Making his way through the corridors, he hoped against hope to learn something about the status of his brothers but knew that the likelihood was slim. He probably wants to press me about the transfer again.
When he entered, he was surprised to find the major stretched uncomfortably on a wooden chair in front of the secretary’s desk with his arms crossed. Vivian’s eyes shone with excitement. As Paul looked from one to the other, he noticed that even the major seemed to struggle to contain a smile.
“You wished to see me, sir?”
Crockatt stood and placed his hands on his hips sternly. “Have you given any more thought to my offer?”
Bewildered, Paul just stood there. “Sir, I—”
Vivian giggled and the major chuckled. “I can’t do this,” he told her. Then he faced Paul seriously. “We have news for you, Lieutenant, of the mixed variety. You must prepare yourself.”
“Is it one of my brothers?” Paul breathed. “Which one?”
“Jeremy,” Vivian burst out while Crockatt frowned at her. She pointed at the office door. “He’s in there.”
At first speechless, Paul whirled around to look at where Vivian pointed. “In there?”
“He’s asleep,” Crockatt said. “You can look in on him, if you like, but I’d let him be a while longer. He’s been through several ordeals.”
Together they crept to the door and opened it slightly. Paul peered inside. He studied the figure lying on the cot in the half-light, then drew back and closed the door.
“Is that a baby with him?”
Crockatt nodded and gestured toward a chair. “A little boy. Have a seat. Vivian will tell you his story as she heard it.”
Paul listened in awe.
When Vivian had finished, Crockatt showed him the document Captain Savage had signed.
Paul inhaled and let his breath out slowly. “Unbelievable.” He leaned his head back. “Unbelievable,” he repeated.
“We tried to find your sister, Claire, so we could let her know as well.”
Paul swung around, startled, and checked to see if anyone else was listening. “She’s at Bletchley Park, sir.”
Crockatt stared a moment and then tossed his head back. “I should have guessed.”
“She wanted to do something more active in the war effort, but I convinced her that having two sons already in the combat areas, her going into danger might be enough to push our parents over the edge. She agreed but wasn’t happy about it. I’m hoping this job she has out there will be enough of a challenge for her.”
“Well,” Crockatt said. “Let’s see if we can get the three of you together.”
“Thank you for bringing me in, sir,” Paul said. “At risk of sounding ungrateful or opportunistic—”
“I know what you’re going to ask.” Crockatt stood and paced. “We have no news of your other brother.”
33
Jeremy had been in a half-sleep, dozing in and out of consciousness while his aching body protested against every toss and turn. He came to with a start and whirled around on the bed. “Timmy,” he called.
From across the room, a female voice replied reassuringly, “I have him.”
Jeremy looked in that direction through bleary eyes. Recognizing his sister, he dropped back into the sheets and instantly dozed off again. When he reawakened a few minutes later, she stood over him, smiling. She held little Timmy asleep in her arms.
His mind still numb, Jeremy sat up and pivoted awkwardly to sit on the edge of the bed. Claire sat down next to him. He took Timmy and held him close, recalling as though through a fog that he had woken up in a strange office with Paul and his sister there. He remembered nothing past that.
“I thought I had dreamed you,” he murmured to Claire.
“No, I’m real,” she said, wrapping an arm over his shoulder and brushing a shock of hair from his face.
“Where are we?” His voice sounded distant as he looked about the room, the furnishings a blur.
“You’re at a place called Bletchley Park. We moved you here by gurney and ambulance, and a staff doctor checked you out.” She dropped her hand to his shoulder and squeezed him. “You’ve lost a lot of weight, and I gather you’ve been through one ordeal after another. You’ll need some time to recover.”
Timmy stirred.
“He’ll be hungry,” Claire said. “I have a bottle ready for him. He’s a little old for it, but in his condition, he might just take it.” She handed it to Jeremy, who slipped the nipple between Timmy’s lips just as the tiny boy began to cry. Timmy quieted, and his eyes fluttered and closed as he drank.
Jeremy circled his free arm around his sister’s waist and leaned into her. “Was Paul there too, or did I imagine that?” His voice sounded low and hoarse.
“You didn’t dream it. He’s just outside. I’ll fetch him.” She left and returned with Paul, who crossed the room and stood in front of Jeremy. Wordlessly, the two men regarded each other, and then Paul hugged Jeremy around the shoulders.
“I’m so glad you’re alive,” he whispered. “We worried that we had lost you.”
After an extended moment, Jeremy pulled away. “Any news of Lance?”
Paul shook his head.
“How are Mum and Dad?”
“The last we heard, they were doing well,” Claire interjected, “but we haven’t been able to reach them in several days.”
“What is this place?” Jeremy asked around mid-afternoon as the three siblings took Timmy for a stroll about the stately gardens and ponds of the Bletchley Park estate.
The front of the mansion looked like a row of six two-story town homes, each with its own roofline and colorful façade. Wide lawns and meticulous gardens surrounded the building.
“The historical version is that this estate was built in 1883 for a prominent financier and politician of the time, Sir Herbert Leon,” Claire said.
“And what are those?” Jeremy pointed to a row of similar squat, single-story buildings on both sides of the manor. Most were built of brick halfway up their exteriors, with horizontal wooden siding interrupted by windows in the upper parts of their
