Isa held the carpet bag up in front of her, hiding her figure. “This is…obscene, Adele! You can see the shape of me! My knees are bare.”

  “It is highly fashionable,” Adele assured her. She took the carpet bag from Isa and put both bags under the cabins, then took her hand. “Race you to the deep end?”

  Isa gave a laugh that sounded strained, turned and sprinted for the water. There were a few women bathers already in the water, most of them splashing about in the shallows.

  Isa and Adele raced past all of them, making heads turn. Most of the faces that turned their way shifted to shocked expressions when their costumes—the lack of them—were spotted.

  Adele dived into the water as soon as it was above her knees. The water was shockingly cold after the heat of the afternoon, and took her breath away. But the abbreviated costume made swimming much easier. She cut through the water the way fish did, with no drag from layers of skirt and bloomers. Isa kept pace with her and Adele could hear her laughing as she swam.

  They reached the six-foot-thick wall at the back end of the pool. No one else was there, for the water was quite deep here, and they must either float or hoist themselves onto the wall.

  “Let’s float here. It’s lovely and cool,” Adele said, turning herself around in the water until she was properly facing Isa.

  Isa put one hand on the top of the wall, with a grin. “Or hang here.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Adele admitted, and reached up to hook her hand over the top of the wall. “The tide must have turned from high only a while ago.” She repinned locks of hair that had escaped her tight bun.

  Isa looked down through the clear water at herself. “It is so much easier to swim wearing this.”

  “I remembered that you like to swim,” Adele said. “And here, there is absolutely no chance of being overheard, or observed.”

  Isa’s smile faded. “You know about Rainer.” A shadow of fear touched her eyes.

  “Turn around for a moment, Isa.”

  “No…I…why should I do that?”

  “Indulge me. I bought you a bathing suit.” Adele let go of the wall and used both hands to turn Isa in the water. She touched the large bruise that peeped above the top of the suit, next to Isa’s spine. “I have guessed a lot, but now I have seen that, I know for certain,” Adele said. She turned Isa around again.

  Isa’s chin crumpled. Tears glistened in her eyes and fell, to mix with the seawater on her cheeks. “I didn’t believe him, when he said you were like Hugh. He made me go to England and you were so strange, Adele. I knew then he was right. And I grew so afraid. For you and for me. I ran away.”

  Adele nodded. “I know that now.”

  “I don’t understand this business you’re in,” Isa said, her voice wobbling. “I wanted nothing to do with it, but Rainer was always there, always hounding me. He made me write to you.” She pressed a hand to her face and closed her eyes. “Why did you come here? Why didn’t you stay in London, where you are safe?”

  “Safety is an illusion,” Adele said simply. “The only way anyone can really be safe is to learn as much as they can of the world around them, and learn how to defend themselves. Woman like us…we’re told to do the exact opposite, that ignorance will keep us safe. It’s a lie, Isa. It’s all a grand lie that harms us when we run afoul of it. That’s why you look as you do, now. Because the Rainers of the world know how to use the lie against us.”

  Isa’s face crumpled once more. She gave a single sob, then drew in a shuddering breath and nodded. “So…you are like Hugh, then.”

  “So are you, Isa,” Adele said gently. “You didn’t step into this world voluntarily, as I did, but you are part of it now. Rainer did that.”

  Isa nodded and let out a deep sigh. “Yes, I see.” She waved her arms in the water, keeping herself afloat, thinking. “How do I escape this, Adele? Can you…can you take me back to England? Hide me, so Rainer never finds me again?”

  It was Adele’s turn to sigh. “I don’t know if I can. My…the man who directs my work. He would be interested in helping you, if he thought you were useful.”

  “In what way?” Isa shook her head. “I can’t do the things you can.”

  “I think you would be surprised by what you can do, if you try.” Adele thought about it. “Rainer…he lives in your house?”

  Isa shook her head. “Not officially. But he…” She drew in another shuddering breath. “The neighbors suspect nothing, because he comes and goes in ways that they never see. But he’s always there, Adele. He doesn’t trust me an inch, and he seems to know what I’m thinking.”

  “Then this is what you must do. You must go back home and say that I waylaid you and begged you to talk to me somewhere we wouldn’t be overheard, so you indulged me. And I told you that my…director…that he lied to me. That I found out that Hugh worked for him, and that Hugh died because of it, and Edward, too.” She paused. Swallowed. “And now he’s trying to make me work for him and I don’t want anything to do with the disgusting business, but I have no choice. Then I got your letters, and came out here and said I wanted to return and live here always, away from it all.”

  Isa caught her breath. “And I told you that you must prove to be useful, in order to stay here.”

  Adele smiled. “Yes, precisely. And now I am going to go home to London and think about it, and I will write to you with my decision.”

  “You’re turning my situation around,” Isa said, her tone full of admiration.

  “And reflecting it back at Rainer, who will believe it because it is true, more or less.” Adele smiled grimly. “And when we write to each other, our letters will look as ordinary as they ever were, but they will actually be…” She paused. “Do you know what a Caesar cipher is?”

  “A what?”

  Adele began to explain, but after a few words, Isa nodded. “Yes, I know this thing. I didn’t know what it was called. A cipher…”

  “Good, then that is what we will do.”

  “You cannot send me secrets!” Isa said, horrified. “Rainer will use them.”

  “You will send me secrets,” Adele told her. “In the code beneath the letters. My letters will have lots of information about the Royal Navy, its officers and fleet movements. Information I will tell you I charmed out of officers at soirees and dinners. And all of it will be out of date or patently untrue, but difficult to verify. Rainer will think you have become a most useful agent and will grow careless around you. He will tell you things.”

  “Which I will tell you, in turn. I see.” Isa gave Adele a tremulous smile. “Then can I come and live with you in England?”

  “Yes, Isa. Then you can come to England and be as safe as I can make it for you,” Adele replied, even though her heart broke at the fear in Isa’s voice.

  Isa glanced toward the beach. “I can’t be much longer.”

  “We can go in, if you like.”

  But instead of turning and swimming for shore, Isa waved her arms gently in the water, keeping herself afloat. Her gaze was far away, her expression thoughtful. “I’ve wondered a great deal, lately, about how Hans really died, during the war.” Her gaze came back to Adele. “Now that I know about Hugh. And you. I keep asking myself, why me? Was it something to do with Hans? I didn’t ask for this, for any of it.”

  “I certainly did not seek this work out,” Adele said. “But I married Hugh of my own free will, and must accept everything that comes from that decision. Your decision, Isa, was to reach out to me. To tell me about Hugh. You wanted me to wonder about you, about how you could possibly know that.” She gave Isa a small smile. “I’ve read a great deal about the Stoics in the last few years. They have a refreshing way of looking at such matters. They say one can find peace and contentedness, once one has accepted the inevitable and faces it squarely.”

  “Is that what this is?” Isa said sadly. “To betray my own country is unavoidable?”

  “To betray the country you were born in, to live in the country you chose, because there, you believe you can be content,” Adele corrected her.

  “I will try to remember that,” Isa said, and turned to swim for the shore.

  THERE WAS A POLICE OFFICER standing upon the shore when they stepped out of the water, looking grimly toward Adele and Isa. One of the older matrons stood beside him, wearing a wrapper around her bathing costume, her frilly hat damp and askew. Her expression was righteous.

  “Quickly, go and change,” Adele murmured to Isa. “Then slip out and around the back, find a cab, and go home. Let me deal with the officer.”

  “He’s here for us?” Isa said, her voice rising in alarm.

  “You live here. You must stay out of this. I will deal with it. Go.” She gave Isa a little push.

  Isa hurried across the sand, pulled the carpet bag out from under the cabin and went inside.

  The police officer beckoned to Adele with a crooked finger.

  Adele shook off water as she trudged toward him. “Yes, Constable?” He was an older man, with a florid mustache. He wore the khaki-colored uniform that the Cape Town police force sensibly adopted, instead of black serge, but Adele didn’t think for a moment that his authority was any less than that of a bobby on the streets of London.

  “And the other lady, too,” the officer said. “She wears…what you are wearing.”

  “Almost wearing,” the matron muttered.

  “I bought my friend a bathing suit just like mine,” Adele said. “She wore it only because I bought it for her. The fault, if there is one, is mine.”

  The officer, she realized, was keeping his chin up, so his gaze did not accidentally drift below her clavicle. “Your attire is…well, I’m not certain, but I believe it might be in contradiction of decency laws.”

  “It is outrageous!” the matron squeaked.

  “Really?’ Adele said coolly. “It is all the fashion in London. Why, just last month, Queen Alexandra consulted with me about acquiring a Kellerman for herself.”

  “The…Queen?” the officer spluttered.

  She looked down at her bare knees. “You should try swimming in one yourself. It is marvelously freeing.”

  The matron sucked in a breath. “Who are you?” she demanded, while the officer looked worried. He nodded at her question.

  “Oh, I am so sorry. I’m used to others introducing me, which is the way it is done in London. I am Lady Adelaide Azalea Margaret de Morville, Mrs. Hugh Becket, of London.”

  The matron’s mouth dropped open. “You are Adele Becket?”

  “Indeed,” Adele said sunnily.

  The officer turned to the matron. “You know the lady?”

  “I do—by reputation, at least. The Beckets lived here for years.”

  “Up until three years ago,” Adele added.

  The officer looked even more confused. “Then what do you know of the lady’s reputation?” he asked the matron.

  She drew herself up, as if to decry Adele to the mountains standing over them. Then she let out her breath. “I know of not a single stain upon her reputation,” she admitted, sounding humble. “But…her outfit!”

  “Is the height of fashion in London,” the officer finished. He shook his head. “I do not see that there is an issue here. May I suggest you change back into your…normal clothes, and let us leave the matter there, Lady Adelaide?” He gave a short bow and trudge back toward the road, where his black vehicle stood waiting, another officer beside it.

  ADELE DROVE SLOWLY ALONG VICTORIA Road, watching the scrubby bush to the right. When Daniel stepped out of the bushes, holding a pair of binoculars, she braked and he climbed into the car.

  “A complete cut-off,” he announced, sounding pleased. “I didn’t spot the bugger anywhere.” He reached around and dropped the binoculars onto the back seat.

  “Isa?” she asked, getting the car rolling once more.

  “I watched her scamper up the slope to the road. A bus was passing and she hailed it and got on. She’s safely out of it. Did the officer fine you?” Daniel turned in the seat to study her. “It was a most fetching bathing suit, I must admit.”

  Adele rolled her eyes. “I’m going to drive past Isa’s house and make sure she got home safely. I’m worried about her, Daniel. Everything I suspected was true. The man’s name is Rainer. He’s beating her to make her obey him.”

  Daniel blew out his breath. “And you sent her back?”

  “I got her out of the way of an indecency charge,” Adele said shortly.

  “You know what I mean.”

  “And you know Melville would never let her just stroll back into England—not with what we now know about her.”

  “That is quite true, I’m afraid.”

  “She will demonstrate her worth, and then he must help her leave Cape Town.”

  “That is the way you will play it? I see.”

  “It’s the only way. Isa sees that, too. We’ve set things up.” Adele steered carefully around the twisty road, keeping her speed down, even though the delay frustrated her.

  When Daniel didn’t speak for a long moment, Adele glanced at him. “Why are you looking at me that way?” She returned her gaze to the road.

  “I’m choosing my words,” he said. “It struck me just now, watching you drive a car, while discussing running a double agent, and planning your next move…you must know, Adele, I’ve fallen completely in love with you.”

  The car wavered toward the right-hand lane, before Adele straightened the steering wheel and drew in a calming breath. “Daniel! Of all the places you might have chosen to mention that, you chose here?

  Daniel chuckled. “Life without you in it would be utterly dull. Promise me you will never change, Adele. That you will keep doing exactly what you think you should be doing and to hell with what anyone else might think of the matter.”

  “Oh…Daniel. If only I wasn’t driving right now….”

  “It isn’t the most romantic spot for such a confession, I admit,” Daniel said. “But it is the most romantic place I could find in your life right now. It seems rather fitting to me that I get to say I love you just after you were nearly arrested.”

  “I was nowhere near to being arrested.”

  “Because you talked your way out of it, of course.” His hand rested on her knee for a minute. “Only you could have managed that. And the woman I knew in her first season, years and years ago…she couldn’t have done it. That’s why I didn’t quite fall in love with her, then.”

  Adele picked up his hand and kissed the back of it, then put it firmly on his own knee. “Thank you, but now I must concentrate. We’re nearly back into town.” And the traffic was increasing.

  Daniel settled back in his seat and Adele navigated through the back streets, approaching Isa’s house from the west. She found herself braking at the same intersection as before, and let the car idle while they bent to peer through the trees toward the green house with the red, white and black trim.

  “Would she have made it back to the house yet?” Daniel asked.

  “She was well ahead of me, and the bus takes a more direct route. She would have walked from Adderley Street and reached home at least ten minutes ago.”

  Daniel cocked his head, listening hard. “Let the engine die,” he said sharply.

  Adele took her foot off the clutch, and the car gave a little lurch as the engine abruptly halted, for it was still in gear.

  Immediately, she heard it, too. The faint smash of something heavy. A cry.

  Adele didn’t remember leaving the car, but she suddenly found herself running down the middle of Bree Street, Daniel pounding ahead of her, angling toward the green house.

  “THE KITCHEN DOOR!” ADELE CRIED, as Daniel veered toward the front door. “It’s never locked!”

  She raced down the side of the house, never so glad her hems were the shorter kind, and her feet were free from entanglements with petticoat ruffles. From inside the house, booming through the wall beside her, she heard another loud crash, which leant speed to her feet.

  Daniel was right on her heels.

  She turned the sharp corner and ran to the steps up onto the back verandah. The kitchen door was open, as usual, with only the flywire door on a little latch. Adele wrenched at the door and felt her lace gloves shred themselves, while the wood frame of the door beneath the latch splintered. The door wavered open, and she charged inside.

  The big kitchen with its large worktable was a shambles, with broken crockery shards scattered across the floor, and the remains of the food they’d contained smeared over the linoleum, too.

  Isa was sprawled on the floor, her back against the kitchen sink. Blood ran down the side of her face.

  Standing on the other side of the table was the man from the dining room. He was just as young as Adele remembered, but without his hat shading his face, and now he thought he was alone, she could see the habitual cruelty that marred his features, the thin face that worked with unreasonable anger. He swung a knobkerrie in his hand as he contemplated his next blow.

  Even when the two of them rushed into the kitchen, Rainer did not flinch or try to dissemble. In fact, he looked pleased.

  “Daniel, take Rainer,” Adele said.

  Daniel surged past her.

  Adele turned and crouched down beside Isa and patted her cheek. “Isa. Can you hear me?”

  Isa stirred and opened her eyes. “I don’t think he believed me.” And she gave a small, barely-there smile and closed her eyes again.

  Adele whirled, coming to her feet, as the two men clashed. Daniel had an arm around Rainer, one hand around the wrist holding the knobkerrie, for Rainer was trying to bring the bulbous cudgel down upon Daniel the way he would have used it upon Isa.

  She moved up the length of the table, to where they struggled at the other end. There wasn’t enough room to intervene, so she hovered and watched the two men try to overpower each other, looking for an opportunity to distract Rainer, or assist Daniel.

  Rainer got his other hand free of Daniel’s grip, and grinned, showing large, yellow teeth. He whipped his hand out of Daniel’s reach and up, under the back of his jacket.