An Affair For the Baron Read Free Page A

I’m staying there for a few days before flying to San Antonio. Get here as soon as you can, and come by train. Is that clear?”
    â€œYes. But Daddy—”
    â€œDon’t worry, now. Just bring it. When you arrive in Chicago, telephone this number …”
    It had all been mysterious, a little worrying, even exciting – until the young man who had later followed her to the station and stolen the briefcase, had tapped at the door of her hotel room and tried to force his way in.
    She pushed the thought of both encounters out of her mind, touched her hair, and went into the passage. The porter, hatless and unrecognisable, was coming out of a compartment a few doors along.
    â€œYour baggage didn’t arrive, miss.” It was a dirge-like complaint.
    â€œI can manage. Where is the dining-car, please?” He showed her the way.
    Soon, she was studying the menu, writing down what she wanted on an order form, listening to the soft, warming voices of the stewards, intrigued by the polish of the cutlery and the snow-white linen, the ebb and flow of diners, the steady movement of the train. Twice it stopped, but she did not pay much attention.
    It was half-past nine when she asked for her bill – “Your check, ma’am,” her waiter corrected her smilingly. She paid him, and made her way back along the corridor. Opening her compartment door, she saw that the bed had been pulled away from the wall and made up. She could go to bed at once, if she wanted to. At least there was no need to worry about undressing; she need only slip off her suit, take off her shoes and stockings, and that would be that. She didn’t relish going to bed without brushing her teeth, but managed an improvised toilet fairly adequately. In five minutes she lay with the sheet over her. The events of the day drifted through her mind, dream and nightmare overlapping. She thought more and more of the handsome man who had taken the briefcase; she could picture his smile in her mind’s eye.
    There was a small light, close to the bed. She touched the switch, and it turned from white to blue, so that she could just see about the room. Soon, she began to doze again, lulled by the movement of the train.
    Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her: black; menacing.
    In a surge of terror, she opened her mouth to scream. But there was no chance to scream.
    A man’s hand clamped down over her mouth, making her gulp for breath. She began to choke.
    â€œQuiet!” he breathed. “Quiet.”
    Her breast was heaving, she felt as if she would suffocate. “Quiet!” he repeated, slapping her stingingly across her cheek.
    She lay on her back, gasping for breath, seeing the sly face of the young man who had first stolen the briefcase, taking on a demoniac glow in the pale blue light. His hand pressed against her throat, seeming to threaten greater pressure. He shifted his position, so that he could sit on the edge of the bed. One hand was heavy on her shoulder, the other on her neck.
    â€œIf you shout, I’ll choke the life out of you,” he threatened.
    She didn’t attempt to reply.
    â€œUnderstand?”
    She nodded, in sharp alarm.
    â€œDon’t forget. Who was the guy who took the briefcase from me?”
    â€œI—I don’t know.”
    â€œDon’t lie to me, you silly bitch!”
    She shook her head helplessly.
    â€œListen,” the man said viciously, “I’ll choke the life out of you if you don’t tell me.” He pressed more heavily against her, and she believed he might carry out his threat. She hated the touch of his hands and felt nauseated, but she stayed motionless. He leaned forward, his face very close to hers, and she could feel his breath against her skin. “ Who was he ? Answer me!”
    â€œI—I tell you I don’t know!”
    â€œListen,” the man said in a rasping voice, “I can do what I like with you. I’ve got a knife. I