Page 5 of The Amsterdam Enigma (The Continental Capers of Melody Chesterton #3)

T here was only so long Rat could delay the walk back to Melody’s room.

He was tempted to continue to his room and ignore his sister’s demand, but that would not only postpone the inevitable; it would also provoke her temper even further.

Rat wasn’t certain what precisely to make of Melody’s anger, but he sensed she was unhappy about being left in the dark regarding their purpose in Amsterdam.

Rat’s initial inclination was to share the details of his mission with his sister.

However, Alessandro indicated he shouldn’t disclose anything for the time being.

Of course, he hadn’t witnessed all that Melody was capable of in Morocco.

All that Alessandro knew was that she was involved in helping to free him.

Though, perhaps he did realise more than that.

After all, he’d been informed how Melody and Captain Somerset tracked and rescued Rat from Alister Blackadder.

Still, Rat knew Alessandro regarded Melody’s role in this story as somewhat exaggerated and was inclined to believe that Somerset had been the true hero, with Melody merely insisting on tagging along.

Rat knew that wasn’t true and had attempted to stand up for his sister, though he wasn’t convinced he had been believed.

Melody might have been surprised to learn that Rat didn’t understand Fatima’s true role any more than she did.

It was clear that Alessandro not only had a romantic history with the woman, but also some sort of professional connection through his work with the British Secret Service Bureau.

However, what that history entailed, and more importantly, what exactly Fatima’s current role was, were matters Rat had been reluctant to discuss with either Alessandro or the woman herself.

What Rat did know was that, whatever Fatima’s role, it rubbed salt into the wound that she was trusted where Melody wasn’t. He didn’t blame his sister for being upset by this; Rat just wished she wouldn’t take it out on him.

Taking a deep breath and preparing himself for a difficult conversation, Rat knocked on Melody’s door.

She answered, said nothing, but stepped aside to let him enter.

Rat glanced around the luxurious suite, hoping to see Mary.

Melody’s companion was usually a voice of reason and very adept at managing her charge’s temper.

Unfortunately, Mary was nowhere to be found, and it seemed Rat would not be saved.

Rat accepted his fate and took a seat facing his sister, who was in a state of high dudgeon that Granny, the Dowager Countess of Pembroke, would have been proud of.

As resigned as Rat was to the conversation, he would not throw himself into the lion’s den voluntarily.

Instead, he sat silently, waiting to hear what he was to be accused of.

Now that her brother was in her sights, Melody paused before berating him.

What did she want to focus on? There was so much fuelling her anger, even the overly perky Miss Edwards.

However, Melody realised the irrationality of this irritation, or at least that mentioning Rat’s companion would dilute the power of her indignation.

Admitting that she had followed Alessandro and now realised that no one had bothered to inform her he was sharing accommodations with Fatima was also not the strongest card she had to play.

Instead, Melody chose to focus on the issue where she believed there was both the strongest reason for her ire and, perhaps more importantly, the best argument against what was currently happening.

“Why am I being kept in the dark about the mission you and Alessandro are involved with in Amsterdam?”

While Rat anticipated some version of that question, he wasn’t expecting such directness. Of course, if he’d known all the other things that were fuelling Melody’s anger, he might have better understood .

Now it was Rat’s turn to pause as he considered the most effective way to put his sister off. Unfortunately for him, this pause inflamed Melody, as she correctly deduced that what he was looking for was a way to evade her question.

“Rat! I deserve better than to be kept in the dark. You know I do. I proved myself in Venice and Morocco; you cannot deny that. I did not wish to press this point, but without my help, what would have become of you and Mr Rothnie?” Melody felt awful, reminding Rat of such a humiliating memory for him, yet he left her no choice.

Now that she’d started down this path, Melody realised she needed to press on with even more determination. “I have earned the right to be informed, to be involved. Can you say otherwise?”

Rat sighed. Given that this conversation had been as certain as night followed day, he really should have given his answer more consideration.

Because he hadn’t considered it until that point, Rat said the first thing that came to mind. “We don’t have sufficient intelligence at this point for involving you to make sense, Melody.”

Hearing this, Melody wished she were standing, as the perfect gesture to respond to her brother’s absurdity would have been to place her hands on her hips in an indignant pose.

However, since she was sitting, she resigned herself to employing a smaller range of gestures to convey the outrageousness of his reply, simply raising her eyebrows as high as they would go.

“You cannot possibly believe that is an acceptable answer?” she stated in a tone that made clear just how unacceptable it was. Not waiting for a response, Melody continued, “Did Alessandro wait to have more intelligence before briefing you?”

“Don’t be absurd, Melly. Of course he didn’t. He and I are equals in our investigative activities.”

As soon as he spoke these words, Rat realised what a terrible mistake he’d made. At this point, Melody stood and glared at him. Rat’s first thought was how proud the dowager would be of what her years of training had produced; Melody, in full righteous wrath, was a sight to behold.

Then, in a tone so cold Rat almost shuddered in response, she said, “Matthew, did you ever witness Wolfie treating Tabby Cat as anything but his equal? Yet, here we are in a new century, and still, you and Alessandro continue to behave as if this investigation is a men-only club.”

Rat wasn’t sure that Melody had ever used his given name before, and hearing it was perhaps the most shocking part of this conversation.

So shocking, in fact, that he was compelled to consider her question seriously: did he treat her as anything less than his equal?

Maybe. However, if he did, it was based purely on the indisputable facts of their situation; he and Alessandro were employees of Britain’s Secret Service Bureau, while Melody was not.

Perhaps that would have been the safest answer to give.

While Rat had given Lord Langley a fairly accurate representation of the missions in Venice and Morocco, he’d been circumspect about Melody’s role.

More than anything, this was because of Langley’s original insistence that the young woman not be involved in Rat’s work.

Initially, when Rat’s trip to Europe was being arranged as a cover for his intelligence work, Lord Langley was reluctant to put Melody in any potential danger .

He had needed to be persuaded by the dowager of the merits of the trip for the young woman.

Even then, Rat recognised his guardian was concerned about Melody’s safety.

Since then, Rat believed he couldn’t completely neglect to mention his sister’s role in his missions.

However, while Lord Langley now knew that Melody had been involved, the extent of her role was something Rat had been vague about.

Of course, it had turned out that Langley hadn’t even known that Alessandro had been assigned as a secret handler to monitor Rat’s activities, and Rat did not believe he possessed the authorisation to disclose this information.

Given this, there was always only so much Rat could discuss, even in his highly encrypted letters and telegrams back to his mentor.

If Lord Langley couldn’t be informed about Melody’s involvement, Rat wasn’t certain who else could be. If Alessandro believed he was compelled to report it to his superiors, he mentioned nothing about it.

As these thoughts raced through Rat’s mind, he realised that using this as an excuse was disingenuous; while it was part of what he meant, it wasn’t everything, and Melody was too astute to believe otherwise.

Finally, Rat decided to navigate a challenging course between fact and feeling. “Melody, there is no doubt of your contribution to the work Alessandro and I have undertaken in Venice and Morocco. I have nothing but admiration for your intelligence, observational skills, and bravery.”

It was evident that Melody was about to interject, but Rat raised his hand.

“Let me continue. However, it is an indisputable fact that Alessandro and I have been trained for this work.” In truth, while Rat had been preparing for the work, or at least aspects of it, since childhood, he possessed no knowledge of what training Alessandro had received.

He also suspected that Melody possessed no clearer idea either, and so he took a chance by stating this.

“This isn’t a game, Melody. As much as I realise you crave involvement, the work we are doing may be a key factor in determining if Britain ends up at war with Germany and, if it does, who wins. You must see that there are larger forces at work than your hurt pride at being excluded.”

Whatever excuse Melody expected her brother to give, this was the one that had been creeping around the edges of her conscience even as her indignation grew; was she being immature and unreasonable in failing to realise that these missions were far more than opportunities for adventure and daring?

She had tried to push such thoughts aside in favour of her certainty that she was being unfairly ignored.

Now, Rat’s words took the wind out of Melody’s sails. She sat back down and replied in a far calmer voice, “I do realise that, Rat. I really do. But don’t you see that I could help you, have helped you, and should be given the opportunity to do so again?”

Rat acknowledged the truth of her words.

“Melody, we don’t even know what we are dealing with.

” Then, deciding there was nothing to be lost by the admission, he added, “I have been waiting in a cafe for three days for an informant to make contact. We have been communicating via classified advertisements in the newspaper. Until he turns up, I am not even sure what I am supposed to do. I’ve sat there at two o’clock each day as requested, yet no one appeared. ”

At these words, Melody remembered the note left by Alessandro. She stood up to retrieve it from where she had angrily thrown it upon entering the room earlier. “The desk clerk gave me this message that was left for you.” She omitted to mention that she was aware Alessandro had left it.

Rat took the note and opened it. As his words appeared to be innocuous, Alessandro hadn’t bothered to seal the envelope. The note read, “Our favourite artist has died. I will be holding a memorial for him tonight at 7 p.m. I am sure it would mean a lot to him if you were to attend.”

“Did you read this?” Rat asked. Melody didn’t deny it and nodded.

“What does it mean? Who is your favourite artist?”

“It is a note from Alessandro. It appears that the man I have been waiting for at the cafe for three days has turned up dead.”

“And the memorial?” Melody asked.

“I am to meet Alessandro where he is staying,” Rat admitted.

“Will you take me with you?” Melody almost demanded this, but at the last moment, chose to soften her tone. It worked.

“It is about a twenty-minute walk, so be ready to leave just after half-past six,” Rat said as he rose to leave.

As Melody watched Rat leave, she experienced a disconcerting jumble of emotions.

She was glad he was willing to open up about the mission and to take her to meet Alessandro.

However, Melody also experienced some guilt; there was no denying that she had manipulated the situation to leave Rat little choice.

Her brother’s words rang in her ears: “You must see that there are larger forces at work than your hurt pride at being excluded.”

Well, she would simply have to ensure that her contributions were meaningful and served that larger cause.

Of course, it was easy enough to tell herself this with a measure of bravado.

However, Melody still couldn’t shake the feeling that she had been petulant and childish, putting her beloved brother in an impossible situation.