Codeword Golden Fleece (12 page)

In the lounge the scene remained unaltered, except that Major Bauer was now sitting scowling in a chair, and Rex had seated himself for greater comfort on the top step of the stairs.

‘We’ve collected all the servants and locked them in the cellar,’ the Duke announced, glancing up at Rex. ‘All well here?’

‘Yep. Not a crack out of any of ‘em.’

‘Good. Now, I’m going to have a short talk with Simon out here on the terrace, but we’ll both be with you if there’s the least sign of trouble.’ Turning to Marie Lou, he went on: ‘We’ll take over the French windows now, Princess. I want you to go upstairs and sit down behind Rex, so as not to interfere with his freedom of movement. Then tell him as briefly as you can what led up to the shooting. If you keep your voice low they won’t hear much you say down here—and, in any case, they know most of the story already. Richard, you had better remain where you are for the time being.’

Moving a few paces away from the window and perching himself on the stone balustrade, from which he could still see most of the well-lit room, he said to Simon in a low voice:

‘Now, my son. Tell me how you managed to arrive here so opportunely.’

Simon stooped his bird-like head and half-smothered a
chuckle with the palm of his hand. ‘Quite simple, really. Seeing the way things were moving, I cut short my holiday and got back to England last Wednesday. Very fond of Monte, but not fond enough to want to get caught there when war breaks out. Old Pellinore ‘phoned me Saturday morning; made me cut an engagement to lunch with him. He seemed to think you were in a muddle. You know how I hate muddles. Didn’t want to be mixed up in it a bit. But I dined with Rex that evening. He’d cut short his holiday to get back to London, too, and he seemed to think we ought to take a trip to Poland—just to see what was going on.’

‘Which, being interpreted,’ smiled the Duke, ‘means that you got hold of Rex just as soon as you could, and the two of you came dashing to our rescue in his plane?’

‘Well, more or less,’ Simon admitted with a jerky nod. ‘Pellinore didn’t say much about what the Poles were up to, but he was definite enough that you’d got on to something pretty big and—er—hinted that you’d got into a bit of a spot in consequence. Even with Pellinore behind us we couldn’t get visas till Monday afternoon; but since then we’ve flown half round Europe to avoid coming down in German territory, and we landed at Pinsk about six o’clock this evening. Soon as we could hire a car we came on here. That’s all there is to it.’

‘So the explanation is really quite simple. I might have guessed it. But how on earth did you manage to get into this house and upstairs, unseen?’

‘Well, I’ll tell you. Pellinore seemed to think you were more or less under arrest, so we—er—decided not to announce ourselves. Left the car in the Woods half a mile away, waited till dark, then walked up to the house with the idea of snooping round a bit. We saw through the lighted windows that the Baron was throwing a party, but couldn’t see you. Didn’t like to risk coming too close before we’d found out a bit more how the form was.’

‘As a matter of fact, I must have been out in the garden myself just then,’ interjected the Duke. ‘I was in the shrubbery talking to Jan Lubieszow.’

‘I see. Anyhow, we thought they’d probably got you locked up somewhere. Went round to the front of the house, found the door unbolted and no one about—so we slipped in. Seemed a good opportunity to have a look round upstairs while the party was in full swing. Back stairs creaked enough to wake the
dead, but it brought us out on the main landing, and just at that moment the fireworks began. Now let’s have your end of the story.’

De Richleau briefly outlined the events that had led up to the recent affray. When he had done Simon nodded.

‘Seems you’re pretty well through here, then. Next thing’s to get out of the country. ‘Fraid we’ll have to abandon Rex’s plane—not big enough to take us all; and anyhow, when we landed he had to turn her in for a minor repair, so he couldn’t even fly Marie Lou out till after tomorrow. Luckily the car we’ve got is a big one, though—easily hold five. Best thing would be for me to go and get it. Then Rex and I will take care of the crowd while you others pack. When you’re ready we’ll take Mack and his friends down to the cellar, lock them in with the servants and beat it to the frontier. Hungary’s the best place to make for. Had a good look at the map on the way here. It’s all of three hundred miles, but with four of us driving in turns we should get there well before midday tomorrow.’

De Richleau shook his head. ‘I’m afraid it’s not going to be quite as easy as all that. Lucretia is still in Warsaw, and we daren’t risk leaving her behind. Mack is quite capable of arresting her and holding her as a hostage, then we’d be in a pretty mess. No, one of us must go to Warsaw and fetch her back here before we make our break for the frontier.’

‘I say! That’s a nasty one!’ Simon exclaimed. ‘Hadn’t thought of that. It’s a good eight hours’ drive to Warsaw—sixteen there and back. Couldn’t get her here till tomorrow afternoon, and we can hardly hope to keep all these people under the counter without interference till then. There’ll be telephone calls, postmen, village people turning up with stuff for the kitchen, and goodness knows what.’

‘No, but we could hold them till morning, and whoever goes to fetch Lucretia should have got her and be well out of Warsaw on their way back by then.’

‘We’ll have to fix a secret rendezvous—some place where the Warsaw party can join the rest of us tomorrow afternoon.’

‘That’s the idea,’ agreed the Duke.

‘Save time if the Warsaw party headed south instead of coming back here. Whoever stays could pinch a car from the garage, and leave at dawn, also heading south. The two parties could rendezvous in Lwow tomorrow night—or even nearer the Hungarian border.’

De Richleau considered for a moment, then spoke softly again. ‘No, Simon. I don’t like it. The hunt will be up pretty soon after our party leaves here tomorrow morning. Two cars would mean a double chance of some of us being captured, especially those in the stolen car, because a description will be issued of that. Again, their first guess will be that we’re making for Hungary, so for the next few days a sharper watch will be kept for us in the Lwow area than anywhere else. The one thing they will never expect is that any of us would remain in the neighbourhood of Lubieszow or, when they learn that Lucretia has left Warsaw, that she is on her way back here.’

‘You’re for lying up somewhere in the woods near here, then?’

‘Yes. There’s a forester’s hut only about two miles away that Richard, Marie Lou and I passed when we were out riding on Saturday. It is on the opposite side of the house to the village, and well away from either of the roads that run through the estate, so it would serve excellently.’

‘Then either Richard or you will have to go to Warsaw. Neither Rex nor I would ever be able to find it.’

‘True. I had better go, and Richard can guide the rest of you to the forester’s hut tomorrow. About holding this crowd, though. These people have much more initiative than the servants, and might try breaking out of the cellar by forcing up the floorboards of one of the ground-floor rooms. Much better keep them here in sight at the point of a gun for the night, then lock them in the cellar just before leaving in the morning. You go in now and take his place while I have a word with him.’

The exchange was quickly made, and, having told Richard how Rex and Simon had succeeded in arriving at such a lucky moment, de Richleau outlined his proposal.

‘It sounds as good a bet as any,’ said Richard thoughtfully, ‘except for one thing. You must stay here while I go to Warsaw and collect Lucretia.’

With a quick gesture he forestalled the protest the Duke would have made and went on: ‘Surely you realise that, as you’re the only one of us who speaks Polish, it’s essential for you to stay here? Otherwise, who is to deal with any early bird that happens to come up on business from the village, or answer the telephone if an emergency call comes through for Mack in the middle of the night?’

‘Yes, I hadn’t thought of that,’ admitted the Duke. ‘But how about Marie Lou? Naturally, neither of you would wish to be
separated at a time like this if it can possibly be avoided. Shall you take her with you?’

‘No, I don’t think so,’ Richard replied, after only a momentary hesitation. ‘It will be the devil of a long drive, and there is no point in tiring her unnecessarily.’

De Richleau did not press the point, as he knew quite well what was at the back of Richard’s mind. Although neither of them had mentioned it, both realised that whoever went to Warsaw would be in much more immediate danger during the journey back than those who had already hidden themselves in the forester’s hut.

‘I tell you what, though,’ Richard continued. ‘I’d like to take one of the others, if you can spare him. With two of us driving alternately we’ll make the trip much faster than I could alone, and an hour gained on the run in might make all the difference in getting clear of the city again before the police are warned to keep a look-out for us.’

‘I agree entirely. Take whomever you like.’

‘I’ll take Simon. He’s been in Warsaw before, so he’ll be more use in helping me find the way to Jan’s house.’

De Richleau’s grey eyes twinkled. Rex was a far finer driver, but Richard was leaving him deliberately, because he would also be of much more use at Lubieszow than Simon if the captives mutinied and attempted to break out during the night. Again, however, he did not argue, as he knew that it would be no light undertaking to keep some twenty people, exclusive of the servants who were locked in the cellar, under control for seven or eight hours.

‘Thanks, Richard,’ he said quietly. ‘I can certainly do with Rex here. Now, you mustn’t waste a moment. If we lock the door leading into the hall we shan’t need a guard on it, and I can remain here at the terrace entrance.’

As they entered the room again, Mack stepped forward. ‘How long do you propose to keep up this farce?’ he snapped at the Duke.

‘Just as long as it suits us to do so,’ de Richleau replied imperturbably.

‘It’s an outrage!’ went on the Polish statesman with rising anger. ‘How dare you hold us like this! I demand that you should restore our liberty of action immediately.’

‘Your Excellency has only yourself to blame. Your present situation differs little from that in which you placed me and my
friends a few nights ago.’ The Duke’s glance shifted to the Germans. ‘I have an idea, too, that in due course certain other people will also learn that in the long run it does not pay to set the example of assuming the arbitrary powers of a dictator.’

Major Bauer’s face turned scarlet, and jumping to his feet he bellowed: ‘You insult the
Fuehrer!
You shall die for that!’

‘You’ll be dead yourself if you don’t sit down,’ snapped Simon with unusual venom, thrusting his pistol towards the German. ‘Don’t like shooting people, myself, but I’d get quite a kick out of killing you.’

Bauer shot one look at Simon’s long, curved Semitic nose, and knew that he meant what he said. With a shrug which was meant to convey contempt, he subsided in his chair again.

Ten minutes later the new dispositions were completed. Richard led Marie Lou out on to the terrace to tell her of the plan that had been agreed on. They took a swift farewell of each other, and he set off with Simon. Then, at the Duke’s suggestion, she went upstairs to pack for him and Lucretia, as well as for herself and Richard.

Rex collected a couple of cushions and made himself comfortable in his old position halfway up the stairs. De Richleau covered Anna Lubieszow’s face with an antimacassar, drew a chair into the centre of the terrace doorway, and settling himself in it addressed the company.

‘I fear it will be necessary for us to remain here until the morning. Please make yourselves as comfortable as you can. You may read, if you wish, and I am sure the Baron will have no objection to your helping yourselves to the drinks and other refreshments which are already on the sidetables; but if you talk it must be in your normal voices and in English or French, so that both my friend and I can understand you. I will tolerate no whispering, and not more than one of you is to leave your seat at one time.’

At the idea of spending the night where they were there was some sporadic grumbling, but the tension eased, and, in relays, under the Duke’s watchful eye, the party sorted itself out. The Baroness lay down on a sofa, the men servants, who all this while had remained fascinated spectators, now congregated in one corner of the big room on a row of upright chairs which they collected there, and the others arranged themselves in the armchairs and sofas.

There was little talking, and the vigil soon became monotonous.
Some of the party began to doze as well as they could in the brightly lighted room, others settled down to read; occasionally one of them got up to get a drink or a sandwich. Von Geisenheim had drawn a chair up to the refectory table, and taking a sheaf of papers from his pocket began to work upon them.

After about twenty minutes, finding that de Richleau did not attempt to interfere with his writing, he wrote the following note on a small piece of paper:

Presently I shall ask to be allowed to go to the lavatory. As the door to the hall is now locked the chances are that the American will be detailed to take me to the one on the landing at the top of the stairs. If so, there may be a chance for you to rush the Duke while he is alone.

Concealing this note in his hand, he got up, walked over to one of the console tables and poured himself a glass of champagne, asking casually over his shoulder as he did so:

‘Want a drink, Bauer?’

‘
Bitte, Herr General,
’ replied the Nazi.

Pouring out a second glass, von Geisenheim took it over to his adjutant and as he handed it to him, skilfully passed him the slip of paper without being observed by either Rex or the Duke. He then returned to the table and continued making his notes.

After working away diligently for a further twenty minutes, he collected his papers, put them in his pocket and moved over to a more comfortable chair; but after a little he began to show signs of restlessness and eventually, standing up, addressed the Duke in English.