‘It was,’ McCaigue conceded. ‘And the Dutch received a similar warning from Berlin. But there was no coup.’
‘Nevertheless, I do believe Theo is telling the truth about the duke,’ Conrad said. ‘That he has been passing on secrets to the Germans. I know how Theo thinks. In his view, a decisive German victory in France would be a disaster for his country. Theo genuinely believes Hitler is evil and must be removed at all costs. I saw the lengths he went to last year to try to make that happen. He’s telling the truth.’
‘Hmm.’
‘You sound as if you would rather he was lying,’ Conrad said.
‘What he has told you is very inconvenient, to put it mildly,’ said McCaigue. ‘A lot of people are not going to like it.’
‘But you are going to tell them?’
‘Oh, certainly. And despite the determination of some people to thrust their heads in the sand, it is much better to know uncomfortable truths than to not know them. Or even worse, pretend they don’t exist.’
They drove on in silence, as McCaigue mulled over what he had heard. ‘De Lancey, there is something you should know,’ he said eventually.
‘What’s that?’
‘Your loyalties are doubted in some quarters.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Some people think you are a communist. We have looked at your file: the Labour Club at Oxford; fighting for the socialists in Spain.’
Conrad snorted. ‘That’s ridiculous. The communists shot two of my best friends in Spain. In the back. And anyway the Nazis and communists are at opposite ends of the spectrum, aren’t they?’
‘One would have thought so,’ said McCaigue. ‘But then in August they teamed up to carve up Poland.’ He grinned. ‘As far as I am concerned you have just carried out a difficult mission in dangerous circumstances. I just thought I had better warn you.’
‘You will be able to convince them that I’m telling the truth, won’t you?’
‘I’ll try.’
McCaigue slammed on the brakes as the back of an Austin 7 suddenly emerged out of the gloom in front of them.
‘Major McCaigue?’
‘Yes?’
‘Do you believe me?’
‘Oh, yes,’ said McCaigue, turning to face Conrad. ‘I believe you.’
Abwehr Headquarters, Berlin
It was after ten by the time Theo arrived at Abwehr headquarters, but he was relieved to find Admiral Canaris and Colonel Oster still at work, having dined together there. He knew how vital it was to report back to them before the Gestapo realized that their man had been killed in Leiden. Unlike Conrad, he hadn’t already had a reservation on a flight from Schiphol, but he did manage to get a train to Brussels, and from there fly on to Berlin.
‘What’s wrong, Hertenberg?’ Canaris asked the instant he came into the room. ‘Not another Venlo, I hope?’
‘Not quite. But I have just been shot at, probably by a Gestapo officer. In Leiden.’
‘And where is this Gestapo officer now?’ asked Canaris.
‘He’s dead, Admiral.’
Theo noticed his direct boss, Colonel Oster, stiffen at this news, but Canaris seemed to take it calmly. Theo could see his brain begin to work through the possibilities.
‘Explain.’
So Theo explained. He didn’t divulge quite everything; he certainly didn’t admit to telling Conrad about the Duke of Windsor or about Charles Bedaux. But he did say that they had met and that Conrad was trying to find out more about his sister’s death in the sand dunes at Scheveningen, and that the British secret service seemed to have decided that Theo had killed her. Why, he wasn’t sure.
‘We know how much Heydrich dislikes de Lancey,’ Canaris said after Theo had finished. ‘And frankly I am not surprised that he took the opportunity to get him killed. But I am most unhappy that one of my officers was a target too.’
‘It’s outrageous!’ said Oster. ‘We can’t possibly have the Gestapo taking it upon themselves to murder our men. You should speak to Himmler. To the general staff. To Hitler! It cannot be permitted.’
‘No, it cannot, Hans,’ said Canaris. ‘But no doubt Heydrich would say that Hertenberg was an innocent victim caught in the crossfire. Are you sure the man who tried to kill you was alone?’
‘Yes,’ said Theo. ‘Although I suspect my contact at the university tipped off the Gestapo that we were meeting.’
‘If he was alone and he’s dead, the Gestapo won’t know what happened. They might well assume that Conrad killed him single-handedly.’
‘We can’t just turn a blind eye!’ said Oster.
‘Oh, I think we can, Hans,’ said Canaris. ‘I think that would be better all round. It’s time for one of my early-morning rides with Sturmbannführer Schellenberg.’ He picked up the phone.
Kensington, London
McCaigue deposited Conrad at his parents’ house in Kensington Square. Conrad’s mother greeted him in the hallway. She seemed calmer than he had seen her since Millie’s death, and pleased to see him in one piece.
‘Will the Dutch authorities release Millie’s body?’ she asked at once.
‘I hope so,’ said Conrad. ‘Technically they are not allowed to because of the murder investigation, but I met the policeman in charge, and he seemed sympathetic. I am sure he will do his best. I am not sure that will be enough, but there is nothing more I could do.’
‘Thank you, Conrad. I know it’s silly, but it will be a great relief to know that she is back in Somerset where she belongs.’
Conrad took his mother by the arms and kissed her forehead. ‘It’s not silly, Mama. It’s not silly at all.’
‘Did the policeman know who killed her?’
‘No,’ said Conrad. He knew his father hadn’t mentioned the British secret service’s suspicion of Theo, and Conrad had decided not to pass on van Gils’s theory about Constance. It would distress his mother and he wanted to speak to his father about Constance first. ‘The Dutch intelligence people are saying it was the Germans, but they don’t really know. Where’s Father?’
‘He’s dining at the club tonight. Reggie’s up in town from Chilton Coombe. He’ll be back for dinner. And Charlotte is staying as well for a few days. She has brought Mattie.’
‘I’m glad to hear that. I haven’t seen them since Millie died.’ Charlotte would be good for his mother, as would her son Matthew, on whom Lady Oakford doted. And it would be good for Conrad to see his brother and sister too, the living ones. He hoped he would have the patience to tolerate the crass comments that he knew Reggie would let drop. It was his father who would be the really difficult one to talk to. Conrad wasn’t sure he could ever forgive him for what he had done. But he would have to at least pretend to, for his mother’s sake.
And he knew his father; Millie’s death would be eating him up. Despite his anger with him, Conrad couldn’t help feeling a sliver of sympathy.
‘There’s someone else here to see you,’ his mother said. ‘Anneliese. She came about an hour ago. We had a lovely talk. It was so nice to be able to speak to someone about my daughter in German.’
Conrad smiled. ‘She liked Millie.’
‘She’s in the drawing room,’ said Lady Oakford. ‘I think she has things she wants to tell you. I’ll leave you alone.’
Conrad went into the drawing room where Anneliese was curled up on a sofa by the window. It was a shock to see her, in his own house, looking so delectable. She was wearing a skirt and green blouse Conrad recognized from their days in Berlin; it brought back all those days, and nights, spent together. She smiled brightly when she saw him, a warm, amused smile at once familiar and yet unseen during the past year.