The Lost Empress (21 page)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Saturday, 2 May 1914.

At seven thirty in the evening on the day Alice Stilwell fled Hamberley, she was sitting at a small oak table in a dimly lit corner of the Three Gardeners public house in North Street, Strood, which was just across the River Medway to the north of Rochester. It was a lively place, but not so busy that she couldn’t see who was coming and going. She thought most of the patrons were regulars because everyone seemed to know everyone else, and now and then someone would look over at her as if to ask who the stranger
was. Sh
e hadn’t given much thought to it before now, but she supposed she was an odd sight to be sitting in a public house unaccompanied. She felt suddenly self-conscious and nervous enough to set her fingers tapping on the table. She caught another man’s eye then. He was staring at her from the bar, and she turned away, wishing that Archie would soon arrive.

Not knowing whom else to turn to, Alice had taken a motor-taxi straight to Archie’s address in South Gillingham, but he wasn’t home. ‘Not back from London,’ his mother had said as she invited Alice in to wait. But supposing those now after her would second guess she would go to Archie, she had declined. Instead, she had left an urgent and cryptic message, asking that Archie meet her as soon as possible at the place where they’d had their first proper drink together, knowing that Archie would easily remember how they had once sneaked off to the Three Gardeners when they were younger, not daring to do so locally in case anyone recognised them.

Alice had a glass of vermouth in front of her, just as she had back then. She had almost finished it by the time Archie walked in, still in his uniform and with an eager expression on his face as he looked around for her.

‘I came as soon as I got your message,’ he said. ‘What’s that you’re drinking?’

Alice told him, and a few minutes later he came back from the bar with a fresh vermouth for her and a pint of bitter for himself. He set them down and lowered himself into the chair opposite her.

‘What’s happened, Alice? Perhaps if you opened up to me more, I could help.’

‘I will, Archie. I’ll tell you everything,’ Alice said, glad to have someone to tell at last, hoping that by doing so she would find some degree of relief from the anxiety she had kept locked inside her all this time.

Over their drinks, Alice explained everything that had happened, saying how Henry and her children had been abducted in Holland, and about the Dutchman and how Chester had been poisoned. She told him all about the spying she had been forced to do before coming to him for his help in getting the photographs Raskin wanted. She paused at that point, and from her travel bag she showed Archie that she still had the camera, letting him know that she now had no intention of handing the film over.

‘I suppose someone must have followed me home after one of my tasks on the South Coast,’ she said. ‘They must have been watching Hamberley after that, and then they followed me to London. I’m scared, Archie.’

Archie placed a hand on hers to comfort her. ‘Of course you are, Alice, but try not to worry. I’m here now. I’ll see you’re all right.’ He withdrew his hand again. ‘Actually, I’m surprised I’ve not been arrested by now. Whoever followed you must have seen me bring those plans to you.’

‘I’m sure,’ Alice said. Then she told him what had become of the man who had followed her, bringing him up to date with everything that had happened since they’d parted company outside Green Park, including how she had uncovered Frank Saxby when she found his encrypted address book.

Archie went quiet for several seconds, then said, ‘So, everything you told me when I collected you from the railway station the other night—that was all lies?’

He made it sound as cold as it really was, and Alice didn’t know what to say.

‘I thought it was rather too good to be true,’ Archie continued, ‘Still, I suppose I must have wanted to believe you.’

‘I don’t expect you to forgive me, Archie, but I am sorry. Really I am.’

‘ “Sorry” doesn’t really cut it, does it?’ he said, turning away.

‘Archie, please don’t turn your back on me. I know I don’t deserve your help, but I’ve no one else to go to.’

Silence fell between them, and Alice sensed that Archie was considering the matter. A moment later he turned back to her, took a big gulp of his drink, and said, ‘I can’t say it doesn’t hurt, Alice, but I can hardly leave you to the wolves in your hour of need, can I?’ He forced a half smile. ‘Now we’d better keep moving forwards. This is serious business. Any delay could prove disastrous.’

Alice gave a solemn nod, thinking it was as well that she had married Henry and not Archie, because she knew now that she didn’t deserve a man like Archie. She finished her drink and moved the conversation forward as Archie had suggested.

‘Looking at it now,’ she said, ‘I suppose Frank Saxby was well placed to set all this up.’

‘He’s a scoundrel of the highest order,’ Archie said. ‘Just say the word, and I’ll box his ears for you.’

Alice placed a hand on his. ‘No, Archie, it’s much more complicated than that.’

‘Then you’ll have to turn yourself in and tell the authorities everything you’ve just told me. They’ll soon break Saxby down, and they’ll see how you were forced to do these things. I’m implicated now, too. I’ll come along and face the music with you. You won’t be alone.’

Alice smiled kindly at him. ‘You’re very sweet, Archie. But I’ve given that a lot of thought, and I can’t do it. You see, Frank Saxby is just a part of a much bigger network. It’s too dangerous, for Henry and the children, and besides, who would believe me if Saxby didn’t confess?’

‘Then what do you propose to do?’

Alice produced Saxby’s notebook from her coat, which was on the back of her chair. ‘I’m going to use this to bargain with.’

Archie flicked through it with a puzzled expression on his face.

‘It’s all in code, but I can read it,’ Alice said. ‘For all I know, it could be an address book with the contact details of all the spies operating in the Southeast of England.’

‘Then you’ll need some time,’ Archie said. ‘And you’ll have to get out of the country, for a while at least. I’ve heard a thing or two about these Special Branch detectives and about the Secret Service Bureau they collaborate with in these matters. They won’t stop until they’ve caught up with you, especially since you say one of their number has been murdered. Have you got your passport document?’

Alice nodded. ‘But where shall I go?’

‘I know somewhere safe. We’ll check you into a hotel or a guesthouse for the night, and I’ll call for you in the morning.’

‘I can’t ask you to get any more involved in this, Archie.’

‘Look, Alice, I said if you were in trouble I was your man, and I meant it. Do you have paper and a pencil?’

Alice did. She gave him her notebook, and he began to write.

‘We’ll go for that long drive you promised I could take you on,’ he said. ‘I’m going to take you to Liverpool, where you can board a steamship for Canada.’

‘Canada?’

Archie nodded and showed her what he’d written. It was an address in Quebec.

‘Who lives there?’ Alice asked.

‘Long story, but in a nutshell, it’s my sister, Phoebe.’

Alice looked surprised. ‘I didn’t know you had a sister called Phoebe. You’ve never mentioned her.’

‘No, well I wasn’t allowed to. No one in the family was supposed to talk about her. I only found out she existed myself a few years ago.’

‘But why?’ Alice asked. ‘Why wasn’t anyone supposed to talk about her?’

Archie scoffed. ‘To avoid a scandal. That’s what I was told. You see, Phoebe’s really my half-sister. Her surname’s Dodson. Same father, different mothers.’

‘I see.’

Archie nodded. ‘Precisely. Quite an indiscretion on my father’s part. I don’t know the full story, but I did want to know my half-sister, so I found out where she and her mother lived, and I went to see them.’

‘And they won’t mind me just turning up?’

‘No,’ Archie said, shaking his head as though there was no question about it. ‘We’ve kept in close contact. Phoebe’s heard so much about you already, you’ll be just like old friends when you meet.’ He laughed to himself. ‘For heaven’s sake don’t tell her everything about me, will you?’

Alice could only manage the slightest of smiles in return. ‘I shall simply tell her what a wonderful man you are and leave it at that,’ she said. ‘But what about Chester and Charlotte? I can’t leave them behind.’

‘You have to, Alice—for now at least. You’ll be caught for sure if you try to go back for them. Don’t worry. I’ll see no harm comes to them. Besides, I shouldn’t think Saxby or any of his cronies will make a move while you’ve got that notebook of his. You’ll have to make a copy. Then once Henry’s safe, let Saxby know you’ll use it if he doesn’t leave you and your family alone.’ Archie paused to finish his bitter. ‘You know, you should use it anyway once everyone’s safe. Bring the scoundrel to justice and the whole spy ring down like a house of cards.’

‘I aim to,’ Alice said, ‘but first things first.’

‘Yes, of course. Have you eaten? Would you like to?’

‘No, thank you. I’m not hungry.’

‘No, of course not,’ Archie said. ‘Silly of me to suppose you were.’ He stood up. ‘Come on, let’s find you somewhere to stay.’

Chapter Twenty-Six

Sunday, 3 May 1914.

They left for Liverpool early the next morning, following a 1910 publication of the
Duckham’s Motor Map of England and Wales
. It was a bright start to the day, but Archie kept the Vauxhall’s top up until they were twenty or so miles clear of London, heading northwest through Hertfordshire, to give them better cover until they were well on their way. From then on, they had the sun on their faces and the wind in their hair as mile after mile of open countryside sped past them. They had their coats on to keep warm as it was still cold for the time of year, and Archie had thoughtfully brought along some provisions and a blanket for Alice, together with one of his mother’s silk scarves, which she wrapped over her head and tied beneath her chin.

Not wanting to lose any more time than was necessary, they stopped only to refuel from the petrol cans Archie had brought with them for the journey. Towns and villages came and went with the hours that passed in conversation, which largely concerned their years growing up together. It was a welcome escape for Alice. They had to raise their voices to hear one another over the beat of the exhaust and the engine tappet noise combined with the buffeting wind, but Alice knew that despite her circumstances, or perhaps because of them, she had not felt so at ease in a long time. When they weren’t talking, Archie would turn to her every now and then and throw her a dimpled smile as if to suggest he was having the time of his life.

By mid-afternoon they were in Staffordshire, and Archie suddenly shifted gear and put his foot down. The Hele-Shaw multi-plate clutch hissed as it engaged, and the acceleration came as a shock to Alice, causing her to clutch at the air in front of her as she tried to hold on to something.

Archie eyed her with a wide grin. ‘I’ve had her up to sixty-
five miles
an hour before now.’ A moment later he eased off, and the car began to slow down again. ‘Perhaps not today, though, eh? We’ve got almost a hundred miles still to go. Better not push her too hard.’

They passed through Stafford and were in open countryside again, where there were few other motorcars to be seen among the usual horse drawn conveyances they passed. A few miles on, Alice became concerned about one other car in particular that she thought she’d seen before, some twenty miles back, which she had now seen twice since leaving Stafford.

‘Archie, I think we’re being followed.’

Archie looked over his shoulder. ‘I can’t see anything.’

Alice looked again. ‘It’s dropped back now, but I’m sure I’ve seen it before. It’s dark red with a cream-coloured roof. Do you think the authorities are on to us?’

‘I shouldn’t think anyone would have followed us this far,’ Archie said. ‘If it was the police or the Secret Service Bureau, why haven’t they stopped us?’

‘Yes, I suppose you’re right. It’s probably nothing to worry about.’

They continued for several miles, and Alice kept looking back, but she saw nothing more of the red and cream car. She supposed her nerves were getting the better of her, and she wished the journey were over. As the tappet noise from the engine continued to play its repetitive tune, she began to daydream, and on any other Sunday her thoughts might have been happy ones. Instead, she thought about her father and wondered what the police had told him and what he had made of it all. She wondered whether he had told her mother and how her absence would be explained to her children. She could have cried just thinking about Chester and Charlotte and what they would think of her. She knew she had to succeed in getting Henry back and, in doing so, put everything right again.

‘I need to put another can of petrol in,’ Archie said, stirring Alice from her thoughts. He pointed to a road sign ahead. ‘Look there’s a village coming up. Perhaps we can get a spot of tea.’

‘Yes,’ Alice said. ‘Tea would be lovely.’

They approached the village of Turnfield by what was little more than a rough track through farmland that shook the two-seater Vauxhall and its occupants all the way to the village High Street. They crossed a narrow bridge over a tinkling stream, and looking around, Alice thought the population of Turnfield couldn’t have been more than a few hundred people. As the car continued at a crawl, winding around one corner and the next, they passed a few slate-tiled cottages and an elderly man with his dog. Further on, they came to a few more buildings and a church that seemed far too big for such a small village to have all to itself.

Archie laughed. ‘I don’t think we’re going to find a Lyons tea shop here.’

‘No, it doesn’t look as though we will,’ Alice agreed. ‘It’s very quaint, though.’

When the few buildings petered out, indicating that they had already passed through the village of Turnfield, Archie stopped the car behind a horseless cart, and they got out. He was smirking as he took out one of the two-gallon petrol cans he’d brought along and began to fill the fuel tank. ‘It seems even the horses get Sundays off in this sleepy little place.’

‘Maybe the next town isn’t too far,’ Alice said.

‘I’m sure it can’t be, but there must be somewhere here to get a cup of tea.’ Archie finished refuelling and put the can back. ‘Look, why don’t you sit tight while I run back and have a quick scout about. We passed a couple of lanes back there. It’s worth a look.’

‘All right,’ Alice said. She got back into the car. ‘But hurry back.’

‘I will.’

Alice watched him go until he disappeared around a corner and she could no longer see him. She didn’t think he would find anywhere for refreshment here, but as Archie had said, it was worth a quick look now they were there. A couple of minutes passed, and she soon began to hear an unmistakable sound over the trickle of the stream. It was another motorcar, the engine note growing louder, as though it were coming towards her. She looked back, expecting to see it, afraid that it would be the same car she had seen before. But the sound stopped. She wanted to go and look, but she resisted, too afraid to in case she was right, and they were being followed.

A few more minutes passed, and then she saw Archie coming back, and she laughed nervously to herself. She got out of the car and went to him. Then as she drew closer, she knew something was wrong. He was clutching his side, staggering with every other step. She ran to him.

‘Archie!’

He smiled at her, but she could see the pain in his eyes. His lower lip was bleeding—his nose, too.

‘Archie, whatever’s happened?’

‘No joy with that tea, I’m afraid.’

Alice helped him back to the car.

‘On my way back I saw that car you mentioned. You were right, Alice, but it wasn’t the police or the Secret Service Bureau.’

He looked down as he brought his arm up, and in his hand Alice saw Raskin’s flensing knife, the curved steel no longer gleaming, but nonetheless bright with blood.

‘Where is he?’ Alice asked, panic in her voice as she looked back.

‘Don’t worry. He won’t bother you again.’

‘What happened? Is he dead? How did you get his knife?’

‘That car caught my eye first—a Mercedes. Then I saw the driver, and I realised who he was from what you’d told me in the Three Gardeners last night. How stupid of me not to think I’d be followed. I led him straight to you.’

‘Don’t be too hard on yourself, Archie. I’m sure you wouldn’t have seen him unless he wanted you to.’

‘No, perhaps not. Well, he must have known who I was because he came straight at me, and we went at it like bare-knuckle prize fighters for a few minutes. He was no boxing man, but he took his punches better than most I’ve seen, and he gave better, too. We wound up further back by the little bridge we crossed on the way through. I thought I had the upper hand at one point, but then he produced this knife.’ Archie tried to smile again as he added, ‘I thought that was hardly fair.’

‘However did you best him?’ Alice asked. She couldn’t imagine how any man could, as proficient at boxing as Archie was.

‘I’m not entirely sure I did.’

He pulled one side of his coat open.

‘Oh, Archie, you’re bleeding.’

‘I’m sure it’s nothing. Just a flesh wound. The fella made the mistake of leaving his knife in my side when he lunged at me with it. I turned away, and I suppose it was caught through my coat. He came back for it without hesitation, but I must have landed a lucky blow as I returned it to him. I left his body by the stream.’

‘We must get you to a hospital.’

‘There’s no time, Alice. If you’re delayed, the authorities will catch up with you for sure. They may already have people at the major seaports looking out for you.’

‘Yes, but all the same I—’

‘Please Alice, I won’t hear another word about it.’

‘You’re too stubborn for your own good, Archie Ashcroft. Did anyone see you fighting?’

‘No, I don’t think so, but we’d better move on. Someone’s sure to wonder whose Mercedes that is back there. It won’t be long before someone raises the alarm. Just help me into the motorcar, will you? I can manage from there.’

They picked up the main road again, and however much Alice tried to engage Archie in conversation, he became very quiet. By the time they had travelled another fifty miles and were not far from their destination, Alice thought he had begun to look very pale, but however much she tried to persuade him to stop and seek help, he would not do so.

‘I’ll take myself off to the hospital when we reach Liverpool,’ he kept saying. ‘Once I know you’re safe.’

They crossed an inland tributary of the River Mersey, with a couple of hours of daylight to spare, and they were soon on the outskirts of Liverpool, where the vista changed from one of nature and agriculture to industry.

‘Nearly there, Alice,’ Archie said, struggling now to maintain his usual upbeat tone. ‘I shouldn’t think you’ll get a crossing tonight, but there should be something tomorrow. We’ll find you a guesthouse until then. Something low key.’

‘And then you’ll go to the hospital?’

‘I will, Alice. That’s a promise.’

They continued in silence for several minutes, over cobbled streets that caused Archie to wince and clutch his side every now and then. There were shops to either side of them, the pavements busy with people moving beneath awnings that advertised the shopkeepers’ wares. A moment later a horse and cart overtook them.

‘You’re driving very slowly, Archie. People are staring.’

‘Am I? I hadn’t noticed.’

‘Please let’s go to the hospital.’

‘I’m fine, Alice. Please don’t fuss.’

‘You really don’t look fine, Archie.’

His mouth was open as if he was struggling for breath. His eyelids were half closed, and his face was glistening with sweat. A moment later, Archie slumped over the steering wheel, and the car veered towards an oncoming tram.

‘Look out, Archie!’

He sat up again, his face now pallid and drawn. He turned the wheel in time to avoid a collision.

‘I’m sorry, Alice. I’ve let you down. I don’t think I can go much further.’

Alice shook her head. Tears welled in her eyes. ‘No, you haven’t, Archie. You’ll be fine. Pull into the next street, and stop the car. I’ll get help.’

Archie turned the car off the main road, along a narrow street lined with terraced houses. He stopped the car.

‘I think it’s too late for all that, Alice.’

‘No, it isn’t. Don’t say such things.’

Archie opened his coat, and with what strength he had left, he reached inside.

‘Here, take this.’

It was a fold of banknotes.

‘I won’t,’ Alice said, choking back the tears she knew were not far away.

Archie managed one of his dimpled smiles even now. He pressed the money into her hand. ‘You’ll need it,’ he said. ‘Please take it.’

The first tear broke as Alice took the money, knowing he was right. ‘Archie, I’m so very sorry. I should never have involved you.’

‘What, and have me miss the best day of my life just for spending it with you?’

Alice began to sob. ‘We’ll have many more days together. Better days.’

‘I’d like that.’

His eyelids began to flutter, and Alice soothed his brow. ‘I do love you Archie.’ She meant every word. ‘I’ve always loved you.’

She kissed his lips for the very first time, knowing it would also be the last. When she withdrew, Archie smiled at her again, and they continued to gaze into each other’s eyes for several seconds. Then Archie drew a sudden breath and sighed, and he was gone.