The following day, Louisa returned to the London School of Stenography. A part of her hoped she’d somehow been mistaken about what Iain had been asking her to do, or even that she’d dreamed him up entirely. Then she could tell the Mitfords she wouldn’t be travelling with them after all, and she could resume her normal life. Uneventful and safe. Guy was a policeman, that was enough drama for anyone.
Yet when she pushed open the door of Gerry’s Café at lunchtime, she was strangely relieved to see Iain sitting there. He gave her the briefest of glances she understood to mean she should sit at a separate table. Thankfully, she had put her class friends off again. She knew they were beginning to think her offish, but she reasoned she’d be able to explain eventually. After she had ordered her usual from Kay, keeping her eyes away from the ubiquitous filthy rag tucked into the waistband of the waitress’s apron, Iain stood up and Louisa saw he’d left the coins on the table to pay his bill. He put his hat on and walked towards the door, dropping a piece of folded paper onto her table as he walked past. Louisa quickly took it and opened it on her lap. No one was looking at her, but she felt nerves flutter in her stomach. All it said was: Hammersmith Bridge, 5 p.m.
Louisa tore the paper up into several pieces and put them into an almost empty coffee cup, where they quickly absorbed the remaining liquid. There was an insouciance to the way Iain simply assumed she would be available at that time that should have infuriated her. Supposing she had made other plans? But he knew she would cancel anything. The fact that she had returned his glance and gone to sit at another table, then passively waited and accepted his note meant she had already let him know that she was signed up to whatever he asked of her. It was arrogant and thrilling.
At five o’clock, Louisa was on Hammersmith Bridge, looking out over the river. It was a view that never failed to prompt her love of London. Though she had been entranced by the beauty of the countryside when she had first gone to work for the Mitfords, it was the vast anonymous scape of the city, and the river that wound through it, that lashed itself around her heart. The sun was not yet sinking but shone warm on her face, the deepening yellows a reminder of the summer that was not too far away now. She was on high alert, feeling like a cat on a brick wall, waiting for the mouse to come – or was it the other way around? – when she sensed Iain standing beside her.
‘Well done, Mrs Sullivan,’ he said. ‘You have already pleased us.’
‘I wasn’t trying to please you,’ Louisa replied. ‘I was merely carrying out what appeared to be orders.’
‘Even better.’
There was a brief silence while Iain seemed to take in the view and they both watched a narrowboat pass out from under the bridge. A woman sat on the deck and looked up at them. She waved, but neither of them waved back and Iain turned around.
‘What do you know so far?’ he asked.
Louisa told him of the travel plans, the time they would be departing and what she had been told of the route.
‘That aligns with the information I have,’ he said with satisfaction.
‘How do I know you are who you say you are?’
‘You don’t,’ said Iain equably. ‘Truthfully, I’m not.’
‘What?’
‘Iain is not my real name. But that doesn’t need to concern you. You’ll simply have to take this on trust. All you need to know is that these orders come from the British government. We’re a small department but a vital one, and I expect we’ll grow in size. There will be further opportunities for ambitious women such as yourself. Our man at the top is particularly keen on women agents.’
‘Why?’ Louisa was intrigued by the phrase ‘our man at the top’. Who was that? The prime minister? The King?
Iain curled his top lip. ‘Who knows? Thinks they’re more reliable, sharper. I suggest you prove him right.’
‘How will I contact you?’
‘You won’t need to do so often, but I’ll give you an address to which you can send a telegram, if absolutely necessary. If we need to get hold of you on the ship while it’s at sea, we’ll find a way to do it. It’s not dangerous work. We simply need you to keep an eye on Mrs Guinness and her sister, then report back on your return. Mosley is a person of interest, as are the people close to him. We want to know what connections he’s making in Europe. It will probably all come to nothing, and that will be to the good, frankly. He’s a loathsome man with no commitment to any political ideas other than the ones that he thinks will put him into power.’
‘Will he get into power?’
‘I doubt it. Mosley’s an anti-Bolshie, he’s got that going for him, as do all the fascists. But he could feed Hitler’s chances of success and we don’t want dictators in Europe, especially not in Germany.’ He took out a cigarette but didn’t offer her one. ‘You don’t need all this detail. Keep an eye on those women and let me know if you see anything that raises your suspicions.’
‘This whole conversation is suspicious, if you ask me.’ Louisa tried a joking tone, but Iain didn’t smile. He only lit his Player’s and walked off, leaving her to watch his retreating back and the traffic as it poured over the bridge away from her.