A Lesson in Secrets_ A Maisie Dobbs Novel - Jacqueline Winspear [2]
The men exchanged glances, and the driver cleared his throat as he moved his hand towards his jacket pocket. Maisie reached forward and put her forefinger on his wrist. “Oh, please, don’t ruin a perfectly cordial conversation. Allow me.”
She reached into the man’s jacket, took out his wallet, and smiled again. “Can’t be too careful, can we?” The man blushed as she opened the wallet and removed a warrant card. “Charles Wickham. Ah, I see. So you must be working for Robert MacFarlane. Oh dear, I think you’re going to get into horrible trouble when he finds out I’ve seen you.” She tapped the wallet against the fingers of her left hand before offering it to its owner. “Tell you what. Inform Detective Chief Superintendent MacFarlane that I’ll be at the Yard this afternoon at—let me see—about three o’clock. He can tell me then what this is all about. All right?”
The driver nodded as he reclaimed his wallet. To her surprise, neither man had spoken, though there was little they could say. There would be plenty for them to talk about when they were summoned to explain themselves to Robert MacFarlane.
Maisie and the RAC man watched as the black motor car went on its way towards Sevenoaks and London.
“Funny pair, them.”
“They’ll be even funnier when their boss hears about this.”
Maisie waved to the man as she pulled out onto the road again. She was deep in thought for much of the time, to the extent that, when she reached the outskirts of the capital, she could barely remember passing landmarks along the way. Though she had kept the exchange light, she had cause for concern, given that the men were reporting to Detective Chief Superintendent Robert MacFarlane of Special Branch. She had worked alongside him at the turn of the year on a case involving a man who had threatened death on a scale of some magnitude. At the close of the case, she hoped never to have to encounter such terror again. But now she suspected that MacFarlane had deliberately sent a pair of neophytes to follow her, and therefore subsequently expected her call. She shook her head. She was not in the mood for Robert MacFarlane’s games. After all, Maisie Dobbs was her father’s daughter, and any sort of manipulation did not sit well with her.
Chapter One
Morning, Miss. Bet that fresh country air did you good for a few days.” Billy Beale, Maisie’s assistant, stood up when she entered their one-room office on the first floor of what had once been a grand mansion in Fitzroy Square. The room was neat, tidy, and businesslike, with two desks and a large table by the window at which Maisie and Billy would sit to discuss work in progress while poring over the case map.
“You’re right, Billy. There’s nothing like a Saturday-to-Monday spent in the heart of the Weald of Kent—and I bet you’re looking forward to going down to Kent yourself, for the hop-picking. You’re leaving on Saturday morning, aren’t you?”
“Bright and early on the Hopper’s Special. Truth is, we need to get away, and Doreen’s feeling the heat, what with carrying so big—you’d think she’s expecting twins, but the doctor reckons it’s only the one.”
Maisie laughed as she stepped towards her desk and began leafing through the post. “As long as the baby doesn’t get ahead of itself while you’re down there, I’m sure it will do you all a power of good.”
“Nah, she’s not due until October, so we’ll be all right. Anyway, I’ll put the kettle on.”
Maisie shook her head. “Wait a moment—pull up a chair, Billy.”
“Everything all right, Miss?” Billy positioned a chair in front of Maisie’s desk and sat down.
Relaxing into her own chair, Maisie shook her head. “No, I don’t think it is.” She sighed. “You remember last week, when we noticed a man on the other side of the square, the one who seemed to be watching the building?”
“Shifty sort, if you ask me. Haven’t seen him since, though.”
“Oh, he’s been there—along with a few others who’ve been following me.”
“Following you, Miss? Why didn’t you say? I mean, you could have been—”
“I didn