Summer in Washington and the team were discussing their vacations, or should that be where they would like to go if they got the leave, they had requested granted.
"Ellie, so where are you going?" Tim asked, doing a little Tony, or should that be Senior Field Agent nosey chat.
"I had booked three weeks in England, after the time I accompanied Ducky to London… I wanted to go back and really do the sights I missed out on seeing."
"You said had what happened?" Tim continued in his Senior Field Agent questioning.
"I was talking to Ducky and he said that August in Edinburgh was the Festival, and I really should go and take in the atmosphere…so I am now 10days in England and one week in Scotland," Ellie smiled sweetly across the bullpen to Tim, "The balance being me time and jetlag," she added seeing Tim doing some calculations.
"Good on the vacation front, now grab your gear… dead Navy Captain, Norfolk," Gibbs roared as he took his side arm from the drawer and headed for the elevator, "And where's Torres?" as the elevator door opened and Nick smiled at Gibbs.
London
London was everything she had hoped it would be. She'd managed to get to see the Houses of Parliament, and had had a guided tour, of well, some of it, by a friend of Ducky's, a Lord Farquhar.
Jeremy Farquhar was everything a young single girl like Ellie could have asked for. Tall, dark, suave and well educated. Jeremy had inherited his father's title just before the Lord's act of 1999 had come into force; his father having died of a gunshot wound on his Highland Estate. Ducky had known Henry from his time at Eton and his year at Cambridge and had always kept in touch with the family even after Henry's untimely death.
The tour concluded and Jeremy had suggested afternoon tea, "A very quintessential British tradition," he had said, "Almost as old as the United States of America, give or take 60 years," as Ellie looked puzzled and Jeremy had laughed.
"The Duchess of Bedford, used to get a tad peckish between luncheon and dinner and used to ask for a sandwich and cake to be delivered to her chambers around fourish, with of course a pot of tea," Jeremy continued. "It soon became a tradition in her household, and she used to invite friends round for afternoon tea, in the drawing room or even the conservatory, and of course you had to be polite and reciprocate," as he saw Ellie now smile, "So my dear shall we?" as he guided her to one of the riverside rooms of the House of Commons. The Parliament's award winning chefs had created a tempting menu of savoury sandwiches and mouth-watering sweets and cakes. Although there was a drinks menu most people either sipped champagne or drank from a selection of luxury teas or freshly brewed coffee.
There had been a trip to Stonehenge, and up to Henley upon Thames, "You should have been here in July, just about everyone who was anyone was here," Jeremy had announced.
Jeremy had taken her to Cambridge and shown her his"University" College; Trinity founded 1546. As they took a punt down the River Cam, he told her that Trinity alumni, included six prime ministers, two or three physicists, "You know Sir Isaac Newton, James Maxwell and Ernest Rutherford," not personally Ellie had replied sort of sarcastically, but Jeremy continued, "And how could I forget the infamous Cambridge spies, Philby, Burges and Maclean."
Ellie had shaken her head so Jeremy continued, "Maclean was head of the American Department of the Foreign Office, and was in Washington from 1944 through to 1948."
"Fascinating," Ellie had replied smiling sweetly, beginning to realise Jeremy was a bore and wished she could escape to Scotland.
They had parted on friendly terms promising to meet up on Ellie's return to London.
"Train? Why not fly?" Jeremy had asked.
"The scenery. I want to see the scenery," she had replied.