Love and Triumph: The Coltrane Saga, Book 8 (8 page)

“Wonderful idea!” she scoffed. “It’s mad! You are mad. We’ll go to prison if we’re caught! Kidnapping is a crime, you fool!”

“Don’t call me a fool!” he warned, then turned away, cursing himself for having had to tell her. It had damn well not been
his
idea to do so, but Hanisch said she had a right to know what was going on, especially since Cord Brandt had been placed in charge of the actual abduction.

Elenore drunkenly whimpered, “I don’t want Cordell to go to jail!” She liked to refer to him by his proper name because it seemed more possessive somehow, more like he was
hers
.
“And he will if you’re caught. We
all
will! The Coltranes are important people. Do you really think they’ll just pay the ransom and forget about it? They’ll track all of us down, hire however many people it takes to do it. I won’t do it! I will not be a part of this insanity.”

Rudolf, disgusted, pointed out, “You don’t have to do anything, you stupid girl. Just keep your mouth shut when it happens. And who’s to know
we
were involved? That’s the beauty of the plan. We are not implicated in any way. It will all appear to be part of the Bolsheviks’ hatred of the Romanovs. And…” he added in an ominous tone, “Cord will be very disappointed in you if you don’t cooperate.”

Slowly, she raised her head to look at him with fearful eyes.

“Yes, he’ll be
very
disappointed, and angry, too,” he repeated, seeing that he’d hit on his only weapon. “You, of all people, should know how dedicated he is to the cause, and if you don’t help us—and help
him
—no doubt he’ll decide you aren’t his kind. After all, a man needs a woman who shares his ideals…believes in the same things he does.”

She pondered that for a moment, then derisively challenged, “Oh, is that so? Well, what about you, brother, dear? If you succeed in getting Marilee to marry you, I don’t think you can expect her to share
your
ideals.”

“Once she’s my wife, she’ll think like I tell her to think, and you know it.”

Yes, Elenore knew Rudolf would expect that in a wife. Whether Marilee acquiesced remained to be seen.

“And we aren’t talking about me,” Rudolf reminded her. “We are talking about you and whether or not you will cooperate. You know,” he continued, pointing an accusing finger, “this is one of the reasons I objected to your getting involved with the Zealots, because all you were ever interested in was finding a man. You think you’ve found one in Cord, but you just might get fooled when he finds out what a little coward you are.”

He walked toward the door but then hesitated and turned slowly, tapping his finger to his chin thoughtfully, the play of a smile on his lips. “You know, of course, that if you betray us, if you do anything to jeopardize the plan, I can’t guarantee your safety. The Zealots will want to rip your heart out, and I won’t be able to do a thing to stop them.

“I wouldn’t even try,” he added, no longer suppressing his grin.

Elenore’s lower lip began to tremble. “Damn you,” she whispered. “Damn you to hell, Rudolf. You know I have to go along with what you want.”

“I really don’t see why you’re so upset. No one is asking you to do anything except stay out of the way.”

“All right, but not because I’m afraid of you, or
them
.
I just don’t want to lose Cord.”

Rudolf was not about to say so, but he had doubts as to whether she even had Brandt to lose him. As far as he knew, no commitment had ever been made, and the enigmatic German never mentioned his sister around him.

“Just how soon will it happen after they get here?” she wanted to know.

‘‘I’m not sure.”

“Well,” she asked impatiently, “what happens when it does?”

Rudolf was losing patience. “Oh, for heaven’s sake! Stop asking so many questions. The less you know, the better.”

But Elenore was not to be put off. “If I’m to be involved in something that could get me sent to prison, I’m going to know everything that’s going on.”

“Will you just stop worrying about it till the time comes?” Rudolf emitted a weary sigh, reached to open the thick iron door. “We’ve got several weeks to finalize the plans. Stop worrying.”

“Have you told Mother?”

Another sigh. “Told her what? That one of our houseguests is going to be kidnapped by the Bolsheviks? No, you little fool. Ye gods, I wish I could have convinced them to keep you out of this. You’re such a little nitwit.”

“You’re the nitwit around here if you think I’m that naive, Rudolf. I’m asking if you’ve told Mother that Marilee’s aunt is a Romanov.”

He shook his head. “No, and I’m not going to. We’ve got to keep the conversation away from that subject. She got so upset when I told her Marilee was coming that I don’t dare mention anything that will really send her into a rage.”

“Is she going to be nice to them?”

“Of course. She can’t afford not to, because she now thinks I’m so much in love with Marilee that if she doesn’t accept her as my future wife, she’ll alienate me forever.” He winked. “I’m not like
you
, Elenore.
I
can think for myself.”

“Oh, really?” She laughed derisively. “And what will happen when Marilee finds out her aunt has been kidnapped? Are you a good enough actor to pretend you had nothing to do with it?”

“That’s the least of my worries,” he retorted with a laugh of his own, “because if all goes according to plan, we’ll be on our honeymoon when it happens, and she’ll have no reason to think I had anything to do with it.”

“Honeymoon? She hasn’t even said she’d marry you.”

“I have to leave now. I’ve wasted enough time with you.” He took out his pocket watch, checked the time. “The train arrives in an hour. I have to pick up flowers, a few gifts. Make sure tea is ready when we get back, and make sure Mother is dressed—and
sober
.”

She started to call after him, knew it was no use.

Rudolf hurried on his way, down the narrow, dimly lit corridor with its damp, sour smell and dusty cobwebs draped everywhere. A rat scurried in the shadows. He paid no attention, lost in his thoughts.

Stupid, stupid Elenore!

Was she actually so ignorant as to think he would be anywhere around when Jade Coltrane was abducted?

He smiled to himself in triumph. Marilee would be quite anxious to marry him—after he seduced her!

Oh, yes, he silently gloated, the prim and virginal Marilee Mikhailonov would race to the altar in an attempt to restore her virtue.

Of course, it would be a small, informal ceremony, what with the war and all. No one would question it. Afterward, they would leave on their wedding trip, and that very night the kidnapping would take place. By the time they returned, matters would be settled, and no one would ever suspect he had anything to do with it.

Back upstairs, he took one last look at the rooms that had been prepared.

Jade Coltrane’s was on the first floor, conveniently near the door to the cellar. She would be told it was the nicest accommodation available due to the castle being refurbished, which activity, of course, had been temporarily stopped during their visit so as not to cause unnecessary noise and inconvenience.

Their rooms were nice, he mused proudly, thanks to the wife of one of the Zealots. She worked in a fine antiques shop and had arranged for the loan of splendid furniture.

Marilee would be in the suite near his, convenient for his planned seduction.

He went to his room to check his appearance, and was about to leave when his mother called out to him.

“I suppose you’re going to meet them.”

He took a deep breath, turned to look at her standing in the doorway of her eternally shadowed room.

“Yes, Mother. As I told you earlier, they arrive today, and we’ll be back in time for tea this afternoon.”

His gaze swept over her scornfully. She was still wearing her robe, a wretched, faded piece. “I thought you promised you would get dressed, let Elenore do your hair, air your room out, for God’s sake…” His voice rose irritably.

“So help me, if I bring my fiancée back here to this…” His voice trailed off, and he waved his arms in a gesture of disgust.

He could tell she had been drinking again, and he thought once more how her weakness and inability to face life only served to reaffirm his belief in socialism. Like so many others, his mother had to have the status of imperialism, and when it was lost, her life no longer had meaning.

God help him if
he
should ever be so inferior.

Amalia swayed slightly as she whined, “There are strangers in and out of my home all day. Who are they? They won’t talk to me when I ask them.”

He smiled. “What strangers, Mother? The new maid? The new cook? The new butler? I’ve told you, but your memory isn’t so good these days. They’re friends of mine, doing me a favor so we can make a good impression on Marilee and her aunt, and you aren’t to bother them. They have their orders. They know what they’re to do. Just stay out of their way.”

She lifted her chin indignantly. “It doesn’t seem right. You even ran Vincent off.”

Because he was big and could prove formidable
, Rudolf grimly reflected.

Breezily, he said, “Oh, Vincent was ready to move on to another job. And you have Ulda,” he reminded her. Ulda had been Ilsa’s housekeeper, and she was old and harmless.

He crossed to give his mother a patronizing kiss on her cheek, not wanting her riled today of all days. “Now remember what I told you, Mother. I love Marilee, and I want to marry her. I’m depending on you to help me make a good impression.”

Amalia bit back the resentment and anger that were like raw bile burning in her throat, but could not resist the usual harsh reminder. “You promised your music would always come first. You take a wife, you can forget your dream…and mine.”

“Mother, Mother, Mother! How many times do I have to tell you? Marilee will complement my career. With
two
good women behind me—my wife
and
my mother—how can I fail?”

He hurried on his way, and Amalia grudgingly stared after him. She had already made up her mind she did not like this husband-hungry girl who was chasing her son, but she had no intention of losing Rudolf’s love, alienating him for all time. If Marilee Mikhailonov was what he wanted, then she would have to accept it, like it or not.

She turned and went back into her room to pour herself another cup of vodka, which could help to ease the frustrations that seemed to consume her every waking hour these days.

Chapter Ten

Rudolf took one last polishing swipe with his handkerchief across the gleaming red hood of the Fiat Zero. With a white top, lots of brass trim, and red spoke wheels, he decided it was impressive enough. No matter that it was probably stolen and also nearly three years old. He had neither asked questions nor criticized when Hanisch Lutzstein and the others had so proudly presented him with the Italian roadster. It was expected that he meet his guests at the train station in, supposedly, his own automobile. But he could not help wondering if his comrades would have gone to so much trouble if only Marilee were expected.

He picked up the two bouquets of flowers lying on the black leather front seat. Red roses for Marilee, white for
Frau
Coltrane, provided by one of the Zealots who worked in a floral shop. There was also an expensive bottle of French perfume and a dainty gold bracelet—deftly shoplifted by Hanish’s wife, Gerda.

“The train from Zug just pulled in,” Hanisch called as he came down the marble steps of the
haupt-bahnhof
—the Central Station. Dressed in a red-and-gold chauffeur’s uniform, he looked quite professional. “I’ll wait at the baggage area for you to bring them to claim their trunks.”

Rudolf spotted a conductor helping Jade down to the platform. Marilee was behind her. He waved, called to them, hurriedly pushed his way through the crowd.

Marilee, stunning in a gold velvet traveling suit trimmed in mink, greeted him with a cordial smile. She lifted her cheek for his kiss, reached to accept his offered bouquet.

He caressed her fingertips, his gaze adoring, devouring, as he fervently murmured in recitation, “‘If love where what the rose is…and I were like the leaf.…our lives would grow together…in sad or singing weather…’”

Marilee’s smile remained fixed. “You’ve been reading Swinburne, Rudolf. That was lovely, thank you.”

Jade looked on approvingly, reaffirming her opinion that Rudolf was the epitome of good breeding, background, class. Her eyes met Marilee’s, and she could not help giving a nod of consent.

Rudolf presented the white roses to Jade, then began to lead the way back toward the terminal building.

Jade held up a hand. “We have to wait for Carasia and Manuel. They were traveling in a coach car.”

Rudolf felt a sudden stab of foreboding. “Carasia and Manuel?” he echoed. “Who—”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Didn’t Marilee tell you? Carasia is my maid. She goes everywhere with me. And Colt insisted a bodyguard come along.”

Rudolf felt the nerves in his jaw tighten. No, Marilee had not told him, he thought angrily. A maid and a bodyguard were the last things he needed around.

Jade noticed the strange way he was reacting and gently asked, “Is there a problem?”