The Secret Life of Kitty Granger

by G. D. Falksen

  Mrs. Singh spoke next. “Verity has searched Lowell’s office and the other rooms of the house. She hasn’t found anything incriminating, but she hasn’t been able to get into Lowell’s safe yet. Verity also believes that there’s a hidden room somewhere in the house, but she can’t locate it. That’s where you come in.”

  “Me?” Kitty asked.

  “We want to put your powers of perception to work,” Mr. Pryce explained. “Verity has already mentioned to Diana that her cousin, Kate, will be visiting England on her way to see family in India and would like to stay in the countryside for a few days. The Lowells have agreed, so all that remains is to get you familiar with your cover identity and then send you out. By the way, how is your Canadian accent?”

  “Canadian . . . ?” Kitty blinked a couple of times to summon up the particular structures of the accent. “Not too bad, sir,” she said, speaking like she’d heard on the recordings. “Except I sometimes get it confused with the American.”

  “Ah, that’s very good,” Mr. Pryce said. He picked up the third folder and handed it to her. “Keep practicing, and in the meantime, this is your cover identity. Read it, memorize it, learn it until you know it better than you know yourself. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir.” Kitty looked over the documents inside. “Kate Greenwood of Ottawa? That’s me?”

  “Yes,” Mr. Pryce answered. “You are Kate Greenwood. Verity is your cousin, Vera Cunningham.”

  “Since it’s your first assignment, we thought that using the same initials would make it easier to remember,” Mrs. Singh added.

  “Yes, probably,” Kitty agreed. An uncomfortable thought struck her. “What am I to tell me da?”

  “We’ll say I’m going on a business trip and need my trusted secretary to accompany me,” said Mrs. Singh. “Sound plausible to you?”

  “Oh, definitely, missis.” Kitty exhaled, glad that her father wouldn’t have cause for worry. “When do I leave?”

  “Verity and the Lowells are in Scotland at the moment,” Mr. Pryce said. “They’re due back soon. Verity will meet you in London next Thursday and drive you up to the Lowell estate. Your work should only take a few days, but if you and Verity feel that you need to stay longer, we will give you a number to call. Ask for your aunt Mildred and say that you’re having such a lovely time that you’d like to put off the trip to India for a few more days.”

  Kitty nodded. “An’ are you me aunt Mildred, sir? Is that your code name?”

  Mr. Pryce’s smile drooped a bit, while Mrs. Singh covered her mouth with a hand to stifle a laugh.

  “Yes, Kitty, I suppose I am technically your aunt Mildred,” Mr. Pryce said, “but you’re not to mention that to anyone outside this room. Security, you understand.”

  “Yes, Aunt Mildred,” Kitty replied, very pleased that she was getting the hang of all this code name business.

  Chapter 15

  For the next week, Kitty devoted almost every waking hour to memorizing her cover and perfecting her new accent. She couldn’t take any of the materials home, of course, but when she wasn’t at work she played silent word games in her head to make sure that she was getting the pronunciation right—even though Mrs. Singh insisted that she already sounded authentic enough to fool the Lowells. Maybe that was true, but there were always these little quirks that Kitty felt she was missing. It became another one of her fixations. Every day Kitty identified more inconsistencies between her accent and the recordings, and set to work getting them right.

  All the while, she imagined just what sort of person Kate Greenwood would be. The file had all the factual information Kitty needed—date of birth, mother and father, home address, habits and hobbies—but turning all of that into a real person was Kitty’s responsibility. She had to think and act like this new person, which seemed daunting at first, until she realized that she had sort of been doing that all her life. Whenever she pretended that she wasn’t overwhelmed by a crowd, or hid a fixation, or stayed outwardly calm in the midst of panic, it was like putting on a cover identity. She was pretending to be someone else, someone without her eccentricities. If she could do that convincingly, she could do this.

  Kate Greenwood was a mostly quiet girl, she decided. That was the easiest thing for Kitty to demonstrate anyway. She liked listening to conversations, not necessarily participating in them. Once people knew that, they wouldn’t find it odd that she wasn’t very talkative. Of course, that meant she had to suppress her urge to get excited about things, since that would be interpreted as an eagerness to talk. She’d have to be careful about that.

  On Thursday, Kitty went to work as usual, and transformed into her new self. It wasn’t the most dramatic change in the world, but her new identity came with a set of posh dresses, jewelry, and a new curled hairstyle, compliments of Mrs. Singh. Mrs. Singh had also shown her how to pass herself off as a rich Canadian, including the necessary table etiquette. It was all very strange, but it involved following patterns, which Kitty understood and could commit to memory.

  Patterns were very useful.

  Just after lunch, she got a final briefing from Mr. Pryce and Mrs. Singh and a final test of her cover, although at that point she had rehearsed being Kate Greenwood so many times, it felt like she was starting to know the cover better than herself. Mr. Pryce seemed pleased with the result, but Mrs. Singh was more cautious. Although she didn’t say anything specific, Kitty sensed she was troubled and didn’t understand why. Didn’t Mrs. Singh trust her to do the job? They wouldn’t be sending her otherwise.

  After leaving the office, Kitty paused outside the door and heard Mrs. Singh say, “I don’t like this. She’s not ready.”

  “She is ready,” Mr. Pryce replied. “She knows her cover backwards and forwards. She’s a quick learner, our Miss Granger.”

  “It’s one thing to know her cover. It’s another to maintain it under pressure.” Mrs. Singh sounded very worried. “We’re doing this too quickly. She needs more time to prepare.”

  “There isn’t any more time,” Mr. Pryce answered. “You’ve seen the reports. Weapons and explosives are being smuggled into London, and I know Smythe’s involved. Lowell is our only way to draw a link between them.”

  “Why even bother with Smythe?” Mrs. Singh asked. “We should be putting all efforts into finding those weapons!”

  Mr. Pryce grumbled, obviously perturbed. “Gregson’s on it, but who knows if he can find them in time? For all we know, Smythe has them already. And even if we do find them, what then? Smythe gets away again. I cannot keep chasing this man, Mrs. Singh. Innocent people are dead because I didn’t stop him in Belfast, and who knows how bad this is going to get.”

  “I know, Pryce.” Mrs. Singh gave a gentle sigh. “But I don’t feel right putting Kitty in danger like this. She doesn’t have Verity’s experience in the field.”

  “It’s an easy assignment,” Mr. Pryce insisted. “Lord Lowell won’t even pay her any attention. The only person to win over is Diana, and Verity will handle that. But if there really is a hidden room in the house where Lowell’s meeting with Smythe, we have to find it, and Kitty is the agent with the best chance of doing that.”

  There was a long and very uncomfortable silence.

  “I know,” Mrs. Singh finally said. “But I don’t like it all the same.”

  In the hallway, Kitty frowned at the conversation. It hurt to realize that Mrs. Singh didn’t think she could accomplish the mission, and even Mr. Pryce sounded uncertain, acting on desperation instead of confidence. That stung Kitty. All her life, people had doubted her, but she had begun to think that things would be different at the Orchestra.

  It seemed that wasn’t so. No matter how hard she worked, she was still just Kitty Granger, the girl who couldn’t be trusted to do things properly.

  Well, she would show them. She’d find whatever Lord Lowell was hiding and drag it out into the light if it killed her.

  Kitty was still angry at what she had overheard as she went to meet Verity at
Piccadilly Circus. She waited with her suitcase beside the fountain south of the intersection and talked softly to herself to calm her temper. She didn’t really understand why she was being sent out if they didn’t trust her to accomplish the mission, but that didn’t matter. People often did things she didn’t understand. The solution was to keep calm and get the job done.

  She had taken a taxi and arrived punctually, so she was only left to wait a few minutes before a bright red convertible pulled up alongside her. In the driver’s seat was Verity, looking extremely fancy in a bob hairdo and a boldly colored mod dress. She looked ready for a party rather than a drive to the country. Verity pulled her sunglasses down onto her nose and grinned at Kitty.

  “I say!” she exclaimed. “Going my way?”

  “Veri—Vera!” Kitty remembered to use Verity’s cover name. She assumed no one would be watching them in London, but it was a worthwhile precaution.

  Verity leaned over and pushed the passenger door open. “Hello, coz,” she said as Kitty climbed into the car. “How was your flight?”

  “Long,” Kitty replied. She had been told that a flight across the Atlantic was several hours, which was very long in her mind.

  “Did you enjoy your sight-seeing in London?”

  “Oh gosh, it was just wonderful, Vera,” Kitty said. “I could simply look at it for hours.”

  She was very aware of speaking in the strange accent. The practice over the past week had served her well. She was mentally sounding out the syllables of each word even before she spoke them. In her head, she conjured up the shape and feel of them. This one rounded, that one short. Remember to speak your h’s, Kitty. Don’t go shrill on the vowels, Kitty.

  It actually worked quite well. As Verity drove toward the outskirts of London, they chatted away about fake topics invented for their fake identities, and Kitty never once slipped up. She felt proud of herself, which wasn’t a common thing. But she was doing a good job, and that was what mattered.

  As they left the city and its suburbs and drove out into the countryside, Verity’s mood shifted and became much more businesslike.

  “What’s the matter?” Kitty asked softly.

  Verity looked surprised. “Oh, nothing. We don’t have to keep up the pretense until we arrive, so I thought I should fill you in on some details. I’ve already checked the car to be sure it isn’t bugged. We can speak freely.”

  “Bugged? Do they suspect you?”

  “Not a chance,” Verity assured her. “Lord Lowell assumes I’m just one of his daughter’s flighty friends. But I always give the car a once-over just to be safe.”

  “Mr. Pryce said you needed me to find a secret room,” Kitty said, hoping to prompt a more thorough explanation. Mr. Pryce and Mrs. Singh hadn’t been able to tell her much beyond that, since Verity’s ability to communicate back to base was limited.

  “So, long story made short, Lord Lowell has been having meetings with people at the country house,” Verity explained. “It’s disguised as parties and shooting weekends and such, but I know the point is to meet with his fellow conspirators. They probably think it’s harder to be noticed in the country than in London.”

  “Conspirators? Then he is up to something?”

  “Oh, no doubt,” Verity said. “They have dinner and drinks and that sort of thing, but at some point in the evening they all disappear—no sign of them in the house, but their cars remain in the driveway. That tells me there’s a hidden room. I’ve been trying to find it, but I’m stumped, and if I search too thoroughly, someone will notice.”

  Kitty nodded. “That’s what you need me for.”

  “Mrs. Singh told me you have a talent for finding hidden things.” Verity grinned. “Now’s your chance to prove it.”

  “Do me best,” Kitty replied. She winced as she lapsed into her old accent. “I’ll do my best, Cousin Vera. Promise.”

  “Attagirl!” Verity nudged Kitty with her elbow and gave her a smile. “Oh, and while you’re at it, if you come across Lowell’s safe combination, do let me know. I haven’t been able to find the numbers, and I don’t have the tools to crack the damn thing.”

  “Does Mr. Pryce know you need tools?” Kitty said, surprised. “He could’ve sent some with me.”

  Verity shook her head. “If it was a key lock, I’d simply pick it, but a combination safe has to be drilled open. Couldn’t pack anything that would look suspicious if somebody decided to rummage through my bags, and a drill doesn’t exactly disappear into the lining of a suitcase.”

  Kitty pondered this. “Could disguise it as a hair dryer, though, couldn’t you?”

  Verity raised an eyebrow. “That’s a thought. But you’d still have to do something about the noise when you used it. I’ll have a chat with Faith about it when we get back to London. For now, it’s the combination or nothing.”

  “How am I supposed to find the combination?” Kitty asked.

  Verity shrugged. “No idea—just keep your eyes and ears open in case you stumble on any clues. But your primary mission is finding that hidden room. The safe is where Lowell has most of his private documents, but the room is where he and his associates actually meet. If we find it, we can bug it before their next meeting.”

  “You make it sound so easy,” Kitty said.

  Verity snorted. “Easy? Not at all . . . but I think between the two of us we can manage. Right?”

  “Right!” Kitty answered.

  It was a lengthy drive out to Lord Lowell’s estate, but Kitty rather enjoyed cruising through the English countryside with Verity. She had never been outside of the city before, so the view was incredible to her. Half the time she was too busy staring at all the grass and trees to pay attention to much else.

  After a couple of hours, they passed through a little village and turned off the main road. A stone country house overlooked them from the top of a hill. As Verity drove through the front gates and up to the door, Kitty sank back in her seat. She felt dwarfed by the place, which was odd since there were many much larger buildings in London. It was just that out here, everything else was small. The house was the biggest and most imposing building for miles. And it was the home of the local lord, who probably didn’t care to be reminded that the time for aristocracy had passed half a century ago.

  Verity looked into Kitty’s eyes and asked, “You ready?”

  “Um, yes,” Kitty answered, making sure she believed herself when she said it. There was a job to do and she was going to do it. No use getting cold feet now.

  An elderly man in a black coat and gray trousers appeared at the top of the front steps. Verity waved to him enthusiastically, and the man approached them with a stiff and purposeful gait.

  “Hello, Stokes!” Verity called as she climbed out of the car. “Told you I wouldn’t be long.”

  Stokes nodded slightly. “Yes, Miss Cunningham.”

  Verity swung her hand to indicate Kitty. “This is my unfortunate cousin Kate. Miss Greenwood to you.”

  “Indeed, miss.”

  “Kate, this is Lord Lowell’s butler, Mr. Stokes. He’s an absolute dear.”

  Stokes gave no reaction to the compliment, but he said, “Thank you, miss.”

  Kitty bobbed her head at Stokes. “Very pleased to meet you, I’m sure.”

  “Is Diana in?” Verity asked him.

  “Yes, miss. I believe Lady Diana is playing tennis with Miss Phyllis and Miss Ivy. His Lordship is in the library and not to be disturbed, but I shall tell him of your arrival when he emerges.”

  Verity laughed. “Well that’s fine, Stokes. I’m not here to see him, am I?” She took Kitty by the hand. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to the girls. Stokes, take Kate’s bags up to her room, will you?”

  “Certainly, miss,” Stokes answered.

  Kitty glanced up at the house and took a deep breath. This was it. Her first mission. Everything she had trained for had led to this moment.

  What if she made a mistake? What if someone got killed? What if the missio
n was ruined and it was all her fault?

  Before fear could paralyze her, Kitty clenched her teeth and took a deep breath through her nose.

  She was going to do this. Lives were at stake. People were counting on her. All her life, everyone had assumed she was a lost cause, too odd to amount to anything. Well, the Orchestra believed in her—even if Mrs. Singh and Mr. Pryce had their doubts—and she wasn’t going to let them down.

  “Lead on,” she said to Verity.

  Chapter 16

  Kitty followed Verity around the side of the house, gripping her handbag tightly. She cast a glance back at the car as Stokes directed another servant to unload the suitcase. Kitty felt an instinctive aversion to having her things handled by strangers, especially strangers she was supposed to be spying on. What if they got curious and searched her luggage?

  She felt a surge of panic at the thought, but it slowly subsided. There was nothing incriminating in her luggage so there was no need to worry. This was just her private nature asserting itself, and she would have to push her way through that. She couldn’t do anything suspicious.

  They passed through some gardens running along the side of the hill and finally reached the back lawn, which stretched off into the distance. Kitty’s head turned in all directions as her eyes tried to take in everything. There was just so much to pay attention to: flowers, trees, birds, and the house itself, with its countless windows and little nooks and crannies. The size of the house bothered her. How was she supposed to find a secret room in this place? It probably had a hundred rooms, and she couldn’t search them all without someone noticing!

  A tennis court sat to one side of the lawn, a few feet away from the house. Two girls dressed in white were serving a ball back and forth, while a third lounged in a chair, drinking a glass of lemonade. One was blonde, the next a brunette, and the one in the chair was a redhead, like they were a matched set. They were all about Verity’s age, and they seemed to be having a marvelous time, laughing and applauding whenever someone scored a point.