citizens that could conceivably be working with the enemy.”
“We like to think that people become better during wars,” he said. “That they band together and help one another and do what’s right. But it isn’t always that way. For every neighbor helping neighbor and stranger doing acts of kindness, there are people taking advantage of the weak and defenseless. That’s just the way life is.”
I knew he was right, of course. I’d already seen the way some people were behaving, the way people were using the war to their advantage. Hadn’t we been doing something similar ourselves, robbing the homes of people who were gone, perhaps who were even away fighting for our country? It gave me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. The only consolation was that we were doing something now to make it right. “It’s all such a complicated muddle,” I said.
“Not so very complicated.”
I looked up at him. “No?”
“It boils down to a fairly simple formula.” His eyes, when they met mine, were that stormy twilight shade again. “One thing I’ve discovered about war, Miss McDonnell: either it brings out the best in people or it brings out the worst in them.”
* * *
I accompanied Felix and Uncle Mick to the dungeon well before dawn the next morning. As we had arranged the previous evening, Felix and I met up with Uncle Mick at the house, where Nacy had prepared a hot breakfast the men ate quickly and with little conversation. I only ate a bit of toast and jam, but I had two strong cups of tea.
I wasn’t usually so anxious about a job, but this was bigger than the things we normally did. This was bigger than all of us.
Nacy didn’t ask for the particulars as the men ate the food Uncle Mick had asked her to prepare in practically the dead of night, but her face was grim as I kissed her cheek before we left the house, and I heard her mutter under her breath, “You’d better all come back alive. I’ve a big dinner planned.”
It was still dark as we made our way to the Tube station, but the city was already coming to life, the pavements peppered with people on their way to do the jobs that kept our city up and running. Life goes on, as they say. Even in wartime.
Major Ramsey hadn’t exactly invited me to come along this morning, but he hadn’t told me not to either. At the very least, I could wait at the office until Felix and Uncle Mick returned and would know all the sooner that they were safe and that everything had gone off all right.
Besides, it was not as though the major had to entertain me. I just didn’t want to be alone at my flat, waiting. And anyway, I was just as much a part of this as any of them were.
We reached the major’s office and Oscar let us in. He looked sleepy this morning as well as gloomy.
“You look as though you could use a cup of tea,” I told him.
“I’ve already had three,” he said. “The major’s waiting for you … ah, that is, he’s waiting for Mr. McDonnell and Mr. Lacey.”
“It’s all right,” I said. “He won’t be surprised I’m here.”
I led the way to Major Ramsey’s office and tapped on the door.
“Enter.”
I pushed it open. “Good morning,” I said brightly.
He rose from his chair. He was in shirtsleeves again this morning, with no tie and his collar unbuttoned.
“Good morning,” he said, though I could tell what I had told Oscar wasn’t entirely true. He hadn’t been expecting me. Perhaps he had thought either Uncle Mick or Felix would’ve made me stay at home; well, he ought to have known better by now.
“And a lovely morning it is, Major,” Uncle Mick said cheerily. He was the sort of person who was up long before the sun and was always unreasonably happy about it.
Felix nodded his greeting. He’d had two cups of coffee at breakfast, but I thought they probably hadn’t quite worked their way into his system.
Major Ramsey had every hair in place, of course. He was freshly shaven and, though he was a bit more informal than usual, his uniform shirt was crisply pressed. It was a bit annoying, really, to see him looking so well at such an hour.
There were footsteps behind us in the hallway, as I hadn’t yet closed the door, and Kimble came into the room. He looked