Klaus was smiling, there in the shadows. He didn’t look well, Col thought, watching him. It couldn’t be good for him sleeping on a cold stone floor night after night. ‘I think you should go to the cops, Klaus.’
Klaus was suddenly on his feet, the duvet slipping to the floor. ‘No, Col! Promise me you won’t tell about me. I trust you.’
Col was offended. ‘I’m hardly likely to tell on you after all this time, am I?’
Klaus smiled again. ‘It’s nice you worry about me, Col. You’re the only friend I have made since I came here. The only one I do trust. I’ll find a way to get home, you wait and see.’
Col stood up, too, ready to go. ‘You’ll be careful while I’m away?’ He was thinking of Mungo, roaming the streets at night, looking for trouble. Imagining him wandering up here, finding Klaus. Why should he be so worried about Klaus? Yet, he was.
‘I will be very careful,’ Klaus assured him. ‘When are you off to London?’
‘Next Monday, and I bet I have some great stories to tell you when I get back.’
The atmosphere in the London hotel was electric. On the ground floor, a massive function room was being set up for the award ceremony that evening. Television cameras were already in place, the whole hotel was buzzing.
‘Highlights on BBC News,’ Mr Sampson told them. ‘One of their top newsreaders is the master of ceremonies.’
Their rooms were on the third floor. Dominic and Col were sharing the room adjacent to Mr and Mrs Sampson, and Ella was in a single room down the hall.
‘It’s not fair,’ she moaned. ‘My room’s not half as nice as theirs. And I’m stuck away down there on my own. Why couldn’t I have brought a friend?’
‘Because you’ve not got any.’ Dominic smirked, and Ella kicked him.
‘Ella! You’re lucky you came at all. It was only supposed to be Col and Dominic. We insisted you come too, and we had to pay for you. So shut up and enjoy yourself.’ Mr Sampson refused to take Ella seriously. He was in a great mood, humming as he unpacked, looking forward to every minute of this trip, determined everyone should enjoy it to the full.
‘This is such a wonderful time for us,’ he confided to Col when he was in the boys’ room helping Dominic put his clothes away. ‘Things for us could have been so tragically different, if it hadn’t been for you, Col. So, I’m not going to let anything spoil it.’
Dominic came running from the en suite bathroom. ‘Come and see the size of this, Col. It’s humungous. And we’ve got two toilets!’
Col burst out laughing. So did Mr Sampson. ‘Two toilets! What am I going to do with that boy?’
They were to be ready for the reception downstairs at seven o’clock. With three males in kilts to get ready, Mrs Sampson was running from one to the other. There were ties to be knotted, and laces to be tied. At one point, Mr Sampson trooped into the boys’ room in disgust. ‘Look at that!’ He held out the ceremonial dagger that slid into the sock. ‘A plastic skean-dhu! Can you believe it!’
Mrs Sampson laughed. ‘William Wallace wouldn’t have done much damage with that.’
Ella was behind him, still trying to help with his tie. She sneered at Col. ‘In your case, I can see the point of a plastic skean-dhu. Much safer for everyone.’
Col said nothing. The skean-dhu tucked into his sock was the real thing. Ice cold steel.
‘Somebody’s going to have to help me,’ Dominic wailed. He came out of the bathroom, still in his underwear and carrying his kilt. ‘I haven’t a clue how to put this on.’
Miraculously, they were all ready in time. Mrs Sampson looked stunning in a pale blue beaded dress and, Col had to admit, even Miserella looked pretty good. Her dress was silky and short and if she could only manage a smile, she might even look as stunning as her mother.
Mrs Sampson stood back to survey the three men. She beamed with pride. ‘You all look wonderful,’ she said, smiling especially at Col. ‘My Col, you do look handsome in a kilt.’
Ella sniggered. ‘Yes, you should wear a frock more often.’
Col wouldn’t get annoyed at her. He had decided to take a leaf out of Mr Sampson’s book. He was excited and wanted to savour every moment. Anyway, he had a feeling that Ella wasn’t as miserable as she pretended to be. That she was just as excited at the thought of tonight as he was.
There was a host of celebrities at the Act of Courage Awards. Dominic was overwhelmed.
‘I’ve seen that one on TV. What’s her name?’ He pointed out a red-haired glamour girl, who was wearing a dress with no back to it.