The Count de la Casa de Cerveza had been called from Far Kinnell to London at the behest of the Prime Minister Herbert Asquith.
?Good of you to come at such short notice Sir but as you know we are in the middle of a **** tricky business? Asquith said as he greeted the Count. ?Our intelligence tells us that Austria will invade Serbia shortly and the Russians and Germans will follow suit I?m afraid. If that happens we will have to act in a decisive manner which will mean all-out war!?
The Count looked keenly at the Prime Minister and then said, ?Sir, as you know my business interests and connections are world-wide, anything I can do will be at the Country?s disposal?.
Asquith studied him for a moment, reflecting on the dossier he had read the night before. The Count came from reliable European stock, spoke several languages including Scouse, considered to be the most difficult to comprehend. He had made a good marriage, Novena, the daughter of the late Duke of Suevic and had two sons and a young daughter at finishing school in Switzerland. Novena he remembered as a young man, a ravishing beauty who caused a lump in his riding breeches one morning when a guest at her father?s house.
?I would advise you most strongly to return your daughter home as soon as possible? he said. Although Switzerland will be Neutral, she could well be a target for the enemy. Your elder son attended University in Heidelberg I understand and has knowledge of Germany and its people; he also is fluent in many languages as yourself.?
The Count smiled inwardly, ?The cunning old Devil has certainly done his homework on me and my family? he thought. Little did Asquith know but the Count had a dossier on him as well as all other principal politicians in the country. The Count?s intelligence network was as good as if not better than available to H.M. Government ?I will take your advice and bring my daughter home at once? he said, and begging his leave he left Asquith and made his way to Claridges.
He called the Manager and had a telegram sent to Far Kinnell advising Novena to contact the school in Switzerland to move Novella to France as quickly as possible where she would be met by one of the Count?s agents.
The following morning was crisp and clear as usual, the clean air of Switzerland flowed through the open window of Novella?s bedroom. She rose from her bed and stood at the window, opened her dressing gown as she did every morning and let the cool air play across her pert young breasts. This always gave her some amusement as she knew that young Fritz the garden boy hid in the bushes every morning to view her young lithe body.
She stroked her nipples and smiled, knowing that in the evening Fritz would pleasure himself under his blanket. The very thought brought a stirring to her own loins and the happy memory of her first time, when she became a full woman following the Ball at Gstaad Palace the month before.
There came a knock to her door, startled she hurriedly pulled her robe around her and called, ?who is it?. ?It is Frau Richter Scale, with a telegram from your father in England? came the reply. ?You must pack your things immediately and leave Schloss Adler for France. A carriage awaits to take you to the station.? Novella knew that her father would not have made such a decision lightly and hurriedly packed her things with the aid of a servant and caught the train to Paris.
The journey through the countryside was uneventful until the Swiss/French Border. A landslide had damaged the tracks and the train would have to be diverted through Freiburg in Germany. This would cause a delay of some hours Novella thought, but she would soon be in France and Paris was one of her favourite cities.
As the train travelled through Germany she noticed more and more soldiers marching through the small towns and villages. Guns and horses were everywhere, patriotic songs were being sung by the soldiers as they marched along. ?I?ll be glad to be away from here ?she thought. The train pulled to a halt at a small station and armed soldiers came aboard. ?Passports? they called. ?Passports? a handsome young officer entered her compartment and Novena handed over her passport for examination. ?You are English? ?he said. ?Yes? she replied, ?I am?. ?Better for you to be home ?he smiled, ?there may be trouble ahead for us all.?
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The train pulled away from the station and as Novella sank back into her seat with a sigh, she glimpsed an officer standing on the platform. He was in the uniform of the dreaded Glockenspiel Cavalry! They were the most feared of the German army, and as he turned and looked at her she almost fainted. It was her brother Daley who had been studying at Heidelburg!
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