Page 89 of My Lord
She smiled at me through the mirror. “You bet. I can’t wait.”
Mother knew some of what had happened. She didn’t buy the ‘girls got tipsy and forgot’ from Veronica. Moreso because that would be the absolute least amount of trouble Veronica could get herself in and something she would expect from her in her teens. Oh no. My mother was astute and peppered me for information until she rang Gabriella herself. She then read the papers.
My punishment for not telling her immediately was dinner at her favourite, and very costly, restaurant in London.
Gabriella and I left for work and she was welcomed back immediately as she stepped into the reception area. It wasn’t going to be easy to deny what had happened since it had been splashed all over the newspapers and was still an ongoing story considering the perpetrator had managed to kill himself with a substance not generally found in the hospital but was a nerve agent found in Russia.
The conspiracy theorists were having a blast. Russian influence, money laundering, killing off Lords while under guard, sex clubs, and influential businessmen made for some amazing stories. Even I had been engrossed in one.
“Have you read this?” I asked Mackenzie as I sat in his office. “Apparently this is another Umbrella Poisoning situation. Stanton was really a Russian spy.”
I slowed down as I came to the end of my statement and lowered the paper. I looked up at Mackenzie who wasn’t smiling back. “What are you talking about?” he asked.
“1978, a dissident was poked with an umbrella that had a spike on the end and was filled with a drug that killed him. The Russians were blamed. He was just getting on a bus, I think.”
Mackenzie scowled at me. “He was getting on a bus? He was poked with an umbrella? Fuck me, Alex, that’s about as fucking British as it gets! But, you might have a point.”
I widened my eyes. “Who did Don say he worked for? Some government agency and then he mentioned they had got deals done with the Russians, or something?” I said.
Mackenzie nodded. “Maybe that’s not too far from the truth. If Stanton was divulging information to the Russians and then got himself in trouble to the magnitude that he has, I’m sure they’d want himdisposedof. And old Don might be involved in that.”
I folded the newspaper and placed it in the bin. “Let’s not read anymore,” I said. The last thing I wanted was to know my mother was dating someone with Russian connections and I couldn’t warn her off.
“What’s on the agenda today?” he asked.
I picked up the file on a manufacturing company that Mackenzie owned in the US. “I’m sorting out a trip to finalise the sale of Andore.”
Andore was a small, but very profitable, company Mackenzie had owned that needed to expand. A factory and warehouse in the docks was the ideal location for them, so we’d encouraged them to merge with the company his ex-father-in-law had recently been kicked out of.
“Will Gabriella go with you?” he asked.
“Yes, she’s called her mother, and we’re staying there.”
“If it gets too much, you know where the key to my house is, don’t you?” he asked, and I nodded. When we’d stayed there before he’d shown me a key safe should I ever have to get in myself.
I left his office and returned to my own. For the rest of the day I got on with work until I received a call from reception to notify me my car was waiting. I’d lost track of time and panicked thinking that Gabriella would be waiting for me
I rushed downstairs, dragging on my coat as I did, and slid into the back of the car. We arrived at the destination just as she came through the door. She held a tissue to one eye, wiping a tear.
I left the car and walked towards her. “Hey, are you crying?” I asked, gently.
“It was tough. Luckily, I have my make-up bag with me. Now, that has left me ravenous.”
I smiled and chuckled with her even though I knew laughter wasn’t what she felt inside but what she needed to hear. I helped her into the car, and we drove out of London to collect my mother, only to return to eat.
Rules was the oldest restaurant in London. Set in a small pedestrianised street, it was just what we all needed. Mother had spent the whole journey holding Gabriella’s hand while Gabriella unloaded. I believed Mother was likely a better therapist than the one she had just visited. My mum was so tender, and she wiped Gabriella’s cheeks of tears as if she were dealing with her own child. I looked out the side window so they wouldn’t see any of my own.
By the time we arrived, make-up had been reapplied and we were back to how Gabriella was going to refurnish the apartment.
“You really should buy a house, Alex. Outdoor space and fresh air are what this girl needs,” Mother said.
“Maybe,” I replied, distracted by the doorman.
The problem with somewhere like Rules was one often bumped into acquaintances or friends. Len and Pete were dining, and both rose to greet me warmly. I introduced Gabriella and she was hugged, as was Mother. It took an age to get to our table.
“I really don’t know why those two don’t just come out of their wardrobe,” Mother said, fussing with her napkin.
“Closet, Henrietta,” Gabriella corrected her. “Are they gay?” she asked me.
