His Majesty's Hope(93)

The boy didn’t look convinced. “Show me your papers.”

Elise smiled. “I’ll show you how to do that step properly,” she said, putting down the bottle. She grabbed one of his hands and put it around her waist, then took her arm and encircled his back. “Five six seven eight …” she counted.

They began to dance. The boy was awkward. “Now, it’s not as hard as you’re making it out to be,” Elise said. “When you do your rock step, don’t twist out as much. There—there you go—good.”

They moved together in harmony for a few moments. “All right, now don’t drop your shoulders. That’s it—yes!” They danced together, beautifully now, to imaginary music. Finally, the boy twirled her and tried for a dip. She slipped slightly in his arms and they lost the beat.

“That’s a whole other lesson,” Elise said, laughing. “I’m assuming I can go in now?”

The boy gave her a rapturous grin. “Don’t be too long,” he said, voice cracking on the last syllable.

“Keep practicing,” Elise said, picking up her soda. “You’ll be doing lifts and backflips in no time.”

She eased open the door to the baggage car. Inside was shadowy, the gloom punctured by only a single blue fluorescent light overhead. Elise picked her way through the piled luggage until she reached her father’s trunk. She rapped on it with her knuckles, then opened the brass clasps and raised the lid.

“Oh, thank goodness it’s you,” Maggie whispered, sitting up and looking around. She rolled her neck to undo the kinks. “How are John and Ernst?”

“I’m about to get them now,” Elise replied. “Are you all right?”

Maggie stretched her arms and then rose tentatively to her feet, grimacing. “I’ll live. Let’s get the boys.”

Together they searched for the harp and the timpani cases. After a battle with the clasps, both John and Ernst were released. Like Maggie, they stretched and shook out their limbs.

“How are you?” Elise asked.

“I admit I could use some water,” John said. He looked ghostly in the shadows.

“It’s not water.” Elise pulled out the bottle of Fanta and the opener. “But it’s all I could carry here without being conspicuous.”

She opened it and handed it to Maggie, who handed it to John. “You’re the one who’s injured,” she reminded him.

“But you’re the one who’s been on the run,” he said lightly, handing it back to her.

Ernst grumbled, “Oh, why don’t you just kiss each other and get it over with,” and, grabbing the bottle, put it up to his lips and took a greedy swig.

John and Maggie drank in turn. They sat on trunks and looked at each other, smiling foolishly. They were on their way home, after all.

“How much longer?” John asked.

Elise peered at her watch. “About six more hours,” she answered. “You’re going to have to go back in the cases now, I’m afraid. But the next time I see you, we’ll all be free.” She grinned. “It’s rather like a movie, isn’t it?”

“They always edit the boring bits, the embarrassing bits, out, don’t they?” Maggie said, climbing back into her trunk.

Ernst stepped into his case. “Still, I’d rather be here, in a timpani case, en route to Zürich, than on a train bound for Buchenwald.”

That brought them all up short.

“Well, when this is a movie, and Hedy Lamarr is playing Maggie and Gene Tierney is playing me, we can make sure they only show glamorous things,” Elise said lightly. “But for now, let’s just concentrate on getting to Switzerland.”


Clara, only pretending to be asleep, knew exactly when Elise left the compartment.

She trailed her daughter, staying just far enough behind to remain out of sight. She watched Elise dance with the guard, horrified at the verboten swing dance moves. And she waited, in the shadows, until Elise left the luggage compartment and made her way back down the corridor. She realized what her daughter must have done—hidden the three in instrument cases. Lord knows as a child, Elise had delighted in hiding in them herself!

Clara had no time to dance with the guard. “Here,” she said, looking past his wide blue eyes, and crumpling a wad of Reichmarks into his hand. “Stay out.” He watched her in mute bewilderment as she let herself inside.

Instrument cases, everywhere.

She started at the left, opening cases, then flipping the lids shut in frustration.

From inside her case, Maggie could hear the commotion. Someone was looking through the cases. And it wasn’t Elise. It was just a matter of time until whoever it was reached her case. She had a sudden flashback to her training at Arisaig. Keep it together, lass! she remembered a Scottish instructor yelling. No matter what they throw at you, keep it together! Don’t you dare fall apart!