Turbulence (Stone Barrington #46)(64)
“Well,” the duke said, “the prime minister seems a bit agitated over your plan.”
“Indeed,” Felicity said. “I daresay, should the whole thing come a cropper, he’ll find a way to slither out of any responsibility for it.”
“There is some comfort,” the duke said, “in knowing that, not only have we covered our options, but they are the only options left to us.”
Nobody had anything to add to that, and shortly, the guests departed.
“May we give you a lift?” Stone asked Lance.
“You may,” Lance said.
The drive was made in silence, since Henry was not cleared to hear the conversation.
“Will you come in for a brandy?” Stone asked as they neared his house. “Henry will drive you both home afterward.”
“Yes, thank you,” Lance said, and Felicity did not object.
They settled into the library with their drinks. Lance, now among friends, spoke, “I did not like what the P.M. had to say about any blame not being attached to us if the thing goes badly.”
“Of course,” Felicity said, “he meant that he would do everything in his power to shift the blame westward as far as possible, should he have to explain to Parliament.”
“I know what he meant,” Lance said. “Good God, the thing was stolen from the Germans and taken to Britain. What blame could possibly attach to us?”
“He’ll think of something,” Felicity replied. “He is a man uncomfortable with the taking of blame, when it can be safely assigned to others.” She sighed. “He was right about one thing,” she said. “If it goes wrong, I and the others will vanish into the mists of sudden retirement.”
“Well, you’ve had a good run, Felicity,” Lance said.
Felicity’s expression made Stone happy that the fireplace poker was not within her reach.
“Stone,” Lance said, “I hope this evening has impressed upon you the burden we all bear.”
“Lance,” Stone said, “I think you mean the burden I bear.”
“Well,” Lance said, “there is that.”
“For the life of me,” Stone said, “I don’t know how I got into this.”
No one offered an answer, and soon Lance and Felicity departed.
* * *
—
KELLY WENT AND SAT next to Stone on the sofa. “You got into this,” she said, “because of the cockup at the restaurant.”
“Well, yes, but how did I get into that? And so on and so on.”
“I suppose I’m the only one who came out of that mess with a profit.”
Stone laughed. “For as long as Lance can’t figure it out.”
“You know,” she said, “I think I may follow Felicity into ‘the mists of retirement,’ as she put it.”
“Have you had enough?”
“It’s more a question of having enough in the days to come,” Kelly said, “and I do.”
“Would you go and live in Switzerland?”
“I don’t know.”
“It might be the only place where you’d be safe from Lance, and you’d have to live like an Agency retiree not to attract his notice.”
“I wonder if I could get used to that,” she said.
“Probably not,” Stone replied. “It might be easier to live in a warmer clime, like the Cayman Islands, where you wouldn’t need so many clothes, and you still could be close to your money.”
“I’d go bonkers in about a week,” she said. “I need a big city to keep me happy, like Paris.”
“Or New York,” he offered.
“Or New York,” she said. “As long as I could get to Paris fairly often.”
“Well,” Stone said, after a while. “At least we have until Tuesday before the world comes to an end.”
“Felicity said the thing couldn’t detonate,” Kelly pointed out. “Why are we talking about the end of the world?”
“I don’t fully understand the technical side,” Stone said. “But somehow I just don’t believe Felicity.”
51
STONE AND KELLY were picked up by a 1960s Bentley, with custom coachwork that gave them a compartment containing four comfortable chairs and a small bar. One of Lance’s people put their overnight bags into the boot. The duke and the duchess were ensconced in the forward-facing seats, and the duke already had a whiskey in his hand.
“We’ve brought along some of that stuff you drink, Stone,” the duke said, handing him a glass as soon as he was in his seat. “And it isn’t half bad, if I do say so.”
“On behalf of the State of Kentucky, I thank you,” Stone said, while the duke poured Kelly a scotch.
“Do we anticipate that Owaki will attend this evening, Philip?”
“I hope to God he does,” the duke replied. “At least, that way we’ll know where he is. If he’s absent, we’ll have to wonder what he’s up to.”
“He won’t be thrilled to see me,” Stone said.
“Perhaps not, but as long as you and Kelly are my guests no harm will come to you. I suggest we all leave our overnight gear in the boot, should a rapid departure be necessary.”