Chapter One Thousand Four Hundred Twenty-Two
8th January 1961
Mitte, Berlin
This is going to result in another round of speculation, that was Suga’s thought as she made her way into the Grand Ballroom of the Winter Residence with Freddy.
That was what happened every time the two of them were spotted in public together. It was common knowledge that the two of them had been friends going back to when they had been children. The public was also somewhat enamored with the idea of her being beautiful, exotic and they loved the idea of them being childhood sweethearts. The truth was far less interesting. That Suga had found ready friends in Freddy and his younger siblings who were among the few people who understood who she was. She also loved the informal way they related to each other. Freddy and Michael were always poking fun at Kiki, Louis being fearless except when talking with girls, Rea and Vicky at odds with the world and each other. Suga found them all to be endlessly fascinating. That they had all warmly welcomed her when she had arrived in Berlin a couple years earlier was something that she had not expected. She had known Freddy and Kiki prior to that but had not known how the others would react to her.
At the back of Suga’s mind there was however the need to maintain what Freddy referred to as necessary ambiguity. The public in Berlin might like her and speculate about the status of their relationship. The fear was that fun would end if she and Freddy were ever actually in a relationship. Exactly what were the limits of what the public would except here? The Formal Nineteenth Century theme of tonight’s ball was proof that things did change over time. But what was the acceptable pace of that change? Freddy was wearing the blue uniform of a Hauptmann of the Pioneers, a century earlier the Crown Prince wearing that would have been a scandal. The Crown Prince of Prussia commissioned into such a pedestrian unit? And working in a trade like construction even if it was on a grand scale? Scandalous indeed. Suga herself was dressed like a Princess in the Edo Period. The elaborate winter theme of her attire was something that few others at this event might aspire to. For her to even be in Berlin during that time would have been a scandal, for different reasons though.
Now, Freddy being in the Pioneers was seen as him wanting to learn the skills required to be Emperor in a changing world. In most places, engineers were now needed more than soldiers. While Suga going to University in Berlin might have raised a few eyebrows back in Japan, a century earlier Suga might never have set foot outside the Imperial household before she was married and if she had come to Berlin it would have resulted in her being permanently exiled from Japan. Tonight though, they could come here and enjoy themselves in what amounted to a fancy-dress party as such considerations no longer applied.
“If I could have the first dance with you Princess Suga-no-Miya” Freddy asked in Japanese that was still a bit rough, but he had been improving.
“I’ll think about it, Prince Friedrich” Suga replied in the same language. That was clearly not the answer that he was expecting.
Dublin, Ireland
Douglas had gotten an assignment to photograph the City of Dublin for an American magazine. It had been a long time since he had Kat had managed to have an escape together, he had arranged for her to come along. Kat seemed to know this city a little too well. As Doug watched, she blended into the street scene perfectly, looking like she belonged there. He realized that it was nearly a lifetime of spycraft that she had learned and that it was second nature to her.
Over the course of the day, he had taken a lot of photographs of the city and even a few of Kat when he thought she wasn’t looking or was just having a bit of fun. It was something that Doug was looking forward to doing for the rest of the week.
Now it was evening, and Doug had followed Kat into a house that was in an upper middle-class neighborhood where she said that they were expected. Inside, there was a dinner party that was already underway. The host was Jack Kennedy, who Doug had met on a few occasions in Berlin and whose signature was seen frequently on the documents that were required to keep Kat’s multitude of financial interests looking at least somewhat respectable. There was also Bridget, Jack Kennedy’s wife who Doug was introduced to. Doug’s impression was that Bridget was a formidable woman, she would need to be if what Kat said about Jack’s roving eye was true. Kat had also told Doug that he should probably not mention the elephant in the room. Jack and Bridget had only gotten married the previous summer, but it was obvious that Jack Junior was going to be arriving at any time.
That’s just how these things happen and don’t make a big deal about it, was how Kat had put it. That was certainly true with her friend Nancy and their youngest daughter, Marie, hadn’t been what they had been planning on a few years earlier. Doug figured that it was probably safer to follow Kat’s lead this time.
“And just where are your children this weekend?” Bridget asked.
“My sister Ilse is watching them” Kat replied, “Her husband Albrecht is home on leave, so having them get in the practice of dealing with older children will be good for when my nephew Nikolaus is older.”
“Albrecht, like the Astronaut?” Bridget asked. Only to get a coughing response from Jack.
A couple years earlier when Ilse had been pregnant with Nikolaus and Albrecht had been in orbit, Kat had told him off in a spectacular fashion with most of the world listening in. Later, Jack had supposedly been one of the people having to work overtime to shield her from the consequences of that action.