SALOME Ch 7

Under normal circumstances, Elizabeth would have thrown a massive fit, warning them never to compare her to such a snot-nosed brat, but today she remained surprisingly quiet. Rather than quiet, however, she simply couldn’t talk because she was wolfing down the green beans, bacon, and soft-boiled eggs on her plate like the March Hare running out of time.

Since she couldn’t possibly speak with food still in her mouth, she lodged a gentle protest at Ann with sparkling eyes. Looking at that expectant, silent answer, Ann let out a soft sigh.

“I wonder if she’ll ever manage to get married eating like that…”

Goodness, whatever shall we do with this young lady? Seeing this while sipping his tea, her father, Albert, merely gave a soft chuckle, “Ho-ho.”

“What does it matter when she has Cedric? Better for her to live happily with us in Dundee than live in London with some weird bum.”

“Honestly, dear… Beth needs someone to rely on, too.”

The couple tended to treat their youngest child—born long after her brother—with a soft spot uncommon for aristocratic parents. Cedric, Elizabeth’s older brother, was no different. Though not quite to the extent of their parents, he looked after his young sister as if she were a child of his own. Sitting across from her, Cedric soaked a piece of campagne bread in his remaining soup and smiled gently at the speed with which Elizabeth was clearing her plate, eating far faster than he was.

Is she really looking forward to it that much? His sister seemed utterly unable to contain herself at the thought of heading to the Christmas market that would open in full swing in the city center this afternoon. The Primrose couple were planning to step out to report their overall relocation status to the embassy, and when his sister rolled around on the carpet complaining of boredom, their father, Albert, had subtly suggested a little outing.

At those words, Beth, who had been sweeping the floor with her white dress, sat bolt upright, her eyes gleaming. Of course, taking care of the tomboy aggressively clearing a plate that had almost no food left was entirely Cedric’s responsibility. As soon as the food vanished from her plate, Elizabeth stood up, her cheeks twitching as they held what was surely the last bite. Watching her dash toward the stairs with her loose-fitting muslin dress fluttering behind her, Ann scolded her reluctantly.

“Beth! Goodness, you should at least swallow your food before leaving! Good grief, honestly.”

Albert gave a light chuckle, wetting his lips with his still-steaming teacup. Cedric also finished the last bit of his share of lunch. Ann hurried up the stairs with light steps, following Beth who had bolted away. Left with only father and son, the dining room remained bright even without lamps, lit by the pale white sunlight characteristic of winter. Albert neatly folded the newspaper he had been reading and placed it on the table.

“Cedric.”

“Yes, Father.”

Cedric set his cutlery down on his neatly cleared plate and met his father’s eyes. Possessing similar facial contours, anyone could tell they were father and son.

“Starting next week, you can attend the embassy-affiliated school with Beth. I’ll finish all the paperwork today.”

“It’ll be nice to attend, even if only for a short while.”

Since it would be the Christmas holidays after next week anyway, Cedric thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get acquainted with the faces in his grade. At Cedric’s plain response, Albert furrowed his brows slightly, a apologetic expression crossing his face.

“I’m sorry for calling you out here so abruptly. You must have thought you’d graduate at Eton. The situation wasn’t ideal.”

“It’s alright. I was just getting tired of the musty smell of Eton anyway.”

At Cedric’s cheerful response delivered with a grin, Albert broke into a boisterous laugh. If you think of it that way, then good. Seeing that, Cedric, who was rather sharp, quickly asked in return:

“By the way, I believe this is the first time you’ve been posted away from central command, Father. Was there some political friction in the meantime?”

“Ah, I won’t say there wasn’t. It exists wherever people live, after all. These days, opinion within the Foreign Office is divided as well. For my part, I’d prefer us to take a peaceful path, but… it would be wonderful if everyone thought as I do.”

Although ideal, it was the most difficult path to take, and Cedric nodded at his father’s words. Albert clasped his hands together on the table and continued with a grave expression.

“The movements of the Warsaw Pact, centered around East Germany and Russia, are far from ordinary. Even in Parliament, though they don’t say it outright, they are deeply concerned in secret. Since Her Majesty’s accession was not long ago, it will take time for both the House of Lords and the Cabinet to settle. In a situation like this, if even a spark catches in Berlin, it would be utterly fatal for us in Britain.”

Britain had only recently undergone a generational shift in the monarchy amidst post-war chaos. As a result, central authority had yet to stabilize, and the country lacked the leeway to pay attention to external elements of instability. For instance, even in France, which shared a border with Germany, countless cities still needed reconstruction from bomb damage.

Though Britain, being an island nation, was somewhat detached and suffered relatively less, that wasn’t to say the damage from bombings was negligible. If another all-out war were to break out in the middle of this recovery process… Albert lifted his cooled teacup to wet his lips.

“If I had come alone under such circumstances, it would have raised great suspicion not only from the Warsaw side, but from our Allies as well. It could easily be misunderstood as us trying to break the balance. In any case, I don’t feel easy about dragging you into my affairs.”

The cold tea tasted bitter. Seeing his father’s dark expression as he set down the teacup, Cedric offered a comforting word.

“Please don’t worry about it. If anything, I’m glad to escape the cramped quarters of Eton. I’ve always been curious about Berlin, too.”

Cedric’s words were half consolation and half truth. Eton was certainly a fine—no, the finest—school in Britain, but he had been thinking for some time that it was occasionally far too academic and idealistic. Once that thought took root, he found it difficult to concentrate on his classes; thus, his father Albert’s posting to Berlin felt like a perfectly legitimate escape.

After all, any British aristocrat dreamed of the Grand Tour undertaken by their fathers and ancestors. In that regard, Berlin might be the ideal place to test himself. It was rare for people from such polar opposites—the Allies, the Warsaw Pact, and the Eastern Bloc—to gather in a single city, let alone be accessible.

Especially during such turbulent times. Despite Cedric’s positive remarks, Albert’s expression remained heavy, looking only faint and pale in the light from outside.

“Who knows… War never unfolds according to the books.”

∞ ∞ ∞

As expected of midwinter—or perhaps reflecting Elizabeth’s impatient heart—the outside grew quite dark even though it was barely approaching five o’clock. Before leaving the house to get into the car sent by the embassy, Ann repeatedly fastened her daughter’s thick clothing tight.

“Shouldn’t we add another scarf? It felt quite cold when I stepped outside earlier.”

“Goodness, at this rate I’m going to turn into a bear, not a person!”

Standing in front of the door while her mother picked up another scarf, little Beth protested, flapping her arms, which were stiff from being bundled up in thick layers. Cedric thought she looked less like a bear and more like a chubby Antarctic penguin. At Beth’s protest, Ann said with a disappointed look, “Well, if you say so,” and wrapped it around her own neck instead. Standing in front of the gate chatting with the driver, Albert held his walking stick and marched toward the open door.

“My dear, at this rate our Beth is going to die from her clothes before the cold gets to her. That’s enough—let’s get in now.”

“I agree.”

Using her legs—the only parts of her body free to move—Beth quickly darted forward and hopped into the back seat. Seeing that, Ann nagged her about her lack of dignity.

“Goodness, there couldn’t be a quicker bear in the world!”

Though it wasn’t even early evening yet, the road the family took in the Jeep was so dark that nothing was visible except for the Jeep’s headlights. Looking at the sight, Beth got scared, saying it looked as if ghosts might pop out. Ann scolded her for talking nonsense, making the driver let out a soft laugh.

“Haha, if there are ghosts in Dahlem, they must be quite rich.”

“What do you mean by that?”