The Dynasty: THE CHADLINGTON CHRONICLES, #4

By V.J. MANSFIELD

THE DYNASTY

The Dynasty is the fourth book in the Chadlington Chronicles, spanning from 2010 to 2020 during the time of the Thirteenth Duke.

The 13th Duke of Chadlington has now been in place for three years. With a Duchess whom he considers perfect and a new son, he is a contented man.

Then Lady Paulay, no longer the typical bluestocking, arrives with the contents of the second scroll and the Hall becomes the scene of an archaeological dig. Good news for the duchy, as it will increase its tourism appeal.

Catherine and Stephanie's weddings are joyful occasions, as is the launching of the two trawlers, although they are immediately declared 'black' by the unions. Catherine's participation in the London Olympics is jeopardized when her favourite horse, Petticoat, is stolen. Petticoat is recovered, after three murders and a judicial killing but is in no state to compete.

A traitor within the SIS puts Isay at risk, one of the trawlers is seized and the island itself is invaded by Russian Special Forces. Co-opted to COBRA, George's knowledge of the new airstrip on the island is vital as the SAS and the SBS swing into action. As a result of this, George's involvement with the SIS deepens, firstly with identifying and dealing with the traitor and then with the recruitment and control of a high-level agent with access to the Kremlin's thinking and intentions.

In September 2014, George receives a request from an old Hong Kong friend. Aiding his friend and his hapless daughter requires George to carry out a covert action in Pakistan. This brings him back into contact with Beverly, someone whose charms could threaten any marriage.

Abbott, the disgraced Agent, is released from prison just as the police begin examining some cold cases, including several murders that have close connections with the duchy.

Early in 2017, the need to extract an agent and his family requires George to make a hazardous intrusion into Russia. Extractions seem to be the fashion, the same year an agent has to be extracted from Hong Kong, no simple matter as he is under constant surveillance.

The affairs of the duchy are not neglected, George decides on a conference to plan the road ahead and enlists the aid of the Saïd Business School in Oxford.

The recruitment of two agents from within top-secret Russian laboratories requires planning for two more extractions. But first, espionage is a two-way street and there is a Russian agent in the Cabinet Office who must be exposed and turned.

In the midst of this, two unwelcome guests arrive at the Hall, one of whom puts his life on the line to save George.

Arpita Bhavalakar arrives, having just obtained her MBA and shortly afterwards her father visits. He is not as welcome; he dislikes her choice of boyfriend and puts two bullets into each of them. He also has contacts with al-Qaeda that make him very attractive to the SIS.

There are further developments in India and elsewhere but in the UK the threat of Covid is emerging.

• Language: English
• Publisher: V.J. MANSFIELD
• Release date: May 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215114858

V.J. MANSFIELD

Val Mansfield was born in, New Zealand but left in 1968 after graduating as a Civil Engineer and never returned, except on holiday. He spent three years in Australia, twenty-two years in Hong Kong and thirty years in Thailand. Before retiring, in 1998, he was the Project Director for the Bangkok Transit System. His retirement didn't last, his skills were in demand and he worked as an Independent Consultant in Malaysia, India, the Middle East, Pakistan, South Korea, Mongolia and Vietnam. Covid brought an end to his consulting work. Professionally he had written extensively and had also produced many books of his travels to over eighty countries, so he decided to try fiction, utilizing his love of history. He now lives in Chiang Mai, in Northern Thailand with his stepdaughter. Another of his daughters is currently working in China and two are in New Zealand, his son is in London.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

A Family Reunion

December 2010

Duncan Cheuk was talking to his sister, Florence, on WhatsApp, he was in his apartment in Sydney where he attended university.  He shared the apartment with four other students, none of whom knew that it was owned by his family.

Florence was in Wellington where she attended Victoria University, she also had her own shared apartment.  The Cheuks saw no point in renting accommodation for their children when they could buy, get some rent and eventually realize a capital gain.

The siblings were speaking in English as they normally did, ‘Florence, I don’t like what’s happening, mum marrying again when dad has been dead less than a year.  I can’t help thinking that this Hui Kwok-chu might be a con man after mum’s money.  And now she wants us to come and meet our new father!  I don’t need a new father.’

‘Neither do I, I’m still grieving for the one we lost.  But you were away from home longer than I, so you may not have noticed but mum and dad seemed to be drifting apart.  They seldom spoke and they never seemed to do anything together, unless it was work orientated and mum felt that she had to go.  The only time she seemed to enjoy herself was when one of dad’s expat friends came through with his wife and they entertained them.  I think that they also saw them when they were in the UK that last time.  Mum must have enjoyed that trip because they seemed much more relaxed and happier together when they got back but dad was killed less than six months later.’

‘When I was last home, I did notice something was wrong.  You’re not suggesting, are you, that mum might have had something going with this Hui even when dad was alive?’

No, I don’t mean that.  I don’t think either of them had anyone else; they just seemed to have drifted apart and then they seemed to get back together again but too late.  I think it was partly dad’s job, it seemed to start from when he had his last promotion.’

'Could be, I wasn't very happy about that.  Having a father in charge of tracking down people who only want the best for Hong Kong, I can see that it could have pissed mum off.  But, what about this invite, are we going?  Can you get away?’

'Getting away is not a problem, it's the long holidays.  I think we should go, we haven't seen mum since dad was killed and we can't just cut her off.  If she has a new man, then let's have a look at him.  If we think there is a problem, we can talk about it then.  How would it be if I flew over around the sixteenth and we had a couple of days in Sydney then flew on to the UK arriving in good time for Christmas?’

‘That sounds fine, will you email her and tell her?  Leave time to get from London to the wilds of Scotland where she seems to be.’

‘OK, I’ll do that now, do you want me to copy you in?’

‘Yeah, I guess so.  Bye.’

Florence spent some time on the internet checking available flights, then settled down and wrote to her mother at the new email address that she had got after their father had been killed:

Hi Mum

Duncan and I would love to spend Christmas with you if you are sure that you can afford the fares.

I could fly to Sydney on the 16th and have a couple of days there and then we could fly to London on the 19th, arriving early on the 20th with a connection to Scotland.  Would that suit?

Love,

Florence

She copied it to Duncan’s email address and sent it off.  Eight p.m. in Christchurch, early morning in Scotland.

The next morning there was a reply waiting for her:

Dear Florence,

That would be wonderful.  I've booked the flights through to London.  You'll be met at the airport by a friend of ours who will look after you for the night and then bring you up to us, you can see something of the country on the way.  Later, there may be a chance for you to see more of London.

Your father and I are looking forward to seeing you.

Love,

Mother

Florence noticed that it hadn’t been copied to Duncan, so forwarded it to him.  She could imagine his reaction to the Your father and I, she wasn’t happy with it.

Two weeks later, she flew to Sydney where Duncan met her at Kingsford Smith.  It was also the long holidays in Australia, so there was a spare room in the apartment.

On the nineteenth, they took the Singapore Airlines Flight to London via Singapore, Florence wondered why her mother had not booked them on Cathay via Hong Kong.  They arrived in London just after seven the next morning.  As Duncan pushed their trolley through the Green Lane, Florence could see a man holding a sign up with their names on it.  ‘Over there, Duncan, he’s a gwailo and he doesn’t look like a driver.’

He didn't, he was dressed in a well-tailored suit and had about him an air of command.  As they turned towards him, he lowered the sign, 'You must be Florence and Duncan.  I'm George Bartholemew, a friend of your parents.  Your dad and I worked together in Hong Kong back in the late seventies when he first joined the force, long before either of you were thought of.  I’m sure you’re thinking of bed but it would be much better if you were to stay awake for the next fifteen hours or so.’

'We know,' replied Duncan, 'we have both travelled before but this is the longest we have done.  Previously it's been Hong Kong to Sydney.  This is a killer.'

‘Think yourself lucky, I’m a Kiwi and the flight from New Zealand is even longer.’

‘I know,’ said Florence, ‘I’m at university in Wellington but I did have two days in Sydney.’

'I went to Victoria; I graduated in seventy-three then joined the RHKP.  Wellington is my home town.'

Whilst they had been talking, they had reached the lifts and found one waiting.  George had parked on the fourth floor, his Bentley GTC had their eyes popping, even by Hong Kong standards it was exotic.  George installed Florence in the front and they drove off.  Given the winter weather, there was no possibility that they would lower the roof.

As they left Heathrow, George said, ‘I had better tell you what’s going on.  I’m George Bartholemew but I’m also the Duke of Chadlington, we have a hotel in London with an apartment for the family on the top floor where we’ll be spending the night.  Tomorrow we will drive to Chadlington Hall for a night and the next day I’ll take you to Scotland.  There is a Christmas present waiting for you there that I guarantee will be the best present you’ve ever had.  Have you been to London before?’ 

‘No, neither of us.  But mum and dad had their last holiday together here.’

‘I know, they stayed with us.’

‘Oh my God!  Mum told me all about it, a fabulous penthouse, is that where we are going?’

‘Yes.  I’ll take a slightly longer route and come into the centre across London Bridge so you can see the Houses of Parliament and the Palace.  As it’s Monday, there will be plenty of traffic about.’

Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the Chadlington House Hotel, ‘Leave the luggage, someone will bring it up.’  George led the way into the hotel foyer and headed for the lifts.  Once they were all in, he inserted a key in a lock and turned it.  The lift took them to the top floor opening onto a tastefully furnished entry where George keyed a code into the lock and they entered the apartment.  ‘The bags will take a few minutes, come up on the roof and get your first look at London from above. Well, not really from above, if you want that view you need to go up the Gherkin.’  The view was not that from the Gherkin but they could see it and the Shard and Tower Bridge, Westminster and many of the other sights that make London the world’s most recognizable city.

When they went down again, their luggage was waiting for them.  'Why don't you have a shower and freshen up?  Then we can take in some of the sites.  Do you need breakfast?'

‘Not for me, thanks, I had a good one on the plane.  You, Flo?’

'No, I'm fine.  Let's use the time seeing what we can.'

Once they regathered, George suggested, ‘I know that there are plans for you to spend some time in London, so perhaps today we should go to a couple of places that otherwise might be hard to visit.  How would it be if we visit the House of Lords this morning and have lunch on the terrace?  Then this afternoon we could have a look at Lloyds and the Bank of England.’

‘That sounds great, I’m doing a PP and E and Florence is into history, so both places would interest us.  But can you get us into the Lords at such short notice?’

‘Yes, I’m a hereditary member, although I seldom attend.  I can also get you into the visitor’s gallery at the Commons, although I won’t be allowed to accompany you.’

After an eventful day, they got back to the hotel around six when George announced, ‘My son and his wife are meeting us in the bar and then we'll have an informal meal in the penthouse so that you can collapse if you need to.  We won't be late, Charles has work tomorrow and Julia is pregnant.  Incidentally, Charles was born in Hong Kong but never really lived there.’  George led the way into the Chadlington Keys, ‘Grab a seat and see what you would like.’

A very large Polynesian appeared, ‘Evening uncle, what can I get you all?’

'First, meet Florence and Duncan Cheuk, you should remember their parents, Rosemary and George.  This is Robert Radradra, he is a nephew of mine whom I hope can join us for dinner tonight.’

'Yes, I remember them both, I'm very sorry about your father, a hero as I understand it.  I would love to join you for dinner but we are short-staffed tonight, I couldn’t make it until ten at the earliest.’

‘Best forget it then.  These two flew in from Sydney overnight, so I doubt if they will last that long.’

‘OK, so what will it be?  I know what you want, uncle.’

As the drinks arrived, so did Charles and Julia, Robert greeted Charles with a 'Hi Bro' and Julia with a 'You're looking very maternal ma'am.'  She stuck her tongue out at him.

After another round of drinks, they moved to the penthouse for dinner.

On Tuesday morning, they got away around ten and drove to Chadlington Hall with a short stop at Cambridge and another for a late lunch, arriving at the Hall in the late afternoon.  George parked the Bentley at the foot of the steps just as the door opened and two footmen came out.  Leading the way up the steps, to where Clegg was holding the door, George introduced them, ‘This is Clegg, our valued butler, he runs everything around here.  Clegg this is Miss and Mr Cheuk, you’ll remember their parents.’

‘I certainly do.  We were all very sorry to hear of your father’s death.’

‘I’ll show you your rooms and then we will all meet in the gunroom around five-thirty.  Go behind the stairs there and follow your nose.  Until then, I have to catch up on what has been happening here.’

Having seen them to their rooms, George headed for the office, ‘Afternoon, Stephanie, anything happening?’

‘Good afternoon, Your Grace.’ replied his PA.  ‘Nothing very pressing.  There are some letters on your desk waiting for your signature and there is a letter from the agents who handle the rentals on Isay.  It seems that the castle will be full for the summer.’

‘That is excellent news.  We need something to bring in some money before the trawlers start working.  I’ll sign the letters and then catch up on everything else over a drink.’

It was a quiet night in the gunroom, only Stephanie, Henry, the Estate Manager, and Sandy were there when the Cheuks arrived.  Florence asked, ‘What time are we off tomorrow?  It looks like a long drive.’

‘It is but we won’t drive, I need to be back here tomorrow evening.  We’ll fly to Moray and take a car from there, its a two-hour flight with less than an hour’s driving, so we need to be away about nine-thirty.  Unfortunately, that means that you won't be able to do a tour of the Hall tomorrow but I'll show you something of it tonight and if you're up early, Sandy will be happy to show you the cars. He manages everything to do with the cars and the museum.  I’ll be riding at six, do either of you ride?’

‘I used to ride at Bees River but I don’t have any gear.’

‘I’m sure that we can sort something out, talk of the devil, here she is.  My daughter; Catherine, meet Duncan and Florence Cheuk.’

‘Rosemary’s and George’s children?  I’m so glad to meet you and so sorry about your father.’

‘Florence would like to borrow some gear tomorrow to go riding.’

‘Not a problem, I’m got lots and we’re about the same size.’

‘You’re that Catherine Bartholemew!  The showjumping one.  I’ve just realized!  I’m a huge fan of yours.’

'Well thanks, that’s great to know, for now I need a white wine, please.'

About seven, as the rest were leaving, Penny came in and was introduced.  So it was only five of them who had an informal meal.

The next day, they drove to Skegness where the Beechcraft was waiting for them, Donald joined George in the cockpit whilst Florence had the cabin to herself.  As George had already filed a flight plan, they were quickly off the ground and shortly before noon George contacted Moray control and received permission to land.

There was a blue car with RAF roundels waiting for them, Duncan and Florence looked at it with surprise but said nothing.  George climbed into the front next to the driver and they drove off.  Less than ten minutes later, they slowed at a gatehouse but were nodded through by the guard on duty.  They crested a rise and the sea lay before them, in the foreground was a long low house that appeared to be built into the cliff.  As they pulled up outside, a woman appeared on the terrace, seconds later she was joined by a large black Alsatian.

George was arranging for the driver to return when Florence opened her door and stepped out.  The Alsatians nose twitched, then she was bounding across to Florence her tail working like a metronome.  Florence bent to meet her, ‘Leung!  But how can you be here?  Dogs can’t go from Hong Kong to the UK.’

‘Very special ones can.’ replied her mother.  Duncan came around the back of the car and Leung changed her attention to him, then trotted across to welcome George as he left the car.

Rosemary came down the steps and embraced her children, ‘Welcome to Scotland, I’ve waited a long while to have you here.’  She then crossed to George and kissed him on the cheek, ‘Thank you for bringing them and for looking after them in London.

‘Your father is waiting in the lounge for you, he didn’t want the driver to see him.  In you go and say, hello.  It’s on the right as you go in.’

The siblings exchanged uneasy glances but obediently went in.  Behind them, George and Rosemary exchanged expectant smiles as they followed them.

Florence and Duncan entered the lounge, it was twice as long as it was wide and ended in a single window the width of the room at which a man was standing looking out over the sea.  As they entered, he turned, 'Flo and Dunn, it's wonderful to see you.  I have been waiting for so long.'

‘Only my father ever called me Flo, or called Duncan, Dunn.’

‘That’s right but am I not your father?’

‘Step-father, I understand.’

‘Is that all that I am?  Come closer to where the light is better.  Both of you.’

'I can see well enough from here.' demurred Duncan who had stopped just inside the door but Florence moved closer.

‘I’m not sure, I’m not sure what I’m seeing!  It’s all very confusing, like Leung being here.  You look familiar, at least the eyes do.’

‘Yes, they can’t do anything about the eyes.  If I was Caucasian, I could wear contacts to change the colour but that is not practical with a Chinese.  So, what do you think, George?’

George, who had come in with Rosemary and stopped inside the door, walked towards the window.  'If I hadn't seen the before, the during and the after photos, I would not believe it.  I would be convinced that Rosemary had found a toyboy.' 

'Daddy, it is really you?  But you're dead!  Killed in Hong Kong by a Taiwanese spy!  I don't understand.'

‘Neither do I.’ volunteered Duncan, who had moved nearer.  ‘I can see the resemblance in the eyes but nothing else.  Like Florence, I’m bewildered.’

‘I think that we all need to sit down and talk about it.  I’ll let George do the explaining, he masterminded most of it.’

They sat for an hour, whilst George explained the double role that Kin-man had played and his escape from Hong Kong.  He finished by saying, 'So now you're in the picture.  Apart from your mother, only three other people know the full story.  Your father’s life depends on you never letting on that he is alive.  You now have a step-father with whom you have a good relationship but Cheuk Kin-man is dead and his body has never been found.’

He left an hour later for the flight back.

CHAPTER 2

Catherine’s Wedding

March and April 2011

In March, there was an influx of people at the Hall for Catherine’s wedding.  There was full attendance from the Wilson side of the family, George’s in-laws from his first marriage.  Even Kevin and Miranda were there.  On the Wednesday before the wedding, the men all trooped over to the Vincent’s for Malcolm's stag party, abandoning the Hall to Catherine who was having her hen party there.

On Friday evening, the gunroom was crowded and George was enjoying catching up with his other brothers-in-law, Ian and Ron, when Rosemary walked in and came across to him, ‘Good evening, George, you haven’t met my husband, Hui Kwok-chu also known as Charles.’

‘No, I haven’t.  How do you do Mr Hui, or may I call you Charles?’

‘Charles by all means, Your Grace.’

‘Then please call me George and come and meet people, Rosemary knows a lot of them but not all of them.’  They did the rounds, amongst the guests were Lester Barnes and John Frazer with their wives all of whom had known the Cheuks in Hong Kong.  Penny came in a little later and was also introduced.

George was talking to Lester when he saw Penny approach Hui, who followed her out of the room.  ‘What do you think of Rosemary’s new husband?’

‘Seems a nice enough guy.  I must say I’m surprised at her marrying again quite so soon, I thought she would have waited longer out of respect.  Do you know what he does?’

‘Import and export I believe, like so many Chinese.’

‘You’ve not met him before?’

‘This is the first time he’s been here.’

‘Odd, I keep feeling that I know him from somewhere, he has a way of looking at you which is familiar.  I was watching, he spilt a little of his drink on the bar and he went across and got a tea towel from the drawer to mop it up.  How would he know where the tea towels were?’

‘Maybe he saw somebody get one for the same reason.’

'Well, I'm going to keep an eye on him.'

‘Please do, if you do find something, please speak to me first.’

Hui had followed Penny out of the gunroom and into the billiard room.  She closed the door behind him and hugged him.  'It's amazing!  I would never have recognized you.'

‘Good, this is my first time out in public as it were and certainly the first time with people who knew me previously.  I think Lester is suspicious about me.  It may have been something I did, it’s difficult to pretend that I’ve not been here before.’

‘Well if it is only Lester you needn’t worry.  If it takes a Commander at Scotland Yard to make the connection, you’re perfectly safe.  Now we had better get back or people will think we are up to something.’ 

The next morning, Michelle Francis, a Tour Director, picked up the microphone and addressed her coach load of passengers.  ‘Good morning everyone, thank you all for being on time, we had an early start this morning as it was the only time the people at Chadlington Hall could fit us in.  Normally we are an hour later than this but today is a big day at the Hall, the Duke’s daughter, Lady Catherine, is getting married.  If any of you follow showjumping, you may know her as Catherine Bartholemew.

‘If he is at home, the Duke normally comes on board to welcome us but I'm not sure what will happen today.  I know that some of you have noticed that there is a handsome new man on the coach and others have asked why I am all dressed up.  Firstly, this is Damian Davies, another of our Tour Directors, he has very kindly agreed to look after you until tomorrow morning so that I can go to the wedding.  We are being spoilt, all other tours have been cancelled for the weekend but Perception Tours has a very close relationship with the Hall, the Duke is on the Board of Travel Unlimited, our parent company, so they trust you not to steal the silver.  I expect that most of the Board and the Board of Barring and Nuttall will be at the wedding.  I took our first group to the Hall, back in 2007, which is why I’ve been asked.

‘Do we have any Rugby fans?  Well the Kiwis of course but do any of you know Jimmy Radradra?  He plays for the local team and he is my date today.  His brother, Robert, who used to play for the Fiji Sevens team, will also be there.  They are the Duke’s honorary nephews, the Duke’s children consider them to be brothers and Robert was best man when Viscount Bartholemew was married.  You’ll hear a lot about the family history today, the present Duke is a Kiwi, did you know that?’

Ngaire Jordon, who was sitting in the second row with her husband, David, did know.  She knew everything there was to know about the present Duke.  She had always been a fan of royalty and had kept scrapbooks for years but when she had read an article about a New Zealander becoming a duke, she had largely abandoned the Queen, concentrating instead on finding out everything she could about the new duke.  She no longer kept scrapbooks, everything she knew was now on her website.  She had confided all of this to Michelle some days before.

Ngaire knew that the Duke's ancestors had come to New Zealand on the first voyage of the Oriental as had hers, Henry and Mary Meech and she knew that one of Henry and Mary’s granddaughters had married a Bartholemew but she hadn't yet been able to establish the link.  When she and David had planned this trip of a lifetime, she had chosen this tour because it had included a visit to the Hall.  At the time, she had noticed that, for some reason, the option of the Ducal Dinner was not included with this tour, which didn’t matter as it was well beyond their budget.

As the coach drove up to the Hall, it appeared to be very busy.  On the lawn, directly in front of the steps were two marquees, there appeared to be some army tents behind them and people were milling everywhere.  ‘See the man walking down the steps to meet us?  He is Viscount Bartholemew, he must be deputising for his father.’

Charles climbed on board, kissed Michelle and picked up the microphone.  'Good morning everybody and welcome to Chadlington Hall.  My father sends his apologies, I think he is more nervous than my sister.

‘We are pretty busy today as you can see but we do have the guides waiting for you.  Tonight we will be celebrating my sister’s wedding in style.  There will be forty for dinner and unusually, my father will not be sitting up the head of the table with his Duchess, Penny, at the foot.  Their places will be taken by Malcolm and Catherine.  Did Michelle tell you that Malcolm is already my brother-in-law?  There will be another two hundred and fifty guests in the ballroom and those marquees you see there are for everybody connected with the duchy, including those from Lossiemouth and Isay.

‘Malcolm is an army officer which is why the army tents are there.  They are providing crowd control and the officers will provide a guard of honour with the traditional crossed swords.

‘If you spot anyone wearing a predominantly green tartan they are from Isay, my father is the Laird, although there he is just referred to as The Isay.  Catherine is the Maid of Isay and is about to have a ship named after her.

'Anyone wearing a predominately red tartan is from Lossiemouth, where dad is also the laird.  Fortunately, perhaps, he's not known as the Lossiemouth.  They produce a very rare single malt whisky; at the moment this is the only place in the world where you can buy it.  Isay also produces two whiskies but they will not be on sale for another couple of years.  Dad has a couple of bottles that he keeps locked up, legally it is what those of you from the States would call Moonshine.

‘Now here are the guides, the Car Museum is closed but it will be opened for you and after that, on this special day, we would like to offer you a light meal in the lounge.  Then you are free to wander around, if you are back here at two-thirty you will be able to see Catherine leave for the chapel.  I'm sorry that there will be no one to farewell you, as we will all be at the ceremony.  We do hope that you enjoy yourselves.’

When they had all left the coach, Michelle spoke quietly to Ngaire, ‘I know this is the highlight of the trip for you, I’ve put you in the group that Sally will take around, all of the guides are very good but I think she is the best.  I’ll be joining you.’

It was a spectacular tour, as they entered through the front door the staircase was adorned with roses.  In the dining room, the table was already laid, it looked magnificent and off to one side was the five-tier wedding cake. 

Queen Victoria was not as forbidding as normal and Lady Marion was in fine form but Billy Mason was his normal self, complaining about the unseemly celebrations.

If the dining room had impressed them, they were overwhelmed by the chapel which appeared to be smothered in roses.

It was almost one o'clock when they gathered in the lounge to find a buffet meal laid out for them.  Ngaire was in heaven, she had almost worn out her camera.  To be at the Hall was the pinnacle of her dreams but she had never dreamed of being there on a day like this.  She was enjoying the smoked salmon when Michelle came across to her with a man whom she instantly recognized as the Duke.  'This is Mrs Ngaire Jordon, she believes that she could be a relation of yours.'

‘I’m delighted to hear it, from the Ngaire you must be connected to the New Zealand branch.’

‘Yes, Your Grace, I was a Meech.  Henry and Mary were my third great grandparents.  They came out on the Oriental.  One of their granddaughters married a Bartholemew.’

‘That’s fascinating, you need to talk to my cousin, Margaret, she is writing a history of the family.  Not today, unfortunately.  How much longer are you in the UK?'

‘We’re in London until the twenty-seventh of April, staying with our son and his wife.’

‘ Penny and I will be in London on the nineteenth and twentieth, would the four of you like to join us for dinner?  Nothing formal, just a family dinner to catch up.’

'That would be wonderful if we are not imposing.'

‘Not at all, I’ll see if I can get Margaret to come but getting her to London is a challenge.  Do you have your information with you?’

‘It’s all on my website.’

‘Then give Michelle the link and Margaret can have a look beforehand.  If I can’t persuade her to come to London, she can prime me with questions.’  George caught Clegg’s eye and called him across.  ‘Clegg, this is Mrs Jordon, she and her husband will come to the door at two o’clock, let them in and we’ll take some photographs by the stairs.  Is that all right, Cousin Ngaire?’

‘That would be marvellous.’

‘OK, now shall we say the twentieth at six p.m. in the Chadlington Keys at the Chadlington House Hotel?  Your son won’t have any trouble finding it.  Now you must excuse me, I have to change.’

A very excited Ngaire found David, ‘I’ve just met the Duke!  We are to go into the Hall at two to have our photo taken with him and then we are having dinner with him and the Duchess in London.'

‘You are pulling my leg, aren’t you?  Surely you didn’t give him all this rubbish about being related.’

‘I did and he was very interested.’

‘We’re not dressed to be photographed with a duke.’

‘It’s just for us, I doubt that it will make the duchy’s website.’

Against David’s protestations, they presented themselves at the door at two.  Clegg opened it bowing deeply, ‘His Grace will be down very shortly.’

Five minutes later George arrived, he was dressed in his uniform as Colonel in Chief of the local regiment with a sword by his side.  He was introduced to David who protested that they were not dressed for a photograph.

‘Rubbish, these are just family snaps.  Clegg will do the honours if you will give him your camera.  All right.  Now, if you don't mind David, one of just Ngaire and I.  Josephine?  Ah, there you are.'  Josephine appeared carrying a long shawl, 'I borrowed this off Penny if you just slip it over your shoulders and let Josephine drape it, you'll appear to be in formal wear.

‘All finished then?  I must run, I look forward to seeing you next month.  If you stand over there, you will have a good view of Catherine coming down the stairs and can get some photographs.’

Ten minutes later, George reappeared with Catherine on his arm, she was wearing an ivory white wedding dress with a long veil that, for the moment, was thrown back.  The only touch of colour was a tartan sash, an acknowledgement of her status as Maid of Isay.  Behind them were the three bridesmaids, Stephanie, Janice Wilson, her aunt and Louise Frazer.

The hallway was crowded, all of the staff were gathered there to bid her farewell.  They stopped four steps from the bottom, 'I want to thank you all for everything you have done to make this day a success and for everything that you have done for me since I arrived.  It is a wrench to be leaving you all but as you know, I'm not going very far.  Please come over here and gather around looking towards the door so that I can have a final photograph with you all.

‘Thank you, now please go off and enjoy yourselves.’

They walked to the doors, Clegg threw them open with a flourish and they paused on the threshold as those gathered below started cheering.  At the bottom of the steps, a carriage waited for them, whilst from the roof of the Hall a lone piper played Mairi's wedding.

There was another crowd waiting at the chapel when they arrived.  Stephanie helped Catherine with her veil and then George was escorting her down the aisle to be married to Malcolm.

Festivities continued late into the night, after which Catherine and Malcolm were driven off.  The next day they flew to Jamaica where, what was now the Chadlington Jamaican House, was waiting for them.

On Sunday, as people started to leave, Lester took George to one side, 'I don't pretend to know what has been happening, above my clearance I would think but someone has done a great job with George but I would guess that this is his first time in public with his new persona.  He's doing very well but I had my suspicions when he fetched that tea towel.  Also, I couldn't see Rosemary marrying so quickly and being so obviously in love.  I waited until he was in the gents having a slash and then asked, Still into photography, George?  He replied instinctively.  I wouldn't worry about it, nobody else would pick it.  Susan doesn't have a clue, nor does John or Priscilla.  Obviously, they used the best doctors available, so my guess is that the spooks are involved.' 

'I can't confirm that Lester but I know you'll keep quiet about it.'

‘Oh sure, just one more secret to keep.’ 

On the twentieth, George and Peggy were in the Chadlington Arms when the Jordon's arrived with their son, Nicholas and his wife, Louise.  After introductions had been made and drinks ordered, George continued, 'I have managed to drag Margaret and Eric to London.  They are out at the moment but they will join us for dinner around eight.  I had hoped that Charles and Julia might join us but Charles is in Doha for the week and Julia is feeling the effects of being six months pregnant.

‘Margaret has been busy on your website, Ngaire, I’m sure she will have lots of questions.’

As the second round of drinks arrived, so did a waiter with menus.  George passed them around, ‘If you just select a starter, a main and a dessert, they’ll be ready for us by eight-thirty.  We’re not dining in the restaurant as we have a penthouse here.’

At eight they moved to the penthouse where Margaret and Eric were already waiting for them, shortly afterwards, the dumb waiter delivered their starters.  At the end of the meal, George suggested, ‘Why don’t we leave Margaret and Ngaire to their research and Penny and Louise to stack the dishes and send them down to the restaurant?  We spoilt men can take some drinks up to the roof and enjoy the view.  The ladies can join us when they are finished.

It was over two hours and several drinks later, before Margaret and Ngaire joined them.  'So how did you get on?  Lots of interesting discoveries?'

'Yes, lots.  Ngaire has given me enough information for another three chapters and I have some stuff for her.  Until I saw her website for the first time, I knew nothing of the New Zealand connection, apart from you, of course.  We have always known that there were twins, Albert who became Duke and George who went off to New Zealand and we knew that there was a falling out but there was also a sister, another Marion, who married the Earl of Smallham.  Once I discovered that, I went down to Reading and called on the Bownsteins and they gave me the run of their library.  I found several letters from George to Marion with a lot of information.  The last two letters, dated 1871 and 1872, had never been opened.  I presume they arrived after she had died and nobody bothered about them, I think that must have been when the two branches of the family lost touch.  There was one other thing that I learnt, the boys married sisters, Natalie and Felicity Vincent.  We knew about Felicity, of course, you'll remember John mentioning her when Julia and Charles got engaged but I didn’t know about the older sister.'

‘Good heavens!  Can you get a copy of these letters?’

'Better than that, I asked the Earl for copies and he told me to just take the letters, as they would only collect dust in the library.  What would be truly wonderful would be to find Marion's letters to George.  I don't think there is much hope of that but Ngaire is going to try when she gets home.  Ngaire has quite a family tree drawn up, we want you to take a look at it as you may be able to add to it.  I also spoke to Gerald Summerville, he is going to let me have all the information they collected whilst they were looking for you.  I gather that he only showed you a small part of it.'

‘I’m so glad that you visited us, Ngaire, you have certainly added to our knowledge of the family.  I presume that you and Margaret will stay in touch?’

‘Yes, of course.  I was dreading going home with the holiday behind us but now I have this challenge to look forward to.  I'm not sure where to start.'

‘Maybe in Tauherenikau, that’s where George settled.’

On the twenty-seventh of April, Ngaire and David booked in with Air New Zealand and discovered that they had been mysteriously upgraded to Business Class.

CHAPTER 3

The Second Scroll

May 2011

On May the fifth, two days before the first Ducal Dinner of the year, George received an email from Lady Paulay:

Your Grace,

We have succeeded in safely unrolling the second of the four scrolls found in the library.  It is a set of drawings of Chadlington Hall signed by Christopher Wren.  Did you know that he was the architect?

For me, the drawings contain something of a surprise, I believe that it will also be a surprise to you. The drawings are still being preserved but I have made copies of them.  Would it be convenient if I was to bring them to the Hall on Saturday and stay for a couple of days?

Regards,

Cecily Paulay

George checked his diary and replied at once:

Dear Lady Paulay,

You intrigue me.  I look forward to seeing you on Saturday, please remain for as long as you wish.

We will be entertaining on Saturday, so you may wish to pack something formal for the evening.

Will Sir John be with you?

Regards,

George Bartholemew

He received an almost immediate reply:

Your Grace,

John will not be with me, he is in the United States presenting a paper on the Marion Letter, jointly with Professor Jackson.

Thank you for letting me know that dinner on Saturday will be formal.  I look forward to it, with John gone I can let my hair down, I haven't often had the opportunity, as John disapproved.

Regards,

Cecily

George took note of the tenses used in the email and wondered what it was all about, he let Mrs Clegg, the Housekeeper, know that an additional guest was expected on Saturday and checked with Penny on the arrangements for the dinner.  ‘Damn and double damn!’ was her reaction, ‘We have a single man for the Ducal Dinner and I asked Joy to make up numbers, now we have an odd woman again.  I need to find a man, any thoughts?’

Finding a spare man was becoming a problem, Sandy had filled the role for some time but now that he and Laura Burton were an item, it was not so easy.  Finally, Penny suggested, 'What about Father O'Brien?  We often have the vicar and his wife to dinner but we have never had Father O'Brien and I feel that we really should.’

‘You’re quite right, I’ll call around tomorrow and ask him and check that he is comfortable with it.  Will this mean that we are left with an odd number of couples?’

‘Yes, it will.  I’ll see if Sandy and Laura can make it.’

On Saturday afternoon, George heard from the gatehouse that Lady Paulay had arrived.  He went out to meet her, expecting the battered Fiat to drive in but it was a bright red Alfa Romeo Giulietta that pulled up.  George had to look twice at the woman who got out of it before realizing that she was Lady Paulay.  The dowdy woman that he was used to, with her hair in a bun, had gone, replaced by an elegant lady clad in form-hugging slacks with flared cuffs and a floral blouse with enough buttons undone to give a glimpse of a lacy bra and ample cleavage.  The bun had been replaced by a mass of chestnut hair cascading over one shoulder.

‘Lady Paulay, lovely to see you again.’

‘Not Lady Paulay please, Cecily or Dr Rose, if you must be formal.’

'Then let it be Cecily and George, by all means.  I see that you have, quite literally, let your hair down.'

‘Yes and I intend to continue doing so.  For too long I let John persuade me that I had to look like the classic bluestocking.  Now, I’m being myself.’

‘Am I to take it that there has been a rift between the two of you?’

‘There most certainly has!  He’s chasing around the States with his inamorata.’

‘Not Professor Jackson, surely?’

‘No, he’s taken up with one of your discards, Lillian Spiers.  She is now lecturing at some university no one has ever heard of and he has abandoned Oxford to take the Chair of History there.’

‘Good heavens!  What are you doing about it?’

'Divorcing him, in the States of course, their lawyers are far more vicious and I'm applying for his old job.  If you don't mind, I'd like to offer you as a reference.'

‘I’d be delighted.  Now come inside, we have five people from Perception Tours arriving shortly and I have to drive them around.’

‘Do you have a nice man for me tonight?’

‘I’m afraid there are only two single men tonight and one of them is a priest.  The other is with the Perception group, so I know nothing about him.  The only other single woman is Joy, our local travel agent and she’s in a relationship, so you have a clear field if you want one.’

When the cars with the Perception group arrived, George was pleased to learn that the single man amongst them was a personable Australian working for a few months in London and using the opportunity to see the country.  If Cecily wanted a fling, he might well give her one.

Along with the lone Australian, Harvey Ward, the Perception Tour's group comprised a couple from San Francisco and a Canadian couple.  At five-thirty they were in the gunroom chatting, also there were Henry and Sandy, though neither would stay long as they were returning for dinner.  George remarked, 'My wife is from San Francisco, I don't suppose you know her?'

‘I know of her; your wedding was huge news.  I believe Daxton knows her father through business, don’t you dear?’

‘I’ve met him.  I’m a banker and we would love to have some of his business.  His company has an excellent reputation.’

‘Which bank are you with, Mr Cole?’

‘Citibank.’

‘My son is a banker, he’s with Baring and Nuttall, you know them?’

‘Yes, of course, one of the oldest merchant banks, what does he do there?’

'He's mainly involved with IPOs but he is also an executive director.  I'm also a director but non-executive.'

‘So we are a bunch of bankers.’ remarked Harvey Ward, ‘I’m with the Commonwealth Bank, IPOs are one of the things I get involved in.’

‘Maybe the three of us could get together next time I’m in London.  What about you, Mr Irving, not a banker as well?’

‘No, Your Grace, but close, I’m in precious metals, principally gold.  We are exporting more and more of it.  I believe we used Baring and Nuttall for our last Bond issue.’

‘Well, that’s all very chummy, isn’t it.  Ah here is another guest, Dr Cecily Rose of Oxford, Mr and Mrs Cole, Vivian and Daxton, Mr and Mrs Irvine, Spencer and Elena and Mr Harvey Ward.’

Cecily was a great hit, particularly with Harvey Ward.  When the time came for them to change for the evening, George asked, ‘Harvey, would you mind taking Cecily into dinner tonight?  We have twenty for dinner but only two unattached men and the other is Father O'Brien who will take Penny in.  See you all in the drawing room at seven.'

Cecily came in just before seven, she was wearing a floor-length skirt in Ming blue matched with a sleeveless lace top that showed plenty of skin and ended an inch above the top of the skirt.  Harvey made a beeline to her.  Shortly afterwards, the other guests began arriving and at eight they went in to dinner.  Penny had placed Father O'Brien on her right and George had Vivian Cole on his right and Cecily on his left.  The normal eight courses followed.  As the ladies left, the men gathered at George's end of the table.  'I didn't want to bring up politics during dinner but let us congratulate Sir John on his recent election as a member of parliament, may it signal the start of a new and successful career.  Which means also, of course, that Malcolm has a new career.'

'Yes, I do and earlier than I expected.  I must say that I am delighted that I have this new role because of dad's involvement in politics rather than having inherited it.  This is the best of both worlds, I have a challenge to get stuck into and I still have a father!'

'I'm sure your right.  Cecily arrived today with a surprise that she is still not divulging.  They have unrolled the second of the scrolls that we found.  They are a set of architectural drawings of the Hall done by none other than Christopher Wren.  That is not the surprise, she promises more.  Tomorrow afternoon at three in the gunroom if any of you are interested.’

‘I thought she was the surprise.  I didn’t recognize her and a change of name also.’

‘Neither did I, Sandy.  When she arrived driving an Alfa I didn’t recognize her.  She and Sir John have parted, he has gone off with Lillian Spiers, whom some of you may remember.  Cecily is applying for his old job, which reminds me, I need a quiet word with you, John, after this.'

‘You have made some amazing discoveries since you arrived, Your Grace.  How many of these scrolls are there?’

'Four in all, Father.  The first was the document conferring the dukedom, it is now on show in the library, the second is this one.  They are still working on the other two, unrolling them is a very delicate business.  When I remember how we handled the Marion letter, as it is now known, I shudder at our presumption.  Now I think we should join the ladies.'

Cecily had decided that if she was going to make a new life for herself, a full and satisfying one in every meaning of the word, there was no point in being bashful.  At the end of the evening, she made sure that she walked upstairs with Harvey.  When they reached the door of her room, she said, 'If you would like to join me, you had better change into something less formal then come back, you can't go roaming around the Hall in the early hours wearing a dinner jacket.  Don't bother knocking, the door will be unlocked.'

Harvey couldn’t believe his luck, he hurried to his room shed his formal attire and was dressed in slacks and a sports shirt within ten minutes.  Cautiously he looked out the door, there was nobody in sight so he hurried down to Cecily’s room and let himself in.  A few seconds later, she emerged from the bathroom wearing a nightdress on which she had blown a week’s salary.  She wasn’t disappointed, his reaction made it clear that it was worth every penny.

Hours later, she was regretting not having brought some champagne up with her but apart from that, everything was wonderful.  Harvey had proven to be a proficient and considerate lover, one who wanted to give pleasure as well to receive it.  Any comparison with John’s slam bang thank you ma’am approach, was ludicrous, not that John would ever have thanked her.

She thought of telling Harvey that it was the best experience of her life but decided to keep that to herself for the moment, she was really in no position to make comparisons but she certainly intended to be.  Maybe in the future there would be another long term relationship but not for some time yet.

It was just as well that she had promised an afternoon unveiling, as she and Harvey did not put in an appearance until lunchtime, the maid who arrived at mid-morning to tidy Harvey's room found his bed unused.

At three, having farewelled the Perception tour, George, Sandy, Henry, Malcolm, Catherine and Cecily gathered in the gunroom.  ‘You have the floor, Cecily, what do you have for us.’

Cecily walked around to the back of the bar and laid the roll of papers that she was carrying on it, ‘Come closer.  These are a set of drawing, signed here in the corner by Christopher Wren.  There are all the normal drawings, elevations, plans, detailed drawings of staircases, ceilings etc.  They will make an interesting addition to your museum.  But it is the last drawing that is the surprise.  This one here.’  She spread it out, ‘It appears to show a series of secret passages in the Hall together with a tunnel of some sort leading away from the Hall.  These are not the servant’s passageways, that were common at the time, they are shown on the other drawings.  These are genuine secret passages.’

'Well, that is a surprise.  Are the entrances shown?'

‘Yes they are but I don’t know the Hall well enough to identify the rooms.  I had one of the lecturers from Brookes, who specializes in architectural history, look at them.  He believes that they are on three levels, the first, the level we are on, the other the two levels where the family rooms and the bedrooms are.’

They gathered closer, 'The scale is different from the other drawings,' observed George, ‘presumably so he could get them all on one