Dennis Wheatley - Duke de Richleau 01
Page 30
“Hardly for amusement, my dear Fritz,” the Duke smiled, grimly. “It happened that I was called on to defend myself. I did so to the best of my ability.”
The Chief of Police shook his head sadly, he raised one arched eyebrow, and scratched the back of his neck; he was evidently much troubled. “An order has been applied for—for the extradition of yourself and others, Excellency. What am I to do?”
De Richleau was thinking quickly. “What is the procedure in such cases,” he asked.
“It is my duty to issue a warrant for the arrest of you and your friends.”
“You have not done it yet?”
“No, Altesse, when I saw your name on the paper the memory of the old days came to me, I thought to myself ‘tomorrow will do for this—tonight I will go informally to pay my respects to my old patron’.”
“That was very good of you, Fritz; tell me, what happens when this warrant is executed?”
“There is a man from Russia here. He will identify you; we shall supply an escort to the frontier, and with him you will go back to Moscow to be tried.”
“Do you know the name of the man they have sent?”
“Yes, Altesse. It is an important man, a Kommissar Leshkin. He stays in this hotel.”
De Richleau nodded. “Now if we leave Austria tonight, this man will follow us, will he not, and apply for our extradition in any country in which he finds us?”
“I fear that is so, Altesse, but the world is wide; there are many very comfortable trains which leave Vienna this evening. If you travel it will mean delay—important witnesses against you may disappear—time is on your side in this affair.”
“If there were no one to prove our identity, however, they could not apply for our extradition, I imagine,” the Duke said, softly.
“No, that is true.” Herr Murenberg stood up. “But this man is here, Excellency. For the sake of the old days I trust that I may not have to make this arrest tomorrow morning.”
De Richleau took his hand. “I am more grateful to you, my dear Fritz, than I can say, you may rely on me to spare you that painful duty.”
III
The dinner-table was gay with flowers, the string band was worthy of the Viennese traditions, the champagne sparkled in the glasses. To Marie Lou it was like fairyland.
Richard sat on her right, Simon on her left. Across the table were Rex and De Richleau, between them the long, humorous face of Gerry Bruce.
Dinner was over, the Duke was handing round cigars, the first of a new box of the famous Hoyos, that had arrived with his clothes that afternoon from London. Marie Lou had just finished a peach, the first that she had ever seen in her life, the flavour lingered, exquisite, on her tongue—she was in Heaven. She looked across at Rex. “Have you arranged everything?” she asked.
He grinned. “Sure thing. There won’t be any fool—”
“Hush!” she exclaimed, quickly.
“Sorry,” he apologized. “I nearly spilled the beans that time, but it’s all O.K., you can take it from me.”
“Thank you. It is a little surprise that Rex and I have arranged for you,” she explained to the others, who were looking completely mystified. “He has got me a nice strong file; I spent a busy hour this morning.”
Rex began to look mystified, too; he had got no file for her, and it was only while dressing for dinner that she had asked for his co-operation in a little secret.
She produced a flat square parcel from under her chair, and laid it on the table. They had all wondered what it could be when she had brought it in to dinner with her.
Richard and Simon cleared away the plates and glasses to make room; Rex was looking more and more puzzled.
A waiter paused beside De Richleau’s chair and laid a heavy triangular parcel on the table beside him: “The manager’s compliments, sir, and he hopes that will do.”
“Thank you.” The Duke nodded, and gave the man a coin, then he felt the package carefully and transferred it to the pocket of his tail coat; the others were far too interested in Marie Lou’s big parcel to pay any attention.
She smiled at Rex as she undid the wrapping. “For a long time,” she said, “he has been telling us that it will be tomorrow that he will find the jewels—I have decided that it shall be today!”
She removed the last sheet of paper from her parcel. Rex and the Duke recognized at once the gaily painted abacus that she had insisted on taking from her cottage at Romanovsk when they fled to the Château. It lay there, incongruous enough—a childish toy, the solid square frame and the cross wires with the gaily painted beads, upon which every Russian learns to calculate.
“As I have told you,” she said slowly, “my mother always said that if I ever left Russia, I must take this with me; and it was not because she feared that I should forget how to count. I knew that she had taken it from the walls of the foundry after the fire—it was she who cleaned and painted it after that. This morning I filed through the iron tubing which makes the frame—see, now, what it contains.” As she finished speaking she divided one piece of the framework from the other where she had filed it through. She swept some wafers from a dish in front of her and poured out the contents of the hollow pipe.
With a little rattle they fell on the china dish—a heap of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, a glistening pile of precious stones sparkling and flashing in the electric light. She took the second and third and fourth sides of the abacus and added their contents to the shining heap. The men sat round, speechless, gazing in wonder at the heap of stones sparkling with hidden fire from their many facets.
“There are the pearls still,” she cried, delighted with the success of her surprise; “each bead is a great pearl from the famous necklace of the Princess Tzan, dipped in some substance which protected it from the fire.” She drew them off the wires, putting them beside the glittering stones already in the dish. One she retained and began to scrape it with her knife; the covering flaked away, leaving a great rosy pearl.
“Princess, you may not know it, but you have a fortune here,” said the Duke. “Even I have never seen such rubies; they are of the true pigeon’s blood, worth a king’s ransom.”
“It is said, Monsieur, that a Prince Shulimoff who lived in Catherine the Second’s time was granted rights over all the Russian lands that lie adjacent to Persia. It is believed that he got these during his Khanship there.”
The Duke nodded. “I do not doubt it; the Shah himself has no better stones than these.” His long, elegant fingers played with the pile. Red, green, and blue, the stones glittered under the big electrolier—a dazzling sight which held them fascinated.
“And now,” said Marie Lou, “I wish that you all should choose such stones as you may like to be keepsakes of our days in Russia.”
They drew away shyly. Marie Lou’s mouth drooped with disappointment.
“Princess,” said De Richleau, voicing all their thoughts, “this is your fortune; on it we trust that you may live in happiness for many years. We could not rob you of your inheritance.”
“Oh, please,” she begged, “it will spoil it all for me if you do not-—had it not been for you I should still be at Romanovsk.”
She looked so disappointed that Richard bent forward and picked up a square diamond from the pile.
“I will keep it for you in trust, Marie Lou,” he said, smiling. “I shall treasure it always because it comes from you, but if you ever need it, it is yours.” She squeezed his hand gratefully, and his pulse raced at the pressure of her tiny hand in his. The others each picked a jewel in turn, with the same reservation.
“Say,” Rex grunted, “this packet’s going in the hotel safe tonight; we’ve had all the trouble we’re needing for a while.”
A waiter stood beside De Richleau. “The gentleman you were inquiring for has just gone into the grill, sir.”
“Thank you.” The Duke carefully placed the beautiful ruby he had chosen in his waistcoat pocket. “Be good enough to inform me when he goes up
to his room.”
Rex took Marie Lou’s hand “Come on,” he said, “let’s hit the floor again.”
He was teaching her the gentle art of modern dancing. Like most Americans, he had such a perfect sense of rhythm that it was impossible not to follow him. Richard sat watching and wished that he could dance as well. Marie Lou seemed to be picking it up easily and quickly, but he knew that it was too soon for him to attempt to dance with her yet, and he was too wise to try —let her learn with Rex. When they returned to the table Gerry Bruce took up his glass. “Well, fellers,” he declared, “as I’m the one and only guest, it’s up to me to give a bit of a toast”
“Hear, hear!” Simon filled up the glasses with champagne.
Gerry lifted his glass. “May Russia freeze the Bolshies, and may you all live to give your old friend Gerry Bruce many another good dinner in the years to come. How’s that?”
They drank it with enthusiasm. A little later Marie Lou turned to Richard. “Would you mind very much if I went to bed?”
“But it’s early,” he protested.
“I’m tired,” she said.
He shrugged his shoulders. “Well, just as you like.”
She rose from the table and he followed her out into the hall. “I’ve hardly seen you alone all day,” he said reproachfully, as she was about to enter the lift.
“I’m sorry,” she smiled sweetly at him, “but I’m tired; I want to go to bed.”
“What about tomorrow?” he asked. “I thought we might get a car and go for a drive. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
She shook her head. “No, tomorrow I mean to have a long morning in bed.”
“Right-o, if that’s how you feel,” he said, a little sulkily. “What about lunch?”
“I will lunch in my room, I think.”
“Dear me,” he raised his eyebrows; “well, if you change your mind, let me know. Good night,” he turned away abruptly.
The Duke and Rex were with the manager. They had tied up the jewels in a napkin, and were now transferring them into three stout envelopes, to be sealed with wax before being deposited in the hotel safe.
Gerry Bruce bade them good night and left. The four friends remained standing in the hall. Simon limped to the hall porter’s desk and asked for his key; the man gave it to him, and with it a letter.
“Hullo,” he said, “wonder who this is from—no one but my office knows where I am.”
There was a second envelope inside the first. “Letter addressed to Miriam’s house,” he remarked to Richard. “Can’t think who can have written to me there; she sent it on to the office.”
“It’s got a Russian stamp,” said the Duke with interest.
“Valeria Petrovna!” exclaimed Simon, looking at the large sheets covered with a round, childish hand. “This is awkward; she warns us that Leshkin is applying for extradition papers.”
“I have reason to know that they will not be executed,” remarked De Richleau, with a little smile.
“Say, are you sure of that?” asked Rex.
“Quite certain,” the Duke answered firmly. “I am taking steps to ensure that we shall not be troubled with any unpleasantness of that kind.”
“Great business,” grinned Rex. “Well, I’m for hitting the hay; I’ve had quite enough hectic business to last me for some little time.” He yawned loudly as he turned towards the lift.
“I will go with you,” said the Duke.
“Hope the thought of those pretty toys of Marie Lou’s don’t keep you from your sleep,” said Rex.
De Richleau had just exchanged a few words in a low tone with the hall porter. He smiled. “I think I shall read for a while; I have found a most interesting book on the subject of murder, the theory of the game as opposed to the practice causes me considerable amusement.”
Simon had just finished reading his letter. He held it in one hand, stooping a little as he smiled at Richard, who was getting into his coat preparatory to leaving the hotel.
“She wants me to meet her in Berlin next month— that is, if we don’t get extradited!” He laughed his jerky little laugh into the palm of his hand.
“Shall you go?” asked Richard, curiously.
Simon nodded his clever, narrow head up and down. “Got to—Valeria’s in a muddle with her contracts— have to see what I can do.”
IV
Richard was disturbed and unhappy as he made his way slowly to his hotel. Could Marie Lou be getting spoilt, he wondered. Why must she go rushing off to bed like that, having danced half the evening with Rex —he had hardly had a word with her all day. And then this absurd business of stopping in bed all the next morning; there were so many things in Vienna he wanted to show her. Lunching in bed, too! It really was the limit.... Could it be the jewels that had made the difference?... She was independent of him now. Tomorrow he supposed she would be asking him to see about the annulment of their marriage—of course he’d have to set her free—he couldn’t hold her to it. But how he wished that he could.
When he got to his hotel he went up in the lift and down the corridor to his room. It was innocent of all signs of occupation. “Hullo—wrong room,” he muttered, switching off the light again; “I must be on the next floor.” He looked at the number on the door: “218”. Surely that was right? What an extraordinary thing; perhaps they had shifted him because of the central heating. Still, they ought to have let him know.
He went down to the bureau in the hall. “What have you done with my things?” he said.
The night clerk looked surprised. “We sent them over on your instructions, sir.”
“My instructions? What do you mean?”
“The American gentleman, Mr. Van Ryn, who took the room for you, came here just before eight o’clock. He said you wished to transfer to the Regina, where your friends were staying. We were to pack for you and send over your things at once. He paid your bill. I hope we have done right, sir?”
Richard frowned. What in the world had bitten Rex? Still, there it was—he’d better go and find out. Absently he walked out into the street again.
At the Regina he was told that Mr. Van Ryn had booked a room for him, No. 447—the night porter gave him the key.
What the devil had Rex been up to? thought Richard, as he walked over to the lift. If this was supposed to be a joke, it was in damned bad taste—447 was next to Marie Lou. Richard walked angrily down the corridor. He supposed he’d better have his things moved again to another room.
He opened the door—yes, there were all his belongings, unpacked, too—what a fool Rex was. This sort of thing wasn’t like him, either.
The communicating-door to No. 448 stood a little open. Richard was tempted; here was an opportunity for a word with Marie Lou—he could explain that he was moving.
He looked into the bedroom. There she was, the darling, lying in bed. She made no movement; perhaps she was asleep? Only the light by the bed was still on. The orchids that he had given her that evening stood near it in a glass.
He tiptoed over to the side of the bed. Yes, she was asleep—how divinely pretty she looked with her long dark lashes lying on her cheeks. One lovely arm thrown back over her curly head; she lay quite still, breathing gently.
His heart began to thump as he looked at her—he simply must steal just one kiss—he bent over and very gently touched her forehead with his lips.
He turned reluctantly and began to tiptoe back to the other room.
“Richard,” said a soft voice from the bed.
He swung round, the picture of guilt. “Hullo,” he said, in a voice that he tried to make as casual as possible, “I thought you were asleep.”
She shook her head. “Do you like your new room?” she asked slyly.
“So you knew about that, eh?” He was quite at his ease and smiling at her now.
“Of course; I asked Rex to manage it—it is a wife’s duty to look after her husband,” she added, virtuously. “I couldn’t have you sleeping in that cold hotel.”
She sat up quickly, clasping her hands round her knees, a tiny perfect figure, Dresden china flushed with rosy life.
“Richard,” she said gravely, “do you want that annulment very, very badly?”
He drew a sharp breath. “There’s nothing in the world I want less!”
She laughed. “And you won’t be sulky if we don’t go out tomorrow morning—or if we lunch in bed?”
“Marie Lou! you angel!” He leant over her. Her soft arms were round his neck; she whispered in his ear: “Richard, my darling, this is the perfect ending to the Fairy Story of the Princess Marie Lou.”
V
The Duke de Richleau put down his interesting book on murder and picked up the shrilling telephone at his side.
“Thank you,” he said, “I am much obliged.” He replaced the receiver and took up his book again, reading quietly till the end of the chapter. He carefully inserted a marker, and laid the book beside the bed. Then he examined the automatic which the waiter had brought him in the restaurant, also a small bottle, taken from among those on his washstand. He put the bottle and the weapon in his pocket, and lighting a fresh cigar, he left the room. As he came out into the corridor he glanced swiftly to right and left; it was in semi-darkness and no sound disturbed the silence. Outside the door to the left of his room a neat pair of black shoes reposed—Simon’s. Opposite lay a pair of large brogues, Rex’s. Outside Marie Lou’s door were a tiny pair of buckled court shoes, and beside them—“Strange,” thought the observant Duke—a pair of man’s patent evening shoes.
“Very strange,” the Duke thought again; then a gurgle of delighted laughter came faintly from beyond the door. De Richleau raised one slanting eyebrow meditatively. Sly dog, that Richard; what a thing it was to be young and in Vienna, city of dreams. How fond he was of them all, and how fortunate he was—that, at his age, all these young people seemed to take such pleasure in his company. Life was a pleasant thing indeed. He drew thoughtfully on his cigar, and quietly strolled down the corridor.