“What about your — er — gaoler friend?”
“No good, I tried him, he’s one of the head men. Doesn’t do ordinary duty himself. He’d be suspected at once if he attempted to tamper with any of the warders.”
“There’s one chap who was decent to us,” said Simon, slowly. “Used to be a peasant on the Plakoff estates, and remembers the Duke as a young man. Wonder if we could get hold of him?”
“What’s his name?”
“Yakovkin — big strapping fellow with a beard and a scar over one eye.”
“They might be able to arrange something between them,” said Richard, meditatively. “Anyhow, I’ll try and see my man again this evening.”
“How about mun? I haven’t got a bean.”
“I have, plenty; I got a supply from the Embassy in Vienna. But if I can arrange anything, how the devil can we get them away?”
“I’ll get Valeria Petrovna’s car.”
“Sorry, Simon, but I’m a bit nervous about bringing her into this.”