“No.”
“Well, that’s all very disconcerting,” she muttered, sitting back in her chair and exhaling. “If he was taken by the Soviets, and Shustov wasn’t involved, he’s at risk as well. Have we heard anything from him?”
Bill shook his head. “No. That’s not unusual, though. Your father would go for months before he was contacted again.”
“So I just wait?”
“Yes. And in the meantime, you go to Oslo,” Jasper said. “I’m getting concerned about the increased activity there, especially from the Germans. The situation is very delicate, though. Norway is officially neutral, and they aren’t happy with us at the moment.”
“Because of the Altmark,” Evelyn said, nodded. “You can’t blame them, really. Not only did we breach their neutrality by engaging the Germans in their waters, but then Germany demanded reparations from them for allowing it to happen.”
“Agreed, but it has put a strain on our relations with them. Furthermore, we will be straining that relationship even more in the coming weeks. With Reynaud taking over in France, there are significant plans being made with regards to Norway.”
“Are we going back to the plan to lay mines in their waters?” Bill asked, startled. “I thought that was abandoned.”
“It was. Reynaud has revived it, and added to it substantially.” Jasper sat back and looked at them both soberly. “The fact is that Hitler gets his iron from the mines in northern Sweden. If we can take away the possibility of the Germans moving that iron through the Norwegian ports, we can cripple their supply lines. I’m sure you understand how vital iron ore is to them. Not only that, but if they gain control of the ports along the western coast of Norway, the German navy will have unrestricted access to the North Atlantic. Given the havoc their submarines are wreaking on our shipping already, that is to be avoided at all costs.”
Evelyn stared at him. “You’re talking about Hitler invading Norway.”
“It’s believed that he will try. Well, it stands to reason, doesn’t it? He’d be a fool not to.”
“So we’re going to mine the waters to try to disrupt the German naval movements? That will infuriate the Norwegians, and it will force Hitler to retaliate,” Bill pointed out.
“Exactly. That’s why I said that things are about to get even more strained.”
“If Hitler retaliates, we’ll go into Norway,” Evelyn said suddenly. “That’s what they’re thinking, isn’t it? That we’ll go in first.”
Jasper looked at her in surprise. “Very good, Miss Ainsworth.”
“It’s what Hitler and Stalin have both done. They’ve created an incident and then used that to justify taking control of countries. We’re going to do the same thing.”
“Perhaps. Nothing is settled, and a lot can happen before it gets to that point.”
Evelyn pressed her lips together. The thought of using their own tactics against them didn’t disturb her as much as the thought of Norway paying the price for it. Norway was a country filled with thousands of innocent people. Jasper was discussing forcing war onto those people without any emotion, as if they wouldn’t be the ones to pay the price for it.
“Now that you’re aware of the situation,” he continued, oblivious to her simmering discomfort, “let’s discuss what you’ll be doing in Oslo. With all of this up in the air, we have to think about what happens if the Germans get to Norway first. As it stands right now, if Hitler invades Norway, we have no one there to get information out.”
“You want to build a network in Norway?” Bill asked incredulously.
“I want to gauge what the response would be if we tried. Things are shaky between our governments, but I want to know how that translates into the people themselves. If we can build even a small group to pass information, it will be critical in the event that Hitler does invade.”
“And you want me to do this?” Evelyn asked, staring at him in astonishment. “I don’t know the first thing about gauging people’s interest or building networks!”
“You know much more than you think,” he said dryly. “According to Carew, you have a willing disciple in the translator you worked with in November. You also managed to cultivate a new and unknown asset in the NKVD. He’s since disappeared, but the fact remains that you gained his trust. Bill says that your French associate spoke very highly of you after meeting you in ΄38, and it doesn’t appear that that opinion has changed since. That isn’t something that can be learned, my dear. We can teach you how to recognize possible recruits and how to approach them, but that’s where it ends. Gaining their trust and respect is something that can’t be taught. And you appear to have that rather invaluable skill.”
“But...I wouldn’t even know where to begin!”
“Which is why you will begin a crash course training tomorrow morning. Bill will give you directions and the appropriate credentials to access the facility. It’s not far, only about an hour’s drive.”
“And when do I leave?” she asked, resigned. There was no arguing with them. That much was clear.
“You’ll have three days of intensive training, then you’ll be on your way. We’ve arranged for you to leave from London. You should be on your way by Sunday at the latest. Time is of the utmost importance.”
“I understand.”
He nodded and his face relaxed into a small smile.
“Good. Then Bill will take care of the rest.”
Chapter Eight
Zurich, Switzerland
“Here you are, Herr Pemberton,” the concierge said with a smile, handing over a room key. “Please enjoy your stay. If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to inquire.”
“Thank you.” The man took the key and picked up his suitcase, turning away from the desk. He went a few steps, then paused and turned back. “Actually, there is something. I need to send a telegram. Do you have that ability here?”
“Yes, of course.” The concierge reached under the counter, producing a pad. “If you fill out the form, we can send it directly from the hotel.”
Mr. Pemberton went back to the desk. “Thank
