A Safe House

9

Stone went back into the house and called Felicity.

“Good morning, dear Stone,” she drawled. “Are you having an interesting day?”

“A little more interesting than I might wish,” he replied. He recounted the events of the morning.

“My goodness,” she said. “Do you mean to say that we have a rampaging United States senator at large in our capital city, accompanied by an assassin?”

“It would appear so.” He explained Holmes’s visit.

“So, your man Holmes did the right thing inadvertently?”

“I had hoped he and his men might have shot our visitors.”

“Your almost visitors.”

“Felicity, I presume that you are acquainted with the home secretary.”

“He was in this office ten minutes ago, giving some foreigner a tour of our most secret rooms.”

“Could you persuade him, do you think, to allow me to have possession of a few firearms?”

“In your house, or on your person?”

“Well, both.”

“I suggest you have Lance call him directly. Sir John would find it too easy to say no to me.”

“What a good idea.”

“Have you any plans for dinner, you and the lovely Jenna?”

“No, we don’t.”

“Then why don’t you invite me?” she said. “Say, seven, for drinks?”

“Of course. Would you like to bring Sir John?”

“I know you said that in jest, Stone, but as it happens, he’s down here for the weekend. And I happen to know that his wife is visiting her ailing mother in Northumberland. He’ll leap at the chance of a meal he didn’t cook himself.”

“Then, by all means, drag him over.”

“Shall we say mess kits? Sir John loves a uniform, and he has far too few opportunities to wear one.” By “mess kits,” she meant the dress uniform of the Royal Yacht Squadron, to which both Stone and the home secretary belonged.

“Then let’s give him a treat,” Stone said. “Seven it is.” He hung up and spoke to the cook about dinner.

Jenna entered the room. “Are the police gone already?” she asked.

“They accomplished part of their task all too quickly, then left,” Stone replied.

“Which part of their task did they accomplish?”

“The part about scaring off the assassins. I’m afraid they arrived in liveried police cars.”

“And what part did they fail to accomplish?”

“The part about shooting the assassins. Turns out, I need the authority of the home secretary to house or bear arms.”

“What’s a home secretary?”

“The cabinet minister in charge of the police.”

“Oh.”

“Not to worry, though. Felicity has invited herself to dinner, and she’s bringing him with her.”

“How convenient! Does he have a name?”

“Sir John.”

“Is that it?”

“Rowling, I think. Oh, and we’ll be black tie. Sir John likes to wear his yacht club uniform when he’s down here.”

“Which yacht club?”

“The Royal Yacht Squadron. It’s at Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, just across the Solent.”

“What’s the Solent?”

“The body of the English Channel that separates the Isle of Wight from the mainland. It’s right down there.” He pointed south.

“Do I get to wear a uniform, too?”

“Did you bring a uniform?”

“No. The last time I wore it was when I was a drum majorette, in high school.”

“Then anything that shows some cleavage will do nicely.”

“Sir John enjoys cleavage, does he?”

“Cleavage is good for morale.”

“All right, so it’s ‘tits out’ for the evening?”

“On any occasion, except, perhaps, a high Episcopal mass.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Can I watch?”

“Certainly, if you promise to get grabby.”

“You can count on me.”

“I thought so.”

They went upstairs.