Lord of the Silent - Elizabeth Peters [8]
It was deliberate aggravation, at which Emerson excels; but when Mr. Smith’s lips curled in a sneer—an expression for which they were well-suited—Emerson abandoned irony for blunt and passionate speech.
“This war has been a monumental blunder from the start! Britain is not solely responsible, but by God, gentlemen, she must share the blame, and she will pay a heavy price: the best of her young men, future scholars and scientists and statesmen, and ordinary, decent men who might have led ordinary, decent lives. And how will it end, when you tire of your game of soldiers? A few boundaries redrawn, a few transitory political advantages, in exchange for an entire continent laid waste and a million graves! What I do may be of minor importance in the total accumulation of knowledge, but at least I don’t have blood on my hands.” He drew a long breath and, having expressed his feelings to his satisfaction, went on in a calmer voice. “Well, that’s settled. Good night, gentlemen. Thank you for a most entertaining evening.”
We emerged from the civilized luxury of the house into bedlam. I had been vaguely aware of sounds from outside the thick walls and heavily curtained windows, but had been too preoccupied to pay much attention. They were clearly audible now—loud popping sounds, like a series of corks being removed from champagne bottles. The sky overhead was patterned with moving strips of light.
“Dear me,” I said, drawing my evening wrap closer around my throat. “It appears to be an air raid. That must have been what Lord Salisbury was trying to tell us. Perhaps we ought to have listened to him instead of rushing away.”
“Do you want to take cover?” Emerson inquired. “There is a tube station down the street.”
“What would be the point of that? Bombs fall at random. I want to go home.”
In the lull between the guns I heard another sound—a distant humming. “Look,” Nefret whispered. “Up there.”
They looked very pretty and harmless, floating like great silvery fish in a sea of black. The searchlights stabbed at them, and another series of explosions rattled the air.
“Those aren’t bombs, they are our guns,” Ramses said. “From the batteries in Hyde Park. Father, will you allow me to drive? I hope you won’t mind my suggesting that my night vision—”
“This is no time for courteous debate,” I exclaimed. “Where is the motorcar? Ramses, you drive.”
Emerson took my arm. “Yes, we may as well go on. There are only three of the confounded things and they seem to be well north of here. Once the Germans start getting their aeroplanes across in force it will be a different matter.”
“Emerson, will you please stop making pessimistic remarks and hurry?”
The sky over the East End was red with reflected flames. They were aiming at the docks, and hitting them too, if I was any judge. I couldn’t take my eyes off those pretty silvery shapes. Why the devil couldn’t our guns bring them down? Guns in Hyde Park and on the Embankment . . . What would be next, aerial duels over Buckingham Palace? Inside my gloves my palms were sticky with perspiration. I despised myself for cowardice, but this was my first air raid and I hated it—not only the feeling of helplessness, but the remoteness of the business. If someone is going to kill me I want him to take a personal interest.
Ramses drove with what seemed to me excessive slowness—until he came to a sudden stop just in time to avoid a dark form that wandered out into the roadway directly in front of him.
“Drunk,” he said, as the individual proceeded on his wavering path.
“It takes some people that way,” Emerson remarked. He turned, his arm over the back of the seat. “Sorry you didn’t have that port, Peabody?”
“No. But I will be ready for a stiff whiskey and soda when we get home.”
“So will we all. Cheer up, my love, it’s almost over. They can’t keep this up all night.”
I could no longer see the zeppelins and the guns were not sounding so often. I couldn’t tell where we were; Ramses had taken a roundabout path. The neighborhood seemed to be one of small shops and warehouses. I was beginning to relax when