Winston's Spy

by Robert Webber

  She dressed in a sober, navy-blue suit and opened a fresh pair of stockings, taking care to make sure the seams were perfectly straight. Alex dressed in the dark-grey suit that he had worn for the interrogators, although he selected a slightly rakish maroon, polka-dot bow tie. Nervousness was plainly a factor in him making a hash of tying his tie, and, after two attempts, Alex was about to give up when Teddy came to his rescue and had knotted it perfectly in a trice.

  ‘Toby could never get it right, either,’ she quipped.

  *

  The Church of Our Lady of Victories in Kensington High Road was the nearest Catholic church to where they lived, and, as it was only a little more than a quarter-mile away, they chose to walk and enjoy that bright Sunday morning.

  The church was a tall and imposing building with a magnificent high altar and outstanding stained-glass chancel windows, through which the dazzling autumnal sunshine streamed, casting a myriad of colours wherever it fell. There was a distinct aroma of incense blended with candles, and a reverent hush from the sizeable congregation gathered for morning Mass.

  The service had already begun when Teddy and Alex chose a pew near the back of the congregation, not wishing to disturb those in prayerful ritual.

  The Mass concluded over an hour later with the blessing, ‘Benedìcat vos omnipotens Deus, Pater, et Filius et Spìritus Sanctus. Amen. [Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.]’

  Teddy moved forwards and joined those waiting to confess their sins, and, eventually, an elderly priest entered the confessional box and closed the door. One by one, those remaining dwindled until Teddy was alone. She was there no longer than the average time of those who had preceded her and a considerably shorter time than some; she came out and joined Alex, kneeling and praying.

  They left the church deep in contemplation and headed for home. It was when they were about halfway there that Alex became concerned that Teddy’s steps were faltering and that she was clearly deeply troubled.

  ‘Penny for them?’ he asked.

  ‘Sorry?’ she replied.

  ‘You were miles away,’ Alex explained, ‘I merely offered a penny for your thoughts.’

  ‘They are not really worth a penny, nor even ha’pence.’

  They undoubtedly were, but Teddy obviously did not want to expand further right then, so Alex respected the silence.

  They turned into Pembroke Road, and, as they approached Cavendish Court, Teddy stopped and held both of Alex’s hands. Looking up into his eyes, with both love and apprehension she said, ‘Would you mind awfully if we did not, you know, before the wedding?’

  ‘Sorry? What?’ Sometimes even Alex was slow on the uptake.

  ‘You know, be intimate, make love. Would you mind terribly if we waited until after we were married?’

  Alex burst into laughter; well, perhaps not laughter, but his face broke into a smile, and a noise emitted from his mouth.

  Teddy mistakenly took this to be that he was mocking her, so she pulled away, and gave him a meaningful slap on the arm before saying, ‘No! I’m serious.’

  Alex held her to him, and declared, ‘Of course not, you daft donkey, if that’s what you want!’

  She held him and just answered, ‘Thank you!’ The spring in her step returned, and she almost skipped into Cavendish Court, as if a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

  *

  Once back at the flat, they enjoyed a plate of scrambled eggs on toast for lunch, before settling down to complete preparing the remaining wedding invitations, so that they might be dispatched by the morning post the next day.

  ‘I was wondering,’ Teddy began, ‘where will we find anywhere that could arrange a wedding breakfast for so many guests with such little notice?’

  ‘Do you know, I had wondered the same,’ Alex mused, ‘but, in all honesty, I do not care whether we give them all a packet of egg sandwiches, and we sit around in a park in the pouring rain to eat them. The only thing that will matter to me is that you will then be Mrs Carlton and our child…’ He put his hand on Teddy’s stomach. ‘Will not be born illegitimate. I could talk to Uncle Walter to see whether he had any ideas, if you wanted?’

  ‘Yes, that’s a good idea,’ Teddy agreed, ‘but impress on him that my father should pay. After all, it is his duty, and he’s done little enough else for me in my life!’

  That was a bit harsh, thought Alex, but he was wise enough to keep his thoughts in his head, and not allow them a voice.

  They retired to bed and held each other with deep affection until slumber closed their eyes and they drifted into a deep sleep.

  XXVII

  There was a mild frenzy when Alex arrived at Victoria Street that Monday morning and learned that a neutral Belgian ship, the Suzon, had been sunk without warning by a German U-boat. The captain and crew had been rescued by a British destroyer and had been taken to Brest in France.

  One of the crew members was an agent who was being sent to Belgium to carry out a similar mission to that Alex would undertake shortly. The department was trying to find out whether his cover had been blown and he would need repatriating, or whether he could travel to Belgium to complete his mission.

  The other talk was speculation that Neville Chamberlain’s days were numbered as the British Prime Minister, and whether the country would have the courage to appoint the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, or whether they would select the arch-appeaser, Lord Halifax. The feeling at Victoria was that one way would lead to a bloody and terrible war with Germany, and the other would result in a negotiated capitulation of the British Empire. Neither prospect appealed.

  Miss Willoughby told Alex that Commander Jeffers and Lieutenant Potts were at the War Office in Whitehall and were not expected back before mid-afternoon. She took the commander’s invitation from Alex and promised that she would give it to him when he arrived back in the office, and then she commented that Captain Phipps was around somewhere.

  ‘Captain?’ enquired Alex.

  ‘Yes, his promotion came through the other day,’ she told him.

  Alex went off in search of his former minder and found him in the cafeteria chatting to a young and impressionable Wren.

  ‘Hello, you old reprobate,’ Charles hailed him and he introduced Alex to the Wren, ‘This is an old friend, Alex, whom trouble follows around like night follows day! You need to be wary of Alex; he can be very dangerous!’

  The Wren was visibly impressed, and looked at Alex with an awestruck face. ‘Pleased to meet you, sir,’ she said.

  ‘And I you,’ responded Alex as Charles invited him to join them.

  ‘So, Beattie tells me that this week’s the week, then?’ Charles asked. Without waiting for an answer, he explained to the Wren, ‘Alex is getting married on Thursday to a sweet, little lady called Teddy. I’m still waiting for my invitation, which I hope will also include a guest. If I get one, would you like to accompany me?’

  As she simpered, Alex handed Charles his invitation, and Charles winked at Alex.

  ‘It looks as though I shall be accompanied, after all,’ Charles made the presumption, ‘I hope there’s lots of champagne; Faith, here, likes champagne, don’t you?’

  She looked coy and then giggled before making her apologies and leaving.

  Alex admonished Charles, ‘You really shouldn’t, you know; the poor girl was thoroughly embarrassed.’

  ‘Who? Faith? I doubt that. There is not much that would embarrass Faith. She was a senior in the coven,’ explained Charles.

  Alex remembered that the “coven” was the unofficial nickname for the recently formed typists’ pool in Victoria.

  Charles continued, ‘But when she heard that I had got my third pip and was entitled to a secretary, she barged everybody else out of the way with all the grace of a rugby full-back and made damned sure that she secured the positio
n. Very tenacious is our Faith, but very efficient also.’

  ‘So, you’re not…?’ The question was left hanging.

  ‘God, no,’ Charles appeared shocked and then reflected momentarily, ‘but one lives in hope!’ He winked at Alex.

  Charles changed the subject. ‘I hear you have been living an eventful life?’

  ‘Yes, seemingly so,’ Alex responded noncommittally.

  ‘Well, don’t worry about it,’ Charles reassured Alex, ‘I hear you acquitted yourself well during the investigation and that you probably got away with it!’

  ‘Got away with it?’ Alex felt slighted. ‘I still have bad dreams about what would have happened if it had gone the other way!’

  ‘There is little to worry about on that score; you would have been dead, and the dead don’t worry!’ Charles was clearly in a philosophical mood.

  Declaring that he had a meeting that he had to attend, Charles shook hands with Alex, and each congratulated the other on their promotion, with Charles adding his compliments to Teddy, before leaving Alex to finish his tea.

  *

  After spending the rest of the day refreshing his skills as a Swedish journalist, Alex was pleased with the results. He was particularly satisfied with an article that he wrote on respecting the neutrality of ships flying the flag of countries that had chosen impartiality in this conflict.

  It was an area that much interested him, as it seemed that this would likely be his transportation to Sweden, and he had no desire to bathe in the North Sea because his neutral ship had been torpedoed. German U-boats seemed to be indiscriminate in whom they attacked, particularly if their target was sailing from a British port, even if they were flying a neutral flag and destined for a neutral country. It was almost as though Germany had decided to blockade any ships coming to and from England, and any master foolhardy enough to risk sailing the gauntlet did so at their own risk. Sweden was fiercely neutral, and yet several of its ships had already been attacked by the Kriegsmarine.

  He sealed his article into an envelope and marked it the attention of Ulrika Nilsson before putting it in another envelope, which he addressed to Simon Potts, with a note asking him to forward it.

  *

  Alex had entirely forgotten that they had invited his mother and Uncle Walter around that evening, and when he arrived back at Cavendish Court, Teddy was flapping, trying to make sure that the apartment was clean and tidy ready for their visitors.

  At the appointed hour, Alex’s mother and Uncle Walter arrived, and they enjoyed a perfectly pleasant meal together of chicken cooked as Russian kotletki, a kind of superior rissole, served with mashed potatoes and cabbage; Teddy had even made a traditional soured cream sauce. For dessert, she had made some thick, sweet pancakes with a type of cottage cheese, which are called syrniki, and with them a sharp raspberry compote, known as kisel. Teddy had thought long and hard about what to serve Alex’s mother and adopted uncle, and they were most appreciative of her efforts; indeed, Uncle Walter reminisced that he had not had kotletki since he was a child, and these were as good as any that he remembered. Quite how much help Teddy had received from the countess remained a strictly guarded secret, with Alex’s mother denying innocently any involvement whatsoever. Teddy’s gesture was well received, not least by Alex.

  After dinner, they sat in the lounge and discussed the upcoming wedding, and Alex used this opportunity to ask his uncle whether he knew anywhere that could cater the wedding breakfast for such a large number at short notice.

  ‘I should think anywhere with a private dining room that can seat the requisite number would be glad of the custom. Austerity and military service have reduced the number of bookings at many suitable venues. How many guests have you invited?’ queried Uncle Walter.

  Alex said, ‘About seventy.’

  ‘As it is midweek and short notice, I doubt more than forty or fifty will accept, maybe even fewer than that.’ Uncle Walter was realistic. He dabbed his lips with his napkin and excused himself, suggesting that if he could make a telephone call, he would see what was available.

  He returned to the lounge about ten minutes later and announced that a friend of his was the manager at The Berkeley on the corner of Piccadilly and Berkeley Street, and they have a room available on Thursday that could cater for a party of forty, perhaps even fifty. ‘It will have to be a buffet at such short notice, and the cake will be a problem, but, in my experience, if you give sufficient champagne, the food can be dire and people still enjoy the party!’

  Teddy was concerned. ‘The Berkeley is a wonderful thought, but it’s awfully grand and sounds frightfully expensive, and my father lives on his army pension.’

  ‘It would be my wedding present to you both,’ Uncle Walter ventured.

  ‘That’s very kind,’ Alex intervened, ‘but Teddy’s father is a proud man who believes in tradition, and, in England, it is traditional for the bride’s father to stump up the cost of the wedding!’

  ‘I will ask that an affordable amount is billed directly to your father by the hotel, and I will cover any shortfall. That way, honour is satisfied, and you both get the send-off that befits the most beautiful couple to get married this year!’ Uncle Walter conceded graciously.

  Alex looked at Teddy, and she smiled at him before saying, ‘It is very magnanimous of you. Thank you.’

  ‘We shall keep it our little secret,’ Uncle Walter decided.

  Alex’s mother decided that it was time to relax. ‘Do you play bridge, my dear?’ she asked Teddy.

  ‘I do, but it has been a while since I have,’ responded Teddy.

  ‘Thank God! You can try to improve Alex’s game by partnering him, and I shall partner Walter. Do you have cards?’ Tatiana Ivanovna asked.

  While Teddy went the sideboard to search for playing cards, and Alex attended to refreshing drinks, Uncle Walter ventured a suggestion, ‘After the wedding on Thursday, where are you planning to honeymoon?’

  ‘I don’t think that a honeymoon is an option,’ said Alex sadly, ‘I have an important appointment in London the following Wednesday, for which I have to be in town, so that I can prepare properly, and then I am likely to be posted straight afterwards, so I think a honeymoon is out of the question.’

  Realising that he was answering the enquiry for them both, Alex looked Teddy for support, and he was surprised when she suggested, ‘I think we should try to get away for a night or two, if possible.’ She smiled at Alex.

  ‘I agree that it would be nice, I just doubt that it is possible. I shall, however, ask whether it is practical,’ Alex offered.

  ‘The reason that I mentioned it,’ Uncle Walter continued, ‘is that I thought it might be a good opportunity for you to see the house that I have bought in Gloucestershire. You would not be able to stay there because it still needs a bit of work and there is no furniture that is worth keeping, but when I went to look at the house, I stayed at an excellent coaching inn just off the old Roman road in the centre of Stow-on-the-Wold. I am sure they could accommodate you for a few nights, if it were possible to get away.’

  Alex looked at Teddy in despair, but got little support.

  ‘That sounds absolutely delightful, doesn’t it, darling?’ she said.

  ‘Yes, it does, but how would we get there, even if I could get it approved?’ Alex was trying to be practical.

  Teddy seemed to ponder for a moment before, as if struck by brilliance, she suggested, ‘I could drive you in the Alvis!’

  Alex winced; he was beginning to wonder whether the artful scheming of his mother and fiancée, in which his uncle had been complicit, had outmanoeuvred him entirely, but the notion did have merit. He conceded in the end, ‘I shall talk to the commander tomorrow,’ though he added a note of caution, ‘but I doubt that he will say yes.’

  Nothing more was said on the subject, and the focus of conversation reverted to the playing of ca
rds; they sat at the table, each opposite their partner, and they played bridge until the clock struck midnight. Alex still played poorly.

  *

  Lying in bed in the early hours of Tuesday morning, Alex leaned across and kissed Teddy. ‘Thank you,’ he said, ‘that was a masterstroke of underhand skulduggery if ever I saw one!’

  ‘What was?’ Teddy asked innocently.

  ‘All that business about a honeymoon,’ said Alex.

  ‘I am sure that I do not know what you mean by “underhand skulduggery”.’ Teddy maintained her innocence. ‘But it is a jolly good idea, don’t you think?’

  ‘Yes, it is an excellent idea,’ Alex replied, ‘but I don’t want you to be disappointed when the commander says no. This meeting next week is crucial, and I really do have to prepare myself.’

  ‘I know,’ Teddy yawned, ‘but it would be frightfully nice.’

  Determined to regain control, Alex nudged Teddy and asked, ‘Wherever did you learn to cook Russian food?’

  ‘Your mother helped. I did tell you that I have been spending some time with her while you were away. She wanted me to surprise you.’

  ‘She achieved her aim! And I think that you have now completely won over Uncle Walter with your kotletki!’

  ‘I was hoping to win you over with my skills in the kitchen.’ Teddy seemed a little bit hurt.

  ‘Oh, you won me over weeks ago,’ Alex assured her.

  ‘Good, now for God’s sake, let us go to sleep or I might have to break my vow of celibacy to shut you up!’

  Alex kissed her gently again and whispered, ‘Goodnight, my darling.’ As he turned over, he gave Teddy’s bottom a playful slap.