“He thinks you should know, as you are to some extent involved. The Dubois have been arrested.”
“Arrested!” I cried.
“I think they will not bother us any more. They came here with the purpose of spying for the enemy.”
We stared at him in horror, and Gordon went on: “I know everything that is happening seems to have taken a wild turn at the moment, but this is war. We are fighting for our lives, and so is the other side. Anything, however seemingly implausible, however incongruous, has to be investigated. These people made a mistake when they came here. Simone is, of course, not Jacques’s sister. They came here because of his connection with you, which he thought would make him more acceptable. It meant he had to keep the name of Dubois. Our people knew that name. He had used it in Paris, and he had come under suspicion when one of our men was found murdered in a Paris street, not far from the house where Dubois was living.
“Georges Mansard!” I whispered.
Gordon nodded. “They discovered who he was and killed him.”
“It happened just before I left,” I cried.
“I know, and Germany was about to invade Western Europe. It was an opportune time. Jacques had been over here before the war … with a German artist.”
“I remember them,” said Violetta.
“They were sketching the coast. All very useful to an enemy who has plans for the invasion of the country, of course. And Dorabella, you became caught up in this intrigue.”
I felt limp with shame and horror.
“Briefly,” went on Gordon, “they came over, landing on the coast where you found them, which was what they intended. The woman who calls herself Simone Dubois is very clever and adaptable. This part of the country is very interesting to the enemy because of certain activities which you now know something about. They were hoping to get their hands on what was in that box about which you have heard so much. We not only foiled them on that, but caught them. Simone, of course, was involved in it. We have suspected her for some time, but wanted to get our hands on Jacques and others as well.”
“So Simone was actually involved in the kidnapping,” I said.
“Decidedly so. She made a habit of coming in to take tea with Nanny Crabtree. It was comparatively easy to slip a light sleeping draught into her cup. Nanny obviously did not think it unusual that she had come in that day since she had made a habit of calling; then, when Nanny was drowsy, Simone let in the woman who took Tristan down to the garden to see those fictitious dinosaurs. At least that seems a logical assumption.”
“It was diabolical!” cried Violetta.
“These people will stop at nothing. They are clever … ingenious. They make it all work out as simply as possible.”
“Nanny did not say that Simone was there on that day.”
“She didn’t think anything of it. Simone had often come in the last weeks. Well, it seems that was how it must have been done. The kidnappers thought they had got away with the box. Thanks to the perspicacity of Charley, we were waiting for them when they would have got away. We had the people immediately concerned in the plot. But not Simone. She was not with them on that occasion and, of course, there was no intention of her giving up the valuable work she was doing for our enemies. We had been watching Simone for some time, and we knew she could lead us to others.”
“Her brother?” I asked, and Gordon nodded.
“She has now been arrested … with her brother. We have what we wanted and I think we can congratulate ourselves.”
“To think that for so long we have been living in the midst of all this intrigue!” I said.
“There is more going on than any of us realize. Living in wartime is living with melodrama all about one. This is a triumph for our service here.”
“And is Captain Brent involved in all this?” I asked.
“Deeply. But he thought you should be told something, as you two have been involved in it too … particularly you, Dorabella, having been in Paris and lived with this spy, and even having met Georges Mansard. In due course I shall let it be known that Simone wants to be near her brother and that she has taken a job on a farm near him. We shall pretend to forward on her clothes and effects. Mrs. Penwear will pack them and I shall take them, letting everyone think that they are going to be sent on to her, just in case anyone should start rumors which must be suppressed. Gossip is rife. So, when Mrs. Penwear has packed Simone’s things, I shall tell everyone they have gone to her. No one must be aware of the purpose for which she was here. They must continue to think of her as the amusing French girl who so bravely left her country. And, if you hear anything to the contrary, you must come and tell me at once.”
“We understand,” said Violetta, looking at him with undoubted admiration. I must say, I felt the same.
Captain Brent came to visit the men as he had before. I met him in a passage in the Priory.
He looked at me quizzically. Then he put his hands on my shoulders and said: “This business … it hasn’t altered things, has it?”
I laughed with relief. “Oh, James,” I replied. “It has been so awful.”
“Somewhat melodramatic, eh?”
I said: “I can’t forget what happened … because of us … Tristan …”
“I know,” he replied. Then: “Come to Riverside this afternoon, can you? We could talk there.”
“Yes,” I answered, my spirits soaring.
I did care for James, and it would be good to be with him once more.
He was waiting for me when I arrived. He put his arms round me and kissed me.
“Wonderful to be with you again … like this,” he said.
“I didn’t realize that you were not exactly what you were said to be.”
“Who is?” he asked.
“I suppose you are a very important person?”
“One of the cogs in the wheel. I have my little part to play. I am sorry you had to be drawn into all this.”
“It will be different knowing that you are not really here to look after those men. But that is something which we must not mention.”
He smiled. “Then it makes no difference. What we are to each other is the same as it ever was. Do you agree?”
“Yes, I agree.”
It was wonderful to have him back. It was exciting. There was a secret we shared. He was not what he had seemed to be, but a man of mystery, which made everything more enthralling.
When I left Riverside Cottage, I drove into Poldown, where I sensed an excitement in the air. A little knot of men was standing by the bridge reading a newspaper. Something had clearly happened.
I got out of the car and went into the newsagent’s.
“Oh, there you be then, Mrs. Tregarland,” said Mrs. Benn from behind the counter. “Have ’ee heard the news then?”
“News? What news?”
“They Japs have gone and bombed the American fleet in a place called Pearl Harbor and they do say this ’ull bring them into the war at last.”
I bought a paper and read the headlines. Then I drove back as fast as I could to Tregarland’s.
There was immediate relief. We no longer stood alone. This must be the beginning of the end.
VIOLETTA
A Friend from the Past
ANOTHER YEAR WAS WITH us and there was still no news of Jowan. I think I was beginning to believe, with others, that he would never return.
We had made a great effort to have a merry Christmas with the men and had succeeded fairly well. Everyone joined in, including my parents, who had come to Tregarland’s to spend Christmas with us.
It was wonderful to see them. There was so much to talk about. My mother had known nothing about the kidnapping until it was over. She and my father would have been absolutely distraught and I was glad we had not told them until Tristan was safely back.