“So without the decrypt, you had no proof,” Maggie said. “And then David, with his briefcase of top-secret documents, came to Windsor. And you kidnapped him, along with his briefcase.”
“He had it handcuffed to him. And I didn’t have the heart to cut off his hand.” He smiled. “I think he’ll thank me for it, someday. You see, in Germany, my contact will pay me—us, that is—dearly for the information you have. Whatever David has in his briefcase must be worth a small fortune.”
“And Boothby?”
“Boothby—do you want to tell her?”
Boothby gave a barking laugh. “My name isn’t really Christopher Boothby,” he said in his too-perfect English, “it’s Krzysztof Borkowsky. I’m Polish. I was one of the Poles that Chamberlain and Britain betrayed when he traded us for ‘peace in our time.’ ” He spat. “A peace paid for with the blood of Poles.”
“How did you get to England?”
“I was born and spent my childhood in Poland, but I moved to Britain when I was ten. I was up at Cambridge, with Gregory, when Poland handed over her Enigma machine to the British. And then I was recruited to work at Bletchley, to help translate for some of the Poles that came over with it.”
“Ah.” Christopher was the spy at Bletchley that her father had been trying to find! Two misses! Maggie thought. Thanks a lot, Dad.
She turned back to Gregory. “And what’s your relation to Audrey and Poulter?”
“Poulter was my manservant for years and another of our little group. You see, we are quite democratic. He began sleeping with Audrey, who was working for someone named Commandant Hess. Poulter shot the King, while he and Audrey arranged the kidnapping of the Princess with Commandant Hess in Berlin. The plan is to put the Duke and Duchess of Windsor on the throne when Germany invades. How is the King, by the way?”
“He’s fine,” Maggie said grimly.
“Pity.”
Boothby snapped, “Less talking, Gregory.”
“She knows what happened to Lily’s decrypt!”
Boothby whistled. “The lost one?”
“My dear girl,” Gregory said, ignoring Boothby. “You can come with us, or I’ll have to kill you.” In a jovial tone he said, “Set sail with us—what do you say?” He looked at her and she realized that he didn’t actually want to kill her. And yet he would if he had to.
Maggie knew the risks of getting into a boat with these two, but she had no intention of letting them take the Princess or David anywhere without her.
“Fine,” she said, feigning more bravado than she felt. “I’ll go.” Lilibet and Maggie stepped into the craft and took their seats, Maggie’s heart beating wildly. The goddamned Royal Navy’s supposed to be here, she thought. The Coast Guard. The police, even. Where the hell is everyone?
Boothby and Gregory pushed the boat into a few feet of water, then jumped in themselves. The boat rocked violently, then steadied.
“And off we go,” Gregory said. “Just like old times.” He took a seat opposite Maggie as Boothby started the motor. “Keep an eye on her, would you?” he said to Boothby.
The tiny craft set out through the wind and roiling white-tipped waves, out to sea. As they pulled away from the shore Maggie could see the headlights of cars on the shore and tiny black figures running toward them. Here! We’re here! She wanted to scream into the wind. But they were still too far away to catch up.
“What about Lily’s baby?” she asked. She hadn’t forgotten that a baby had been murdered as well. “Was it yours?”
“I knew about the baby,” he said. “She told me, right before she was murdered. But it wasn’t mine. I, alas, can’t have children.”
“Whose was it, then?” Maggie called.
“Christopher’s.”
Maggie wasn’t expecting this. “Christopher’s?”
Boothby nodded his assent. His face was unreadable.
“You wouldn’t understand,” Gregory said. “Lily, Victoria, Christopher, and I—we—we shared many things.”
“I see,” Maggie said. She managed a quick glance at Lilibet. Maggie hoped the girl didn’t know what he meant.
“Would you take off her gag, at least?” Maggie asked. “It’s not as if anyone can hear us out here.”
Gregory pulled out his flask from his inside jacket pocket. He took a long pull, emptied it, then tossed it over the side. “Go ahead,” he said to Boothby, who went over to the Princess and undid the knots that tied the gag. As it loosened, she spit the moldy bread out of her mouth.