Cecily grinned wickedly and leaned toward Alix. “Ever since we got on the train, it’s been all ‘Charles this’ and ‘Charles that.’ I rather suspect Rose has taken a bit of a fancy to my brother.”
Rosalind’s cheeks were burning now. She knew that Cecily wasn’t being intentionally cruel, but still it was horrid of her to make light of something so personal. Not that it was even true. Yes, Charles was very handsome and very charming, but he had never given her any indication of interest. She wasn’t even certain of her own feelings, and they’d certainly never spoken about it . . .
Alix and Cecily suddenly sat up straight.
A shadow fell across the table. Rosalind looked up to see a pair of young men standing over them. One wore evening dress: a tailcoat and white tie; the other wore an officer’s uniform colored a deep blue, with brightly polished buttons. Both were bright-eyed and cleanly shaven. Both were more than a little handsome. Rosalind glanced back at Cecily and Alix.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” Cecily said wryly, addressing the young men like a queen entertaining petitioners. “I do hope that you speak English, for that is the only language that we use at this table.”
The two fellows looked at each other and chuckled a little, very clearly entertained. The one in uniform bowed his head politely and answered, with a pronounced German accent, “We do, yes, Fräulein. And please forgive our intrusion.”
“You are forgiven,” Cecily decreed. She looked from Alix to Rosalind for confirmation. “Yes?”
“Yes,” Rosalind and Alix said, almost together.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” the officer said. “I am Lieutenant Jacob Hoffmeyer of the Prussian Army. And my friend—”
“Erich Steiner, at your service,” the other finished, bowing in turn.
“We are both at your service,” Jacob added.
Rosalind raised an eyebrow. Cecily and Alix smiled demurely.
“Well met, Lieutenant Hoffmeyer, Herr Steiner,” Cecily said, again the regal and composed queen of the dinner table. She tilted her head slightly toward each of them in turn. “I am Lady Cecily de Vere. Of the Exham de Veres. No doubt you have heard of us?”
“Oh, well, I . . .” Jacob stammered.
“Of course we have,” Erich interjected. “The Exham de Veres, one of the noblest families in all of England. Why, just this morning Jacob remarked to me how wonderful it would be to meet an Exham de Vere.”
“I did?” Jacob asked. There was a moment’s pause. “Ah, yes, I did. Just this morning. I recall it distinctly. Yes.”
Rosalind almost laughed. So Jacob was not as well schooled in subtlety and charm as his friend Erich. It was rather endearing.
Cecily motioned to Alix and said, “And this is my traveling companion, Lady Alix von Hessen. Of the Hessian von Hessens.”
Alix’s face looked momentarily pained. She recovered with a smile. Erich coughed to hide a laugh. Jacob simply appeared to be bewildered at Cecily’s very redundant statement. Rosalind couldn’t blame him.
“I would imagine so,” Erich said. Then he bowed his head and said, “An honor, Lady von Hessen.”
“And also a pleasure, I hope,” Alix said lightly.
“Oh, yes, of course,” Jacob said, blushing a little. “Very much a pleasure.”
“And finally, Miss Rosalind Wallace,” Cecily announced. “Our chaperone.”
Rosalind glared daggers at Cecily before turning to the two young men. “No, no, I’m not the chaperone—”
“Yes, she is,” Cecily insisted.
Let it go, Rosalind thought. Now was not the time to get into an argument with Cecily. No, it was best to play along, to have some fun—for now. “My friends call me what they will,” Rosalind said breezily. “I have no control over them. Gentlemen, it is a pleasure to meet you both. To what do we owe the honor?”
Erich laughed clumsily. Jacob bowed his head again.
“We were instructed by the head steward to join you at your table,” Erich explained. “There are no other places in any of the cars.”
“We do not wish to intrude,” Jacob added. “Only we are a little hungry . . .”
Cecily pretended to be horrified. “You should have said so at the outset. For goodness’ sake, sit down at once. Now, where is a waiter . . . ?” She began snapping her fingers to draw the attention of the staff.
Both Erich and Jacob looked relieved at the invitation and sat, Jacob next to Alix, Erich next to Rosalind. Rosalind found herself smiling at Erich. For a moment, she felt a little awkward. But then again, why shouldn’t she smile? They had just met. It was the polite thing to do. And yes, he was rather handsome; even more so when he returned her smile with one of his own.
Stop it, she told herself. He’s just being polite, and you’ve only just met him. Don’t be foolish.
The seconds wore on. She opened her mouth to speak but found it was dry. His eyes hadn’t left hers. “I recommend the chicken,” she said. It was the only thing she could think of to say.
“What . . . ?” Erich asked, blinking in surprise. He looked down at her plate and laughed. “Oh, I see. Yes, good, good. I will have the chicken, then.”
“Well . . . I mean . . .” Rosalind said, stumbling a little. “You don’t need to, I just thought I should recommend it.”
“But it sounds like a very good recommendation,” Erich said.
Suddenly the awkward silence returned. What was more, she felt the rest of the eyes at the table focused on her. This time she did not let the silence linger. Instead, she turned to Jacob and said, “Lieutenant Hoffmeyer, you are in the army?”
“Yes,” Jacob said proudly. “Artillery.”
“Oooh,” Cecily interjected. “That sounds very . . . dangerous?”
Jacob shrugged. “I do not know about it being dangerous. I . . . have not seen combat yet. Nor, I suppose, do I expect to anytime soon. It has been so long since the last war, thank God.”
Before he could go on, the door to the dining car flew open. A man burst in, nearly colliding with one of the stewards. He was middle-aged, paunchy, with graying hair that almost matched the color of his drab suit. He stormed the length of the room toward the front of the train, snapping in German for the waitstaff to get out of his way. For a moment, all conversation in the dining car halted. In the silence, another man—younger and fleeter, also dressed in a drab suit—raced after him.
When both had gone, Rosalind exchanged a puzzled glance with the boys. Jacob leaned in across the table and asked in amazement, “You do know who that was, yes? The fat one?”
“No,” Rosalind answered. “Who?”
“Inspector Bauer,” he said.
“Who?” Erich asked.
“That’s what I would like to know,” Cecily said. “Imagine! Interrupting our dinner like that.”
“He’s the man in charge of security on the train,” Jacob explained. “There is a picture of him in the brochure, along with the captain and the head steward.” He quickly patted his uniform. “I cannot remember if I brought my copy with me . . .”
Erich laughed, trying to lighten the mood. “Jacob, enough about your blasted brochure! No one else wants to read it.”
Cecily giggled.
Jacob’s face fell a little, but Alix smiled brightly and said, “I enjoyed the brochure as well. It is a very good one, I think.”
“It is a very good brochure,” Jacob agreed, suddenly cheerful again. “So much useful information.”
Rosalind was only half listening to them. “I do hope that nothing is amiss,” she said quietly. “He seemed very angry about something.”
That was understating what they’d all just witnessed. Inspector Bauer had seemed positively enraged. Surely that was not a good sign on the first night of their journey, and it only made her feel even more ill at ease.
“I am certain there is no trouble,” Eri
ch offered with a warm smile. “If there were, somebody would tell us.”
Rosalind doubted that very much. In fact, she suspected that if there was trouble, she would be the last to hear of it, if only to avoid a panic. She was Mister Wallace’s daughter. The crew would protect her from a terrible truth at all costs—unless it came to an emergency evacuation, in which case she’d no doubt be first aboard a submersible. But there was no reason to argue the point. Or to think about such an awful scenario.
“Of course,” she said. “You’re quite right, Herr Steiner.” She ate a little more chicken before saying, “And tell me, are you also a soldier?”
This time Jacob laughed. “No, no, Erich is in the family business.”
Erich sighed. “Do not listen to him. He does not know what he is talking about.”
“What sort of family business?” Rosalind asked.
“My father owns a steel factory,” Erich said. “After I finish university, he wishes me to work for him there.” He spread his hands. “But I have no interest in manufacturing. I wish to go into politics, not into business.”
That did not surprise Rosalind. She could certainly imagine him in political office.
“Oh, ho!” Jacob laughed. “Yes, say that, my friend, but you will still take your father’s tickets.”
“What?” Cecily asked.
Erich sighed and explained, “My father’s company helped build the railway, so we did not have to pay for our passage.”
“Really?” Rosalind asked, careful to hide the extent of her curiosity.
“Yes, yes,” Erich said. “My father provided the chromium steel for the tunnel we are traveling in. It is, my father says, impervious to salt water corrosion. And I certainly hope that is true.” He paused. “I have no wish to go swimming in the North Atlantic in the middle of the night.”
“How very unadventurous of you,” Rosalind said.
“There’s something you and Rose have in common, you know,” Cecily said.
Erich raised an eyebrow and asked, “Sea bathing?”
“Both of your fathers are responsible for the railway,” Cecily corrected. “Rosalind’s father built the train.”
“By himself?” Erich joked. “It must have taken him a long while.”
Rosalind allowed herself a chuckle. “What she means is that he owns it.” But she was privately irritated that Cecily had pointed out that she was the daughter of the man who owned the train. Now she had no choice but to embrace the label. “My father is Alexander Wallace, the industrialist,” she explained, with a quick glare at Cecily. “He owns the Transatlantic Railway.”
Erich and Jacob exchanged grins with each other.
“Very fortunate indeed that we were seated here!” Jacob exclaimed. “I cannot wait to write home about this. Such an exciting journey. So many new and interesting people to meet.”
“Well,” Cecily said, looking away, “one considers it impolite to brag . . .”
“One does,” Rosalind agreed under her breath. “You do not.”
Chapter Six
Bidding good night to Erich and Jacob proved more difficult than Rosalind would have wished. They lingered over the table, perhaps hoping one of Rosalind’s companions would suggest they meet again tomorrow, or prolong an already exhausting day.
If Charles had been there, the boys wouldn’t have joined them for dinner at all. She hadn’t regretted their company, but Charles’s absence was almost too outrageous to be believed. Perhaps it was an elaborate joke at her expense. How could he be so irresponsible as to abandon them at the very last minute, no matter what the reason? He could have tracked them down on the platform before they’d departed. What he had done was cowardly.
“Would the ladies like some ice cream?” Jacob asked as they stood.
“I must declare the evening finished,” Rosalind stated firmly. “No offense to our new friends,” she added with a smile at Cecily, “but it is growing rather late and it has already been a very busy day.”
“Oh, pooh,” Cecily said, pouting.
“Have you forgotten that I’m your chaperone?” Rosalind said, playing the one card she had.
“I am beginning to regret that now,” Cecily grumbled.
“It is late, isn’t it?” said Jacob. “I think bed sounds very sensible.”
“You have no sense of fun, Jacob,” Erich said.
Jacob laughed. “I have plenty of fun. But I am . . . an early morning person. It is the military life, you know? Up at dawn every day.”
“Poor you,” Cecily said absently. “Well, I hope that we shall see you both again tomorrow.”
Erich flashed a dazzling smile at Rosalind. “It is a small train. I think we can safely say that our paths will cross again.”
“Good evening, ladies,” Jacob said. “Until tomorrow. Come along, Erich. Do not make a nuisance of yourself.”
Rosalind sighed as she watched them go. She shook her head. The trouble with charming men was that one could never be certain if they were sincere or not. Of course, it was rather cynical of her to think such things. But there was the very friendly way Erich had looked at her. And even she had to admit, whether it was sincere or not, it was not altogether unpleasant. That was rather an understatement, truth be told . . .
“I think they’re splendid,” Cecily announced in the silence.
“I am inclined to agree,” said Alix. “Especially that Lieutenant Hoffmeyer. He is very . . .” She paused, looking for the word.
“Mmm,” Cecily hummed. “He is, isn’t he?”
“Cecily!” Rosalind demanded. When there was no reply, she waved her hand in front of Cecily’s face. “Cecily?”
“Hmm? Yes?”
“Please don’t go losing your head.”
“You’re one to talk, Rose,” Cecily said in her old impish voice. “I saw how you looked at Herr Steiner. It was positively disgraceful. Almost as disgraceful as the way he looked at you.” She wagged a finger under Rosalind’s nose. “You’re our chaperone, remember? Whatever would my brother say if he found out?”
Rosalind’s eyes smoldered. “I hardly think that Charles would have either right or reason to say anything,” she answered, speaking a little too quickly. She caught her breath and straightened her shoulders. “But as you bring him up—”
“As you say, it is time for bed,” Cecily interrupted in a singsong voice. “Alix, why don’t you and I walk Rose to her room? It’s the only decent thing to do given how good she’s been about chaperoning us, don’t you agree?”
“Yes, very good about it,” Alix agreed. “And I am very grateful for it, you know. I am meeting an aunt at the station in America, but my family assumed there would be no need for a chaperone during the journey. It is so nice of you to look out for Cecily and myself. So very nice.”
“No, no, Alix,” Cecily groaned. “Rose isn’t actually our chaperone. We’re all scandalously unattended. That’s the point. It’s half the fun. I thought you understood.”
Alix suddenly turned bright pink. “Oh, dear. We are not going to get into trouble with the train crew, are we?”
Rosalind held her tongue. She decided, once again, that no matter how much Cecily kept irritating her, her friend was just trying to make the best of a bad situation. So she laughed and took Alix by the arm. “No,” she said, “we’re not. Especially if Cecily remembers how to behave in public.”
“And what precisely have I done that was so improper?” Cecily asked, feigning offense.
“You mean besides inviting strange men to sit at our table?” Rosalind countered.
“I didn’t invite them. I obliged them at the head steward’s request.”
“Did you, really?” Rosalind said, grinning at Cecily. “Only the head steward didn’t say so himself, did he?” Rosalind said. “For all we know, that was just a cunning ruse to impose their rather de
lightful company on us.”
Cecily gave a look of mock astonishment. “No!” she gasped. “Oh, Rose! I certainly hadn’t thought of that possibility!”
Alix’s eyes went wide. She glanced between the two of them. “You . . . You don’t think that they were lying to us, do you?” she asked.
Cecily laughed aloud. “Oh, Alix,” she said. “Oh, beautiful, innocent Alix.”
“What?” Alix said.
“Of course they were lying,” Cecily continued. “ ‘Sent by the head steward’ my foot. No, clearly they saw the three most beautiful girls on the whole train—”
“Let’s just say the entire dining car,” Rosalind corrected, laughing now. “I wouldn’t want us to get ahead of ourselves.”
“—and decided that they simply had to dine with us,” Cecily finished. “So they concocted the whole story. And a good thing, too; otherwise, we might never have met them. I think it’s rather in their favor that they decided to meet us tonight, rather than leave a meeting to chance.”
Agreed, Rosalind thought.
•••
Alone in her room, Rosalind found herself struck by a dreadful bout of insomnia. Part of it, she knew, was the excitement of the day: meeting new boys, meeting Alix, managing Cecily—and of course, a small amount of apprehension at being confined underwater for a whole week. But mostly, it was Charles.
Perhaps Charles had a secret lover in Hamburg whom he had gone to meet, and the entire trip had been a pretense to make the visit possible. It was perfectly sensible, Rosalind thought, much more sensible than being called away for some crisis to “defend the realm,” or whatever lie Cecily had spun. Cecily was being evasive about the truth to spare her feelings, which was silly because she didn’t have any feelings on the matter . . .
Rosalind caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and shook her head.
“You don’t really believe that, do you?” she asked aloud.
Best not to answer. Whenever she couldn’t sleep, there was but one solution.
Read a book before bedtime.
Rosalind put her shoes on and left for the library car.
The Transatlantic Conspiracy Page 6