A Blackout Behind-the-Scenes
Jul. 4th, 2011 11:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_shrubberyIf I hadn't written something, I'd probably have gone mad.
Darcy sat at his desk and contemplated the two strips of paper he had been given. At a first glance, they both seemed to contain nothing but meaningless sequences of letters, but Darcy knew that if he could make sense of them as coordinates on a map, the work of the last few weeks would not have been in vain. His gaze wandered to the map in front of him. Without looking for it, he reached for a pencil. Someone cleared his throat and Darcy finally lifted his head.
‘Rick!’ he said. ‘Have you stood there long?’
‘Not very,’ Rick said.
‘You’re – eh, you’re not supposed to see this,’ Darcy said and hastily stacked the papers on his desk.
‘Don’t worry,’ Rick said. ‘I don’t think they’ll arrest me just now.’
He grinned, but Darcy could tell it was forced.
‘What is the matter?’ he asked.
‘Would you take a walk with me?’ Rick asked. ‘Outside?’
‘Well – if it does not take too long -’
‘I’m supposed to meet a Major Abernathy in half an hour,’ Rick said.
‘Eh – alright then,’ Darcy said. ‘I’ll just take care of this.’
He grabbed the papers and maps on his desk and stuffed them into the bottom drawer of his desk, which he locked with a key suspended from a chain around his neck.
‘That secret, huh?’ Rick asked as they walked down the stairs, nodding at Darcy’s key-chain.
‘You have no idea,’ Darcy said and sighed.
The guard at the door saluted them and they were in the grounds. Turning left, they made to walk around the manor.
‘What is the matter?’ Darcy asked, once they were out of ear-shot of the personnel at the door.
‘I’m leaving later today,’ Rick said. ‘No idea when or how I’ll return.’
‘Where are you going?’ Darcy asked.
‘Poland,’ Rick said. ‘Somewhere near Krakow, I believe, but that’s what Abernathy will tell me, I suppose.’
‘You are Abernathy’s -’ Darcy swallowed.
He could not bring himself to repeat what Abernathy had told him about the mission he was arranging.
‘Suicide candidate would be the word, I suppose,’ Rick said. ‘Although what Abernathy doesn’t know is that I’m here by special request of the Earl.’
‘No,’ Darcy said.
He stood frozen to the ground.
‘He said he couldn’t trust anyone else,’ Rick said. ‘I suppose that’s meant to be a compliment.’
‘But – you cannot -’
‘Well, someone has to, haven’t they?’ Rick said. ‘I’ll admit that I’d rather it weren’t me, but as it is, it is me, so that’s that.’
‘But, Rick -’
‘Listen, Darcy, I haven’t come here to talk about my mission, actually,’ Rick said. ‘There’s something I’ve got to ask of you.’
‘Anything,’ Darcy said. His heart was still beating far too fast.
‘I – I spent the night with Caroline,’ Rick said.
‘Caroline?’ Darcy spluttered. ‘Caroline Bingley?’
Rick nodded.
‘Well, I guess she’s not bad-looking,’ Darcy said. ‘And she has a rather wicked sense of humour -’
‘I love her,’ Rick said hoarsely.
‘You what?’
‘I said, I love her,’ Rick repeated. ‘I love her, Darcy.’
‘Oh – okay,’ Darcy said. ‘That’s – that’s a rather big piece of news.’
‘I know,’ Rick said and this time, his grin was genuine. ‘She’s fabulous.’
‘Well, if you say so,’ Darcy said. ‘So, are you, eh, going to marry her?’
‘I’m not in a position to marry anyone right now, am I?’ Rick said. ‘But yes, that’s what I intend to do, should I come back.’
‘Of course you will come back,’ Darcy said hastily.
‘Let’s be honest here,’ Rick said. ‘We both know that that’s just one of many possibilities.’
Darcy said nothing.
‘I’ve changed my will,’ Rick said. ‘I know she’s got her own money, but I want her to be taken care of just in case – in case something happens and she needs money. I’m also leaving some to Nina, as her guardian and all, and then there are some bequests to the mater, and Rupert and Eleanor -’
Darcy still could not say anything.
‘ - I hope that you don’t mind that I’ve named you executor,’ Rick continued. ‘I just know I can trust you not to create a fuss about anything, as I know my father or Andrew would.’
‘Of – of course,’ Darcy said and swallowed hard. ‘I’ll do everything just as you outline it.’
‘I don’t suppose you’ll have to worry about arranging a funeral,’ Rick said. ‘Only two people there will know I’m English, and no one will know my identity, so unless the Germans crack me, they’ll take me to be a Pole.’
‘Rick -’ Darcy said and put his hand on his cousin’s shoulder.
‘I know, it’s scaring me shitless too,’ Rick said. ‘Who knows if I won’t crack? What if -’
He ran his trembling hands through his hair.
‘It’s no good dwelling on this,’ he said. ‘I’ve got one more favour to ask of you.’
‘Of course,’ Darcy said.
‘When – if – you’ll hear, surely, if something happens and – well -’
He shook his head.
‘God, I’m blathering,’ he said. ‘What I mean to say is, if it appears that I won’t come back – if it’s at all possible, can you be the one to tell Caro? It’ll be hardest for her, I suppose – the mater and Eleanor at least will have each other, but Caro, nobody will even think of letting her know and if they do, well - I don’t want her to hear it from someone who doesn’t know what she means to me.’
‘I will,’ Darcy said. ‘I promise.’
Rick grabbed his hand and pressed it.
‘Thank you,’ he said.
‘Anything,’ Darcy said. ‘Everytime.’
‘I suppose I’d better go now,’ Rick said. ‘I have no idea where this Major Abernathy is.’
‘Will I see you before you leave?’ Darcy asked.
‘No,’ Rick said. ‘No, I suppose not.’
Darcy stood still for a moment, searching for words.
‘May the Lord protect you, Richard,’ he said. ‘You are, truly, the bravest man I know.’
Rick’s lip trembled.
‘You know that you’ve always been my brother, don’t you, David?’
Darcy sat at his desk and contemplated the two strips of paper he had been given. At a first glance, they both seemed to contain nothing but meaningless sequences of letters, but Darcy knew that if he could make sense of them as coordinates on a map, the work of the last few weeks would not have been in vain. His gaze wandered to the map in front of him. Without looking for it, he reached for a pencil. Someone cleared his throat and Darcy finally lifted his head.
‘Rick!’ he said. ‘Have you stood there long?’
‘Not very,’ Rick said.
‘You’re – eh, you’re not supposed to see this,’ Darcy said and hastily stacked the papers on his desk.
‘Don’t worry,’ Rick said. ‘I don’t think they’ll arrest me just now.’
He grinned, but Darcy could tell it was forced.
‘What is the matter?’ he asked.
‘Would you take a walk with me?’ Rick asked. ‘Outside?’
‘Well – if it does not take too long -’
‘I’m supposed to meet a Major Abernathy in half an hour,’ Rick said.
‘Eh – alright then,’ Darcy said. ‘I’ll just take care of this.’
He grabbed the papers and maps on his desk and stuffed them into the bottom drawer of his desk, which he locked with a key suspended from a chain around his neck.
‘That secret, huh?’ Rick asked as they walked down the stairs, nodding at Darcy’s key-chain.
‘You have no idea,’ Darcy said and sighed.
The guard at the door saluted them and they were in the grounds. Turning left, they made to walk around the manor.
‘What is the matter?’ Darcy asked, once they were out of ear-shot of the personnel at the door.
‘I’m leaving later today,’ Rick said. ‘No idea when or how I’ll return.’
‘Where are you going?’ Darcy asked.
‘Poland,’ Rick said. ‘Somewhere near Krakow, I believe, but that’s what Abernathy will tell me, I suppose.’
‘You are Abernathy’s -’ Darcy swallowed.
He could not bring himself to repeat what Abernathy had told him about the mission he was arranging.
‘Suicide candidate would be the word, I suppose,’ Rick said. ‘Although what Abernathy doesn’t know is that I’m here by special request of the Earl.’
‘No,’ Darcy said.
He stood frozen to the ground.
‘He said he couldn’t trust anyone else,’ Rick said. ‘I suppose that’s meant to be a compliment.’
‘But – you cannot -’
‘Well, someone has to, haven’t they?’ Rick said. ‘I’ll admit that I’d rather it weren’t me, but as it is, it is me, so that’s that.’
‘But, Rick -’
‘Listen, Darcy, I haven’t come here to talk about my mission, actually,’ Rick said. ‘There’s something I’ve got to ask of you.’
‘Anything,’ Darcy said. His heart was still beating far too fast.
‘I – I spent the night with Caroline,’ Rick said.
‘Caroline?’ Darcy spluttered. ‘Caroline Bingley?’
Rick nodded.
‘Well, I guess she’s not bad-looking,’ Darcy said. ‘And she has a rather wicked sense of humour -’
‘I love her,’ Rick said hoarsely.
‘You what?’
‘I said, I love her,’ Rick repeated. ‘I love her, Darcy.’
‘Oh – okay,’ Darcy said. ‘That’s – that’s a rather big piece of news.’
‘I know,’ Rick said and this time, his grin was genuine. ‘She’s fabulous.’
‘Well, if you say so,’ Darcy said. ‘So, are you, eh, going to marry her?’
‘I’m not in a position to marry anyone right now, am I?’ Rick said. ‘But yes, that’s what I intend to do, should I come back.’
‘Of course you will come back,’ Darcy said hastily.
‘Let’s be honest here,’ Rick said. ‘We both know that that’s just one of many possibilities.’
Darcy said nothing.
‘I’ve changed my will,’ Rick said. ‘I know she’s got her own money, but I want her to be taken care of just in case – in case something happens and she needs money. I’m also leaving some to Nina, as her guardian and all, and then there are some bequests to the mater, and Rupert and Eleanor -’
Darcy still could not say anything.
‘ - I hope that you don’t mind that I’ve named you executor,’ Rick continued. ‘I just know I can trust you not to create a fuss about anything, as I know my father or Andrew would.’
‘Of – of course,’ Darcy said and swallowed hard. ‘I’ll do everything just as you outline it.’
‘I don’t suppose you’ll have to worry about arranging a funeral,’ Rick said. ‘Only two people there will know I’m English, and no one will know my identity, so unless the Germans crack me, they’ll take me to be a Pole.’
‘Rick -’ Darcy said and put his hand on his cousin’s shoulder.
‘I know, it’s scaring me shitless too,’ Rick said. ‘Who knows if I won’t crack? What if -’
He ran his trembling hands through his hair.
‘It’s no good dwelling on this,’ he said. ‘I’ve got one more favour to ask of you.’
‘Of course,’ Darcy said.
‘When – if – you’ll hear, surely, if something happens and – well -’
He shook his head.
‘God, I’m blathering,’ he said. ‘What I mean to say is, if it appears that I won’t come back – if it’s at all possible, can you be the one to tell Caro? It’ll be hardest for her, I suppose – the mater and Eleanor at least will have each other, but Caro, nobody will even think of letting her know and if they do, well - I don’t want her to hear it from someone who doesn’t know what she means to me.’
‘I will,’ Darcy said. ‘I promise.’
Rick grabbed his hand and pressed it.
‘Thank you,’ he said.
‘Anything,’ Darcy said. ‘Everytime.’
‘I suppose I’d better go now,’ Rick said. ‘I have no idea where this Major Abernathy is.’
‘Will I see you before you leave?’ Darcy asked.
‘No,’ Rick said. ‘No, I suppose not.’
Darcy stood still for a moment, searching for words.
‘May the Lord protect you, Richard,’ he said. ‘You are, truly, the bravest man I know.’
Rick’s lip trembled.
‘You know that you’ve always been my brother, don’t you, David?’
