When she first began this journey with Bill and MI6, she’d had only a vague idea of what she would actually be doing. She had imagined a life of picking up packages and delivering them, nothing more. Her lips twisted now as she emptied her suitcase. Oh, how naive she had been! She was much more than a simple courier now, and she was expected to do whatever was necessary in support of King and Country.
And she had every intention of doing just that.
Chapter Nine
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Hotel Bristol, Oslo
The restaurant was slow but Evelyn assumed that that was to be expected for a Tuesday evening. She had been shown to a table in the corner, partially concealed by an immense potted fern, and that suited her perfectly. She would be lying to herself if she pretended that she hadn’t been looking over her shoulder ever since getting off the plane that afternoon.
They still hadn’t found the spy in London who had been responsible for leaking her whereabouts in November. Bill had taken every precaution in the intervening months to protect her. That had included restricting access to the section of MI6 where she worked, and adding another layer of security to her already classified personnel file. Even so, she was well aware that nothing was foolproof until they located and apprehended the mole. Until then, she had to have eyes in the back of her head and take every possible precaution.
Coming to the Hotel Bristol for dinner on her first night back in Oslo didn’t seem to her to be very cautious, but she’d had little choice. This was where Daniel Carew had suggested they meet. The embassy was out; too many eyes and ears. From now on, she was to avoid embassies unless there was an emergency. It was better for everyone involved that way.
Evelyn looked up as a shadow fell across the table. She smiled and stood, holding out her hand.
“Mr. Carew! How lovely to see you again!”
A man with dark hair graying at the temples smiled and grasped her hand.
“How are you? I’m glad you made it to Oslo safely,” he said, seating himself across from her. “We’re very happy to see you back.”
“I’m very happy to be back. Although I must confess, I did not miss this cold.”
He laughed. “I’m used to it now. But I understand you had quite a bit of cold yourself this winter in England.”
“Yes indeed. The Thames froze, if you can believe it. I’ve never known that to happen in my life.”
A waiter approached and Daniel ordered a whiskey and soda. Once he had gone, he turned his attention back to her.
“And how was it when you left?”
“Much warmer.”
“I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve invited Anna Salvesen to join us,” he said.
Evelyn raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Anna? No, I don’t mind at all, but why?”
He smiled. “A lot has happened since you were last here. Anna no longer works for the law firm. She works for me now.”
Evelyn couldn’t stop the smile that came to her lips.
“That does not surprise me one bit,” she said. “When did that happen?”
“Just after Christmas when she returned to Oslo. When she left you in Stockholm, I arranged for her to leave the train as soon as it crossed into Norway. From there, a car took her north, where she stayed until your German friends had left the city.” Daniel shifted in his seat and crossed his legs. “Even after they left, I insisted she stay away until I could confirm that no one had come to replace them. She spent Christmas with her family. When she returned, I convinced her to come work with me. I needed a good translator in my office, and she was getting bored working for the solicitors.”
“I’m glad. Without her help, I would have been hard pressed to get out of Stockholm as quickly as I did. I’m eternally grateful to her for all her help.”
Daniel smiled. “She told me that she had the time of her life. She found it all very exciting.”
Evelyn made a sound suspiciously like a snort. “It was that, if nothing else.”
The waiter returned with Daniel’s whiskey and soda, and they fell silent as he set it on the table.
“Are you ready to order?” he asked, looking from one to another.
“We’re just waiting on one other person,” Daniel told him easily. He glanced at Evelyn’s glass of wine. “Would you like another glass of wine?”
“I’m all right for now, thank you.”
The waiter nodded and smiled and moved away again.
“I understand you escaped Stockholm by taking a merchant ship to Copenhagen,” Daniel continued once he was gone. “How did you find Denmark?”
“I didn’t have much of an opportunity to form an opinion, to be honest. I traveled across the country by train and car to reach Esbjerg. I had a very friendly guide who went out of his way to point out various landmarks and tell me about the country as we went, but one can only see so much through a window.” She smiled wistfully. “For all the traveling, I don’t seem to have the time to enjoy the new countries I’m visiting.”
Daniel sipped his drink. “Certainly not that trip,” he agreed. “Do you remember when you first arrived and I told you that you had nothing to worry about in Oslo?”
Evelyn nodded, her eyes dancing. “Yes. You told me that I would never run into a Gestapo or SS agent the way I had in Strasbourg.”
“Yes. It seems I owe you an apology,”
