Part 7 (1/2)
His estate was the one place where Faulkner was guaranteed priva- cy and anony required a social presence and his face, along with his wife's, graced the social pages every tinitude oc- curred He craved his private ti instruction with his secretary was never to call him at home unless ”the bank is nuked, or I die” which when translated meant, ”Don't call me, I'll call you” His as the only other person with the private phone nued everyIt never rang At least not in recent memory
He used it to dial out; but it was never used to receive calls
The warble surprised hi three tiht I just got a new nuain
”hello?” he asked suspiciously
”GoodMr Faulkner I just called to let you know that your secret is safe with me” Faulkner itched to identify the voice behind the well educated British accent, but that fleeting thought dissipated at the i spoken
”Who is this? What secret?”
”Oh, dearto the a losses last year Don't worry I won't tell a soul” The line went dead
Sir George dialed the next nu the profile The phone was answered by a tian his fourth pitch of the day ”Mr Hugh Sidneys?
I would like to talk to you about a se Sterling made another thirty four calls that day
Each one alarly similar to the first three Not that they alarmed him They merely alarmed, often severely, the recipients of his calls In , and the contents of his es were often cryptic to hi to realize that every call was some form of veiled, or not so veiled threat But his in- structions had been clear Do not threaten Just pass on the contents of the nees Do not leave any e unless he had confir to the party in question
If he received any trouble in reaching his intended targets, by secretaries or aides, he was only to pass on a prelie These were especially cryptic, but in all cases, perhaps with a little prod, his call was put through
At the end of the first day of his assign walked onto his balcony overlooking San Francisoby and reflected on his good fortune If he hadn't been stuck in Athens last year, wondering where his next score would coht dae of twenty nine at that
His title, actually purchased from The Royal title assurance Company, Ltd in London in 1987 for a e Toft to leave the perennial industrial sland and assume a new identity It was one of the feays out of the disenerations before him had tolerated with a stiff upper lip As a petty thief he had done 'awright', but one score had left him with more money than he had ever seen That is when he became a Sir, albeit one purchased
He spent severalmostly himself as he traveled Europe With the help of Eliza Doolittle, Sir George perfected his adapted upper crust London accent His natural speech was that of a Liverpuddlian with a bag of ible when drunk But his royal speech was now that of a Gentleman from the House of Lords Slow and precise when appropriate or a practiced articulateness when speaking rapidly It initially took some effort, but he could now correct his slips instantly No one noticed any, n<130> Toft
Athens was the end of his tour and where he had spent the last of hisHotel Grande Britagne styled in nineteenth century rococo elegance As he enjoyed the bal his next , a well dressed gentlee?” The visitor offered his hand
George extended his hand, not yet aware that his guest had no reason whatsoever to knoho he was
”Sir George? Do I have the Sir George Sterling of Briarshi+re, Essex?” The accent was trans European Internationally cose had been recognized
George rose slightly ”Yes, yes Of course ExcuseOf course
Please do be seated”
The stranger said, ”Sir George, would you be offended if I of- fered you another drink, and perhaps took a few enuinely and sat hie before any reply He knehat the ansould be
”Please be seated Metaxa would it be for you, sir?” The ers at one of the white-jacketed waiters orked in the outdoor cafe ”Metaxa, parakalo!” Greek waiters are not known for their graciousness, so a brief grunt and nod was an acceptable response George returned his attention to his nocturnal visitor ”I don't believe I've had the pleasure” he said in his e, please just calle nodded assent ”Yes, quite Alex then, it is How e, it is I who may be able to assist you I understand that you would like to continue your, shall we say, extended sabbatical Would that be a fair appraisal?” The Metaxas arrived and Alex excused the waiter with two 1000 Drache looked closely at Alex Very well dressed A Saville was it? Perhaps Maybe Lubenstrasse He didn't care This stranger had either keen insight into George's current plight or had heard of his escapades across the Southern Mediterranean Royalty on Sabbatical was an unaccostable lie that regularly passed critical scrutiny