amalia Janssen was ready to obey them to the letter but Beatrix was fearful.
'I don't want to go out there, sir,' she said with a shudder.
'Why not?' asked Daniel.
'That dreadful man is waiting.'
'He won't trouble you for much longer.'
'What are you going to do?'
'I simply need to speak to him.'
'Well, why can't you go out there and do that, sir?'
'Listen to Captain Rawson,' said Amalia. 'He knows best. All that we have to do is to walk for ten minutes. No harm will come to us if we're together.'
Beatrix was not convinced and it was clear from Dopff's face that he, too, had qualms. On the other hand, the weaver had been impressed by their visitor's decisiveness and had no doubts about Daniel's good intentions. He just wished he understood why a British soldier had come to their assistance out of the blue. Daniel repeated his orders slowly.
'Give me five minutes and then leave the house together,' he said. 'Walk past the man at the corner and lead him around in a circle before coming back here. Is that understood?'
'Yes,' replied Amalia.
'Where will you be, Captain Rawson?' asked Beatrix.
'I'll be waiting for him,' said Daniel.
After giving them all a smile of encouragement, he let himself out into the street and mounted his horse. He trotted off in the opposite direction to the corner where the watcher was stationed. Turning into the adjacent street, he rode on until he reached another corner. When he turned right again, he kept his eyes peeled.
Amalia Janssen, Beatrix and Kees Dopff stood in the parlour and watched the pendulum of the clock as it swung to and fro. Dopff wanted to point out that it was a Dutch mathematician who first invented the pendulum clock over half a century earlier but he felt it inappropriate. It would also take far too long for him to convey the information by means of gesture and facial expression. When the five minutes had elapsed, Amalia gave a nod and led them to the front door. Beatrix was still reluctant but she could not refuse to go. She pulled a scarf around her shoulders and gritted her teeth. With mixed feelings, Dopff opened the front door and the women went out into the street. They heard the door being shut behind them.
'I don't like this,' confided Beatrix.
'Stay close to me,' said Amalia.
Crossing the street, they walked side by side, trying to appear as natural as they could. They turned left at the corner and expected the burly man to confront them but he was not there. For a second, they dared to relax. The man had apparently gone away. Their sense of relief was rudely shattered when he stepped out of a doorway opposite and tipped his hat in a mocking salute. They walked quickly on. His heavy footsteps soon fell in behind them. Neither of them dared to look over her shoulder. They were both quietly terrified.
Daniel had found a dark alleyway where both he and his horse could hide. It was only a question of waiting now. Certain that Emanuel Janssen had been identified as a spy, he prayed that the man was still alive and had been spared torture. He winced at the thought of having to tell Amalia that her father had been killed. She seemed so young and fragile that the news could destroy her. From the way Lefeaux and his wife had been summarily hanged, it was evident that no mercy would be shown to spies. He could only hope that Janssen's exceptional skill as a tapestry- maker had saved him. A monarch who took such delight in the work of artists of all kinds might think twice about condemning a supreme craftsman to death.
Daniel had no more time to reflect upon what was only a faint hope. A horse and cart went past then an old man staggered by on a walking stick. What he saw next as he peered around the corner of the alleyway were the two women, walking in step and staying close together. Yards behind them, he could just pick out a brawny figure in the gloom. Flattening his back against the wall, he was ready to pounce. Amalia Janssen and Beatrix got nearer and nearer until he could hear their matching footsteps. When they went past him, they didn't even think to look down the alleyway. Neither did their stalker and it was a bad mistake. Daniel leapt out, grabbed his collar to pull him into the alleyway then held a dagger at his throat.