World War Two Will Not Take Place (28 page)

‘Toulmin – that's the name of an ancient clockmaker, isn't it?' a sailor said. ‘Is that his trade?'

‘Not quite,' Mount said. ‘We'll have to find him some other kind of job in Britain.' He and Toulmin climbed into the conning tower and went down into the vessel. She began to move. A bell sounded. The order came to dive.

FOURTEEN

‘
I
am speaking to you today from Buckingham Palace. It is my final broadcast to you as your king. These have been a turbulent two years. I had thought at the end of 1936 that the worst of those difficulties had passed, and that the country had finally accepted me and my dear wife, as she now is. The public enthusiasm for my coronation last year and for our wedding seemed to confirm this.

‘But I now see this is not so. Certain very considerable differences continue between my people and me. Foremost among these is my wish to secure lasting goodwill with Germany. I hoped to dispel an enmity which began nearly twenty-five years ago. This wish I now know is not shared by the people of Britain. It is a barrier between you and me. In these circumstances it would be perverse of me to continue as your monarch. I shall therefore abdicate forthwith, and my wife and I will leave this country. My dear brother, Albert Frederick Arthur George, formerly Duke of York, assumes the kingship. He will be a new king for this coming new year, 1939, and many years that follow, using the title George VI, in honour of our late father, George V. God bless you all.'

FIFTEEN

B
ack in the Section, Mount said: ‘Did you two have anything to do with that Milford Haven episode? Those two – Mair and Schiff – they were trying to dig dirt about Lionel Paterin, weren't they?'

‘A strange business, wasn't it?' Baillie said.

‘And with quite considerable consequences,' Fallows said.

‘Yes,' Mount said, ‘but—'

‘It's the kind of situation you might have feared when you were in Germany, Marcus,' Baillie said. ‘I mean, that a spy imbroglio would tear to bits relations between Germany and this country. But it has happened in reverse, hasn't it? The spy mess-up is here in Britain, and it has badly darkened our relations with Germany. No visit.'

‘Perhaps,' Mount said, ‘but how did—?'

‘I'm pretty sure SB wants a chat with you urgently,' Baillie said.

And when Mount and Bilson talked, facing each other from armchairs in SB's suite, he said: ‘A good operation over there, Marcus.' And he did look cheery. ‘Also, we have developments here as well, of course. On two counts now, the state visit is obviously impossible. First, the German security apparatus is in a mess after that Knecht scandal and the Milford Haven episode. Knecht has been removed. It was expected that Major Valk would take over, but now he is tainted by the Milford Haven disaster, though he claims to have no knowledge of it. Berlin could not risk exposure of Hitler here when there is no outfit organized properly to defend him. As you'll know, there are constant rumours of plans to assassinate him, perhaps on German soil, perhaps on ours. They apparently feared a sniper attack. Crazy, really, wouldn't you say? I'm sure you would. How could such an efficient and committed sniper be found? And secondly, of course, the country absolutely rejects the idea of a state visit, following Milford Haven and the natural reaction of the Press to a spy campaign disgracefully linked to a gesture of friendship.'

‘It seems odd that those men should have been trying to get into an eyesore Victorian fort on the wrong side of Britain,' Mount said.

‘Yes. Stack Rock Fort,' Bilson replied. ‘Of course, Milford Haven has a venerable place in Britain's past. Henry VII came back from exile in France via Milford to claim the throne. Nelson and Lady Hamilton were often there.'

SB did this sometimes when a subject was sensitive: start diversions. History could help. Mount gave him some back: ‘I gather these installations were known as “Palmerston's follies” even at the time they were built – he being Prime Minister and in favour. Now, more folly?'

‘The fort, forts, were considered to have a modern defence potential, I believe.'

Mount thought he recalled that a while ago now Baillie – or was it Fallows? – had been in a Danish incident about local defences; a death? Fallows. ‘Surely, no secret rearming is taking place in the forts.'

‘Jerry's mistake, clearly.'

‘I hear rumours that they didn't actually drown in the Haven, sir, but might have been dumped there, already dead.'

‘As we understand it, they were drowned in an accident – having no experience of the sea and boats,' Bilson said.

‘I reported to you from Berlin that they were after smear material about Paterin, I think,' Mount said.

‘Yes, you did, you did, Marcus.' And Mount deduced that this was not a topic to continue with. ‘The country's morale is very good now,' Bilson said.

Had that depended on the death of those two? They'd been committed to inquiries that someone had decided should be stopped. Who? Bilson? Fallows and Baillie acting independently? It looked as though nobody was going to discuss this. Occasionally, such office secrecy did operate, especially when unexplained deaths were involved. Perhaps Mount had been abroad for too long and seemed like a bit of a stranger to them all here now. They were guarded?

‘Morale is crucial, you know, Marcus. Ask any officer who has seen battle.'

‘Munich is corrected, isn't it?' Mount said.

‘Very inept boatmen,' Bilson replied. ‘Such skills might not have been part of their training.'

‘Shall we see war now, sir, do you think?' Mount replied.

‘Germany has turned away from us, and vice versa. Hitler will go for the agreement with Russia. I can visualize some of the newly urgent Berlin telegrams, can't you? “There exist no real conflicts of interest between Germany and the USSR.” “The way seems open for a new sort of future for both countries.” Your and Toulmin's excellent work has consistently pointed in that direction. Once this pact is secured, Germany will go into Poland.'

‘We can't permit that. Not even Chamberlain would allow it uncontested.'

‘I'd say we'll have world war two by August or early September.'

‘Yes?' Mount said.