Oh, Hugh, she thought. It’s beautiful. Really beautiful. And you really shouldn’t have. She felt pardoned for all of the sins of the past, although whether she felt she deserved Hugh’s forgiveness was another matter.
She put the painting on the mantel, smiling.
There was a knock at the door. It was Polly. “Oh, here you are!” she said. Her fair, round face was flushed with excitement and drink. “You just disappeared. We were wondering where you’d gone.” Polly gave a sly smile. “And with whom.” She plopped down on Maggie’s sofa. “David—it’s David, isn’t it?—is quite the dish.”
Oh, if only Polly knew. “Not my type,” Maggie said. “So, what are you doing up here?” she asked. “Although of course I’m delighted to see you.”
“One of the old Admirals keeps trying to pinch my cheek. Can you imagine? And then he suggested we ‘take a walk.’ Please—he’s old enough to be my father. I’d rather be with someone like David. Or even Gregory, for that matter.” Polly looked up at the painting on the mantel.
“My goodness,” she said, getting up and going over to the fireplace and picking up the picture in the frame. “Is that you? Very nice.”
Maggie nodded. “Yes,” she said. “It was a Christmas gift.”
“It’s beautiful,” Polly said. Then, “I’ve got my chocolate ration from the last few weeks hidden away in my room—want to share? I’m in the mood for a bit of a binge.”
Maggie smiled. “No. Thanks, though. I should probably get back to David, anyway.”
“Suit yourself,” Polly said. “More chocolate for greedy me.”
Back in Gregory’s office, David had been set up to work at the desk, and Gregory had mixed and poured him the promised martini. When Maggie arrived, Gregory raised his glass. “I haven’t had the chance to say it before, but you do look beautiful tonight. And, again, sorry about before.”
“Oh, Maggie always cleans up well,” David interjected from the desk chair.
“You did, actually,” she said, “but thank you.” She hesitated a moment, then said, “Haven’t you had enough to drink tonight?”
“Hardly,” Gregory said. “I’m British—it’s what we do.”
David smiled. “Cheers to that, old man,” he said, clinking his glass with Gregory’s.
Maggie noticed something in the air, an electric connection between the two men. Perhaps Gregory’s interested in boys as well as girls? He certainly does seem drawn to David. “Then why don’t I leave you two rowers to your martinis?” she said.
“Well, we’ll miss you terribly, of course. But I’m happy to show David where everything is,” Gregory said.
I bet you are. “Of course,” Maggie said. “Good night, you two.”
Maggie decided to swing by the nursery, to see how the girls were getting on with their rehearsals. She was pleased to see the corgis look up from their pillows and thump their tails in greeting.
“Oh, Maggie,” Margaret cried, “we keep forgetting our lines! And then Lilibet forgot her sword—the sword!—can you imagine?” She giggled. “How can you cut through the briars if you don’t have a sword?”
“A bad dress rehearsal means a good performance—at least that’s what I’ve heard,” Maggie said. “And how are you holding up, Crawfie?”
“It’s all very exciting, but I admit I’ll be relieved when it’s over,” she said, as the girls went on with their rehearsal. “To perform in front of the King and Queen—not to mention the Prime Minister …”
“It will be fantastic, Crawfie,” Maggie said. “Don’t forget that the King and Queen, and Mr. Churchill, for that matter, are parents. The children can do no wrong in their eyes.”
“I do hope you’re right, Maggie.”
“Have you—” Maggie began, “Have you noticed anything unusual these past days?”
“Only that I’ve found a few new gray hairs.”
“Well, I’ll be backstage with you all during the performance,” Maggie said. “Just to make sure the scenery changes go smoothly.”
“At least something will go smoothly, then.”
In their spacious office at Abwehr, Torsten Ritter threw a paper airplane at Franz Krause. It hit him on the left temple.
“Allmächtiger! What’s your problem?” Ritter said.
“No problem—good news, actually—radio message from Wōdanaz. He’s got something for us—important documents—and wants extraction. We can combine his pickup with Operation Edelweiss,” Krause replied.