that long.” Dillon stood up and Yuan Tao passed him a towel.
“One may accomplish miracles in a matter of weeks with discipline and application, and with a man like you I doubt whether one would be starting from scratch. There are scars from knife wounds in your back and that is an old bullet wound in the left shoulder and then there was the gun.” He shrugged. “No ordinary man.”
“I was stabbed in the back fairly recently,” Dillon told him. “They saved me with two operations, but it poisoned my system.”
“And your occupation?”
“I worked for British Intelligence. They threw me out this morning, said I wasn’t up to it anymore.”
“Then they are wrong.”
There was a pause and Dillon said, “Are you saying you’ll take me on?”
“I owe you a debt, Mr. Dillon.”
“Come off it, you didn’t need me. I interfered.”
“But you didn’t know you were interfering and that makes a difference. It is a man’s intentions which are important.” Yuan Tao smiled. “Wouldn’t you like to prove your people wrong?”
“By God and I would so,” Dillon said, and then he hesitated as Yuan Tao handed him a robe. “I’d prefer honesty between us from the beginning.”
“So?”
Dillon stood up and pulled on the robe. “I was for years a member of the Provisional IRA and high on the most wanted list of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and British Intelligence.”
“And yet worked for the British.”
“Yes, well, I didn’t have much choice at first.”
“But now something has changed inside your head?”
Dillon grinned. “Is there nothing you don’t know? Anyway, does it make a difference?”
“Why should it? From the way you struck one of those men tonight, I think you have studied karate.”
“Some, but no big deal. Brown belt and working for black, then I ran out of time.”
“This is good. I think we can accomplish a great deal. But now we will eat. Flesh on your bones again.”
He led the way along a corridor to a sitting room furnished in a mixture of European and Chinese styles. Su Yin sat by the fire reading a book and wearing a black silk trouser suit.
“I have news, niece,” Yuan Tao said as she got up. “Mr. Dillon is to spend three weeks as our guest. This will not inconvenience you?”
“Of course not, Uncle, I will get the supper now.”
She moved to the door, opened it, and glanced back at Dillon over her shoulder, and for the first time since they had met she smiled.
It was the morning of the Fourth of July that Morgan and Asta flew into London. They were picked up at Heathrow by a Rolls laid on by his London head office.
“The Berkeley?” she said.
“Where else, the best hotel in town. I’ve got us the Wellington Suite up on the roof with the two bedrooms and that wonderful conservatory.”
“And so convenient for Harrods,” she said.
He squeezed her hand. “When did I ever tell you not to spend my money? I’ll just drop you off, I’ve business at the office, but I’ll be back. Don’t forget we have the Fourth of July party at the American Embassy tonight. Wear something really nice.”
“I’ll knock their eyes out.”
“You always do, sweetheart, your mother would have been real proud of you,” and he took her hand as the Rolls moved away.
Hannah Bernstein knocked and went into Ferguson’s office and found him working hard at his desk. “Paper and even more paper.” He sat back. “What is it?”
“I’ve had a phone call from Kim at Ardmurchan Lodge. He arrived there safely last night in the Range Rover you appropriated. He said the journey was very strenuous, that the mountains reminded him of Nepal, but that the lodge is very nice. Apparently Lady Katherine’s cook, Jeannie, appeared with a meat and potato pie to make sure he was all right.”
Kim, once a Corporal in the Ghurkas, had been Ferguson’s body servant, cook, and general man-about-the-house since army days.
“Good, and Morgan?”
“The Prince
“One may accomplish miracles in a matter of weeks with discipline and application, and with a man like you I doubt whether one would be starting from scratch. There are scars from knife wounds in your back and that is an old bullet wound in the left shoulder and then there was the gun.” He shrugged. “No ordinary man.”
“I was stabbed in the back fairly recently,” Dillon told him. “They saved me with two operations, but it poisoned my system.”
“And your occupation?”
“I worked for British Intelligence. They threw me out this morning, said I wasn’t up to it anymore.”
“Then they are wrong.”
There was a pause and Dillon said, “Are you saying you’ll take me on?”
“I owe you a debt, Mr. Dillon.”
“Come off it, you didn’t need me. I interfered.”
“But you didn’t know you were interfering and that makes a difference. It is a man’s intentions which are important.” Yuan Tao smiled. “Wouldn’t you like to prove your people wrong?”
“By God and I would so,” Dillon said, and then he hesitated as Yuan Tao handed him a robe. “I’d prefer honesty between us from the beginning.”
“So?”
Dillon stood up and pulled on the robe. “I was for years a member of the Provisional IRA and high on the most wanted list of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and British Intelligence.”
“And yet worked for the British.”
“Yes, well, I didn’t have much choice at first.”
“But now something has changed inside your head?”
Dillon grinned. “Is there nothing you don’t know? Anyway, does it make a difference?”
“Why should it? From the way you struck one of those men tonight, I think you have studied karate.”
“Some, but no big deal. Brown belt and working for black, then I ran out of time.”
“This is good. I think we can accomplish a great deal. But now we will eat. Flesh on your bones again.”
He led the way along a corridor to a sitting room furnished in a mixture of European and Chinese styles. Su Yin sat by the fire reading a book and wearing a black silk trouser suit.
“I have news, niece,” Yuan Tao said as she got up. “Mr. Dillon is to spend three weeks as our guest. This will not inconvenience you?”
“Of course not, Uncle, I will get the supper now.”
She moved to the door, opened it, and glanced back at Dillon over her shoulder, and for the first time since they had met she smiled.
It was the morning of the Fourth of July that Morgan and Asta flew into London. They were picked up at Heathrow by a Rolls laid on by his London head office.
“The Berkeley?” she said.
“Where else, the best hotel in town. I’ve got us the Wellington Suite up on the roof with the two bedrooms and that wonderful conservatory.”
“And so convenient for Harrods,” she said.
He squeezed her hand. “When did I ever tell you not to spend my money? I’ll just drop you off, I’ve business at the office, but I’ll be back. Don’t forget we have the Fourth of July party at the American Embassy tonight. Wear something really nice.”
“I’ll knock their eyes out.”
“You always do, sweetheart, your mother would have been real proud of you,” and he took her hand as the Rolls moved away.
Hannah Bernstein knocked and went into Ferguson’s office and found him working hard at his desk. “Paper and even more paper.” He sat back. “What is it?”
“I’ve had a phone call from Kim at Ardmurchan Lodge. He arrived there safely last night in the Range Rover you appropriated. He said the journey was very strenuous, that the mountains reminded him of Nepal, but that the lodge is very nice. Apparently Lady Katherine’s cook, Jeannie, appeared with a meat and potato pie to make sure he was all right.”
Kim, once a Corporal in the Ghurkas, had been Ferguson’s body servant, cook, and general man-about-the-house since army days.
“Good, and Morgan?”
“The Prince
Similar Books
