40
Jeff pulled and straightened out the cuffs on his tux shirt anxiously in the foyer. Once upon a time Jeff would have been in his element networking and canvassing the room confidently, looking to strike up business partnerships and eye up the competition. Now he felt sick, this was his first public appearance since he lost his wife and he felt out of touch with the whole scene. Having been so secluded on the island it had been many months since he'd had to socialise with outsiders, the close proximity of so many people was making him uncomfortable. He was here as apparently, it was the only way to gain an audience with her ladyship the owner of this fine house. He was nudged out of his reverie by a gentle touch to the shoulder that reminded him he wasn't alone. Warm light brown eyes radiated concern. Virgil knew this would be challenging for his father tonight. "Are you ok father? We can go if it's too much?"
"No, it's fine. I'll adjust in a minute. Just need some time to acclimatise." Virgil nodded and took it as a cue to move into the ballroom. Trouble was one Tracy in a room would have been enough to turn heads but two? That was definitely going to draw attention. Both men hopped down the small flight of steps into the room before grabbing a drink off a waiter at the bottom. Whilst Jeff wore a classic black tuxedo with a crisp white shirt, Virgil had opted for a subtle navy-blue tux with a slight sheen and black lapels. His light brunette hair was perfectly styled and he wore a simple Rolex to accessorise. Several young women in the room had already given him an appreciative once over but he only had eyes for one lady and he had yet to see her in the flesh. When his father had said he was attending tonight Scott and Virgil had been worried about him going on his own. They didn't want the press and the public dredging up painful memories for him when he had finally shown signs of recovery and closure. With all the other boys engaged in work or education it befell Virgil to offer himself up as company. His father had accepted without hesitation, Virgil knew his dad would never admit it but he saw how relieved he was to have one of his sons by his side to navigate his way through the socialites.
"Ah Jeff! What a delight to see you here tonight!" Duchess Roysden simpered. She was an elderly lady with purple rinse hair that was extravagantly piled upon her head. She wore thick rimmed oversized spectacles that slipped halfway down her long nose. Her pearl necklace was large enough to anchor her to the floor, Virgil was convinced years of wear was what caused her to stoop forwards the way she did. It must literally weigh her down. She wore a light purple sleeved floor length ball gown.
"Duchess, it's wonderful to see you too." Ah! god save me now he internalised. He was pretty sure if Lucy could see him from up there, she would be crying with laughter, she knew the lengths he used to take to avoid any kind of conversation with this woman who had an obvious attraction to him. Trust him to walk right into her path tonight. Virgil smiled, trying not to laugh he'd heard many a story about Duchess Roysden from his mother like the one where they had been invited to a business awards dinner and father had got placed at the duchess' right hand side whilst his mother had been placed next to Sir Jeremy Hodge. She had a delightful evening watching Jeff bat off the Duchesses advancements. She'd never seen him so flustered and teased him all the way home.
Virgil stood politely half keeping an ear in on the conversation and trying not to get lost in the music at the same time. A small orchestra were playing (Bach Concerto n.o 4 in G major - if he wasn't mistaken) at the front of the hall on a raised platform. It wasn't often he got to listen to live music now. He scanned the room absentmindedly as he took a sip of champagne from his flute. He didn't know many here but he recognised a few. Sir Harry and Sir Jeremy Hodge were in attendance and he thought he'd seen John's old professor - the one that was Brains' guardian. His eyes then roamed over the ornate murals under the large glass prism chandelier, the opulence of this place was extraordinary. He simply couldn't believe that that little tomboy of a girl he'd met back India all those years ago now lived like this. It was strange but he suddenly felt like someone was watching him, he turned slightly back towards the entrance to the ball room. His breath hitched in his chest as he gazed upon the person who was looking straight at him. He expected her to look away as most people do when caught unexpectedly staring but she continued to stare at him with those gorgeous big blue eyes, her head tilted slightly to one side curious. She gracefully descended down the stair's white furs around her neck and a statin blue gown that hugged her in all the right places of her svelte form. It was her, he's seen her pretty face on enough magazine front covers since he'd looked her up when his father had made that initial call to Sir Hugh. "No ma'am this is Virgil. Scott's still posted with the US air force at present."
"And what is it that young Virgil does for a living?" Jeff trod on his foot. Virgil jumped a little abruptly, crashing back into the conversation and severing his link with the beautiful young woman across the room. He recovered well. "I'm an engineer by trade Duchess, I work for my father at his company." Virgil replied.
"Wow! what diverse life your children lead Jeff."
"They do indeed. Virgil is an accomplished pianist too." Jeff felt more comfortable now the conversation had steered onto his children and not his personal life.
"Really, then you simply must play for me sometime Virgil." A voice as smooth as silk interrupted their conversation. A voice that marked her instantly as an aristocrat.
"I would be honoured to, Lady Penelope." He nodded his head to her in greeting, she was the lady that had captivated him earlier and she seemed to have recognised him after all these years or at least looked him up to know who he was by sight.
"Lady Penelope, it is simply wonderful to see you! Thank you so much for inviting me this evening." Lady Roysden leant in for a hug and a peck on the cheek which the lady of the manor returned warmly. They were good friends.
"You are most welcome Duchess, I'm so glad you could make it. I trust you have enjoyed the entertainment so far?"
"Indeed, I have and its been so nice to catch up with people I haven't seen in years like dear Jeff here." She moved closer to him. He resisted the urge to take another step back.
"Lady Penelope. Its good to see you, I'm not sure if you remember me but I met your father when I was posted in India." Jeff voiced by way of an introduction.
"Yes, I remember I used to play with your two eldest, Scott and Virgil here I believe." Penelope cast a glance in his direction noticing the well-dressed young man he had become. She couldn't believe he was the same little boy she used to force tea parties on according to her mother. She remembered a few vague moments but they were very young at the time. She remembered the boys mother; she was kind and used to bring her sweets the airmen got in their care packages.
"That's right, we were out there for the first four years of their life before transferring back to the states." supplied Jeff.
"We came back too; the Indian climate didn't suit me at all, so my father managed to get a transfer back to the UK embassy. A lot of time has passed since then." She reflected.
The Duchess saw another acquaintance in the crowd. She didn't want to tear herself away from Jeff but she really must speak with them. She hoped she would have the opportunity to sit with him at dinner again. She made her excuses and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Jeff looked bemused. Virgil laughed which got him a frown from his father, his laugh dying out quicker than it had started.
"Lady Penelope is there somewhere we could talk in private?" Jeff was keen to get out of here but didn't want to seem rude.
"Yes of course, my father explained that you had an interesting proposition for me." Her eyes sparkled with excitement. She indicated they should both follow her through the crowd to a pair of double doors midway down the length of the room. They opened into a private antechamber - effectively a small sitting room. There was a gold and duck egg intricately patterned sofa and a couple of chesterfields in front of a large elaborate Georgian fireplace. The cream carpet was protected by a large Persian rug. It was lit with several small lamps on the walls creating a warm ambience. The men took the chesterfields. A waiter was on hand to refill their drinks before closing the door behind him.
"Well what can I do for you gentlemen?" She cut straight to the point peering over at them above her glass as she coolly appraised them. Her father had mentioned Jeff knew the true nature of his job all those years ago and had approached him to make use of those skills but was saddened to learn her father had retired. Then her dad had mentioned his protégé and Mr. Tracy had become quite interested.
"I approached your father about a month ago in regards to a new business venture I am undertaking that requires…. additional security of a nature in which your father's particular skill set would have been very useful to me. Now I understand he has sadly retired from active service but that you may know someone who could help." Jeff didn't want to give too much away.
Hmmm, Cagey thought Penelope. Just what was this venture to warrant all this secrecy? She knew that since Jeff had lost his wife, he had disappeared from the public eye almost overnight after a very public scandal where he had gone missing for over a week in Malaysia. Penny had been tapping her contacts ahead of this meeting (She always did her research) but frustratingly all they had come up with was that Jeff had relocated from the states to a undisclosed uncharted island in the pacific but no one seemed to know why apart from the rumour was he was looking to retire from the company to spend more time with his family. She imagined the loss of his wife so young was quite a blow and may have spurred this unusual behaviour…...that or he was planning something, Jeff Tracy was not a man who sat by idly as the world passed on its axis.
"I do know someone who is still in the business that my father once frequented. He trained a very competent protégé as his apprentice for the last decade of his service. They are currently ensconced high up within the intelligence society." If he couldn't trust her then she wasn't going to elaborate either. Dear me! she hoped this wasn't a waste of her time although it was delightful to see Virgil again. She wondered how Scott was, she new he was a captain in USAF and had completed his degree here in the UK at Oxford but not much more than that. For second in command to the patriarch, less was known about Scott than any of the other children from what she could see. Virgil was well renowned for his musical talent within social circles, Alan (although young) had already garnered a reputation in the racing industry, John had a score of scientific journals to his name plus two degrees and Gordon was enlisted with W.A.S.P in a specialist division. Interestingly Alan and John had enrolled at the space academy of Jeff's at the beginning of the year, was it possible they had something to do with this new enterprise?
"That sounds like just who I need. Would you be able to arrange a meeting for me?" Jeff asked.
"Well I might but I would need some information to go on, you have my word that I will not disclose it with anyone else apart from the person you seek. I can be very discreet I assure you." Virgil's interest was piqued, something about her tone radiated a conviction that couldn't be ignored. He pondered about her lifestyle. She certainly was part of the elite socialite circles, enough to know several important people. It was likely she was telling the truth and she was bound to know her father's colleagues at least by acquaintance. He hadn't realised until tonight what a celebrity she was.
Jeff deliberated. He hadn't planned on disclosing the information to anyone but the operative. Mind you; she was Sir Hugh's daughter and was aware of his work with the federal agent's bureau, chances are she was used to keeping secrets. He made up his mind decisively. "What I am about to disclose cannot leave this room or be discussed with anyone other then ourselves and your contact." She nodded her agreement. He continued, leaning forwards "I am establishing a global rescue operation that will aim to provide rescue and to those that cannot be rescued by normal means. My team will have access to the most advanced rescue vehicles to cover a multitude of rescue scenario's including land, sea, underground and space. This will be the first service of its kind in operation and well ahead of its time in terms of technology therefore we are looking to ensure that we have robust security measures in place to ensure that this information does not make it into public domain. These vehicles and technology have the potential to save many lives in the right hands but they could also just as easily take many lives if they fall into the wrong hands. Hence why we are looking to assemble a global network of agents who would monitor any potential security threats and breeches." Jeff let her digest the information. Virgil's face remained impassive as he assessed her reaction.
"Well Jeff I must say this venture sounds very interesting and would benefit many people globally. From what you have told me I can understand your concerns about the risk of the technology being misused. There are certainly many groups who would love to get their hands on this type of kit and adapt it for warfare. I think you are very sensible Jeff to keep this organisation secret and to consider a private network of your own agents that will not be affiliated with other government intelligence agencies – at least not directly. If they are clever enough, they would maintain and use those contacts for your cause."
"Great; so, I can trust that you will make arrangements to meet this person and introduce us. I would like them to operate as our London agent" Jeff instructed.
"There's no need Jeff, I can do better than that. Consider it already done."
"Excuse me?" He frowned, had he missed something?
"I accept the position of the London agent." She took a sip of her drink as Virgil tried not to spit his out realising the implications of her words.
"I'm sorry….."
"Dad! she's her father's protégé!" He looked at her with a new found interest. This unassuming beautiful blonde stunner was a secret agent of one of the most well renowned and respected intelligence services in the world. How on earth did she manage that being in the public eye as she was? She smiled back at him demurely.
Jeff leant back, it was not often he was fooled or surprised but tonight was one of those rare occasions. "Well I'll be dammed! Seems you could teach me a few things about balancing this new double life I've made for myself!"
"My name is Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward; the chief operative of the Federal Agents Bureau and I am at your service."