Arnold Drive by Hugh Cornwell

Author:Hugh Cornwell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Novel
ISBN: 9781783520534
Publisher: Unbound
Published: 2014-09-04T14:42:15+00:00

Chapter 24

Frau Hoeppell reappeared carrying a tray of tea things with two china cups and saucers. Whilst she served him she kept stopping and staring at him as if he were an exhibit at a museum, and he began to fidget in his chair. She apologised:

‘Entschuldigen. Please forgive me. But you must have no idea, ja? That we are related.’

On saying this she sat down opposite him and watched as his face filled with confusion. She continued:

‘You are my nephew. I was married to your Uncle Red.’

‘What … you mean Reginald Edward?’

‘Yes, that’s right. But we always called him Red. You know, from his initials. And his red hair.’

Arnold began to sense the world falling about his ears and exclaimed:

‘But I thought you were the buyer of the music box at the auction?’

‘Yes! That too. Let me explain. This is ein big surprise for me too. But I can tell you everything.’

She took a sip or two of her tea – which he noticed she took the ‘Russian’ way, black with a squeeze of lemon juice – then carefully placed it back on its saucer on the table between them and settled into her chair to begin:

‘Did you know that your uncle became a prisoner of war in Germany? He was captured at Le Cateau after Mons in September 1914 and kept in a camp in northern Germany near Gottingen. It was one of the first to be established in the Great War. His bright red hair meant he was very noticeable, and the commandant of the camp, Klaus Borringer, discovered he was a keen chess player, like himself. So they started to play chess together and got to liking one another. You know, Red was a charming man, and Borringer could speak fluent English. He was from a wealthy family that owned several factories around Germany that made knopf… how do you call them, buttons? Red learnt a lot of German from Borringer, and at the end of the war Borringer offered Red a job as his chauffeur. Well, Red had no wife or children to go back to in England, so he decided to take the job and stay in Germany. It was a simple formality for such a well-connected man as Borringer to arrange this for his English friend.’

She stopped to take another sip of her tea before continuing:

‘Borringer was married but with no children at the time, and the family lived outside Gottingen in a large fine house. Red became Borringer’s valet, and, when he wasn’t driving him to and from the factories, he would cook, wash the clothes and generally help in the house. This was when I met him. Borringer’s wife had twins in 1926 and needed immediate help and I applied for the job. My family lived close by in a village called Klein Lengden. I was barely fourteen and, how do you say, never been kissed? I got the job and moved in to be the assistant of Red. He taught me

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