She looked at the children, then quietly rose and walked to him.
Toby retreated and opened the corridor door. He looked out, confirming there was no one lingering in the corridor, then stepped out and held the door for Diana to join him.
After closing the door behind her, he waved her to the very end of the carriage. He followed and, when she stopped beside the door that opened to the platforms, stepped past her, turned, and leant against the panel that formed the rear wall of the carriage. From that position, he could see anyone approaching along the presently empty corridor.
As it happened, their positions were the same as they had been during their exchange the previous night, but weighed down by the exigencies of their situation, he had no difficulty ignoring any echoes, and judging by the concerned look in Diana’s eyes, the last thing she was thinking about was that kiss.
In a quiet, even tone, he said, “There’ve been several developments.”
Her eyes widened. “Since breakfast?”
He nodded. “The first issue we need to consider is what I think Heinrik has planned. He and Eva caught up with us in Udine, and he’s admitted he sent a telegram to his headquarters from there. According to him, his report mentioned that you and I were taking the train, but I would bet my last pound that wasn’t all it said. Heinrik wouldn’t be Heinrik if he hasn’t arranged for us to be arrested by the local police in Milan—a diplomatic request from the Austrian government. Once we—all of us—are in the police cells, Heinrik will offer to have us released if I hand over the dispatches.”
Meeting Diana’s eyes, Toby saw nothing but calm understanding. “That’s how an agent of Heinrik’s caliber works. He uses the levers available to him.”
She nodded. “All right. So we need to leave the train before Milan.”
“Yes, definitely, but that’s not the sum of our problems. Courtesy of a traitor at Heinrik’s headquarters, the Germans were informed of our whereabouts, and the Prussian pair have been alerted, and they managed to join the train at Verona.”
“They’re on board?” When he grimly nodded, she murmured, “That’s… not encouraging.”
“No, it’s not.”
She searched his eyes. “What do you think they’ll do?”
“Whatever it is, I don’t plan on us being around to find out.”
Her expression made it clear she was entirely as one with him on that. “So what’s our plan?”
He held her gaze. “I’m standing beside the one exit from the train that no one else can see.” With his head, he indicated the door to his left that would connect to the next carriage, but as this was the last carriage, the window in it framed a vista of rails scrolling away behind the train. “We’re going to use this door to surreptitiously leave the train at Bergamo.”
Envisioning the action, he paused, then went on, “The next stop is Brescia, but that’s brief and of no real use to us anyway. Then comes Bergamo, but the train doesn’t stop there for long, either. Fifteen minutes at most.”
“So we’ll need to be ready, but we have a little time to prepare.”
“Yes. We’ll need to quietly leave the compartment with our luggage and get down the steps with as little noise as possible, then wait on the tracks at the rear of the train until the train pulls out of the station. Then we climb up to the platform and continue our journey by other means.”
She studied his face. “What other means and via what route?”
“I’m still working that out. We can discuss our options once we’re safely off the train and have lost our pursuers.”
She considered that, then nodded. She stepped past him, went to the rear door, and tried the knob. “It’s locked.” She glanced at him.
He smiled. “Don’t worry—it’ll be open when we need it to be.”
“So.” She faced him. “How are we going to manage this—children, luggage, dog, and all?”
Giving thanks for her unflappable, level-headed, and pragmatic nature, no doubt forged through her experiences in her father’s practice, Toby joined her in devising a series of actions that would allow them to have the children, dog, luggage, Helga, and themselves ready to quit the train when it pulled into Bergamo station.
As he followed her back to their adjoining compartments to start putting their plan into place, he inwardly acknowledged that while, on the one hand, working with someone else felt odd, on the other hand, it was strangely satisfying and reassuring.
He’d always seen himself as a lone wolf, but in this case, given the children’s presence, he was increasingly glad he had someone else with whom to share the responsibility.
He was also increasingly—and definitely ironically—glad that Diana Locke was a calm, composed, organizing sort of female, one with a steely will.
* * *
As they hadto avoid the notice of the guard pacing on the platform beyond the open side door, close by the rear door through which they needed to exit, their unorthodox disembarkation from the train had to be accomplished not only in silence but also with nail-biting precision.
