Previously: Mercenary Leon meets MI6 spies David, the Prince of Wales and socialite Wallis Spencer. David becomes king then abdicates to marry Wallis. He becomes Bahamas governor. Leon dies and his son Sidney becomes a mercenary. David hires him as his valet. Sidney hosts a wedding for his friends Jimbo and Gertie.
Sidney walked to the pier and waved at Jinglepockets who was staring at the last rays of the sun. When he looked around, he smiled at his young friend and waved back.
“It’s a little late to be setting out for Nassau, ain’t it?” the old man asked as Sidney jumped aboard.
“I had an invitation to pay a social call this evening.”
“It’s that blonde-headed woman, ain’t it?” Jinglepockets asked. “She was dressed like one of us but she ain’t one of us for damn sure.”
“You’re right.” Sidney’s voice was serene as he gazed across the bay.
“You better be careful.” Jinglepockets squinted at him.
Sidney didn’t reply and the old man offered no more advice. When they landed in Nassau, Sidney took out two coins. He handed one to Jinglepockets.
“This is for the ride.” He pressed the other coin firmly into the old man’s palm. “And this is for your advice.”
As he walked away, he took out the note and followed the directions to her apartment. She was right. The neighbors were discreet. He knocked at the door.
When Aline answered she was wearing a red satin bathrobe and was combing out her hair. She let him in.
“You took longer than I thought.”
“Some of the guests stayed longer than I thought.” He took off his hat and coat and threw them on the sofa.
Aline stopped in her bedroom door, still combing her hair. “I didn’t tell you to get comfortable.”
“It was a long boat trip.” He removed his tie. “Very tiring.”
Putting down her comb on her vanity, she flipped off the lights. Torches that lit the courtyard cast a soft light through the window.
“In that case you must lie down.”
As Sidney removed his shirt and slacks, Aline let her bathrobe drop to the floor. She wore nothing but the glow from the window. Aline walked to him and put her arms around him.
“God, I must be a Bolshevik too,” she murmured as she kissed him.
“What does that mean?”
“It’s what my mother said to your father when they made love.”
Sidney lifted her and placed her in the bed and slid in beside her. “Did she tell you everything?”
“Of course she did. She was a prostitute. She didn’t have anything else to talk about.”
Without warning, Sidney pulled hard on the back of her hair. “No, the first woman my father made love to was born a Romanov and married a Ribbentrop. She made love to him for saving her life.” He stared into her eyes. “You see, my father did tell me everything. Never lie to me again.”
The next morning they both arose early because each of them had jobs to attend to. All Aline had to offer for breakfast was hot coffee and cold Danish.
“Thank you for the lovely evening.” Aline carefully applied her makeup and lipstick. “We must do this again, but Harry keeps me on a busy schedule.” She turned to look at him. “Let this be our code. Whenever a pot of dead flowers is by the door, you are welcome to enter.”
“Like the pot in front of my father’s house.”
She shrugged. “That was Pooka’s idea. Otherwise, stay away. It will be the prudent thing to do.”
Sidney nodded. His father taught him all about prudence. At first he wanted to kiss her, but decided he didn’t want a smudge of her red lipstick on his face.
“By the way,” Aline whispered, “I will never lie to you again.”
He didn’t reply, but walked out.
A few minutes later he was in his room at the Governor’s Palace changing into his valet’s uniform. Sidney found the Duke and Duchess breakfasting in the garden. They both looked to be in good spirits.
“Sidney!” Wallis exclaimed. “We weren’t expecting you back today! I’ve been to weddings where I wasn’t out of bed for days!”
He tried to hide a smirk since he had just come from Aline’s bed.
“I’m glad you’re here though.” The Duke finished swallowing a bite of poached egg. “I’m going out to the construction site for the two new RAF fields and I need you to take mental notes on what Harry Oakes and Harold Christie say.” He turned to appraise Sidney. “You seem to be good at that sort of thing.”
That was something else my father had instilled in me. Stay quiet. Listen. Remember.
Sidney turned to bow to the Duchess. “Will you be joining us today, Your Highness?”
I know she’s not supposed to be addressed by that title but it pleases her so much when I do.
“Oh, no, Sidney. I have a previous engagement.”
On the ride south of Nassau to the two airfield sites, Sidney wondered if Aline would be there. After all, she was Harry’s personal assistant. He wondered if it would be proper for them to exchange greetings, but decided such an exchange would be indiscreet.
When they arrived at the first site, Harry and Harold were waiting for them. They both wore big grins.
“Good to see you, Eddie,” Harry said as he pumped his hand.
A shiver went down Sidney’s spine. He knew he should remain silent, but Harry’s breech of protocol was beyond the pall.
“Excuse me, sir,” Sidney interrupted in a soft but firm voice. “No one ever refers to his highness in such a familiar manner. On first greeting it is Your Royal Highness and thereafter Your Highness.”
The Duke chuckled. “He is, of course, correct. We must observe our customs, shouldn’t we?”
Christie laughed but Harry was left speechless.
The Duke looked around. “Your personal assistant isn’t here. I thought you might want her to take notes.”
“Aww, she said she had a previous engagement. Whatever the hell that means.”
Upon their return to the Governor’s Palace, the Duke asked Sidney to go to the post office to see if his cigarettes from London had arrived.
“I smoked too many while enduring Harry’s prattle—by the way, did he say anything important?”
“Only that the fields are due for completion in late summer, Your Highness,” Sidney replied.
On the way back with the large bundle of cigarettes Sidney could not resist walking by Aline’s apartment. Outside her door was a vase of white carnations. When the Duchess returned that afternoon Sidney saw she wore a broad smile and a light blue summer suit with a white carnation in the lapel.
Summer passed into fall, and Sidney enjoyed his night visits with Aline when the pot with the dead flower was by the door. He knew it wasn’t love like his parents shared, but it was fun and he liked it.
One evening in late October he ambled by her door only to see red roses in the vase. He knew she had other lovers. They evidently proved useful for promoting her career. Sidney had just returned to the palace and went to check on the Duke in his office. He wasn’t there.
As Sidney went down the hall to his room he saw the Duke enter. He smiled at his valet.
“A lovely evening, isn’t it? The nice thing about living in the Bahamas is that I can go for a walk without a crowd around me. Quite refreshing.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Sidney noticed a red rose in his lapel.
By Christmas he was used to the routine he and the Windsors had arranged. The Duchess preferred morning trysts while the Duke preferred evenings. Sidney felt safe if the couple had a special evening arranged for visitors and his services would not be required.
As the Duke said, Sidney was very observant.