I was told my present was waiting for me at the airport, a brand new Cessna in the Jackson colors. There was a cake with candles. I blew them all out, my secret wish was that the Chinese wouldn’t starve. I wonder what I would be wishing for when I was fifty?
Chapter 29
The next day The Lady from China met me and told me the peace portion of the Politburo was very pleased and wanted to proceed as outlined.
The War Hawks as she called them not so much but they had to go along with it. What upset them was the military budget would be cut to feed the people.
What an ugly place was behind the scenes of our world which had no possibility of war.
I told her the foundations had been laid and that all they had to do was inform Jackson Enterprises in Australia what they needed and we would tell the cost and delivery dates.
It seemed strange that I was going to make money by helping to stave off this disaster, but it is what it is. I made a mental note to donate money to some international relief fund. First I had to know the funds would make it where they needed to go. I didn’t want to support a corrupt regime.
On Friday I received a formal letter from Buckingham Palace. I thought it might have something to do with the China situation.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. There was to be a charity ball sponsored by Prince Phillip. My services were required as an escort. I would be escorting a Lady Pamela Norfolk, daughter of the Duke of Suttonham. It contained the contact details. I was to call her with a formal invitation and work out the details for attending the Ball which would be held at Windsor Castle.
Rather than put it off I made the call since I had little choice in the matter. I suppose I could flee the country.
When I talked to her she seemed disinterested with the whole process. She gave me my orders, I was to pick her up on the day in question, the following Saturday, in a hired Bentley. I was to be wearing a white tie and accessories.
The way she gave me my orders was as if I had no idea of what was proper. I could tell I would really like this girl.
Just to spite her I wouldn’t hire a Bentley, I would borrow Grand Mum’s. When I talked to her she told me she had heard about this Duke, she couldn’t remember much but she would make some phone calls to see what she could learn about the family.
That was before I left for school in the morning. When I got back in the afternoon she had some information.
“The Duke of Suttonham has had quite a life. He is my age. He got married late in life. He was a rotter when he was young. Gambling, booze, wild women, you name it and he did it. He went into the army in the War and had a spectacular career including the Victoria Cross.”
“He came out a changed man. He worked hard to settle his debts and those his father left him. When he was about fifty he met the love of his life, Matilda. They had a daughter, the Pamela you are escorting to the ball.”
Tragedy hit the family when Matilda died in a car crash, another driver's fault. It devastated the Duke but he kept on raising young Pamela.”
He supervised his estates but then another disaster hit. A fund he was heavily invested with collapsed and he lost everything.”
“He didn’t give up and is still working to pay everything off, unfortunately, he has loans coming due at the end of the year.”
“This is where it gets really bad. His English estates are entailed and can only be inherited by a male. His father had borrowed on them to the hilt and no further monies are available.”
“He has property in Spain but it has tax liens on it and the Spanish government will not let him sell the property until the liens are paid. No one will loan him money on the property as they feel the government is trying to steal the property from him.”
“Wow, Grand Mum you must have done a lot of digging.”
“Not really, this is very common knowledge. So common the bookies in London are betting two to one that he will commit suicide before the end of the year.”
“Why would he do that?”
“The English entailed property would go to some distant male relative, who I don’t know, so Pamela would be relieved of that debt. He is known to have a long-standing insurance policy that will pay off even for suicide.”
“This would give Pamela enough money to pay off the liens and sell the Spanish property, leaving enough to live a middle-class life without having to work.”
“Why wouldn’t she work?”
“She has been raised as a Lady of the upper-class, she would have no idea on how to do anything other than watercolors and serve tea.”
“She could learn.”
“Yes she could, but she has been raised with no money and no mother. The only thing she has is the protection of her class. She will be a total snob because that is all she has to define her.”
Talk about a tough situation, and here I thought it would be all roses and chocolates for someone in her position.
A thought crossed my mind.
“Grand Mum who did you call?”
“Mary.”
I knew this
