The Blood Royal(56)
The constable reacted at once to the name and hurried inside. He came out a minute later. ‘The commander is in his office and would be pleased to receive … um …’ He consulted a notebook, raised an eyebrow and battled on: ‘Miss Matty Harry, I believe he said? And requests her to kindly nip upstairs. She knows the way, he says.’ He gave Lily a playful but admiring salute before going back inside.
‘Cheeky blighter,’ Albert commented. ‘Can’t even get your name right. Are you sure about this, Miss Lily? There’s some rum coves work in this building,’ he went on, surprising her. Albert’s communications were normally restricted to ‘yes’ and ‘no’ or, at best, a grudging ‘if you say so, Miss Phyl’. ‘There’s men in there with wide smiles and serpents’ tongues. Not to be trusted, any of ’em.’ He turned a look on her that might almost have been thought tender. ‘I mean not any of ’em. Watch it, Miss Lily. Me, I’d line ’em up and machine-gun the whole boiling.’
‘Gracious, Albert! I’m only having dinner with my boss.’
Too late, she realized this information would do nothing to allay the fears of the muscled Puritan by her side.
‘Boss, miss? Dinner, miss?’
‘It’s not social, Albert … It’s more in the nature of an interview. I think he wants to establish that I know how to hold my cutlery correctly.’ She fell silent, realizing that she was failing to persuade Albert that the commander was not an evil exploiter.
‘Got it. In that case, I’ll hang about and wait till you come out and then I’ll follow you to the Café Royal or whatever den of iniquity these interviews get done in these days,’ he said. ‘We wouldn’t want to risk a scene and go upsetting Miss Phyllis.’
Albert lived to please Auntie Phyl and Lily understood his anxiety. ‘She wouldn’t expect you to go so far, Albert. Better do just as she told you and no more. Anyway, I shall be out late – past midnight, I’d say.’ With a sudden rush of affection for the obdurate old thug, she turned to him and landed a kiss on his scarred cheek before he was aware the assault was coming. ‘Don’t fret about me, Albert. I’ll remember what you told me to do if he turns nasty – eyes, knees and bumps a daisy!’ She mimed vicious stabs on three sensitive parts of the male anatomy. ‘And I’ve got my running shoes on.’
The same young constable was loitering in the vestibule. ‘Allow me to conduct you upstairs, miss,’ he said, oozing affability. ‘It’s quite a warren in here and, the commander being on the third floor and you in your finery, I thought you might like me to show you to the lift.’
He spent the awkward few moments in the lift pushing buttons and trying to stare at her under his lashes. Luckily this was an officer she had never met before so she stared confidently back at him. ‘Charming weather we’re having, don’t you think, constable?’ she said, enunciating clearly.
‘Yes, indeed, madam. Very charming.’
From ‘miss’ to ‘madam’ in two sentences. Lily smiled. This was going well. As she stepped out of the lift, she slipped back her cahsmere wrap and allowed it to twine negligently down one arm as Phyl had told her. (‘Knock him for six, duck. You’ve got the shoulders for it.’)
The constable led her along the corridor and tapped on the commander’s door. Responding to a bellow from inside, he opened the door and announced: ‘Miss Harry for you, sir.’ Greatly daring, he followed added: ‘I hope you have a very pleasant evening, sir.’
‘Thank you, constable. I’m sure I shall.’
The exchange of male shibboleths was undetectable. The men were too professional to allow a knowing smile or a raised eyebrow to give them away.
She’d arrived exactly on time. Joe was busy with a cigar at an open window, discreetly puffing smoke out in the direction of Horse Guards. Gaze on the middle distance, tails, white tie, severely simple shirt and waistcoat, he caught himself posing and came forward to welcome his guest, then stood and stared at her in astonishment.
He realized he’d been silent for longer than was polite. ‘Great heavens, Wentworth! Look at you. Anyone would think you’d just stepped out of a Fabergé Easter egg!’
‘Drat! I knew I should have worn the gymslip!’ he could have sworn she mumbled.
‘No, you misunderstand! Oh, please don’t droop! Shoulders back, chin up, constable! I meant it as a compliment. You look like something designed by the world’s best jeweller. Sleek, precious, unique. A knockout! And that greenery-yallery colour is very … very …’