LITMIR.BIZ

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of a modern European war would be unthinkable, so I hope very much that spark will never come. But if it does, we must be prepared, and for that, we will need Ace. I can’t risk him being caught by Ziegler – and yet, Stevens does want that report . . .’

      ‘Ought I to go out there, sir?’ suggested Forsyth eagerly. ‘We could arrange a handover. I could travel to Hamburg in disguise, collect the report and smuggle it out of the country.’

      ‘I’m afraid your assignment here must take priority for now, Captain. But just the same, you’re right – I believe I’ll have to send someone to collect it.’

      ‘What about Brooks? He’s a sharp fellow.’

      ‘No good – he’s on assignment too. If only the Ministry would see fit to increase our budget, so we could recruit some more agents. We are stretched in ten different directions at present!’ He paused, and then said thoughtfully: ‘No, I rather think I shall give this assignment to Miss Rose.’

      ‘Miss Rose!’ Forsyth’s tone was incredulous. ‘But sir – are you sure that’s wise? I know she’s a fine girl, but surely she isn’t up to this kind of assignment?’

      Lil almost choked on her biscuit. But through her rage, she was gratified to hear the Chief reply: ‘Don’t let the skirts and petticoats mislead you, Forsyth. Miss Rose is quite as competent as most of the young men I have on my books. What’s more, there are obvious advantages to operating female agents – for one thing, they are far less likely to be suspected. Besides, this will be perfectly straightforward. All she’ll have to do is collect the report and transport it safely back to London. She has a talent for undercover work, and we can easily concoct a good cover story for her. Yes – my mind is made up. Miss Rose shall go to Germany.’

      Germany! For a moment, Lil was distracted – and rather excited. But her new assignment was forgotten at once when she heard Forsyth say: ‘And what about Miss Taylor? Any news?’

      ‘Nothing.’

      ‘You’re sure she made it to St Petersburg?’

      ‘It would seem so. She successfully tracked the Count von Wilderstein there – and she was communicating regularly until she crossed the border. But since she arrived in Russia, we haven’t heard a word from her. It’s been well over a month now.’ The Chief paused for a moment, and then went on: ‘I’m afraid there can be no doubt about it, Forsyth. Miss Taylor has disappeared.’

      Secret Service Bureau HQ, London

      Lil’s breath caught in her throat and she dropped the biscuit she was holding, not noticing the crumbs that scattered across Carruthers’ desk.

      Dimly, she heard Forsyth say: ‘Oh, surely not, sir. Perhaps she’s just being careful – maintaining her cover. After all, the Russian secret police are no joke.’

      ‘That’s precisely what concerns me,’ the Chief replied. ‘It’s true that if the Okhrana are watching her, she may be keeping a low profile. But even with that in mind, she should have been in touch by now. There are arrangements in place for her to write privately by diplomatic bag, via the Embassy.’ The Chief tapped his pen against the desk in time to the music. ‘I must say, I don’t like it. Von Wilderstein may be dangerous. And St Petersburg is volatile at present. With the assassination of the Russian minister, there’s bound to be trouble stirred up.’

      Lil’s heart was pounding. Sophie had disappeared – in Russia? The Chief had just told her that Sophie was fine – that there was nothing for her to worry about. But he had lied. He hadn’t heard from Sophie for over a month – she was missing in St Petersburg, all the way on the other side of Europe.

      ‘Of course, we don’t want to ruffle the Russians’ feathers,’ she could hear him saying. ‘The diplomatic situation is tricky. Officially we have no business sending spies into Russia. They are, after all, our allies. If she’s been caught – well, I suspect the government will want to deny any association with her.’

      ‘Will you send someone to look for her?’ asked Forsyth.

      ‘I’ve no agents I can spare to go all the way to St Petersburg at present. Besides, I have my orders – and the Ministry are very clear that Germany must remain our priority. They are interested in the Fraternitas and this weapon, of course – in fact, I may say, they are very interested. But it’s not their most pressing concern. So I’m afraid Miss Taylor will have to fend for herself, for now at any rate. Don’t let on to Miss Rose, Forsyth. I don’t want her distracted from the Hamburg mission.’

      ‘Of course not, sir,’ said Forsyth, sounding as though nothing could be further from his mind than confiding in Lil.

      As he spoke, Lil realised the other door was opening. At once she let the cover swing back into place, concealing the air vent – but it was already too late. Captain Carruthers was standing before her, his hands on his hips and a smirk on his face.

      ‘Making yourself quite at home, I see? And listening in on private conversations too?’

      ‘I was intrigued by your invention. Just seeing how it works,’ Lil flashed back at once. ‘Does the Chief know you’ve been eavesdropping on all his secret meetings?’

      ‘Ha!’ Carruthers scoffed. ‘I’m his secretary. Do you really think he keeps anything from me?’ He flung an arm out, gesturing to the row of locked filing cabinets. ‘I see every letter, every telegram, every dossier. There isn’t anything that happens in this office that I don’t know about.’ He looked at her rather smugly. Of course: he must know that Sophie was missing, Lil realised. Was there anyone at the Bureau who didn’t already know, except for her?

      Lil was not someone who lost her temper very often, but now she did. ‘Well, I hope you have a jolly nice time with your letters and reports and your secret spy hole, and your biscuits,’ she retorted. ‘Tucked away nice and safe – while we’re out in the field, doing the real work.’

      Carruthers turned red, and she knew she had hit a nerve. He was envious of the Bureau agents who worked ‘in the field’ and resented having to stay behind to organise files and type the Chief’s letters. Of course, it wasn’t really his fault that he was a secretary instead of a field-agent; and whilst he might be a prickly sort of fellow, it wasn’t exactly cricket to imply he was a coward. She expected him to say something spiteful in reply, but instead he just growled: ‘Get out of my chair.’

      He was even more bad-tempered than usual as he took down the description of the grey-haired man, and the particulars of Sir Edwin’s safe. But Lil did not pay him much attention: her mind was far away, racing with thoughts about Sophie and St Petersburg. Vague images of the Tsar, and snow, and Russian ballet, and Cossacks on horseback danced about in her head. She could not even begin to imagine Sophie into the picture. Could she really have fallen foul of the Russian secret police that the Chief had talked about? Or worse still, could she have been caught by the Count and the Fraternitas Draconum?

      A wave of cold dread swept over her. She was barely aware of walking home: she didn’t notice the turning leaves as she tramped through the square garden, nor the omnibuses hissing by on the wet road, nor the woman with the basket of flowers on the corner, who called out to her: ‘A sprig of white heather, miss, for luck?’ Instead she only heard the Chief’s voice, over and over again, like one of his own gramophone records, stuck in a loop. The diplomatic situation is a tricky one . . . If she’s been caught . . . the government will want to deny any association with her . . . I’ve no agents I can spare to go to all the way to St Petersburg . . . Miss Taylor will have to fend for herself.

      It didn’t take long to reach home. She’d given up her old lodging-house room when she’d gone to Arnovia and when she’d come

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