✏️ The Littlest Spy

13. Insight

This bonus chapter is dedicated to Peter. Thank you for your support!

"I had to feel sorry for that German couple though," Isadora mumbled, as they walked down a sunlit street. The light was so bright that she could barely see where they were going, although that could have been because the sun was low in the sky now, barely above the rooftops. It apparently didn't stop other people seeing her, though. Her dress was more revealing than anything she would have chosen for herself, and she felt like every guy they passed was staring at her bare legs, or a plunging neckline that promised to reveal a lot of cleavage even though she wasn't particularly well endowed. It was her second day passing herself off as Estelle Klein, the trophy wife dressed according to her husband's tastes, and in a way she was glad that they'd taken this vacation. It gave her a little more time to get used to how other people might view her.

"I heard somebody speaking German on the way to the gents," Brock said. "Austrian accents. Did they have a problem?"

"Oh, yes," Estelle said. "They kept asking if they had a menu, even when they were holding one. The waitress seemed to be kind of confused. Eventually they managed to order, but I'm not sure what the problem was. Maybe they thought there are different menus at different times of day?"

"I wish I'd heard that," Brock said. "You don't speak German, do you?"

"No?" Isadora answered. "Well, I can ask for directions to the embassy, and understand enough to recognise a bomb threat or a request for asylum, but not enough for everyday conversation. Why?"

"'Menu' is the German word for a set meal," Brock explained, pronouncing the word slightly differently. "In some restaurants, you could just ask for the menu and the waiter will bring you whatever is good today, saving you the effort of choosing."

"Ohh, that makes so much sense!" Isadora answered. "You've been to Germany, then?"

"I don't think so. But I picked up a bit of the language from a German neighbour when I was stationed in Kranj for six months. I'd like to think languages have always been one of my strong suits."

Isadora wasn't sure what else she could say, but she was spared the need to answer when they turned into a little courtyard, surrounded by picturesque buildings. This was where they were staying; an ancient hotel which had probably seen better days. Theoretically it wasn't far from the town centre, but was hidden behind a maze of back streets that made it almost impossible to get anywhere in a timely manner. Isadora had done her best to memorise the street map before arriving, while Brock just walked down streets at random until he reached an area with more tourists than locals.

Isadora had already started to understand that this was supposed to be the same attitudes they'd taken on in Rome, for their honeymoon. Bernard just trusted in fate to get him somewhere near to his destination, while Estelle would do her best to find the shortest path. Of course, in Rome they wouldn't have had the easy alternative of going out the back door and walking along the beach until they reached the pier and its steps; but it helped Isadora to wrap her head around how her character was supposed to feel about Bernard. His ineptness was frustrating at times, but also kind of adorable. So although she lectured Bernard constantly about planning ahead, she could be confident that nothing bad would happen.

"So, how about you, Bernard?" she asked as she hunted through her pockets for their room key. "You took a hell of a long time finding the restrooms. Did you get lost there as well?"

"Oh, I was passing through one of those weird little courtyards, with the climbing plants growing up the pillars. And, well, there was a very persuasive vendor there, selling stuff out of a wheelbarrow."