Chapter 6 Charles & Deborah Kluge Charles & Deborah Kluge 2 5 2001-11-05T01:50:00Z 2001-11-05T01:50:00Z 6 2622 14946 124 29 18354 9.2720

Chapter 6

It was 7:00 p.m. on the nose when the doorbell rang at the King house on Maplewood Drive.  Amanda was darting around her bedroom in a mild frenzy, still getting dressed for the society function that she and William were to attend that evening.  As usual, what with one thing and another, she was running late.  She heard Phillip's ringing voice calling that he'd get it and a few moments later, murmured voices as her mother spoke with someone in the front entryway.  Assured that her mother was taking care of whoever was at the door, Amanda disappeared into the closet to get her dress.  As she was removing the garment bag from around the elegant blue velvet gown, she heard a knock on the door and then her mother's voice calling to her.

"Amanda?"

"Right here, Mother."  She stepped out of the closet with the dress in one hand and her good black heels in the other.  Her mother's wide-eyed, stunned expression caused her to pause in concern.  "Is something wrong?"

"Amanda, there is a man downstairs . . . the most gorgeous man I think I've ever seen!  He says he's your date."

"My date?  I don't have a date for this evening, Mother.  I'm going with . . ."  Trailing off, she finally put two and two together and then sighed.  "Did he tell you what his name is, Mother?"

"Commander William Windsor.  And he's British."  Dottie's eyes were huge as she asked unsteadily, "Is he . . . I mean, the name . . ."

"The relationship is very distant," Amanda replied resignedly, thinking that it was probably going to be a very long night.  "Can you help me with this, Mother?  I'm running late . . . or he's early, I'm not exactly sure which."  And he wasn't supposed to come here, she thought in silent aggravation.  As she dropped the dress over her head, she glanced again at her mother's stunned expression and added, "And he's not my date, Mother.  He's my boss."

Dottie blinked.  "I thought your boss' name was Stedman."

"Stetson, Mother.  Not Stedman . . . Stetson.  And he's out of the country working on another project right now.  Commander Windsor is here on special assignment from the BBC to do a documentary on a Brit's perspective of the Revolutionary War.  I've been assigned to work with him while Lee . . . Mr. Stetson . . . is away."

"Oh, I see.  And this function tonight . . . I suppose it's work, too."

"Of course, Mother.  We're going to Veronica von Houssin's winter fete this evening.  She's associated with the D.C. Chapter of the DAR, you know."

Dottie frowned for a moment.  "Don't you know her from somewhere?"

Amanda nodded.  "That's why we're going tonight.  I'm providing the Commander's introduction to her.  Can you find my sapphire pendant?  It should be in a box in the top left-hand drawer of the dresser."

As Dottie began searching for the specified item, she commented, "That dress turned out very nicely, dear.  I must admit, when you started it, I had my doubts.  It seemed a bit too . . . risqué.  But you do look very nice in it."

Amanda turned to look at herself in the full-length mirror and nodded slightly.  The dress was one she had made herself.  It had wide-set shoulders with a modestly low-cut neckline, long tapered sleeves, and a bodice that fit snugly in all the right places.  When it reached her hips, the fabric fell away to the floor with a slight flare that allowed for freedom of movement so she could dance easily.  The risqué part, as far as her mother was concerned, was the fact that it was virtually backless.  Only four crisscrossing cords of the same midnight blue velvet kept the gown snugly against her body.  Fleetingly, she regretted the need to wear it tonight.  She had hoped to keep it for a special occasion.  Her hair was pulled up on top of her head in a cascade of soft curls and as she added her jewelry, the entire image clicked into place.  Not bad for a suburban housewife with two children, she thought smugly.  Take that, Francine!  Her co-worker had not taken the news that Amanda King was going to be attending the premier social function of the season with very good grace.  In fact, Amanda distinctly heard the phrase "suburban housewife" at least three times through the closed door of Billy Melrose's office when she found out about it.

"That about does it, I think."  She turned and grinned at her mother.  "Time to face the music."

"You look absolutely lovely, dear," Dottie assured her as she preceded Amanda out of the bedroom and down the hall toward the stairs.  "You will make a very handsome couple."

"Mo-ther."

The two women descended the stairs with Dottie leading the way.  As Amanda reached the ground floor, William materialized in the doorway from the living room.  A smile lit his face as his eyes swept over her from head to foot.  Then softly, he said,

          "She walks in beauty, like the night

                   Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

           And all that's best of dark and bright

                   Meet in her aspect and her eyes."

Amanda could feel the blood rush to her face and, flustered, her eyes fell before his openly admiring gaze.  Behind her, she could hear her mother literally whimper at the romantic gesture.

William stepped forward and offered her his arm.  "You truly are lovely and I'm honored that you've agreed to accompany me tonight."

"Thank you," she replied unsteadily.  "You're very kind."  Finally, she raised her eyes and looked at him.  "It really wasn't necessary to come all this way to pick me up.  I would have been more than happy to meet you in the city."

"What kind of a gentleman would allow you to do something like that?"

She just shook her head, not trusting herself to say anything else.  As she did so, she caught sight of Phillip and Jamie.  Both of them were standing in the doorway staring at William with their mouths hanging open. The boys really weren't accustomed to her dates quoting poetry to her in the entryway. Laughter suddenly welled up inside.  In her wildest imagination, she couldn't begin to envision Dean doing something like this.  The disbelief on her sons' faces finally served to bring Amanda back down to earth.  Smiling, she crossed the entryway holding out her arms to them.

"Come here."  She hugged both of them quickly.  "Now, you be good and mind your grandmother tonight, okay?  Is your homework done?"  Both boys nodded.  "What about your science project for school, Phillip?"

"Almost.  Grandma said she'd help me finish the painting after you left."

"Okay.  Please remember to lay newspapers down before you start.  I'm still trying to get the last of the red paint off of the kitchen floor from the last time."

"I will," he promised.  Then hesitantly, he added, "You really do look great, Mom."

"Why, thank you, Phillip!"  She kissed his forehead gently, then leaned over and did the same to Jamie.  "In bed by 9:30, you understand?"

"Yes, Mom," they said in chorus.

With one final hug, she turned back to her mother in time to see Dottie handing William her velvet dress cape.  "I don't know how late I'll be, Mother, so you can expect me when you see me."

Dottie waved her off with a laugh.  "Just enjoy yourself, dear.  We'll manage just fine."

William swept the cape around her shoulders and with a chorus of final goodbyes, the two of them stepped out into the wintry air.  The wind swirled around them as they moved up the walk and Amanda shivered.  Her companion immediately picked up on it and drew her closely against his side, in an effort to shield her from the cold.  He led her quickly to the sleek black Mercedes sedan waiting at the curb.  Where did he get that? she thought distractedly.  His proximity was making her more and more nervous, and Lee's voice echoed softly in her ears, Billy seems to trust this Brit, but I don't. 

He deftly seated her in the car and then went around to get into the driver's seat.  As he started the car, he gave her a charming smile and said, "I hope you'll forgive me for being early.  I know you said that you would meet me at the Agency, but that didn't seem quite proper.  So I anticipated how long it would take you to drive in to make our scheduled appointment with Leatherneck and arrived at your home about the time I anticipated you would be leaving."

"It really wasn't necessary," she repeated.  "Lee has me meet him places all the time."

"Ah, but I'm not your Mr. Stetson, and I never turn down the opportunity to spend extra time with a beautiful woman."

Amanda turned her head away and gazed out the side window wistfully.  She felt so strange sitting in this expensive European sedan next to this man.  She also knew she wouldn't feel the least bit awkward if it had been Lee sitting there beside her.

"Furthermore," he continued, "I had an ulterior motive.  I had hoped you'd agree to have dinner with me before moving on to the party.  I'm told that there is a place called Emelio's that has wonderful food and it's not out of our way."

"Oh, I doubt that we'll have time for that," she said, looking back at him in surprise.  "The invitation said 8:30 and we've still got to go into the Agency before we go there."

"No, we don't.  I spoke with Mr. Melrose right before I left and filled him in on our plans for this evening.  He knows I was planning to pick you up and that we would be going directly to the party rather than returning to the Agency."

"But what about the hardware?" she objected.  "Mr. Melrose said that he wanted me to be wired."

William reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object, which he held out to her.  "You will be.  Here.  This is a miniature transmitter.  It will easily drop into your evening bag.  We'll check in with the monitoring team outside of the Van Houssin estate to make sure it's operational and we'll be all set.  So you see, there's no reason to go all the way down to the Agency.  Furthermore, I am very hungry.  You kept me running around all day and I missed lunch."  Reaching out, he captured her hand and squeezed it gently.  "Take pity on this poor, starved, displaced foreigner and have dinner with him."

The wheedling tone of his voice and the almost boyish smile struck her forcefully, causing her uneasiness to grow.  Trying to free her hand, she again wished desperately that Lee was here.  Then, she shook herself.  You're being silly, she thought sharply.  All he wants to do is have dinner.  Be nice, Amanda!

"Oh, all right," she conceded in a tone of amused resignation.  "I can hardly have you starving to death before we even get to our assignment, now can I?"

"It would be very bad form," he agreed with a satisfied laugh.  Putting the car in gear, he pulled smoothly away from the curb and turned the car back toward D.C.  "Now, all we need to do is find the restaurant."

"I know it.  You'll want to take a left at the first stoplight . . ."

An hour and a half later, Amanda leaned back and sighed softly.  Dinner had been wonderful.  Emelio's was a city favorite, well known for its classy ambience, excellent food, and outstanding wine list.  Amanda had been here several times with Lee and had always enjoyed it.  But tonight, the restaurant's dimly lit intimacy was making her edgy.  Lee had been right about at least one aspect of William's character . . . he had a lot more on his mind than business.  Oh, his advances were tactful and highly flattering, but there was no mistaking what he had in mind.

He had steadfastly refused to discuss business, focusing instead on her.  He'd coaxed her into telling him about her college years, what she had enjoyed doing as a child, and how she'd gotten into government work.  In return, he'd told her about growing up in rural England and what it was like being distantly related to the British royalty.  His stories were entertaining, his handsome features animated and filled with laughter, and his blue eyes sparkled in the candlelight.  Under other circumstances she might have enjoyed his company.  But even as he was being the perfectly charming dinner companion, he was also doing his best to excite her senses.  With unconscious ease, he would brush against her or his hand would reach out to capture hers, toying with her fingers in a sensuous caress.  When she had started to excuse herself to go to the ladies room, he was on his feet with lightning quickness, taking her arm to assist her as she rose, and allowing his hand to stroke the bare skin at the small of her back fleetingly.  He had also tried to ply her with wine all throughout the evening, but with the exception of a single glass with dinner, she had refused this firmly.  She reminded him that they still had work to do and she couldn't do it with her mind clouded by even the finest wine.

He had taken all of her refusals with grace, assuring her that he understood her perfectly and agreed.  But Amanda had begun to wonder if she wasn't going to end up having to abandon being polite and tell him point blank that she simply wasn't interested.  He may understand her, but he definitely wasn't taking the hint.

Just as she was about to say something, William smiled at her regretfully.  "As much as I've enjoyed this interlude, I suppose it's time we get to work.  Are you about ready to go, Amanda?"

"Yes," she replied, trying very hard to disguise her thankfulness at the realization that he did still have at least part of his mind on work.  Tossing a handful of bills on the table, William rose and offered her his hand.  Smiling apologetically at him, she rose without his assistance and the two of them made their way to the coat check room.  A short time later, they were speeding toward the Van Houssin estate.  As they approached, William slowed and shortly, they both recognized the non-descript brown stepvan that was routinely used for Agency surveillance.  The sleek black car glided to a stop behind the vehicle, and the two occupants exited the car and moved silently to the rear door.  William knocked softly and a moment later the door opened and Leatherneck stuck his head out.

"There you are!" he exclaimed in relief, opening the door wider and allowing them to enter.  Pulling it closed behind them, he added, "We'd begun to wonder what happened to you."

Francine looked up and scowled at the two of them as William replied lightly, "It's always better to be fashionably late, old man.  I thought you knew that."

Leatherneck snorted and gestured at Amanda.  "Take off your cape, Amanda.  Let's see if we can rig a mike in your dress.  A purse is always a bad idea . . ."

William reached out and took the cape as Amanda turned toward the Agency's technology expert.  He examined the dress, circling her carefully in the close confines of the van.  Then he grinned somewhat impudently.  "Very nice, but it does pose a few problems with hiding a mike . . ."

Amanda blushed becomingly as she heard Francine's low, "Oh, please . . ."

Finally, Leatherneck shook his head and muttered, "Can't do anything with the dress without being seriously crude."

"That's never stopped you when you were wiring me," Francine said crossly.

"I've never had to contend with Lee Stetson's jealous temper when I've been trying to outfit you," he replied humorously.  "I value my skin, thank you very much."

"Lee would never . . ." Amanda began indignantly, but Leatherneck cut her off.

"Let me see one of your earrings."

"Lee is not jealous," Amanda muttered rebelliously as she carefully removed the sapphire earring.  "You be careful with that, Leatherneck.  It belonged to my grandmother . . ."

"Not to worry," he said soothingly, examining it.  Then he nodded.  "This will work well and it will only take me a minute."  Turning to a nearby workbench, he worked for a few moments and then handed the earring back to her.  "Put that back on and see if you can tell the difference." 

Gingerly, Amanda inserted the post through her ear and refastened it carefully.  Then she gently shook her head.  The teardrop shaped gemstone danced, glittering in the reflected lights from the control panel.  "It feels okay," she finally ventured.  "A little bit heavier, but not uncomfortable."

Francine came up and examined her closely, making Amanda squirm.  Finally she pronounced, "The fit isn't noticeably different either.  That should work."  Begrudgingly, she added to Amanda, "Nice.  I like the necklace, too."

"Thank you," Amanda replied in surprise.

Leatherneck rubbed his hands together and in a business-like voice he said, "Good.  To activate it, you press the back in the center of the drop.  The mike fits behind the gemstone and I don't think it will be noticeable."

Amanda reached up and tugged gently at the hair around her ears, pulling some of the soft curls down to frame her face more closely.  "Is this better?"

Both men eyed her closely and then Leatherneck nodded.  "Yes.  Windsor, you're wearing that jury-rigged family heirloom of yours, right?"  William nodded, fingering the stud with the Windsor family crest in his lapel absently.  All the while, his frankly admiring gaze never left Amanda.  She glanced away uneasily and her eyes were suddenly caught by Francine's.  Amanda's expression must have communicated something to the other woman because a fleeting look of sympathy crossed her face. 

"Let's check the levels and reception," Leatherneck said, turning to sit at one of the control panels.  "Both of you, flip the mikes on."

After a few minutes of fiddling, Leatherneck seemed to be satisfied.  "Okay, you're all set.  We'll be here if you need us.  Have fun, you two."

"I don't know why she gets to go instead of me," Francine grumbled as she followed the two to the door.  William stepped down out of the van but before Amanda could move to join him, she felt a hand catch her arm.  Francine's voice reached her as little more than a whispered breath of air in the ear without the mike.  "Watch that one, Amanda.  He's got more on his mind than business."  Catching Francine's hand and squeezing quickly she gave an imperceptible nod and then stepped out to join him.  Just as Francine pulled the door closed, Amanda heard Leatherneck's laughing reply.

"Amanda got to our foreign friend first."