Scandalous Behavior

24

They got back to the house, and Stone took Felicity into the library, where the gang awaited, and introduced her to everyone.

“Where have you been?” Peter asked.

“We’ve just seen the most glorious house,” Susan said, “and it’s right next door.” She told him about the place.

“I want to see it,” Peter said.

Stone sat up straight. “Why?”

“It sounds interesting. I might find a way to work it into the script.”

“I’ll take you back right now,” Felicity said. “Let me phone Lady Curtis.”

“But you haven’t even had lunch,” Stone said to Peter.

“Yes, we have, we’d just finished when you arrived. Do you want to come with us?”

“There isn’t room in the car,” Stone said.

Peter and Ben and their girls left with Felicity.

“I don’t like the way this is going,” Stone said to Susan.

“Why ever not? They’ll enjoy seeing it.”

“You’re all going to gang up on me. I can see it coming.”

“Nonsense. Read a magazine or something. There’s a stack of Country Life over there.”

Stone picked up a magazine and found it filled with country estates for sale. “The last thing I want to read,” he said, flinging it across the room.

Billy Barnett spoke up. “Is the lady you just introduced to us, Dame Felicity Devonshire, the head of MI6?”

“She is,” Stone said, “and she missed her calling: she should have been a real estate agent.”

“I know the style of decoration is out of date,” Susan said, “not at all what you like, but when I’m done, you’ll love it.”

“I don’t have to love it — your hotelier prospective client will, no doubt. At least, I hope he does.”

“I’ve had another idea, too,” she said.

Stone threw up his hands. “Can we change the subject, please? I’ve already heard too much about that house.”

“As you wish,” she said frostily. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do. Let me know when it’s dinnertime.” She walked briskly out of the room.

“Now I’ve done it,” Stone groaned. “She won’t speak to me for the rest of the weekend.”

Peter came back, raving about Curtis House. “It’s incredible! I wouldn’t want to live there, but wow! What a property! Did you see the cottages?”

“No,” Stone said, “and I don’t think the house would be a good investment for your trust.”

“No? I think Susan could do it up, and we could sell it at a very nice profit.”

“That would be a very large bet.”

“One I could afford to lose,” Peter pointed out.

“That’s not a good investment attitude, it’s a roll of the dice.”

“I like the fact that it’s available right away.”

“Take a few deep breaths, Peter.”

Felicity came into the room. “I’ve just spoken with the Home Secretary,” she said, “and told him about this Calhoun person. He’d already heard about him from MI5, who have reported to him that the man is on his way to London as we speak. He’s agreed to declare him an undesirable person and have him stopped at the airport and sent back on the next flight. Both Heathrow and Gatwick have been alerted.”

“Now that is very good news,” Stone said. “I’ll bet he was coming to look at Curtis House.”

“That could very well be — he’d be mad to buy the place sight unseen.”

“The bad news is, he is mad,” Stone said. “Or, at least, he sounds that way. Did I tell you I saw the FBI file on the man? I’ll have it sent to you, if you like.”

“Oh, yes, please,” Felicity said. “I’ll need all the ammunition I can get to persuade the secretary to ban him permanently.”

Stone called Joan and asked her to copy the file and FedEx it to Felicity. “You’ll have it Monday morning,” he told her.

“I can’t wait to read it. Where’s Susan gone?”

“She said she had some work to do.”

“You annoyed her with your attitude about the house, didn’t you?”

“Probably. You two have got Peter on my back about it now.”

“Oh, he loved it, and Lady Curtis loved him. A match made in heaven.”

“I’m not sure you’ve got your geography right,” Stone said.

Susan came into the library. “I’ve just spoken with my assistant and there’s some work I have to do in London before my meeting on Monday. Could you ask Stan to drive me? My bags are all packed.”

“Of course,” Stone said, and nothing else he could say to her made a difference.