‘Just leave me out of your book,’ said Sue Wiley. She observed the waitress coming with their tray, and beyond the waitress, just being seated, the famous actress, Märta Norberg, and a rather severe woman who resembled a governess and whom she suddenly identified as the writer Craig’s sister-in-law. ‘Here’s lunch,’ she said to the Hungarian. ‘About time. The place is getting too crowded. Let’s make it fast and get back to the hotel. Our afternoon’s work is cut out for us.’
Emily Stratman hummed softly as she rode the elevator to the third floor of the Grand Hotel. Although she had long ago banished all that was German from her life, the tune that she now hummed, a stray wisp of recall from childhood, was Du, du, liegst mir im Herzen, Du du liegst mir im Sinn.
It was 4.10, and Emily’s frame of mind was mellow and quietly happy. The late luncheon given by several members of the Nobel Committee for Physics, and their wives, in the large apartment on Ringvägen, had been more pleasant than she had expected. The wives had spoken so adoringly of their husbands, their children, their home lives, that Emily’s desire to see Andrew Craig again, as she would in several hours for dinner, had been heightened. It was comforting, in a way she had always dreamed but never known, to have someone calling on her, attentive to her, protective even, someone with whom she felt safe and in whom she was emotionally absorbed.
Except for the brief exchange at noon the day before, Emily had not been alone with Craig since that natural embrace on the Hammarlund terrace, when he had kissed her. Or, in truth, had she really kissed him? She wondered what would have happened, been said, if they had not been interrupted by the summons to dinner. She wondered how he would behave tonight and what he might say and what she would say in return. Her constant devotion to him, in the privacy of her hidden fantasies, had at first alarmed her, but now if he was even briefly missing, she was bereft. In her world of make-believe, she had never been closer to any man. Her need for him, and trust in him, dominated her inner existence. How surprised he would be if he could know this! For she knew the reality of her presence in his presence, her withdrawn and withheld inarticulate presence, her aloof and cold untouchability. Well, she would try to represent to him her truer self tonight-that is, if there was a truer self.
Inexplicably, she found herself before the door of the suite, and still humming idiotically. She opened the door with the heavy hotel key, left it on the entry-hall table, hung her coat neatly in the cupboard, then, fingers knitted together behind her head, through her hair, she stretched her shoulders and chest before the mirror, studied the fit of her new wool cardigan suit, and was satisfied.
A bath, she decided, a bubble bath. She would soak and soak, and dream a little, and perhaps nap briefly, before dressing for Andrew.
She strolled lazily into the sitting-room, noticing that the maid had turned the lamps up-outside it was already dark-and then suddenly, turning fully into the room, she froze.
At the opposite end of the room, like a granite statue in a chair, sat Leah Decker.
Involuntarily Emily brought her hand to her mouth, and emitted a gasp. Her heart raced-the occupant had been so unexpected in a room that she had thought only her own-and then she closed her eyes, and animated herself with a shudder, and looked at Leah Decker.
Leah remained unmoving. ‘I’m sorry to have scared you, Miss Stratman,’ she said, but the voice was unusually hard and bore no inflection of apology.
Emily laughed nervously. ‘How silly of me. It was just that I didn’t expect-’
‘I know this is improper,’ Leah said. ‘I fetched the maid and told her who I was and asked her to let me in. It was important to see you. I wanted to take no chance of missing you.’
Emily felt confusion at her visitor’s conduct and her bitter tone. Her mind leaped to Craig. This was his relative. Emily moved a few tentative steps towards Leah. ‘Is there anything wrong, Miss Decker?’
‘Should there be?’ said Leah laconically. ‘As a matter of fact, yes, that’s what brought me here. I think you’d better take a seat, Miss Stratman. You and I are going to have a short talk.’
Leah Decker was totally in command, her voice so imperative (so familiarly Germanic to Emily’s oldest memory), that Emily obeyed without question. Hastily, she took the chair nearest Leah, and gripped the arms, and waited in befuddlement.
‘What is it?’ she asked. ‘You seem so-you seem upset.’
‘I am upset.’ Leah’s voice was nasal and imperious. ‘I have every right to be. Things have been going on behind my back, ugly things, and I want them out in the open.’
‘I have no idea what you are speaking about.’
‘You will, you will, indeed, in a minute. I had lunch today with Märta Norberg.’
She said it as if it would mean something to Emily, but it meant nothing, and so Emily said nothing.
Leah resumed. ‘Märta and I had a long talk about my brother-in-law. And then we discussed you.’
Emily was honestly astonished. ‘Me? I didn’t know Miss Norberg was aware of my existence. What could you find to discuss about me?’
‘You’re very clever, Miss Stratman, but you will find I am no fool either, so you needn’t try any of your tricks on me.’
Leah’s tone was offensive, and Emily was instantly affronted by it. ‘I beg your pardon, Miss Decker-’
‘Never mind. You’ll find I’m blunt and to the point, as I have a right to be. My brother-in-law called upon Miss Norberg last night at her residence. He was trying to sell her his next book for movies. According to Märta Norberg-and I do not know her to lie, and I do know my brother-in-law’s weaknesses as no one ever will-Andrew behaved disgustingly. He was drunk, he was obnoxious, and he tried forcibly to seduce his hostess. He might have criminally attacked her, had she not had a house filled with loyal servants. At last, she found it necessary to throw him out.’
Emily felt the blood rushing to her head. ‘I don’t believe a word of that, and I’m shocked that you believe it and dare repeat it. Everyone knows Märta Norberg’s reputation. Why are you telling me this ridiculous story?’
‘Because you are in it, my young lady, you are deeply in it, and I know Andrew’s character, his irresponsibility, and it’s my duty to see that he keeps out of trouble.’ She stared at Emily contemptuously. ‘I know all about you and Andrew. I heard it all from Märta Norberg. And she heard it from Andrew, yes, Andrew, your precious Andrew. He told her how he got you out on the Hammarlund terrace and kissed you-’
Emily sat stricken beyond the power of speech. A sinking ache lowered itself through her entire body. Leah’s outburst could no longer be turned aside. Who but Andrew and herself knew of that moment on the terrace? How could Leah know of this, if Andrew had not humiliated her by telling it to that actress?
‘-and that’s the least of it,’ Leah was saying. ‘I know everything now. I know you’ve been sleeping with Andrew from the moment you met. I guessed it when I caught you two at the Royal Banquet, when he didn’t come back to his room all night, not until morning.’
Emily’s body was stitched with pain, and her throat so constricted with dumbfounded indignation that she could hardly recover speech. ‘Sleeping with him!’ she cried. ‘That’s a filthy lie-and you’re a filthy-minded liar, you and that actress-both of you-both of you!’
Leah sat unwavering. When Emily had spent her fury, Leah spoke once more with calm superiority. ‘Deny it if you wish. It’ll do you no good. I have the facts. And I’m going to repeat one of them, exactly as Märta Norberg told it to me. When Andrew tried to seduce her last night, and she resisted, he began his drunken bragging, as he always does when he’s had too much. These are his very words to Märta Norberg. “I’ve done all right for myself right here in Sweden. I’ve been sleeping with a woman for sex and nothing else, so I don’t need you, Märta.” Those were his words. That’s what he told Märta, and she swears on the Bible he said them.’