The Secret Generations (42 page)

Mildred turned away, looking out of the window at the spring shower, lightly sprinkling the trees in the street. Softly, she said,
‘I don’t know if I can face seeing her.’

*

The clothes he stood up in; a few marks; his knife; the Mauser pistol; two sets of forged papers, and what was in his head: this was James’ inheritance from C and Giles Railton. Natural instinct told him to get out, run for Switzerland. But he took a train to the suburb of Wilmersdorf, called in at the nearest post office and sent yet another telegram, then went in search of the last address they had given him.

The contact was a Lutheran minister who had studied at, among other places, Oxford. It was there he had met various men who rose through the years into places of importance in the Foreign Office. Pastor Bittrich received some of these men into his home during the summers between 1908 and 1914. It was during this time he indicated that, should there be a war between Germany and England, he would use all his efforts to help the English cause. They even gave him a password, should they need his assistance.

The house was a pleasant old place off Gasterstrasse, the street tree-lined, almost rural. James went to the front door and knocked. It was opened by a fat, apple-faced maid, who said the Pastor was out visiting, but would soon be back. Would Herr Grabben – James had changed identities again – care to wait for him?

Herr Grabben sat in the parlour, with the baleful eyes of a crucified Christ looking down from a lithograph above the mantel.

When Pastor Bittrich arrived, James rose to greet him. The man was tall, thin, and with a perpetually surprised expression.

James spoke in German:
‘I have a message for you, Pastor. We have a mutual friend who asks me to tell you that gentlemen in England, now a-bed, shall think themselves accursed they were not here.’

The gaunt Pastor turned to look up at Christ on the Cross, and noticed there was mildew beginning to form around one of the Roman soldier
’s helmets. ‘And hold their manhood cheap, whiles any speaks that fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day,’ he replied.

James did not see the colour drain from the Pastor
’s face, or the look of genuine fear cross behind the man’s eyes. ‘You have other messages?’ the Pastor asked.

‘
No. I wish to stay with you. Quietly, and only for a day or two. Until I can make arrangements.’ He really meant decisions. ‘I shall be no trouble.’

When the Pastor turned he was smiling,
‘You are welcome.’ He extended a hand, ‘You will be no trouble.’

*

Caspar now used his peg-leg all the time, and there was talk of some kind of a new artificial arm. He sat in C’s outer office, going through the information from the network they called
Frankignoul
, and the other one, recently set up by Catholics in Belgium. The latter was known as
Biscops
, but, because of its religious connections, C referred to it as the
Sacré Coeur Ring
. It was Caspar’s job to mark up points of special interest for C. He also took care of incoming signals, such as the two which had caused so much excitement that morning, and were the cause of his grandfather’s arrival at C’s Headquarters.

Giles had paused to talk to Caspar, on his way in, a few minutes bef
ore. He had even mentioned
Sacré Coeur
. Giles had a personal interest in that network, for he had shifted Monique, his private agent, from Paris into Belgium, where she now appeared to be successfully acting as a postman, running information over the German lines, into France.

Behind C
’s door, Caspar’s grandfather was hearing of the latest developments – of the signals from sources Pearl and Ruby.

‘
He’s identified the subject then?’ Giles smiled.

‘
You can see for yourself. Even down to the address. She’s there, in Berlin, Giles. The question now is what he should do.’

‘
He’s
your
man.’ Giles, having set the business in motion, and placed his nephew in the field, was quite willing to let the matter rest. ‘What of Seagull?’

It was the first they had heard from Madeline Drew via her contact Ruby, since she had left England. The message was lengthy, giving details of regiments and divisions being sent from Germany to the Western Front. As Giles remarked, the intelligence contained nothing they had not learned already. The sting in Seagull
’s message came at the end, for the final sentence, when deciphered, read:
HINTS THAT I AM TO BE ORDERED BACK INTO ENGLAND PLEASE ADVISE.

‘And how the devil can we advise?’ C growled.

Giles hid his feelings.
‘Again, she’s yours – admittedly run by Kell’s people when she was here; but advice is up to you. I’d leave it alone, C. If she returns we’ll soon know. What about the real things? Are we performing a useful service?’ He did not appear to expect a reply, for he went straight on, changing the question, ‘And what about this nurse? The Cavell woman?’

Nurse Edith Cavell ran a clinic in Brussels. The clinic served as a lifeline staging post to get both wounded and agents back to England.

‘Not one of mine. She’s helped get a lot of people out of Belgium, but as far as I’m concerned she’s not on the books. I…’

It was at this moment that Caspar knocked on the door.
‘Another signal from Peewit, sir.’

C examined the deciphered message and cursed quietly.
‘They’ve got the Dimpling woman. I think the Wilmersdorf contact’s safe, but who’s to tell?’

Giles rose.
‘Don’t worry. If Peewit performs, he performs.’

When he had gone, C stared at the door wondering at the incredible lack of feeling within Giles Railton. He thought for a few moments, then summoned Caspar. Within an hour a signal had gone to Peewit
’s Swiss contact, Pearl. When decoded it read:
PEEWIT TO BE ORDERED BACK TO LONDON BY FASTEST AND MOST SECURE ROUTE STOP URGENT AND OF PRIME IMPORTANCE STOP C

*

‘
I think that’s terribly brave – Mr Frohman quoting from
Peter Pan
. Thank heaven you got away.’

‘
He didn’t, I fear, Sara.’

She had sent all the servants to bed, and cooked their meal herself. Sara was becoming more skilled with each day she spent at Redhill.

When Dick had finally arrived, during the early afternoon, she had seen to it that he went straight to bed. He bathed and did as he was told, but asked to be wakened in time for dinner.

She roused him at eight-thirty, and now, over a saddle of lamb, listened to his story.

‘Please tell me.’ She reached across for his hand.

He spoke quietly, telling how, after Frohman had spoken, they had become separated by a crush of panic-stricken passengers.
‘It really was pretty awful’

In the end, he had begun to climb aft up the now wildly tilting deck.
‘There was a sailor who had got his legs crushed. He just lay there, and knew there was nothing anyone could do for him. He held out his life jacket and said to me, “Take it, Guv’nor. It’s a long jump, but you’ll stand a chance.”’

Dick had jumped.
‘Tried to choose a spot well away from the folk in the water, and I thought I wouldn’t live through it. But I did. The water was quite cold. I remember getting a long way from the ship, lying on my back and drifting. She was at a really crazy angle, like some toy a kid had thrown into shallow water; the bows seemed to be skewered on the ocean bed, and the screws were way out, in the air. Then she went down. It must have been the boilers that blew, but they didn’t go with a bang, it was more like a moan, as though the ship was crying out. Then the sea boiled round, and that was the last I remembered until I woke up in a hospital.’

‘
And you didn’t let me know.’

Dick said that his one thought was to get out.
‘I felt well enough. I had all my documents, so I just got up and dressed – they had dried my clothes. I walked out, took a train to Dublin and then got on a boat. I called you as soon as I could.’

She sat, silent for a moment, gazing at him.
‘I can’t tell you how good it is to see you,’ she said. ‘What are your plans?’

He gave a diffident shrug.
‘I want to fight Germans. Also I must talk with Giles. I’ve messages for him.’

‘
Oh?’ not angry, but cold. ‘You think
Lusitania
will bring your country into the war?’ There was a definite coolness now.

‘
President Wilson is set against it, but he’ll have to bring the USA in sooner or later. Sara?’

‘
Yes?’ Very distant.

‘
Before I do anything else; see Giles, enlist; there’s something more important to me than anything else.’ He looked straight into her eyes. ‘The last time I was here, we made a pledge. I haven’t changed, Sara. I love you. You’re the dearest thing in all the world to me, and I want to marry you. If you need me to go down on my knees, then I will. But I’m asking you now. Will you be my wife?’

The pause reached out, tense, uncertain. In his mind Dick heard that terrible rumbling moan as the Lusitania had gone down. Then Sara began to speak.

‘I… I, Oh, Dick…’

‘
Please,’ softly.

‘
I was going to say, yes but not yet. Made my mind up after Caspar, and the terrible thing that’s happened to young Rupert. I wanted to marry you, because I love you so very dearly, but it wasn’t right while the killing was going on and on. But now… Well…’ She pushed back her chair. ‘Dick, yes. Yes, I’ll marry you as soon as you like.’

They collided into each other
’s arms, and stayed close for what seemed like an hour. ‘We’ll go up to London tomorrow. Choose a ring, yea?’ He grinned at her. ‘Then, we can make some decisions – announcement and things. Isn’t that the right thing to do?’ He felt very hot, and she was pressing her body close to his.

‘
We’ll do whatever you want, Richard. Whatever. I love you, and I think we should do something about it now – straight away.’

Dick allowed her to lead him up the stairs to her bedroom. Rings, dates, announcements and all the paraphernalia of the wedding were swept to one side. The world was reduced to immediate needs, and the basic outward signs of their love, as they exchanged bodies, locked themselves together, becoming as one.

*

The Pastor gave him potato soup, and some pleasant kind of
stew. They spoke little, and, after the meal, James was shown to a small room under the eaves of the house.

‘
You will be safe here, for a few days at least,’ said the man of God; and James lay down, fully dressed, and fell into a deep sleep.

He dreamed of sounds
– a piano playing Bach and Liszt. He did not hear the Pastor leave the house in the early hours, nor the men arrive at dawn. The first he knew was someone shaking him, roughly. His hand went to the pillow, but the Mauser was not there.

‘
You are Gustav Franke?’ There were two men, both heavy and with the authoritative, brusque manner of policemen.

Grasping for consciousness, climbing up from sleep, James said no, and that his name was Grabben.

‘We think it’s Franke,’ one of the men said.

‘
You will come with us.’ The other began to pull him from the bed. James was not allowed to argue.

He saw neither the thin Past
or, nor the apple-faced housekeeper, as they took him downstairs and out into a waiting car.

Chapter Nine

When Mary Anne first returned from hospital she was like a mouse, jumping in fear at the slightest noise. Mildred forced herself to put on a brave face, though she felt mortified at what had happened to her daughter. On the second night of Mary Anne
’s return Mildred went up to the nursery and found the girl playing with her little brother. She shouted at Mary Anne to leave the child alone. It was as though Mildred felt that Mary Anne was a contaminating influence.

Because Mary Anne had allowed such a terrible thing to happen, she saw the girl as a kind of carrier of evil, who could pass on the sins of the flesh to others. Her dislike of sexual congress, so marked after her experience with William Arthur
’s birth, became more pronounced. All memory of how good things had once been now dwindled and disappeared.

She began to go to Church more often, sometimes as many as three services on Sunday, and four or five times during the week. If there had not been some dreadful sexual desire within her daughter to begin with, she would never have become a victim, she reasoned illogically.

Then there was the Court Martial.

Mildred refused to go, or be any comfort to her daughter. But Charles stood by the girl, travelled with her to Aldershot, and sat with her in the closed military court, proud of the way in which she gave her evidence.

They brought Buelow down from London, and it appeared he had learned a little English, though most of the evidence was given through a translator. On the final day, the President of the Court commended Kapitan Otto Buelow for his act, making it plain that he was responsible for saving Nurse Railton’s life.

Corporal Jack Hunter was sentenced to a dishonourable discharge, and fifteen years
’ hard labour in a civil prison. Once he was moved into civil custody, the authorities talked with him about other matters. (Hunter was charged a month later with the murder of the child, Emma Gittins. He appeared at the Central Criminal Court in the following April where he pleaded guilty, was sentenced to death, and hanged at Wandsworth Prison on 26 June 1916.)
On their way home, Mary Anne asked her father if he thought there was any way she could see the German, Buelow.
‘I haven’t even had a chance to thank him.’

Charles said that he would find out. He spoke with Vernon Kell the following day, knowing
they were training Buelow: testing his possible loyalty, using the very same house in Maida Vale where Charles had become entangled with Madeline Drew.

Kell worked on plans to infiltrate agents among German prisoners of war, so that t
hey could be informed of conversations, and thus gain fresh intelligence. It had become part of Charles’ work to assess and analyse the information. He still thought of Madeline a lot, but took care to enquire only occasionally if they had any news of her. He asked now, during the conversation concerning Buelow.

‘
As a matter of fact, C
has
had one message from her.’ Kell told him about the hint that Nicolai seemed to be suggesting her return; then they passed on to Buelow, and Charles returned that night with the welcome news that he could arrange a meeting.

On the following Tuesday, Otto Buelow met for an hour with Mary Anne. Charles was not present, but another MI5 officer sat in, together with the interpreter they were using at the Maida Vale house. MO5 had been given its new name
– MI5 – earlier in the year.

The conversation was stilted, but it was obvious that the two young people were very much attracted to one another. Later, Kell spoke of this to Charles, asking if, perhaps, Mary Anne could be of value to them as far as Buelow was concerned.

Charles held out little hope. In fact, Kell became a trifle concerned. Overnight, Charles seemed to have lost interest in the whole business.

The truth was that, foolishly, in an attempt to draw Mildred back to some semblance of normality, Charles had spoken to her at some length about Mary Anne
’s visit to thank Buelow.

His wife appeared to take the whole business calmly enough when they talked, but that evening when Mary Anne came down to dinner, Mildred had suddenly begun to rant and rave at her, calling her a lover of Germans, sarcastically asking her if she was granting this Hun Captain the same kind of favours she must have given away in the hospitals.
‘Women of our class do not get themselves raped unless they ask for it,’ Mildred shrieked, adding, melodramatically, ‘You have brought shame upon us: unto the third and fourth generation.’

Charles tried to remonstrate, attempting to defend his daughter against these ridiculous suggestions, but Mildred became wilder. She didn
’t want a woman like Mary Anne under the same roof; she didn’t want Mary Anne contaminating her son, she cried hysterically.

In tears, Mary Anne tried to use reason. In the end, the girl lost all patience, slamming out of the room while her father attempted to calm her mother.

By the time Charles had quietened Mildred and got upstairs, Mary Anne had gone. Her old gladstone bag was not there, and she had taken enough clothes for immediate needs.

He telephoned Kell, who talked to Thomson. Discreet feelers were put out. The Metropolitan Police issued a description to officers on the streets. In the meantime, Charles spoke carefully with Andrew, Margaret Mary, Giles, and, lastly, Sara at Redhill. None of them had heard from Mary Anne. For Charles it was the end. Apart from the matter being embarrassing to the family, Mildred had behaved abominably. He told her plainly that he thought she needed medical help.

Mildred laughed in his face, put on her coat and went down the road to pray for her harlot daughter’s soul.

*

‘Well, Richard, I gather congratulations are in order.’ They sat in Giles Railton’s drawing room at Eccleston Square, after dinner. Denise had brought them coffee and brandy. She had not actually served at table, but Dick Farthing felt she might just as well have joined the servants, for her grandfather appeared to treat her as an unpaid housekeeper. Shame, he thought, for Denise was growing into a beautiful young woman.

Dick grinned,
‘I suppose I really should have come and asked your permission or something.’ He always found flattery helped with people of Giles’ standing.

‘
I think not,’ the words came back like a cold shower. ‘Sara holds the Railton family in thrall, Richard. A very difficult situation for an old established clan like ours. Her marriage will undoubtedly raise legal questions. We can deal with those when the time comes.’ He raised his glass, ‘Here’s to you and Sara. You’ll be taking her back to America?’

‘
No!’ Charm had not paid off, so Dick was quite prepared to play Giles at his own game.

‘
Oh? Then what are your immediate plans?’

‘
First, to marry Sara. We’ve set the day. 23 December. A Christmas wedding. I rather think Sara wishes you to give her away.’

‘
I see. She plans to be married from Redhill, then?’

‘
Naturally.’

‘
And after that?’

‘
Well, I’m applying for a commission in the Royal Flying Corps. Marry Sara; fight the Hun. My priorities.’

‘
Well, you should have no problem with the RFC. I have a number of…’

‘
Oh, I think I’ve taken care of that, sir.’

‘
Really? All right, Richard, you wanted to see me, I take it that the meeting
is
about the wedding, the provision you are making, and the provision Sara will have to make because of a remarriage. I would suggest…’

‘
No, sir, I did not come to talk about the wedding. To be truthful, I know Sara’s talking to the family solicitors. I guess she’ll want to see you as well…’

‘
I would be most surprised if she did not.’

‘
No, sir. I’m here on official business.’

‘
Official?’

‘
Mr Wilson, the President of the United States, has asked me to speak with you.’

‘
I fear you have the wrong man in me, Richard. I’m only a Foreign Office consultant. The President’s kind of business goes through the American Ambassador to someone of higher rank than I.’

‘
Not this.’ Dick held his ground. ‘I know you liaise and coordinate on intelligence business, Mr Railton.’

Giles
’ face froze. ‘Well, you know more than I, sir. Where has this extraordinary idea come from?’

‘
The President himself, via the Ambassador. You’re well-known in the field of secret diplomacy. I’ve simply been asked to speak with you privately.’

Silence. A car outside. Then a dog barking nearby.
‘Speak then,’ Giles finally said quietly.

Dick Farthing began. He talked about the fact that the internal security of the United States was handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; that Military Intelligence, as such, was in a shambles, and the Secret Service was, in fact, part of the Treasury Department, having nothing to do with espionage.

Giles nodded, indicating he knew all this.

‘
An officer called Van Deman has the President’s ear, Mr Railton. He’s reorganizing what is known as the Information Branch of the War College. The General Staff are against having anything like the Services you’ve built up here. They…’

‘
They know that, if they’ve the guts to get into this war, we, together with the French, will have to hand them intelligence on a plate. They won’t have to work for it.’

‘
You could be right, sir. The President’s a far-seeing man. He feels the United States should at least have some people who know the workings of intelligence departments like your own…’

‘
Does he now?’

‘
He’s asked me to speak with you privately.’

‘
To what end?’ Giles seemed vaguely amused.

‘
To see if you would accept two, maybe three, accredited officers to study the workings of your own intelligence departments, so the United States has a basis on which to work.’

Giles seemed to think for a moment, then he rose.
‘As it is private, and very confidential, I can give you an answer to take back personally to Mr Wilson. When The President sees fit to bring the United States to the aid of Europe, I shall be only too pleased to use all my power on his behalf, and give him whatever facilities he asks. You must tell him to send another emissary when America enters the war.’

*

‘Merciful heavens, but he’s as cold as charity.’ Dick gave a mock shiver. ‘I left with rime on my eyebrows.’

‘
Told you so, darling,’ Sara laughed. ‘But there are those who can get the better of him.’

‘
Let me guess. You?’

She gave him a cat-who—
licked-the-cream smile, and nodded. That morning, she had been to see young Mr King, of King, Jackson & King. She explained to Dick the trouble she had experienced with Giles after John Railton’s death. ‘I’m not a Railton – well, only by marriage – and Giles is scared witless lest I make off with the family fortune. Redhill Manor is the sacred stone in their crown.’

‘
It’s been a Railton property since before the Ark. I understand that. But, Sara, you
are
a Railton. You were John’s wife.’ Dick gave a frustrated sigh.

‘
I bore him no children, but you’re right. Mr King says it’s quite clear in John’s will. I can marry. I can live there; farm there. My husband can live there, and share in any income. He says its almost without precedent, but if another Railton, like Giles, tried to test it, he’d lose. The only thing I cannot do is leave it to a new husband. I must leave it to James, and so on down the line.’

Already she had seen Andrew, and he upheld her staying on.
‘Called me his little sister, but I think he was a bit drunk.’ She planned to explain things to the others. ‘The women are with me, though I don’t really know about Mildred any more, nobody does, since Mary Anne disappeared.’

They finished lunch, and left the Ritz where they had been eating, Dick to keep an appointment at the War Office, Sara to call on Caspar.

As though to further demonstrate his independence, Caspar had left home and was living in a small house he had rented near Bedford Square. Sara had rung his office number early that morning, but was told he had a day’s leave. So now she thought to surprise him.

She arrived just before three and rang the bell. No reply. While she stood fiddling on the doorstep, Sara discovered that the front door was not properly latched, but swung open at a touch. She stepped into the narrow hall, immediately becoming worried by the sounds from behind the door to her right. They were the noises of someone in pain, struggling and panting for breath.

Not wishing to frighten Caspar, should he have fallen, or hurt himself, she gently pushed open the door. Within seconds she closed it again.

The room was a drawing room, small but well decorated and furnished. Under a high window stood a day bed. Caspar lay on the bed, minus his peg-leg, and stark naked. A young woman straddled him, riding him as though bent on winning the Derby.