Johnnie (7 page)

“Haven’t time. Thanks just the same.” He’d had enough. He wasn’t tight, just pleasant, but he was warm. He’d enjoy getting outdoors.

Ruprecht laid his hand on his shoulder. “If I were you I wouldn’t mention to anyone in these parts just who you really are. They might not like it.” He wobbled pleasantly toward the bar.

Johnnie sidled back to the supper table. He ate a handful of salted nuts and a big ripe olive. He wasn’t going to get near Magda soon, not in this mob scene. She was standing over near the music, on Rudolph’s arm, bored stiff behind her painted smile. Ottomkopf, Janssen, Dorp and Theo were grouped around. Ferenz beamed like a goat-fed cobra. Trudy was evidently too small to show. Johnnie grabbed another handful of nuts and a couple of mints. No use standing up for the rest of the oration. He couldn’t make out what the goon was saying as it was. He retired gracefully to his favorite couch. More than ever he regretted the absence of the platinum babe. He was in the mood for a blonde about now. He’d give Rudo ten more minutes. If he didn’t shut up by then, he, Johnnie, would make a dive through the crowd and interrupt. He had to find out the address of his uniform.

Rudolph’s voice squeaked on “Rudamia!” A burst of applause drowned him out. Must be about over. Just then Trudy came out the door. She was moving fast until she spied Johnnie. She didn’t slow down then but she changed her course. She was in front of him before he could budge. “Why are you out here?”

“Just resting. I got tired standing up.”

She gazed at him with an eye like Aunt Clotilda in her bad moments. “What did you do with Rupe?”

“He’s gone for more champagne.”

“He’s had enough champagne. And so have you.” She darted a quick one over her shoulder. No one was there. Her voice dropped. “Here. Take this. Don’t give it to anyone but me and don’t tell anyone you have it.”

She’d pulled ‘this’ out of her gold evening bag. It was an envelope, done up with blobs of red sealing wax. It was too heavy for its size. Something besides paper in it. The jewels?

She pushed it into his hand. “Take it. Put it in your pocket, your inside pocket, stupid! Quick.”

He made it quick. He was almost scared sober she was so jumpy. If anyone had come out of the door they couldn’t have seen what he was doing. She was shielding him. He got it tucked inside.

She fixed her eyes on him. “Remember. Don’t tell anyone, not anyone, that I gave you anything.”

“Sure nuff,” he nodded.

“If you do—” It was funny but he hadn’t ever noticed before that her eyes weren’t pure blue. Around the pupils were flecks as green as Magda’s. “If you do,” she repeated, and her voice was colder than the marble bench, “I don’t think you’ll live very long.”

F
OR A MOMENT, BUT
only for a moment, Johnnie observed Trudy through pinwheels. He wasn’t that drunk. He had heard what she said. She was still standing there making sure he took it in. And he was right, her eyes weren’t any softer than marble.

His voice gulped back into his throat. “I won’t forget,” he assured her quickly. All the pleasant glow had evaporated. The only warm place about him was his inner coat pocket. That was too hot.

She seemed satisfied. She looked human when she asked sharply, “Just what were you doing in the library?”

“Reading. Trying to read. I wanted to find out about those countries. Then I was interrupted. But Rupe told me about them. Magda’s queen of this Trudamia—”

“Indeed she is not!” Trudy flashed. “My mother’s queen of Trudamia. And I’ll be queen some day. Trudamia is a matriarchy. Magda comes from a very minor branch of the family, a sixth cousin. Her father was a commoner.”

Even if she had just scared him out of a year’s growth, she really was cute as a bug. And she was a blonde. Johnnie took her hand. “Sit down and tell me about it,” he urged. He began to feel warm again. “You don’t want to hear any more of that guff, do you?” He sort of half-pulled her down beside him. She wasn’t exactly reluctant. Maybe her feet hurt too. “If Magda isn’t queen why is she going to marry Rudolph?”

“You don’t think I want to marry him, do you?” She was indignant. “It’s a perfect solution. Gets rid of Magda and Rudo both—if it comes off.”

“He actually is a king?”

“He will be. If he gets back in time after the war. Of course the people would rather have Ruprecht but Rudolph is nine months older so he gets to reign. Uncle Ruffeni—their father—died this year.”

“The Nazis?” he asked somberly.

“The Nazis had nothing to do with it,” she retorted promptly. “He had apoplexy because some fool in Nairobi watered his cognac. That was Uncle Ruffeni. Personally I think Rupe’s a bastard.”

“He is not,” Johnnie contradicted. “He’s a good Joe.”

“I don’t mean a bastard that way. I mean the other way. He couldn’t be Uncle Ruff’s son.”

He wished she’d stop talking so much. He felt like working up to a little cuddling. He moved a little closer. “You know who you remind me of?”

“Sonja Henie,” she snapped. “If all the men I’ve reminded of Sonja Henie were laid end to end I’d drive a tank over them with pleasure.” She sighed. “But he is too.”

Johnnie sighed with her. “Is what?”

“A bastard that way too.” She gave him a gimlet glare. “Who kissed whom?”

“Who kissed whom?”

“Rupe and Magda. Who kissed whom?”

“I wasn’t watching them. Maybe it was mutual.” Her mouth turned down at the corners. He recollected. “But she’d made the date and she was doing the preliminary footwork.”

That was better. Suddenly Trudy reared back against his arm. “Just how did you get in on this anyway?”

“Listen, babe,” he took her hand firmly, “I like that. You’re the one got me in on it. You shoved me in her room and she made me put on this fancy costume. And you ask me what I’m doing here!” He remembered again what he had to do. “Listen, I got a date downtown. I’m late now. The guys aren’t going to like it. I don’t want to break up the party but I’ve got to get back and change my clothes.”

“What guys?”

“Bill and Hank. My sidekicks, compadres, see? They’re waiting for me at the Astor. If you’ll just give me that address—”

“First you have to help me get Rudo away from here.”

“
I
do!”

“Yes, you do. We must get him back to Dorp’s before it’s too late.”

“Too late for what?”

She was holding his hand now. “Don’t you see it isn’t safe for him to be running around this way. It isn’t even safe to be here at Lessering’s. Any minute—”

They’d been talking so hard neither one had noticed the balcony filling up. The speech was over. Not until the shadow of Ferenz loomed above them did they look up. The big guy was actually twittering. “Trudy, isn’t it divine? I can’t conceive of such good fortune. The announcement of Rudolph’s betrothal made here, in my home.” He squinted at Johnnie. “And who is your handsome friend, dear?”

“One of Dorp’s men.” Trudy stood up. “Come on, Johnnie. Let’s us be the last to congratulate the hapless bride. See you later, Furry.”

She dragged Johnnie by the hand. He muttered, “Why do you keep saying I’m one of Dorp’s men?”

Her voice was clear if quiet. “How long would you last if I told the truth?”

That made a second warning. He took it. “Who is that Furry?”

“Ferenz Lessering. He’s giving the party.”

“He’s really one of the Lesserings?”

“Munition Lesserings? Yes. You get it?”

Johnnie shook his dumb head.

“That’s why Rupe can live here. Rupe’s not a queer. And that’s why Ferenz has been putting up the money for Otto and Dorp. The more little wars the merrier. Keeps the wheels of industry rolling.”

He still didn’t get it.

“You don’t think the Rudamians will put up with Rudolph long without having a revolution, do you? But we must get him out of here. It wouldn’t be cricket to let him be assassinated before he was ever crowned.”

“You think there’s danger of that here?” His eyes popped.

“This house is full of Rudamians and anti-Rudamians. The only place in New York where we know he’ll be safe is at Dorp’s. We must take him back there.”

“How?”

The music was playing a fairly decent swing. “Might as well dance across,” Johnnie said. He grabbed her before she could refuse. She could trundle all right. “How?” he repeated.

“I don’t know,” she confessed.

He didn’t bother his head about it now. Not dancing with this little honey. He didn’t even think of Bill and Hank waiting outside the Astor. He didn’t bother to think until somebody rammed a fist in his back.

“You cannot do that,” Dorp stormed.

“Can’t do what?” Johnnie had his own fist ready.

“You cannot dance with Her Highness.”

“Who says I can’t?”

“Wait.” Trudy stopped dancing. “I asked him to dance me over to Rudolph, Dorp. We want to get Rudo out of here. Johnnie’s going to help.”

“How?” Dorp shrugged.

“I could throw him over my shoulder.” Johnnie was practical. “He couldn’t weigh more than a Garand.”

“He could bite,” Trudy warned. “Have you talked to him, Dorp?”

“He would not even listen. He is having a good time. Cock of the walk. Royal Highness this, Royal Highness that. He must not miss the plane.”

“That doesn’t go till morning,” Johnnie reminded.

“But there is much business to attend to.”

“And if he gets on the Clipper drunk, he’ll talk too much,” Trudy said. “We’ve simply got to think of something.”

They all thought. Johnnie suggested, “Why couldn’t I take him with me to the Astor?”

“No,” Trudy said.

“You aren’t supposed to think,” Dorp told him. “We do the thinking.”

“You better think fast if you want my help,” Johnnie began.

“Quiet!” Trudy commanded. She thought some more.

“I can think better when I’m dancing,” Johnnie grinned. “How’s about it?”

“Quiet!” Dorp commanded.

Johnnie didn’t wander away. He walked off. Now was the time for action. He walked right across the ballroom to Magda. She didn’t appear to be having a very good time. Everyone was crowding up to the goon. No one even noticed she was a gorgeous number.

Johnnie announced, “I’m back.”

She turned, startled. When she saw who it was her eyes greened. “Where have you been?”

“Dancing. You want to dance?” He held open his arms. Either she’d been away from Trudamia too long to remember the rules or it was that commoner father. Or maybe if a fellow opened his arms she knew only one way to move. She closed in. He danced her out on the floor. The Highness didn’t notice. Trudy could dance but with Magda under your chin you didn’t care what it was she called dancing.

Johnnie said, “I wish we were somewhere good. This band stinks. Why don’t we get out of here?”

She flung those long black lashes up at him. “I wish we could. But Rudolph—”

“We could take him along.”

Her eyes narrowed and her mouth curved. “Then what would we do with him?”

Johnnie swallowed hard. He held on. This wasn’t what he’d bargained for. This was worse than a bottle of champagne. “Anything you say, honey,” he murmured to her cape jasmine hair. “But anything.”

She pushed him away without any warning. “Who are you?”

He was getting tired of playing invisible man. He didn’t get a chance to answer.

Her eyes burned. “You can’t dance with me.”

“What’s the matter, don’t you like it?”

For just a second she half-smiled. “Some other time.” Then she was back to being queen again. “Of all the impudence. Royalty does not dance with commoners.”

He said, “Listen. It’s none of my business but I think you ought to gather up Rudo and get him out of here.”

Her “Why?” was sharp. Her eyes slitted around the room.

“Trudy didn’t like that scene a bit she barged into. You and Rupe on the griddle. If you don’t get Rudo away where you can have him alone, there might be some sabotage. You aren’t married to him yet.”

She dug her fingers into his arm. “What did she say?”

“She doesn’t think you’re good enough for Rudolph. Your old man—”

She was furious. He lifted her claws off his sleeve. “That little—that little prig trying to wench my game. Just because her father was a Dallas millionaire.”

“Did you say Dallas?” Johnnie cried joyfully.

“I said Dallas.”

“Then he was a commoner, too!”

“No, he wasn’t. He was a prince. But he went to work in Texas—oil. No better than a commoner.” She set her teeth. “Trudy wants Ruprecht but she won’t get him. He wouldn’t give a phony nickel for her.”

“You can’t have both the boys,” he told her.

She tossed her head. “Tell Theo to get the cars ready. We’re leaving.”

“Rudolph too?”

“Rudolph too.”

“How?”

“Never mind how. Do as you’re told.” She didn’t float; she plunged toward her fiancé.

Johnnie returned to the thinkers, still thinking in the same old spot. “Tell Theo to get the cars,” he ordered. “We’re all leaving.”

The two of them raised incredulous round eyes. “How?” they Indianed.

Johnnie spoke haughtily. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” He didn’t remain with them. He sidled back to the buffet, stuffed his pocket with salted nuts, lifted a last chocolate éclair and finished it in three bites. He was well pleased with himself. All this how business. All you had to do was use your head. Nothing to it.

It didn’t do any good to try to get in the car with Trudy. The setup was as it had been earlier. Even to the cordon trudging off on foot. Johnnie had the same uncomfortable jump seat.

Rudolph was doing the talking just as he had on the trip over but he was more jittery now. “How do you know there were F. B. I. agents at Ferenz’s party, Magda? How do you know they were there? How do you know they aren’t following us?”

Magda had known how to use her head too. Nothing to it. Johnnie grinned and lit a smoke. He blew it toward Janssen, sitting there stiff as a ramrod.

Magda said, “Never mind how I know it. It’s my business to know. And they aren’t following. We didn’t parade out of the house, did we? We melted away quietly. Even if they were following, the boys have orders to give them the slip.”