The words had scarcely escaped my lips when Sir Perceval Pelham confirmed my guess by climbing out of the helicopter. Sir Percy and Bill’s father were old friends, and Bill had known Sir Percy all his life. He was a huge man, tall and broad-shouldered rather than fat, and although he was in his late fifties, his boundless joie de vivre made him seem years younger. His voice boomed, his step bounced, and his passion for big boys’ toys made him extremely popular with the twins. In many ways he was their contemporary.
He was also unspeakably wealthy. Sir Percy had inherited a packet from his father, and he’d multiplied it a hundredfold through clever investments in oil, pharmaceuticals, and various engineering projects all over the world. If anyone could provide my sons and me with first-class protection while Bill was in London, it would be Sir Percy.
The boys let out joyful whoops as the big man approached the stile, pushing his fluffy white hair back from his ruddy forehead and grinning from ear to ear. His copilot, a self-effacing, slender young man named Atkinson, helped Ivan Anton’s men load our suitcases into the cargo hold, then came forward to say hello.
“Hullo, Sir Percy! Hullo, Atkinson!” the twins called. “Will you be our pilot, Sir Percy? Can we ride up front with you?”
“You’ll ride in the back with me,” I stated firmly, and gave Sir Percy a meaningful stare.
“Of course I’ll fly the chopper, chaps,” he boomed. “Get the best man for the job, I always say. And you’ll most certainly ride in the back. Need you to navigate. Vital job, you know. Wouldn’t want to come down in the great Namibian Desert by accident, would we?” He squatted and put a hand on each twin’s shoulder. “Love to pop in on the ponies and have a tramp round your woods, old things, but time’s pressing. Be good fellows, now, and give your papa a proper farewell.”
I had to press my hand to my mouth to keep my chin from trembling when Bill knelt to say good-bye to the twins. I could hear the forced cheerfulness in his voice as he told them he’d see them again very soon, and the boys seemed to hear it, too.
“Don’t be scared, Daddy,” said Rob, patting his father’s back consolingly. “Sir Percy will look after us.”
Will nodded his agreement. “If the bad man comes near us, Sir Percy will eat him.”
“With mustard and vinegar,” Sir Percy declared. “Run along, now, chaps. Atkinson will get you settled in your seats.” He waited until the twins were some distance away, then addressed Bill with unaccustomed sobriety. “Out of the mouths of babes, eh? They’re right, you know. You’ve nothing to worry about. Your family’s mine for the duration. Defend ’em with my life, if need be.”
“I know you will, Percy.” Bill gripped the big man’s hand. “Thank you.”
“Think nothing of it. I’ve always wanted to whisk a beautiful woman north of the border. We won’t, alas, have time to stop at Gretna Green, which is just as well, since the woman in question is already quite happily married.” Sir Percy winked at me, grabbed my carry-on bag, and headed for the helicopter.
“Gretna Green,” I said reflectively. “Is Percy taking us to Scotland?”
“My lips are sealed,” said Bill.
We turned to face each other. Bill looked suddenly awkward, as if he didn’t trust himself to speak.
“Well . . .” he began.
“Look,” I broke in hurriedly, “I know what we said last night about not clinging to each other like a pair of needy idiots when it came time to say good-bye, but I don’t think it would hurt a thing if we clung like a husband and wife who are fairly fond of each other, do you? Just for a minute?”
“Just for a minute,” said Bill, and pulled me into his arms.
The minute lasted a bit longer than the regulation sixty seconds, and I left Bill’s shirtfront slightly damper than it had been, but only slightly. After a quick kiss and a wobbly smile, I turned and ran for the helicopter, afraid that if I slowed down, I’d break down.
Sir Percy welcomed me aboard, tucked my jacket into an overhead compartment, and seated me across the aisle from the twins, who were already in shirtsleeves, strapped in their seats, and raring to go. Sir Percy had thoughtfully provided them with child-size headsets so they could communicate with him and Atkinson during the flight. He helped me to don a grown-up set and showed me how to use it, then gave me a double thumbs-up and disappeared into the cockpit.
The entire cabin vibrated when the rotors began to turn, and my stomach plummeted when we shot straight up into the air. I gripped the armrests and took several deliberate breaths, willing my breakfast to stay put, while I glued my nose to the window to watch Bill until we swooped north and he vanished, hidden by the high hedge.