Egen |
The oak |
Daisy sad ved hendes skrivebord og prøvede på at ordne hendes
regnskaber. |
Daisy was sitting at her office table trying to do her accounts. |
Kontor døren stod åben da hun forventede at gas manden ville komme.
|
The office door was open as she was expecting the gas man to come. |
Skridt hørtes, Daisy kikkede op og så en stor, bred mand ved
indgangen. |
Hearing footsteps, Daisy looked up and saw a big, wide man at the entrance. |
“Frøken Hamilton må jeg ?” |
“Miss Hamilton please?”
|
Denne eg af en mand var tydeligvis en udlænding. |
This oak of a man was clearly a foreigner. |
Hans tøj sad dårligt som om beboeren havde sovet i det. |
His clothes were worn badly as though their occupant had slept in them. |
Hans accent lød hård og umusikalsk. |
His accent sounded harsh and unmusical. |
“Ja, kan jeg hjælpe dem?” |
“Yes, can I help you?” |
Denne eg af en mand, sad og hang overfor Daisy og så på
hende med hans halvt åbne øjne som studerede hende
uafbrudt. |
The oak slouched in, sat down opposite Daisy and looked at her from his
half-opened eyes which studied her constantly. |
“
Jeg hører at du er en meget dygtig dame som man kan
stole på.” |
“I hear you are a very bright lady and that you can be trusted.” |
Han sagde disse ord som om det på samme tid var en
kendsgerning og et spørgsmål. |
He spoke these words as though they were at the same time a statement and a
question. |
Daisy vidste ikke hvordan hun skulle svare så hun
besluttede sig bare til at nikke. |
Daisy didn’t know how to reply and decided just to nod her head. |
“ Jeg vil forklarer dig mit lille problem.
|
“I’ll tell you about my little problem. |
Her er dit starter salær – Jeg tror hundred pund
kan klare det i øjeblikket. |
Here is your initial fee - I think a hundred pounds will do for the present. |
Jeg arbejder for den Russiske ambassade og
det jeg har og sige må ikke komme tilbage
til dem. |
I work for the Russian Embassy and what I have to say must not get back there. |
Mit navn er IIich Zubkov. |
My name is IIich Zubkov. |
Det kan du tjekke ved at ringe til mig
på ambassaden i aften, men kun ved at
lade som om du er en bekendt,
selvfølgelig.” |
You can check that by telephoning me at the embassy this evening, but only
pretending to be an acquaintance, of course.” |
”Vær venlig at fortælle mig dit problem
først. |
“Can you please tell me your problem first. |
Jeg kan ikke acceptere at hjælpe dig
uden først at vide hvad det
medføre,” |
I can’t accept to help you without knowing what it entails,”
|
Daisy prøvede at tage sin tid, da
hun følte sig ret overvældet af
denne mands stærke personlighed og
fysik. |
Daisy was trying to take time as she felt rather overwhelmed by this man’s
strong personality and physique. |
Egen lukkede hans øjne
fuldstændigt i et minut. |
The oak shut his eyes completely for a minute. |
Han var vant til at give ordre
og blive adlydt uden spørgsmål.
|
He was used to giving orders and being obeyed without question. |
Han besluttede sig til at
gøre umage med at virke mere
høflig overfor en engelsk
dame. |
He decided to make an effort to appear more courteous to an English woman. |
“Min kone er forsvundet.”
Atmosfæren var elektrisk.
|
“My wife has disappeared.” The atmosphere was electric. |
“Hun tog ud og handle om
morgenen, for to dage
siden, og er ikke kommet
hjem siden. |
“She went out shopping in the morning, two days ago, and hasn’t come back
since. |
Jeg har overhovedet ikke
hørt nyt fra hende.” |
I have heard no news at all from her.” |
Daisy rejste sig for
tilsyneladende at
lave pulver kaffe,
men det var faktisk
så hun kunne studere
hendes klient lidt
bedre. |
Daisy got up ostensibly to make some instant coffee, but it was really to be
able to study her client better. |
“Hr. Zubkov, har du
informerede
politiet?” |
“Mr. Zubkov, have you informed the police?”
|
sagde privat
detektiven mens
hun tændte for
kedelen som var
øverst på en
boghylde bagved
russeren, nær
døren. |
said the private eye as she switched on the kettle which was on top of a
bookcase behind the Russian, near the door. |
“i min stilling
ville det være
utålsomt. |
“In my position it would be intolerable. |
Hvis, for
eksempel,
hun er rendt
væk med en
anden mand,
så ville jeg
være, det
jeg tror i
englændere
kalder, til
grin af hele
ambassaden.
|
If, for example, she has run away with another man, I would be, I think you
English say, the laughing stock of the embassy. |
Jeg har kun
uofficielt
snakket med
en gammel
ven,
Detektiv-inspektør
Singleton,
som foretog
hans egne
diskrete
forespørgsler
om hun kunne
have været i
en ulykke
eller være
bragt til
hospitalet.
|
I spoke only unofficially to an old friend of mine, Detective-Inspector
Singleton, who made his own discreet inquiries as to whether she had been in an
accident or taken to hospital. |
Han
fortalte
mig at
han
troede
der
kunne
være en
privat
årsag
til min
kones
opførelse
og
foreslog
at jeg
henvendte
mig til
dig. |
He told me that he thought there might be a private reason for my wife’s
behaviour and suggested I should come to you.” |
" Jeg
forstår.
Nå men
Hr.
Zubkov,
Jeg
bliver
nød til
at
spørge
dem
nogle
ret
personlige
spørgsmål,”
|
“I see. Well Mr. Zubkov, I shall have to ask you some pretty personal
questions,” |
Daisy
så
manden
blev
stiv
i
ryggen
mens
hun
hælde
det
kogende
vand
i
kopperne. |
Daisy watched the man’s back stiffening and poured out the boiling water into
the cups. |
“Frøken
Hamilton,
jeg
er
her
i
deres
nåde.”
|
“Miss Hamilton, I am here and I am in your hands.”
|
Daisy
tænkte
at
egen
sikkert
aldrig
før
havde
udtalt
disse
ord.
|
Daisy thought that probably the oak had never pronounced these words before. |
“Jeg vil fortælle alt hvad du vil vide. |
“I will tell you anything you want to know. |
Lad mig forudse nogle af dine spørgsmål. |
Let me anticipate some of your questions. |
Jeg har ikke noget kendskab til en anden mand, og jeg kan faktisk ikke fortælle dig noget. |
I have no knowledge of another man, and in fact I can’t tell you anything at
all about why my wife has disappeared.” |
Han tøvede et øjeblik. |
He paused for a moment. |
“ Og ja, - Jeg elsker hende rigtig meget og vil have hende tilbage.” |
“And yes, - I love her very much and want her back.” |
Daisy havde sat sig ned igen, efter at hun gav Hr. Zubkov hans pulver kaffe. |
Daisy had returned to her seat after giving Mr. Zubkov his instant coffee. |
Da han var en abrupt mand, følte Daisy at hun kunne spørge ham frit : “Og du har ikke en anden dame?” |
Since he was an abrupt man, Daisy felt free to ask him: “And you have no other
women?” |
”Nej” Egen var begyndt at knække og hans underlæbe dirrede. |
“No.” The oak was beginning to crack and his lower lip quivered. |
“Godt. Nu må jeg bede om en beskrivelse af deres kone.” |
“Good. Now, please give me a description of your wife.” |
“Ja, her er et foto af hende. De må beholde det, Frøken Hamilton.” |
“Yes, this is a photo of her.You can keep it, Miss Hamilton.” |
Daisy så et billede af en køn intelligent-udseende dame på omkring fyrre. |
Daisy saw the image of a pretty intelligent-looking woman of about forty. |
“Hvad for en type er hun? Arbejder hun?” |
“What sort of a person is she? Does she work?” |
“Ja men for det første så hedder hun Valentina, selvfølgelig er hun meget yngre end mig, men vi har været lykkeligt gift i atten år. |
“Well, first of all her name is Valentina, of course she is much younger than
me but we have been happily married for eighteen years. |
Hun er datter af en russisk diplomat og en dygtig sprogforsker – slet ikke som mig selv. |
She is the daughter of a Russian diplomat and an able linguist - not at all
like myself. |
Hun studerede sprog på skolen i Moskva og fuldendte det ved at tage udenlands. |
She studied languages at school in Moscow and perfected them by going abroad. |
Hun taler engelsk og fransk perfekt, hun kan læse tysk og et par slaviske sprog. |
She speaks English and French perfectly, she reads German and a couple of
Slavonic languages. |
Faktisk hjælper hun på ambassaden med oversættelser.” |
In fact she helps out at the embassy with translations." |
”Har du nogen børn?” |
“Have you any children?” |
“Ja, vi har to døtre som klarer sig godt i skolen hjemme i Rusland. |
“Yes, we have two daughters who do well at school back home in Russia. |
Jeg ringede til dem for at være sikker på at min kones forsvindende ikke havde noget med dem at gøre, men de forsikrede mig begge at alt var helt i orden. |
I telephoned them to make sure my wife’s disappearance had nothing to do with
them, but they both assured me that they were perfectly ok.” |
Daisy sippede sin sorte kaffe færdig. |
Daisy was finishing her black coffee sip by sip. |
Hun havde forstået alt hvad hun havde hørt og prøvede at få det til at hænge sammen. |
She had taken in everything she had heard and was trying to work things out. |
“Jeg tror dette,” konkluderede hun,” du er ærlig om det du siger og du har ingen ide om hvorfor dette skete. |
“I think this,” she summarised, “you are sincere in what you say and have no
idea why this all happened. |
Men du har absolut ikke givet mig nogle elementer til at forstå hvorfor din kone pludselig skulle forsvinde uden nogen forklaring. |
But you have given me absolutely no elements to understand why your wife should
disappear suddenly with no explanation.” |
Egen løsnede hans slips og ventede på at Daisy skulle forsætte. |
The oak loosened his tie and waited for Daisy to continue. |
“Så det bedste du kan gøre er at tænke på om der er noget hun har sagt fornylig som virker mærkeligt og kom tilbage og forlægge det for mig –fra hvad vi ved så kunne hun allerede være gået ind på ambassaden mens du kom her. |
“So the best thing to do is to reflect if anything she has said recently seemed
strange and report it back to me - for all we know she might have already
walked into the embassy while you were coming here.” |
Egen virkede midlertidigt lettet. |
The oak seemed temporarily relieved. |
”Frøken Hamilton, de er nøjagtig som detektiv – inspektør Singleton beskrev. |
“Miss Hamilton, you are just as Detective-Inspector Singleton described. |
Du har ikke givet mig nogle falske forhåbninger. |
You have given me no false hopes. |
Jeg vil gå tilbage til ambassaden og gøre som de har foreslået. |
I will go back to the embassy and do what you have suggested. |
Jeg tror ikke hun er kommet tilbage endnu, ellers ville min sekretær havde ringet til mig på min mobil. |
I think she hasn't returned yet, otherwise my secretary would have called me on
my mobile. |
Jeg fortalte hende en løgn om at min kone var på besøg hos venner i Skotland.” |
I told her a lie about my wife visiting friends in Scotland.” |
“Hr. Zubkov, hvis du har nogle nyheder så vær venlig at ringe omgående, dag eller nat. |
“Mr. Zubkov, if you have any news for me please call me immediately, day or
night.” |
I løbet af natten når indbrudstyvene er i gang, vågnede Daisy ved lyden af hendes mobil. |
During the night when burglars do their work, Daisy was woken up by her mobile
phone. |
“Zubkov her, Frøken Hamilton. |
“Zubkov speaking, Miss Hamilton. |
Min kone er kommet tilbage men nægter og fortælle mig hvad der er hændt. |
My wife has come back but refuses to tell me what happened. |
Jeg spurgte hende om hvorfor hun var gået men hun brød ud i gråd og nægtede at svarer på nogen af min spørgsmål. |
I asked her about her disappearance and she burst into tears and refused to
answer any questions. |
Frøken Hamilton, Jeg er bange for at hun måske forsvinder igen hvis jeg insistere for meget på at udspørge hende. |
Miss Hamilton, I’m terrified that she may leave me again if I insist too much
in questioning her.” |
“Hr. Zubkov, Jeg er glad for at deres kone er kommet tilbage, men, som du siger, hun flygter måske igen hvis du gør hende ked af det. Lad mig tænke…” |
“Mr. Zubkov, I’m glad your wife has come back, but, as you say, she may take
flight again if you upset her. Let me think...” |
Daisy gned hendes øjne og blinkede. |
Daisy rubbed her eyes and blinked. |
“Jeg kunne prøve at følge hende, hvis du synes, men du må hjælpe med at fortælle mig hvornår hun går. |
“I could try following her if you like, but you must help me by telling me when
she is going out.” |
“Det er temmelig svært, da hun er en ret aktiv person, men jeg tror at min kone skal til tandlæge her i eftermiddag klokken fire. |
“That’s quite difficult, as she is a pretty active person, but I think my wife
is going to the dentist’s this afternoon at four o’clock. |
Hun overholder sikkert sin tid da hun har problemer med en visdomstand.” |
She probably will keep the appointment as she has trouble with a wisdom
tooth.” |
“Okay, giv mig adressen og telefon nummeret på tandlægen, så vil jeg se hvad jeg kan gøre. |
“All right then, give me the address and phone number of the dentist and I’ll
see what I can do.” |
Daisy havde fået en tid hos tandlægen klokken seks. |
Daisy had been accepted for an appointment at the dentist’s for six o’clock. |
Da hun ankom tidligt klokken halv fire blev receptionisten meget overrasket og fortalte hende at hun måtte vente i lang tid. |
When she arrived early at three-thirty the receptionist was very surprised and
told her she must wait a long time. |
Daisy forsikrede hende at det gjorde ikke noget, satte sig ned i en stor lænestol og faldt næsten i søvn. |
Daisy assured her she didn’t mind, settled down in a huge armchair and nearly
fell asleep. |
Efter omkring tyve minutter, gik døren op og receptionisten førte en meget køn dame på omkring fyrre ind. |
After about twenty minutes, the door opened and the receptionist showed in a
very pretty lady of about forty. |
“Fru. Zubkov, vær venlig at gøre dem selv tilpas. |
“Mrs. Zubkov, please make yourself comfortable. |
Der er nogle blade på bordet hvis du har lyst til at læse. |
There are some magazines on the table if you want something to read.” |
Daisy lod som om hun var søvnig, det var ikke svært, mens hun observerede Valentina Zubkov fra hendes lænestol. |
Daisy pretended to be sleepy, this part wasn’t difficult, and observed
Valentina Zubkov from her armchair. |
Hun var lys-håret, smuk tynd og elegant klædt på, slet ikke som hendes mand. |
She was fair-haired, beautifully slim and elegantly dressed, very unlike her
husband. |
Hun havde make-up på som fremhævede hendes fascinerende skrå grønne øjne. |
She wore make-up which only enhanced her fascinating slightly slanting emerald
-coloured eyes. |
Fru. Zubkov stirrede ned i gulvet som var hun væk i tanker, så tog hun et avis klip ud af hendes taske og læste det om og om igen. |
Mrs. Zubkov stared at the floor as if lost in thought, then pulled out a
newspaper cutting from her bag and read it over and over again. |
Da receptionisten kom tilbage lagde hun hurtigt avis klippet væk som om hun var skyldig i noget, og fulgte så receptionisten ind på operationsværelset. |
When the receptionist returned she put the newspaper cutting away quickly as
though she were guilty of something, and then followed the receptionist into
the surgery. |
Så snart Daisy var alene, sneg hun ud og ned af trapperne ind i gaden. |
As soon as Daisy was left alone, she slipped out down the stairs into the
street. |
Hun gik indtil hun nåede hjørnet, rev hendes øreringe af, tog et sort velur hårbånd med sløjfe ud, satte hendes hår op i en knold og tog et par briller på. |
She walked until she turned the corner, pulled off her earrings, got out a
black velvet bow on a slide, pulled her hair back into a bun and put on a pair
of glasses. |
Det var en forklædning Daisy brugte tit. |
It was a disguise Daisy often used. |
Så tog hun hendes vindjakke af, vendte vrangen ud og tog den på igen. |
She then took off her reversible mac, pulled it inside out and put it on again. |
Som sidste detalje, tog hun sin taske og lagde den ind i en indkøbs pose hun havde gemt i sin lomme. |
As a finishing touch, she hid her shoulder bag into a plastic shopper she had
kept in her pocket. |
Nu var hendes fremtræden fuldstændigt forandret. |
By now her appearance had completely changed. |
Daisy forberedte sig på at vente længe i døropgangen på en lukket butik. |
Daisy prepared to wait for a long time in the doorway of a shop which had
closed. |
Det tog en hel time før den mystiske Valentina gik ud fra tandlægen ned af trapperne og ud af lågen. |
It was a full hour before Valentina the mysterious walked out of the dentist’s
down the steps and out of the gate. |
Hun virkede til at være i en drøm og slentrede i retning af High Street. |
She seemed in a dream and wandered off in the direction of the High Street. |
Hun kikkede på butikker men så ikke ud til at være interesseret i det hun så. |
She looked in shop windows but didn’t seem interested in what she saw. |
Da hun kom forbi en tebutik, gik hun ind og bestilte te og agurk smørebrød. |
As she came across a teashop, she went in and ordered tea and cucumber
sandwiches. |
Daisy fulgte forsigtigt Valentina ind i te butikken og satte sig ned bagved hende, og bestilte et fad med kage og te. |
Daisy followed Valentina discreetly into the teashop and sat down behind her,
and ordered a plate of cakes and tea. |
Den skyldige dame tog avis klippet ud af hendes taske engang mere og stirrede på det igen. |
The guilty lady pulled out the newspaper cutting once more from her bag and
stared at it again. |
Daisy tog hurtigt et lille kamera ud af posen og svøbte det i det hvide chiffon tørklæde hun havde haft på, så at der ikke var nogen som lå mærke til hende, rejste sig i et par sekunder og tog et billede af avis udklippet. |
Daisy quickly pulled a small camera out of her bag encircling it with the white
chiffon scarf she had been wearing, saw that nobody was looking at her, stood
up for a couple of seconds and took a photograph of the newspaper cutting. |
Efter en tid forlod Fru Zubkov te butikken og gik tilbage til ambassaden med Daisy bagved. |
After a while Mrs. Zubkov left the teashop and walked back to the embassy with
Daisy following behind. |
Som Fru Zubkov forsvandt bag ambassade porten, besluttede Daisy at det vigtigste hun kunne gøre var at komme med et tog hjem, så hun kunne få fat i hendes gode ven Dirk, som var fotograf. |
As Mrs. Zubkov disappeared behind the embassy gate, Daisy decided the most
important thing she could do was to get a train home and knock up her good
friend Dirk, who was a photographer. |
“Dirk, ked af at forstyrre dig så sent men kunne du muligvis ordne et haste job. |
“Dirk, sorry to bother you so late but could you possibly do me a rush job. |
Der er et vigtig foto her som jeg skal have fremkaldt så hurtigt som muligt.” |
There’s an important photograph here that I need developed as quickly as
possible.” |
”Det er lidt sent Daisy, men siden det er for dig, så kommer jeg med det på dit kontor så hurtigt som muligt." |
“It’s a bit late Daisy, but as it’s for you, I’ll bring it round to your office
as soon as possible.” |
En time senere ankommer Dirk på Daisys kontor med en konvolut. |
An hour later Dirk arrived at Daisy’s office with an envelope. |
”Jeg var nød til at forstørre det - nu er ordene i udklippet fuldstændig synlige. |
“I had to enlarge it - now the words printed in the cutting are perfectly
visible.” |
Daisy åbnede konvolutten og læste endelig hvad der stod i avisudklippet. |
Daisy opened the envelope and at last read what was written in the newspaper
article. |
Den bekendtgjorde den alt for tidlig død af Lord Reginald Fitzgerald, og at begravelsen var sat til mandag d. sjette oktober – nøjagtig den dag Valentina forsvandt! |
It announced the untimely death of Lord Reginald Fitzgerald, and that the
funeral was fixed for Monday the sixth of October - the very day Valentina
disappeared! |
Daisy kikkede igennem nogle avis udklip som var efterladt på hendes kontor af glemsomme klienter for at se om hun kunne finde ud af mere om Lord Fitzgerald. |
Daisy looked through some newspapers which had been left in her office by
forgetful clients to find out more about Lord Fitzgerald. |
“ Der er det!” sagde hun til sig selv. |
“There it is!” she said to herself. |
‘Lord Reginald Fitzgerald døde ved en ride ulykke. |
‘Lord Reginald Fitzgerald died in a riding accident. |
Han havde været gift i seksogtyve år.’ Der var også et billede af hans søn Paul Valentine Fitzgerald, en ung mand med længere lyst hår, på omkring tyve år. |
He had been married for twenty-six years.’ There was also a picture of his son
Paul Valentine Fitzgerald, a young man with longish fair hair, of about twenty. |
Han var en temmelig godt-udseende unge, og der var noget ved hans øjne. |
He was a fairly good-looking youth - and there was something about his eyes... |
“Hr. Zubkov, Daisy her. Jeg tror jeg har løsningen. |
“Mr. Zubkov, Daisy speaking. I think I have the solution. |
Kan du komme?” Daisy kunne mærke spændingen på den anden side af røret. |
Can you come and see me?” Daisy could sense the tension at the other end of the
line. |
“Jeg er der så hurtigt som muligt. Farvel.” |
“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Goodbye.” |
Daisy var stadig ved at spise hendes kinesiske hjembragte mad da Hr. Zubkov ankom. |
Daisy was still eating her Chinese takeaway meal when Mr. Zubkov arrived. |
Egen nærmest faldt ned i stolen på Daisys kontor. |
The oak rather fell onto the chair in Daisy’s office. |
Hans ansigt så anstrengt ud, men han sagde ingenting mens han sad og ventede på at Daisy skulle reportere hendes nyheder. |
His face looked strained but he said nothing and sat waiting for Daisy to
report her news. |
“Hr. Zubkov, jeg vil fortælle dig en historie, måske er noget af det sandt, måske ikke. |
“Mr. Zubkov, I’ll tell you a story, maybe some of it’s true, maybe not. |
Når jeg når til slutningen af den, vil du dømme for dig selv.” |
When I get to the end of it, you will judge for yourself.” |
Egen stirrede bare på Daisy. |
The oak just stared at Daisy. |
“For omkring tyve år siden kom en dygtig ung russisk pige herover med et ønske om at perfekte hendes engelske, og mødte en nydelig og intelligent mand, medlem af overklassen, og tilmed en Lord. |
“About twenty years ago a clever young Russian girl, wishing to perfect her
knowledge of English, came over here and met an attractive and intelligent
man, a member of the aristocracy, a Lord in fact. |
Uheldigvis var manden allerede gift, så da den russiske pige blev gravid havde hun kun to muligheder: At få en abort, eller at have barnet hemmeligt og så give det op til adoption øjeblikkeligt efter. |
Unfortunately the man was already married, so when the Russian girl became
pregnant she had only two choices: to undergo a termination, or have the baby
secretly and then have it adopted immediately after. |
I denne histories periode, en Lord som havde en affære med en russisk diplomats datter ville have skabt en masse ballade hvis det var blevet offentlig gjort. |
In that period of history, a Lord having an affair with a Russian diplomat’s
daughter would have caused a lot of trouble had it been made public.” |
Egen virkede lammet. |
The oak seemed paralysed. |
Daisy forsatte : ”Den unge dame besluttede sig til at have barnet i England hemmeligt med hjælp af Lorden, hun var meget tynd og hendes graviditet kunne næsten ikke ses. |
Daisy went on: “The young woman chose to have the baby in England secretly with
the help of the Lord, she was very slim and her pregnancy didn’t show much. |
Efter fødslen af barnet, under skrev pigen nogle papriere der tillod en omgående adoption og hun tog tilbage til sit eget land. |
After the birth of the baby, the girl signed some papers to permit an immediate
adoption and returned to her own country. |
Lad os komme frem til nutiden. |
Now let’s come up to modern times. |
En dag dør denne Lord og der er et billede af hans søn i avisen. |
One day this Lord dies and there is a picture of his son in the newspaper. |
Sønnens navn er den maskuline udgave af hendes eget. |
The son’s name is the masculine version of her own. |
Den unge mands skæve øjne ligner nøjagtig hendes egne. |
The young man’s slanting eyes look just like her very own. |
Hun må finde ud af om han er hendes forlængst tabte søn. |
She must find out if he is her long-lost son. |
Adopterede englænderen sit eget barn? |
Did the Englishman adopt his own child? |
Trods alt havde han ikke nogen børn med hans kone og måske havde dette været hans eneste mulighed, for at have den søn han altid havde ønsket sig. |
After all he had no children with his wife and maybe this had been his only
opportunity to have the son he desired so much. |
Så Valentina går med til begravelsen og indser at den unge Paul Valentine Fitzgerald ligner hende selv meget, og at han må være hendes søn. |
So Valentina goes to the funeral and realises that the young Paul Valentine
Fitzgerald looks very like herself, and that he must be her son. |
Den søn som hun troede hun aldrig ville kunne finde eller se igen - eller indrømme til.” |
The son she thought she would never be able to find or see again - or admit
to.” |
Daisy gav fotokopien af avis udklippet til Hr. Zubkov. |
Daisy handed the photocopy of the newspaper article to Mr. Zubkov. |
Han stirrede på det, stadig meget anspændt, så begyndte han at ånde lidt mere regelmæssigt og så lettet ud. |
He stared at it, still in great tension, then he took to breathing more
regularly and looked relieved. |
“Vær venlig at give mig et glas vand, Frøken Hamilton.” |
“Please give me a glass of water, Miss Hamilton.” |
Russeren drak tørstigt. |
The Russian drank thirstily. |
“Valentina må have lidt meget, men hun kunne have fortalt mig det. |
“Valentina must have suffered a lot, but she could have told me. |
Mange piger har begået den samme fejl.” |
Many girls have made the same mistake.” |
Hr. Zubkov tænkte et par øjeblikke. |
Mr. Zubkov thought for a few moments. |
“For at være ærlig igen Frøken Hamilton. |
“I will be frank with you yet again Miss Hamilton. |
Jeg havde forstilt mig det værste, at hun havde mødt en meget yngre mand.” |
I imagined the worst, that she had met a much younger man,” |
Hr. Zubkov kikkede ned af hans tøj, |
Mr. Zubkov looked down at his clothes, |
”en nydelig og dygtigere mand.” |
“an attractive and smarter man.” |
Han rømmede sig," |
He cleared his throat, |
Hvad der skete før min kone og jeg mødtes, har ikke noget med mig at gøre. |
“What happened before my wife and I met, has nothing to do with me. |
Jeg er villig til at hjælpe hende på en hver måde, nu og altid. |
I am willing to help her in any way, now and always. |
Jeg vil fortælle hende dette en dag.” |
I will tell her this one day.” |
”Men jeg håber ikke at du fortæller hende at du ansatte en privat detektiv til at spionere hende...” |
“But I hope you are not going to tell her you employed a private detective to spy on her...” |
”Nej, helt sikkert ikke, Frøken Hamilton. |
“No, certainly not, Miss Hamilton. |
Jeg vil ikke sige noget til min kone indtil hun kommer og betror sig til mig. |
I will say nothing to my wife until she comes and confides in me. |
Jeg ved at mit udseende og opførsel er ret kommanderende men jeg er lidt anderledes end folk forstiller sig.” |
I know my appearance and manner is rather imposing but I’m a little different to what people would imagine.” |
Daisy var virkelig rørt. |
Daisy was quite moved. |
“Tak Frøken Hamilton, Jeg vil altid huske deres venlighed.” |
“Thank you Miss Hamilton, I will always remember your kindness.” |
Egen tog Daisys hånd og kyssede den, og forsvandt så ud i nattens mørke. |
The oak took Daisy’s hand and kissed it, then disappeared out into the darkness of the night. |
Måneder senere, var Daisy ved at se igennem nogle samfunds blade for at finde ud af noget mere om en af hendes nye klienter, da hun faldt over en artikel om en fantastisk reception givet af den russiske ambassade og en liste af hæderkronet gæster. |
Months later, Daisy was sorting through society magazines trying to find out more about a new client of hers, when she came across an article about a magnificent reception given by the Russian embassy and a list of illustrious guests. |
En gæst i særdeleshed fandt Daisy meget interessant : Lord Paul Valentine Fitzgerald. |
One guest in particular Daisy found very interesting: Lord Paul Valentine Fitzgerald. |
Der var også et billede af Hr. og Fru Zubkov smilende og i samtale med den unge grøn øjede Lord. |
There was also a picture of Mr. and Mrs. Zubkov smiling and talking to the young green-eyed Lord. |