The barkeep had set a drink down in front of the colonel and nodded in Estelle’s direction. The lenses of his pince-nez perched on the bridge of his nose reflected the light from above and hid his eyes and his thoughts. Another reminder of things she didn’t know.

She drew her own glass across the smooth wood surface of the bar. “Shall I—”

“Colonel.” A harried officer who looked as if he’d just run a Roman mile approached Meyer, speaking in rapid German. “I was told I could find you in here.”

“What do you want from me?”

“I’ve come from Saint-Germain-en-Laye. I have a message for the Reichsmarschall.”

Meyer waved his hand in exasperation. “Then give it to him.”

“I can’t find him, sir. Do you know where he is?” He held a folded paper in his hand.

“I do not.” Meyer looked mildly annoyed. “If not in the dining room or one of the salons or one of the bars, he will most likely be in his suite. If that is the case, he will not appreciate disturbances.”

Estelle kept her face perfectly blank and put her handbag beside her drink, releasing the clasp.

The man shifted from foot to foot. “But it is imperative I speak with him.”

“Whatever the meddling field marshal wants, I’m sure it can wait.”

“But the message is from the Führer himself.”

The colonel stilled. “From the Führer?”

“Sent directly from Berlin. And the Führer demands an immediate answer from the Reichsmarschall. I’m to wait for a response and return with a reply for encryption.”

“It’s ridiculous that we are running messages back and forth across this damn country like rats scurrying about,” Meyer growled at the hapless officer. “Not only is the inefficiency of this process an affront to the entire Luftwaffe, it’s dangerous.”

“The mobile unit in Saint-Germain is well secured, Colonel. The location is changed regularly.”

“They are trucks,” Meyer snarled. “Vulnerable to anyone who can drive one.”

“I can assure you that we—”

The colonel banged his fist on the surface of the bar. “The field marshal has been promising the Luftwaffe its own communication equipment that has thus far failed to materialize. Can you explain that?”

The beleaguered officer cleared his throat. “I’m quite sure that everything possible is being done—”

“The Kriegsmarine does not seem to suffer such delays receiving their encryption devices.” The colonel still sounded furious.

“Those devices are not nearly as secure and sophisticated as the ones at Saint-Germain. The one that is being delivered here.”