As Eleanor settled in with her laptop, Hannah headed off to find Mrs. Tuttle. Her heart leaped in anticipation when she saw that Mrs. Tuttle had put together a little brunch party. There were at least fifteen women there.
"My dear, I hope you don't mind. But there've been many compliments about the jewelry you wore to the ball Friday night and when I mentioned that you'd be stopping by, I was swamped with requests for an invite!"
Hannah hugged Mrs. Tuttle, grateful for the older woman's kindness. Everyone settled in to enjoy the brunch as Hannah began to sketch. She loved the way their eyes lit with enthusiasm as each design she came up with met with delight and approval. And best of all, none of them flinched at the exorbitant price tag for each commission. Four hours passed by quickly for all of them, and Hannah gathered her sketches to leave. She was flattered when several women asked if they could set up another session for other friends.
Flushed with success over the number of jewelry commissions, Hannah hummed to herself as she headed back to Eleanor's little office.
"Everything must have gone well. That's as self-satisfied a look as I've ever seen on you." Eleanor's words were amused, but something in her voice made Hannah take another look.
"What's wrong, Eleanor?"
Eleanor smiled ruefully, "And here I thought I was hiding it well. Agent Creel stopped by with pictures."
"Braden? What was in the pictures that has you rattled?"
"That's what I'd like to know too," Don cut in from the doorway. He seemed calm, till Hannah looked closely at him. He was as worried as she'd ever seen him.
"Braden said you were shaken, but that you wouldn't tell him anything. Said you had to think about it?" Colby's eyebrows were raised in inquiry.
"He showed me the pictures of five men," Eleanor drew in a slow breath. "Two of them matched the sketches that Hannah made. One I've never seen before, but the last is Samrat Bairan. Samrat used to work for my father while we lived in Iraq some years back." She paused for a moment, eyes sad. "Because he worked for us 'infidels' his family became a target. He and his family were kidnapped. Children tortured before both their parents' eyes, wife raped and killed. But instead of blaming the rebels, he blamed us."
"And probably put in a sleeper cell because of his familiarity with the British lifestyle." A muscle jerked in Don's clenched jaw. "Will you take it more seriously now?"
"Yes." The soft answer and the worry in Eleanor's eyes did nothing to ease Don's fears. "I'll stay in the Embassy today. Should I hire a bodyguard?"
"Carter said he would provide additional officers," Don was curt. He would rather have put his own people on it, but his people were in Los Angeles, half a world away. And he had no jurisdiction here. "Zoe and Danny will stay close and protect you if you need to be out and about during the day. If not, you can continue to work in this office."
Eleanor looked unhappily at Hannah, "I had hoped to show you Hampton Court Palace tomorrow."
Hannah hugged her, "You don't need to entertain me. Besides, I was hoping to start work on the commissions tomorrow. They're planning another jewelry party Friday morning, and I'd like to get as many done as possible by then."
"They liked your work, did they?" Colby was delighted to see her enthusiasm. He caught his breath at the gleam in her eye and grinned. It looked like her good mood was going to carry over into the evening. "So, are we ready for lunch?"
"I've lost my appetite," Eleanor looked morose.
"Come hang out with us anyway," Don was gentle, "All the students so far have been warm and friendly. I think you'll have a good time."
-----
Eleanor found herself in a lighter mood after lunch. These law enforcement officers had been selected by their countries for the anti-terrorism training by the FBI. They saw and dealt with the seamier underside of society, yet they maintained a sense of humor about them. The camradarie had cocooned her with its warmth, and the humor with which they handled their jobs filled her with humility. It would have been churlish of her to wallow in self-pity.
It didn't take long for Hannah to be engrossed in her work. Eleanor had been afraid that she would find the snipping and pounding of the metal wire annoying. She was surprised to find herself comforted by the rhythm.
The rest of the week followed the same routine. Eleanor and Hannah would ensconce themselves in the little office at the Embassy. Occasionally, Hannah would leave to meet with someone or other about a commission. When Eleanor needed to leave, Zoe and Danny would be with her. Sometimes the two MI-5 officers stayed in the office, chatting and laughing with both Eleanor and Hannah. They became good friends.
The evenings would be spent with Don and Colby, first at the Embassy doing whatever research they could on Samrat, as Eleanor helped filter out the chaff.
Friday rolled around, with very little change in the case. Eleanor had become progressively quieter as each day went by.
"How does everyone feel about going to Edinburgh for the weekend?" Don made the suggestion at lunch.
"Oh, that's a brilliant idea!" Hannah was flushed with success over the commissions she had completed, and the number of new commissions she had received that morning. The financial picture had become quite a bit rosier for them.
Colby looked at her in amusement. "You've been hanging out with Zoe and Danny too long. 'Oh, that's brilliant!'" He mimicked her.
She laughed. She was in far too good a mood over the success of her jewelry to be upset by his gentle teasing. "Come on, Eleanor! It'll be good to get away for a while! What do you say?"
Eleanor smiled at Hannah's enthusiasm. "I suppose you want to see Rosslyn Chapel as well?"
"Well, of course! A trip to Edinburgh wouldn't be complete without a visit to Rosslyn Chapel where they filmed part of the Da Vinci Code!"
"Are you sure it'll be safe?" Eleanor wrung her hands anxiously.
Don took her hands in his, and gently separated them. He brought them to his lips for a kiss. "Colby and I will be there. It'll be fine."