“Very good, sir.”
William reached out to open the door, holding it for her to pass through.
“When we visited you last Christmas, I remember you driving down to London,” he said conversationally, stepping outside with her. “Your mother was shocked when your brother revealed your speed.”
Evelyn laughed.
“What’s the point in owning a sports car if you don’t really drive it?” she demanded. “It’s such a waste of a powerful engine!”
“Your father is quite proud of your driving skills.”
“My father likes to exaggerate at times,” Evelyn said with a smile. “I am no more skilled than he or my brother. I simply have a heavier foot on the accelerator.”
They walked down the steps and along the crushed gravel driveway towards Gisele’s low-slung Bugatti.
“I believe you’re something of a maverick, aren’t you, Miss Ainsworth?” he asked, glancing down at her.
“My father certainly says so,” she said gaily.
“And what do you say?”
She hesitated for a moment, then decided on candor.
“I think I’m very restricted by societal expectations of me. I know I’m capable of far more than what is expected of me.”
He studied her thoughtfully for a moment.
“Do you know, I think you are right?” he murmured. “Tell me, are you really fluent in multiple languages?”
“Yes.”
“German?”
Evelyn shot him a look. “Yes.”
William stopped next to the black sports car and turned to face her.
“How serious are you in believing that war is coming?” he asked quietly, his eyes boring into hers.
She met his gaze steadily. “I hope that it doesn’t, but I think we have to be prepared for it.”
“You said over lunch that you think more should be done to discover what is going on in Germany. Do you stand by that?”
“I do.”
“There is something you could do to help, if you’re truly interested in trying to make a difference. It’s not for the faint of heart, but I don’t think that applies to you, does it?”
“I’d like to think not.” Evelyn studied him, the breeze blowing her hair back from her face. Her host was very serious and she suddenly had the thought that much was riding on her answer. “I would like to do whatever I can, but I don’t see what I can possibly offer.”
“There’s a man arriving in Strasbourg tomorrow from Munich. He carries with him information that has taken months for him to compile,” William said slowly. “We got word today that he’s finally able to get it out. However, the courier that was supposed to meet him has fallen ill with appendicitis, of all bloody things.”
Evelyn raised her eyebrows.
“This sounds suspiciously like something I shouldn’t be hearing,” she said, her tone indicating that she didn’t mind one bit. “I thought my father said you were attached to Daladier’s office in an advisory capacity?”
“I am.” William hesitated for a moment, then spoke carefully. “I pass information to MI6 in London when I can. As you said, we need to know more about what exactly is going on in Germany, and they are desperate for information. You were quite right about Hitler and his policies on race. While MI6 does have agents stationed in Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland, they are there under the guise of Passport Control for Britain. They’re getting inundated with people applying for passports and passage to England. Since Anschluss, those applications have more than tripled. As a result, the agents are being forced to work their cover instead of gathering the information London needs.”
“The exodus is that bad?” she asked, startled.
He nodded. “And I fear this is only the beginning. I’ve managed to build a modest intelligence network here, but it’s very difficult to get reliable news from within Germany. The information coming tomorrow is of the utmost importance.”
Evelyn felt her heart rate quicken in excitement.
“And you need someone who can speak German to meet this man from Munich,” she said. “Won’t he be expecting someone else? The courier with appendicitis?”
“He will, but there is a code phrase that will reassure him.”
She grinned. “How thrilling!”
“I think it will also be to everyone’s advantage that you’re a fashionable, wealthy young lady,” he continued. “You will be above suspicion. No one will ever suspect a pretty little thing like you of carrying information.”
“Well, when you put it that way,” she said with a laugh. “I’d be happy to go!”
“It can be very dangerous,” he warned. “Strasbourg is on the Rhine, across from Germany, and there are known Nazi sympathizers swarming the city. Not only would it be fatal for him if anyone suspected he was passing information out of Germany, but it could be extremely unsafe for you.”
Evelyn waved her hand impatiently.
“I completely understand, Mr. Buckley,” she assured him. “Tell me what to do and I’ll follow your instructions to the letter.”
Chapter Four
Evelyn sped along the country road, lush green fields extending on either side for as far as the eye could see. The morning sun was bright and clear, and the air rushing into the car from the open windows was crisp. She had made an early start for the five-hour drive to Strasbourg, taking time only to swallow a cup of coffee and grab a fresh croissant from the kitchen before heading out the door. Gisele had been amenable to lending her car again, accepting Evelyn’s story of delivering a gift basket for a friend of her father’s without question. In actual fact, Gisele didn’t drive very much at all, so she seemed more than happy for Evelyn to take the car whenever she wished, an arrangement that worked out especially well today.
Pressing the accelerator, she smiled in pure exhilaration as the 175hp motor surged forward effortlessly. Oh, how she loved this car! The lowered Bugatti 57S was less powerful than the Lagonda LG45 that she drove at home, but it had good
