Randall Garrett & Laurence M. Janifer by Occasion for Disaster

Author:Occasion for Disaster
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2012-02-22T12:28:32+00:00

* * *

Malone thanked Dr. Marshall and went out slowly. He didn’t really mind the court dress or the Elizabethan etiquette Her Majesty liked to preserve; as a matter of fact, he was rather fond of it. There had been some complaints about expense when the Throne Room and the costume arrangement were first set up, but the FBI and the Government had finally decided that it was better and easier to humor Her Majesty.

Malone spent ten minutes dressing himself magnificently in hose and doublet, slash-sleeved, ermine-trimmed coat, lace collar, and plumed hat. By the time he presented himself at the door to the Throne Room he felt almost cheerful. It had been a long time since he had entered the world of Elizabethan knighthood over which Her Majesty held sway, and it always made him feel taller and more sure of himself. He bowed to a chunkily-built man of medium height in a stiffly brocaded jacket, carrying a small leather briefcase. The man had a whaler’s beard of blond-red hair that looked slightly out of period, but the costume managed to overpower it. “Dr. Lord?” Malone said.

The bearded man peered at him. “Ah, Sir Kenneth,” he said. “Yes, yes. Just been giving Her Majesty a few tests. Normal weekly check, you know.”

“I know,” Malone said. “Any change?”

“Change?” Lord said. “In Her Majesty? Sir Kenneth, you might as well expect the very rocks to change. Her Majesty remains Her Majesty—and will, in all probability, throughout the foreseeable future.”

“The same as ever?” Malone asked hopefully.

“Exactly,” Lord said. “But—if you do want background on the case—I’m flying back to New York tonight. Look me up there, if you have a chance. I’m afraid there’s little information I can give you, but it’s always a pleasure to talk with you.”

“Thanks,” Malone said dully.

“Barrow Street,” Lord said with a cheery wave of the briefcase. “Number 69.” He was gone. The Security Officer at the door, a young man in the uniform of a page, opened it and peered out at Malone. The FBI Agent nodded to him and the Security Officer announced in a firm, loud voice: “Sir Kenneth Malone, of Her Majesty’s Own FBI!”

The Throne Room was magnificent. The whole place had been done in plastic and synthetic fibers to look like something out of the Sixteenth Century. It was as garish, and as perfect, as a Hollywood movie set—which wasn’t surprising, since two stage designers had been hired away from color-TV spectaculars to set it up. At the far end of the room, past the rich hangings and the flaming chandeliers, was a great golden throne, and on it Her Majesty was seated.

Lady Barbara Wilson, Her Majesty’s personal nurse, was sitting on a camp-chair arrangement nearby. She smiled slowly at Malone as he went by, and Malone returned the smile with a good deal of interest. He strode firmly down the long crimson carpet that stretched from the doorway to the throne. At the steps leading up toward the dais that held the Throne, his free hand went up and swept off the plumed hat.

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