In wordless accord, Toby and Diana turned their steps toward the children.
“How much longer—” Diana broke off as a long, wheezing whistle sounded. She looked toward the station, which was only a block away. “The train’s just pulling in.”
After confirming that, Toby drew out his watch and consulted it. “It’s almost eleven o’clock.”
The children had heard the long-awaited signal and came pelting up. “Can we go?” they chorused.
“We want to see the train,” Bryce said, earnestly adding, “If we go early enough, we might be able to see the engine.”
“That,” Toby stated, “will depend on what the train staff allow, but yes, let’s collect Helga and get back into the coach and go and see what we can see.”
The children cheered and raced ahead. After sharing a wry glance, still arm in arm, Toby and Diana walked quickly in their wake.
By the time they reached Helga, she’d packed up her mending, and Gunter was already on the coach’s box.
The children clambered into the coach. Toby helped Helga up, then handed Diana in. He was about to follow when a figure, glimpsed from the corner of his eye, made him pause.
Suddenly alert, features hardening, he looked across the lawn at a man in a dark calf-length coat. The man had his back to Toby and was strolling slowly in the opposite direction.
For one instant, Toby had thought the man was Heinrik Maier. Something about the way he walked… and by height and build, the man could be Heinrik, except that he had a lady on his arm. A lady in a topaz-colored coat with a matching feather in her hat.
Heinrik would never involve a woman in his missions, any more than Toby would, at least under normal circumstances.
His present circumstances were anything but normal, but like Toby, Heinrik never worked with a partner, much less a female.
The man couldn’t be Heinrik.
Toby shook off the irrational suspicion. He’d been expecting Heinrik to appear, so he was seeing him even when he wasn’t there.
He climbed into the carriage, took his seat beside Diana, and closed the door.
Gunter set the horses in motion. The children twisted in their seats, peering toward the station.
Diana caught Toby’s eyes and arched her brows.
He shook his head, then murmured, “I thought I saw someone I recognized, but I was wrong—it wasn’t him.”
* * *
They reached the station,and Toby helped Gunter pile the luggage on the pavement, then leaving Diana, the children, Bruno, and Helga making their farewells to the coachman, Toby summoned porters to load their bags on a cart and convey them to their carriage.
As the porters trundled the loaded cart toward the platform, Toby returned to his family in time to offer Gunter his hand, along with his sincere thanks. He’d already ensured that the coachman had sufficient funds for the return journey, and finally, Gunter climbed to his position on the box, saluted them, then flicked the reins, and the coach rumbled away.
“Come along.” With a conspiratorial glance at Diana, Toby gave the children and Helga no time to watch the last link with their past life vanish. “We need to catch up with our porters and find our carriage.”
The ensuing interval reminded him of herding goats. Despite the escalating bustle inside the station and the distracting shouts and unexpected noises, he managed to get their party to the gate and handed the official there their tickets.
They waited while the man, at whom the children were staring with rapt attention, inspected the vouchers. Satisfied, he clipped the slips and, with a smiling nod to the wide-eyed trio, returned the tickets to Toby. “The very last carriage, sir.”
He accepted the tickets with a smile. “Thank you.” He stepped back to usher Diana and Helga through the gate, then followed, only to discover the boys, with Bruno on his leash, heading determinedly toward the engine. After checking that Diana was holding Evelyn’s hand, Toby strode after the boys, his longer legs allowing him to quickly overtake them. He stepped around them, into their path, spread his arms, and turned them around. “Our carriage is the other way.”
Forced to retreat, the pair stared at him. “Can’t we go and see the engine?” Bryce asked.
“Perhaps later.” Toby made his tone firm. “First, we need to claim our compartments and stow away all our luggage.”
“Oh.” The pair sounded far less enthused about that, but dutifully trooped back along the platform to where Diana, Evelyn, and Helga had sensibly waited.
Gathering them all with a wide-armed gesture, Toby ushered them to the very last carriage—the second of two first-class sleeper carriages. The porters were waiting with their luggage nearby; Toby waved them to the door that stood open to the platform at the far end of their carriage.
