The soldier who had loaded them appeared at the rear of the lorry. âAll out,' he said, but his eyes were on the building rather than on his passengers. âThis is your stop.'
Commander Craddock watched Aubrey and George from the other side of his desk. âWe can't waste talent, I'm afraid. While you would have been useful in the army, we think you could be more useful elsewhere.'
Aubrey's irritation at being impressed â at being co-opted against his will â was soothed somewhat by this, but he allowed it a bite. âIt
is
called volunteering, isn't it?'
âUnfortunate, that,' Craddock said. He had a small silver paperweight in one hand and he rolled it through his fingers. âIt's not necessarily the best thing for the country.'
âAh. And you know better?'
George looked uncomfortable at this exchange. âI say, Commander, I can appreciate why you've got Aubrey here. Top notch magic talent and all that. But it doesn't explain what I'm doing here.'
âI agree,' Commander Craddock said. âIt's remarkable, Doyle, how little magic you have in you. Many people have a touch, even if only an infinitesimal amount. But you seem entirely devoid of magic.'
George smiled. âThat comes as quite a relief, actually, since I've seen the sort of thing magic can do.'
âYou do have other skills, but they are of more use elsewhere. Propaganda, perhaps, with your writing. Just follow Tate here and she'll take you to Lattimer Hall.'
Aubrey and George swivelled in their chairs. A blackclad Department operative was standing at the door. Long black skirt, black jacket, gloves. Aubrey hadn't heard her enter. âLattimer Hall?' George said. âSpecial Services headquarters?'
âJust across the park,' Craddock said. âWe work closely together now that we're united under the auspices of the Directorate, especially when it comes to recruiting.'
âYou have your recruiters on the lookout?' Aubrey said.
âWe have a list of names,' Craddock said. He placed the paperweight in a small silver saucer. It shone like a beacon. âIf they appear at a recruiting office, we're notified. When you and Doyle showed up, I said we'd take you both in and then get Doyle here to Lattimer Hall.'
âAnd what if these names don't volunteer?' Aubrey asked.
âThey will. Given time.'
âSo you don't think the war will be over by Christmas?'
âDo you?'
Aubrey remembered the war build-up he'd seen in Holmland. âI doubt it.'
âThe war will be a horror beyond most people's imagining. When this becomes apparent, it will deter some from volunteering â but others will understand how important it is.' Commander Craddock pushed the paperweight with a finger. It rolled around the saucer. âAnd if they don't, we'll have to convince them.'
Aubrey hoped that wasn't as ominous as it sounded. Craddock had made a professional career out of sounding threatening.
George stood. âBe careful, old man,' he muttered to Aubrey, but he brightened when he joined Tate, the Department operative. She looked at him coolly from under her cap with large dark eyes. âAre we in any hurry?' he asked her. âI know a little café, just around the corner...'
His voice cut off as the door shut, and Aubrey smiled. George would never die wondering.
âThings have changed, Fitzwilliam,' Craddock continued. âWith the declaration of war, I need every talented individual I can get hold of. I want to bring you on board, not as an irregular, but as a full operative of the Department.'
âI see.'
âI'm organising a special intelligence and espionage corps. I want you to be part of it.'
Aubrey sat upright. âBut aren't I a little young?'
Craddock smiled grimly. âYou're eighteen. Many of our army volunteers are younger than that. Besides, how old do you have to be to die for your country?'
Aubrey swallowed. âI'd prefer to live for my country. I could get more done that way.'
âSo do I, but I want you to understand what's at stake here.' Craddock took a large, leather-bound ledger from a desk drawer. He opened it. âI'm going to need all sorts of people, young and old. We'll be recruiting women, too, plenty of them.'
âFor active service?'
âOf course. We're not going to overlook talent, wherever we find it. The regular army can shilly-shally on such matters, but we can't afford to. I anticipate that members of these special units will have to work in different places, blending in unobtrusively.'
âOverseas?'
âWherever they're needed. Behind enemy lines, in Gallia, in the Goltans.'
When Aubrey had committed himself to being a soldier, he'd accepted that he would be sent to the front. He'd worked up his courage to encompass this eventuality, and now his expectations were thrown out of the window. This was not what he'd been planning â but it was altogether more exciting.
âI'm not sure what my parents will think.'
Craddock paused. âThat, of course, is up to you. But I had imagined that you'd sorted it out before going to enlist.'
Aubrey opened and closed his mouth. âWhat do I have to do?' he said finally.
Craddock opened another desk drawer. âSign here, and here.'
With a feeling that his life would never be the same, he took the pen that Craddock offered and signed.
âNow the oath.'
As Aubrey repeated the words after Craddock, promising loyalty to the King and to Albion, he had a sudden sense of the vast machinery of war gobbling him up. He hoped that he was gristly enough and tough enough for it to spit him out in one piece.
âNow.' Craddock handed him a copy of his enlistment papers. âGo home.'
âGo home?'
âEvery recruit gets forty-eight hours before he has to report.' Craddock smiled icily. âConsider it your first task as part of the military. If you survive talking to your parents, we'll see you in two days.'
It wasn't cowardice that made him slip in a side entrance of Maidstone, Aubrey assured himself. It was simply good tactics. No sense in confronting his mother before his father came home. One scene was better than two.
He stood just inside the door, his back to the wall of the box room. Appetising aromas came from the kitchen, reminding Aubrey that he'd missed lunch. For a moment he considered nipping in and cadging something from cook, but he chose not to press his luck.
He knew the discussion with his parents would be a battle, but he hoped it wouldn't be a major battle. A skirmish would be preferable, with only light wounds on both sides, but he had his doubts. His parents had plans for him and he was sure that signing up for a clandestine espionage unit wasn't one of them.
Scholar Tan's advice came to him:
Make choices before your foe makes them for you.
He ticked off the usual decisions facing a battle commander. Site? Well, no choice there. He supposed he could try to catch both his parents on neutral ground, but with the uproar over the declaration of war, he'd be lucky to see his father at all. Timing? Again, that was out of his hands. When his father managed to get home, that would have to do. Weather? Troop numbers? Logistical supply chain? Not terribly relevant. But there was one thing he could look for, one thing that any commander would be grateful for.
Allies.
He stood outside Lady Maria's door and adjusted his jacket and tie. He pushed his hair back and wished that he'd already had a service haircut; his grandmother would have liked it.
He lifted each foot in turn, rubbing his boots on the back of his trousers, hoping that this would make them shiny enough for her. Finally, he knocked on the door, waited for her invitation, and entered.
Lady Maria looked up, and closed the notebook she'd been writing in. âAh, Aubrey. I thought I'd be seeing you again.'
âGrandmother.' He kissed her on the proffered cheek, then busied himself with drawing up a chair. âI need to have a word with you. Another word.'
Lady Maria glanced at the letter in her lap. Very deliberately, she folded it and slipped it into the open drawer of the table by her side. âGo ahead.'
âI have something to tell Mother and Father, and I thought I'd talk to you first.'
âAnd what is this weighty matter that needs such groundwork?'
âI've joined up.'
âGood. When?'
Aubrey hesitated. He'd been expecting surprise. Instead, his grandmother had simply taken his bombshell for granted. âThis morning. Just after I saw you.'
âWhich regiment?'
âAh. That's a little tricky.'
âDon't tell me you joined the navy. Ghastly folk, sailors.'
âNo, not the navy. A special section.'
âMilitary intelligence, then,' Lady Maria said dismissively. âWe can't have that.'
âI beg your pardon?'
âSecret service will do you no good in the long run because it stays secret. The army is the place for you. After you lead your troops successfully and win medals, your future will be assured.'
Aubrey glanced out of the window. Two of the gardeners were trundling out a lawn roller. He'd once heard someone ask Lady Maria how to get a lawn as good as the one at Maidstone. She'd sniffed and explained that it was straightforward: simply sow grass seed, then cut and roll for three hundred years.
âI hadn't thought of it like that,' he said, which was true.
âOf course not. Now, let me talk to some friends and I'm sure I can make arrangements. The Cliffstone Guards, of course. I'm sure they will be needing some good junior officers.'
Aubrey rubbed his forehead. So he had an ally in the joining up business, but it was like seeing your ally appear on your left flank then, without warning, go galloping off without looking at the battle plan at all. He was sure she could arrange a commission. Her network of friends, acquaintances and people who simply owed her favours had been built up over decades.
It wasn't what he wanted.
âGrandmother, I think I might need to explain myself a little better.'
It took some time, and a welcome pot of tea, before Aubrey reached a level of understanding with his grandmother. At first she was insistent, taking her customary stance of knowing best, but Aubrey didn't give up. He stood firm. He'd never been successful with his grandmother before, and it was like moving a monolith an inch at a time, but he wondered if it wasn't a sign of his growing up that he didn't back down.
Finally, Lady Maria fixed him with a look that Aubrey, with some hesitation, decided held a measure of respect. âI've never seen you like this, Aubrey.'
âI don't think I've ever been like this.' Aubrey was both exhausted and proud of himself. Lady Maria was like a force of nature as far as getting her own way was concerned, and yet he'd stood his ground.
âHmm. I'd tell you that you're reminding me of your father at that age, but I'm sure you don't want to hear that sort of thing.'
Aubrey rubbed his forehead. âHow did you feel when he joined up, Grandmother?'
âIt was altogether different. He went into the family regiment. The Guards.'
âI understand that. But weren't you afraid?'
âOf course. But he was doing a good thing.'
âAnd so will I.'
Lady Maria was silent for a time. âHow can I help you?'
Aubrey sat back with relief. âI don't want you to argue my case for me.'
âOf course not. That would be rather contradictory, since you're making a point about your self-determination.' Lady Maria was nothing if not shrewd.
âYou've done what you can, Grandmother. Just talking to you has helped.'
âA rehearsal, you mean.' She tapped a finger on the arm of her chair.
âIf you're able, a word or two after I've spoken with them may be useful. They may need someone to talk to.'
âI'm sure I can contrive a chat with them,' Lady Maria said. âAnd I'm sure the times when your father took it into his head to go his own way will come up.'
Aubrey's ears pricked up. âSuch as?'
âAnother time, dear.' She paused. âIs that him now?'
Aubrey swivelled. A motorcar had just drawn up out the front of Maidstone. For someone so old, his grandmother had very fine hearing. He jumped to his feet and kissed his grandmother on the cheek. âThank you.'
âI'm pleased to help. An ally in time of need is worth more than gold.'
Aubrey was halfway down the stairs before he realised, with some astonishment, that his grandmother had been quoting the Scholar Tan to him.
I live with a family of first-rate surprisers.
He found his parents in Lady Rose's drawing room, amid the ostrich feathers and papyrus tapestries. They were standing close to each other, holding both hands and talking in low voices.
âAubrey, good, I wanted to talk to you, too.' His father's face was drawn and the skin under his eyes was dull. He had monumental energy, but Aubrey could see that the times were taxing even him. âYou've heard the news, I take it? Sit, sit. No need to stand around.'
Aubrey took an oriental lacquered chair he hadn't seen before. It had a red velvet cushion. âWar? It's hard not to have heard.'
His mother and father took a small sofa directly opposite him. âNot that,' his father said. âI've just come from the palace. His Majesty has taken a turn for the worse. After the King appeared to the crowd at the palace, he collapsed. He's been confined to bed again.'
âHe has taken the news very poorly,' Lady Rose said. âHe was convinced that his cousin would never permit Holmland's going to war.'
âHow's Bertie holding up?' Aubrey asked.
âStout fellow, Bertie,' his father said. âHe's taken on even more of the royal duties.'
Aubrey was concerned for his friend. At a time like this, the nation was lucky to have Prince Albert, but it would be difficult to rally the nation and to tend to a dying father at the same time. He promised himself he'd visit Bertie when he could â but that reminded him that his immediate future was out of his hands.
He swallowed, circling around the delicate matter at hand. âAnd how is the mobilisation going?'
âThe fleet has already put to sea,' his father said. âEvery regiment is doing its best to ready itself. I've been promised that by the end of the week, we'll be moving, but we'll need to bring up troops from the colonies as well.' Sir Darius touched his moustache. âWe're going to send an expeditionary force almost immediately â four infantry divisions and one cavalry.'
âTo the Low Countries?'
âTo north Gallia,' Sir Darius said bleakly. âBy the time we're mobilised, it's thought that the Holmlanders will have sliced through the Low Countries.'
The thought chilled Aubrey. The horror had begun. Towns, villages, farmhouses would already be trampled by the Holmland advance.
âYou went out today, Aubrey,' Lady Rose said evenly.
âHmm,' Sir Darius said. âI thought I'd asked that you stay here at Maidstone for the time being.'
This is it.
He took a deep breath. âThat's what I wanted to talk to you about. I know your time is valuable, Father, but it's important.'
Sir Darius studied him, solemnly. âYou've enlisted.'
Over the gasp of his mother, Aubrey felt as if he were a bowler who had just begun his run up and was tripped by an unseen foe. âYou knew?' Then his earlier irritation returned. Was nothing he did his own? âHow many of your people are watching me? It didn't take long for them to report.'
Lady Rose took her husband's hand. Her knuckles were white. He glanced at her before answering. âI didn't know. I simply asked myself what I would have done in your place.'
âBut you stuck me here to stop my enlisting!'
Sir Darius raised an eyebrow. âDid I? I thought the message was about stopping you from doing something foolish.'
We're speaking the same language,
Aubrey thought, his head spinning,
but I'm not sure I understand at all.
âLike joining up?'
Sir Darius sighed. âI knew that we'd have little chance of talking you out of joining up. So I thought what would be best is if George was alongside when you did. I hope he was.'
âOh.' Aubrey sat back in the chair. The hard wooden back pressed into his spine, but he hardly noticed. âYou
wanted
me to enlist?'
âWell,
I'm
not going to say that,' Lady Rose said. Her cheeks were pale, but her voice was calm. âI'd prefer to have you safe at home instead of bounding off in search of glory. But if you were happy with remaining behind, you must have undergone a radical personality change.'
Aubrey grimaced. âSo you wanted George and me to enlist together?'
âIt seemed the best outcome,' Sir Darius said.
âBut we haven't. I mean, I've enlisted. And so has George. I think. The last I saw of him he was going to lunch with a very pretty Department operative.'