This Was Tomorrow by Elswyth Thane

Author:Elswyth Thane [Elswyth Thane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780719813337
Publisher: Robert Hale
Published: 2013-11-11T16:00:00+00:00

Victor had been having troubles of his own. Ribbentrop as the new German Ambassador to London was, in the English view, dropping brick after brick and not at all improving Anglo-German relations, except with a small pacifist cell of British society who were determined to get along with Nazi Germany at any cost. Closely questioned by his masters as to his own progress in cementing his connections. Victor had very little to his credit. His attempted explanations that his mother’s titled husband chose to live the life of a recluse on his country estates, and that as a consequence she was buried alive there herself, were met with suspicion and incredulity. Victor was accused of incompetence and advised to improve his time—to show results, beyond attendance at some crack-pot religious meetings with a noticeably pretty girl.

It was not, of course, a matter of gaining access to plans and formulas and fortifications—nothing so simple as the operetta form of espionage was in Victor’s assignment to England. He was merely to infiltrate, to watch, listen, and whenever possible to undermine—and report back to Berlin in endless detail. Therefore, his masters desired to know, How about his Influence, Where were his Followers, Why had he not acquired more Good Will in the right places, What about the supposed disaffection among the English, the general sub-rosa willingness to co-operate with Fascism, the—Franco had just coined the phrase in Spain—the British Fifth Column? Victor could point to the Mosley people, and the Anglo-German Fellowship people. Ribbentrop knew about them, and was that all? The interviews would end on an implication that at this rate Victor would never amount to anything in the S.S.

Hermione’s telephone call had caught him when his morale was down. She sensed his depression and, knowing Evadne’s weakness for lame dogs, she advised him to come and share his sorrows, whatever they were. No engagement was concluded between them, they merely agreed that he was to ring up later when Evadne was in and ask if he might come to tea, and then work on her sympathies. Anything, Hermione thought recklessly as she hung up, to distract Evadne’s mind from that entrancing Stephen on the crest of his own wave. Evadne could never resist trying to help someone. If Victor appealed to her on the grounds of having been snubbed for being German, or of dreading an end to his London post, he would recapture her attention. And Victor had certainly been snubbed right and left by the family…. Hermione sat with her hand on the telephone, after their rather hurried conversation. Yes—if Victor could be manoeuvred into another cold-shouldering by the family Evadne would fly to his defence and quarrel with them all, including Stephen …

It was at Hermione’s suggestion, therefore, when Victor came to tea, that they planned a weekend motor trip into the country, the three of them, if the fine weather held—on the grounds that they were all a bit stale and needed a holiday. They could stop

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