A New Rumor About Philip
When we woke in the hotel suite the next morning, Anne and Helen were gone, sneaking back to the twins. The rest of us were a little slow from all the excitement of the day before. Nicole and Vicky brought Inish and me coffee and croissant. The four of us lounged around, trying to put our calendar back in place. Molly would arrive around ten, and wanted to have a session with the architect and the engineer about the facilities support for the sewing equipment. I needed to be part of that discussion. Vicky and Nicole and Inish wanted to work on designs and consult with Adele.
My cell chimed. "You are such a terrible guy but I love you." Click.
They looked at me. "Call her back, she needs you to tell her you love her."
I mouthed, "Really?" They looked fierce and nodded.
I punched in the callback. A tentative voice said, "Hello."
"You are a wonderful woman and I love you." Click.
It rang again. "Put me on speaker."
"When do I get to model some of your new designs?"
Vicky answered, "There is a session at the Inn this weekend. Your boss is going to be there. Did she tell you she is Vice President of Marketing?"
"Nooo! That devil. I am going to beat on her now that I know beating is ok."
There was noise in the background. "The boys want to say hello."
"Hi Adrian," came from two voices.
"Hi guys, be good for Helen, we have to run and do work now."
"Bye, Adrian."
"It's ok to call you like this?"
My gruff voice answered, "Yes honey, but you have to keep our affair secret."
"Poof!" Click.
I went around pestering as they tried to get dressed. Nicole finally said, "Out of here or you are cut off."
I decided to meet Molly's train and left. It was on time and she walked to the head of the platform right into my arms. "Darling! I've missed you so." I swung us around and nearly hit someone.
We sat in the back of the cab and kissed for several minutes. She said in my ear, "I am jealous of the activity here. Vicky called me on the train and said we have a new recruit and you would tell me about her."
Molly emphasized "her."
"We fell into Helen totally by accident. She is the twin's nanny, but a student at LSE, and sharp as a tack. Has a body to die for. Wait until you make some of our dresses for her to model. She is coming to Kingham this weekend."
"Vicky said she was with you last night. What does that mean?"
I hugged her and laughed. "Honey, please forgive me. I had sex with all those women. They just attacked me and there was nothing I could do. Even that young one with the great body."
"You are a bad boy. Sex with five women last night? I suppose there is nothing for me."
My hand was down her blouse, fondling a fine boob.
"They totally drained me. But I promise no fooling around until we get together."
"Promises." I got a hot kiss and we were at the building.
The second floor was still chaos, but an architect's table had been placed in a sunny corner and we gathered there. Molly's earlier sketch had been transformed into a nice looking schematic plan with various symbols for power and lights scattered around.
I said, "I have to return a call, but I wanted to say that we really don't know how many people will work here, so please make provision for a generous expansion, and do the rough electrical and so on now."
I walked downstairs to listen to my voicemail. I didn't recognize the number. A feminine voice said, "Mr. Carruthers would appreciate your calling him at your convenience on his private number." She supplied the number.
Wondering what Tom needed me for, I punched in the number. "Hello, Adrian. Thanks for calling me so quickly. There is something you and I need to discuss face to face out of the office. Could you possibly see me at lunchtime today?"
"Yes, of course. There is a wild scene over here with the remodeling, but I am not essential. The work is going well."
"Good. Let's meet at the street level of the tube station on the Thames side of St. Paul's. Bring your phone so we can find each other if something goes awry. We can chat on the way to a good restaurant on the south side."
I went back to the engineer's meeting where Molly's sewing machine room schematic had red marks all over it. Molly gave me a worried look and motioned to a corner. "We'll be right back."
"I should molest you right here, but what is on my mind is the doubling or tripling of expense for the utilities. Can you really afford it?"
"What will the architect and the engineer think if they see you kissing me in this corner?"
"I'm not going to kiss you, I'm going to slap your face, impudent one."
Leading her by the hand, I walked back to the architect's desk. "I am embarrassed to say that our leading expert on sewing was helping me worry about costs, even though I told her she should have the design that her helpers need. I threatened to kiss her and she threatened to slap me. Which is it to be?"
Molly was pink and mortified. The woman architect, whose name was Clarissa, came up behind Molly and whispered, "You would turn down a kiss from him?"
Which is how Molly got a long hot kiss from me with clapping in the background. Then I held her hand and slapped myself with it.
I hastily excused myself before I could get into any more trouble, and exited for the tube.
Chapter 16 - Tom's Strange News
Tom was lounging against a building wall when I got to the top of the subway steps. He was in good barrister dress, and I noticed the disciplined way he walked toward me, light on his feet, with eyes on the crowd.
"Hullo there, let's go this way." We headed toward the river, but stopped in a small open garden with benches. He went to a particular spot where we were hidden by shrubbery, which was trimmed enough for us to detect anyone lurking about. I was thinking SAS and he acknowledged that by saying, "It's best when sensitive things need a conversation to find an open but protected space."
"Adrian, I've run across some information that may shock you. Fortunately, it's not bad news, but it will shock you, nonetheless. I'll be candid and tell you I would not ordinarily be having this conversation with someone your age. But my sources tell me you continue to show astonishing maturity. That valedictorian speech has even been mentioned in London. And the number of beautiful women who surround you is also getting attention. A long time skirt chaser like myself would be jealous in other circumstances."
They smiled at each other and Tom stifled a laugh.
"But here's the story. Someone, not the Special Branch, has picked up your father's trail, and suspects that he is alive and well hidden in Slovenia. I am anxious for more details, as are you, I am sure. But that's all I can say at the moment. You and I do not have the resources to be involved, but I am told Her Majesty's government is very curious indeed as to what has been going on. So our job is to relax and let those who call themselves professionals pursue the affair."
"Is he likely to be killed by his own people?"
Tom looked at me sharply. "I certainly hope not. Over the years, he has done many useful chores. But, as you suspect, he is in a double dealing business, and may be into things we, and the government, have no knowledge of. Adrian, he was always a good friend to me, and didn't seem like a person, even though he lived dangerously, who would go back on our government."
"You said there was another item to discuss."
"Yes. This one is strange in a different way. It appears, and I emphasize appears, that your new girlfriend, the Duchess, is somehow involved in the Philip business."
This time, it was I who jerked upright. "That seems incredible."
"Here is what I know, which is very privileged and you must not let it loose to anyone, especially the Duchess. Her husband was recruited in school for casual covert work. He was very intelligent and widely traveled. When he fell in love with Anne, she was immediately a person of interest to the intelligence community. Apparently, her brains, beauty and athleticism all made her a potential asset. My source could only say that she has been seen in the company of known highly placed MI5 people. The possible tie to you is that she was overhead in a conversation using the name Sandringham."
We sat there for a minute or two. Too much to absorb instantly. I stood and headed toward the street and allowed Tom to take the lead again. He respected my silence and we walked briskly to the bridge and over to the south bank. After several turns on narrow streets, he headed into a pub with an ancient sign whose paint was long gone.
"This is a hangout for legal types with business on this side of the river. Don't know any of them, which is just as well."
Assessing my mood, he ordered two whiskeys. His eye on me, he said, "Cheer up, Adrian, there is a good chance both of these matters will turn out right in the end." We toasted each other and tossed it down.
Waiting for the fire in my throat to subside, I decided this needed to be a grown up moment. "You were kind enough when we first met to treat me as a man and not a schoolboy. You've done that again and I am very appreciative. A few weeks ago, Nicole and the ladies in Kingham were sitting in my bedroom in their lacy nothings and said, 'Adrian, you will never be a schoolboy again, use these last ten days well.' I did, but it's over. You've brought that home to me this morning. There's no more room for schoolboy behavior, is there?"
He waited a moment, and said, "Adrian, underneath that handsome exterior of yours is toughness. I guess you must have your mother's looks, and your father's toughness inside. You are going to need it, I suspect. I'm very happy to know you. Ask me for help when you need it."
The rest of the meal was consumed with discussion about money, the building renovation, and plans for the new company. I asked for assistance with the legal and business details and he said that one of his smartest helpers would give a call. On the way out, he said that it would be helpful if Philip's disappearance was no longer mentioned by Nicole or myself. "With the Duchess involved in the company, I expect my government friends would be unhappy to see any mention of Philip in some media feature."
Neither of us mentioned to the other the obvious problem of my dealing with a female spy in my bed. As we parted, I grimaced to myself about that being another thing a man was expected to handle.
