‘St Mary’s is the subtle option?’
‘As opposed to exterminating Ronan, damaging the timeline, and causing the end of all things as we’ve known them – yes. St Mary’s may be the only option.’
‘We’re doomed,’ said Guthrie and everyone cheered up.
‘Next stage.’ I said. ‘Having achieved our objective, we implement what is always the most important part of any assignment – the safe return. Major, one of your team will remain at the house at all times to ensure we can go at a moment’s notice. Their priority, should anything go wrong, is to strip the house of anything anomalous and get it back to the pods. Please make that clear to them. Everyone will need to pack their personal gear in grab-bags and keep them available at all times. We will almost certainly be looking for a speedy exit. There will be no time to pack. It’s a chore, but it must be done.’
He nodded. I paused and sipped some water. Everyone bent over their scratchpads. I waited until they’d finished.
‘So, your individual responsibilities are as follows:
‘Chief, please get the pods prepped and start work on the Richard Hampton character.
‘Major Guthrie, select your team, brief them up, and start work on your character.
‘Mrs Enderby, please choose the members of your team who will accompany you. You know the brief. You’ll be in Pod Six with Mr Dieter. Major Guthrie and his security team will escort you in Pod Five. Buy whatever you need; Dr Bairstow has persuaded the history department at Thirsk to supply us with contemporary currency. Load your goods into Number Six for Major Guthrie to take to Edinburgh.
‘Mr Dieter will bring you back here in Number Five.
‘Using Number Five again, Dr Peterson will jump back to Edinburgh and rendezvous with Major Guthrie. You will hire a house and get things ready. Send someone back in Five when you’re all set.
‘Chief Farrell, Miss Schiller, and I will join you.
‘And then, we ride into Edinburgh, making as much noise as possible.
‘Miss Van Owen, you will have responsibility for the History Department until we return, but I’d like you to keep attending these meetings as first reserve.
‘Dr Peterson, can your Pathfinders narrow down the co-ordinates? We don’t have a lot of wiggle room and we don’t want to arrive with less than 24 hours to the deadline. And we’ll need them to locate a secure site outside the city where the pods won’t be noticed.
‘Everyone get themselves off to Wardrobe to start getting kitted out. Those wishing to grow a beard should note they are fashionable for men only.
‘In addition to our forged papers, Dr Dowson has produced detailed briefing notes for 16th century Scotland, together with a simple vocabulary. Study this carefully. Many words have changed their meaning over time. For instance, apprehensive pertains to the word apprehend – to understand – rather than our under current understanding of the word. Geek means to look at, and does not refer to any member of R&D. There are many words for whore, including guinea hen, harlot, and drab. Nicked and knackered mean exactly what you think they do. Don’t say thee and thou unless you want to be laughed at as old-fashioned and anyone uttering the word ‘forsooth’ in my hearing will be consigned to Professor Rapson to play the lead role in his “How many times could the Druids actually wind a person’s entrails around a sacred oak tree?” experiment. Also included are words or gestures that should not be used. There’s enough conflict in our lives without inadvertently insulting anyone’s mother.
‘In addition, we have notes on royal protocol, forms of address, polite manners, etc. And an Istanbul background as well, in case some smart-arse starts asking questions. Speaking of which, does anyone have any?’
‘Not at this stage,’ said Peterson, speaking for everyone. ‘Maybe later.’
‘OK then,’ I said. ‘We’ll meet here at 0930, the day after tomorrow for updates and briefings. Miss Lee will distribute the minutes this afternoon. Thank you everyone.’
Chapter Seventeen
What an entrance we made; months of hard work finally paying off. Beautifully attired and mounted on the best horses Peterson could find, we entered Edinburgh in triumph.
Markham led the way on foot, banging a drum for reasons known only to himself and shouting, ‘Make way, make way,’ in English, French, Latin, and some incomprehensible dialect he said was Geordie.
People did scatter, but any ill-will caused by his multi-lingual high-handedness was easily assuaged by the handfuls of coins he carelessly tossed around him. Small fights broke out.