A Matter of Honor

“It’s a matter of skill, my puny friend,” she said. “And to think I believed all those stories last night about your outrunning half the Swiss police force to spend a night with me.”

Adam tried to laugh. He picked up his trench coat, checking that the icon was secure. But he couldn’t stop himself shaking from a combination of fear and anticipation.

Robin looked at him. “Don’t worry,” she said gently. “It will be all over in a few minutes’ time.” Then she saw the paper on the floor. “I should sue them if I were you.”

“Why?” asked Adam.

“You’re a lot better-looking than that.” Adam smiled and just managed to get his arms around her to give her a hug.

“Thanks for everything,” he said. “But now we have to go.”

“You’re sounding more like one of my lovers all the time,” said Robin mournfully.

Adam picked up her suitcase while Robin jerked up the stem of the double bass onto her shoulder. She opened the door and checked the corridor. Two of her colleagues from the RPO were waiting by the lift; otherwise there

was nobody else in sight. Robin and Adam joined the two musicians and after “good mornings” no one spoke until the lift doors slid open. Once the doors were closed, Robin’s colleagues couldn’t resist taking a closer look at Adam. At first Adam was anxious they had recognized him from the newspaper. Then he realized that it was who Robin had spent the night with that fascinated them. Robin gave him a lewd wink, as if she fully intended to live off this one for a long time. For his part Adam ducked behind the double bass and remained in the corner breathing deeply as the lift trundled down toward the ground floor. The doors sprung open and Robin waited for her two colleagues to leave before she shielded Adam as best she could all the way across the foyer. His eyes were now fixed on the front door. He could see the bus taking up most of the road, and several members of the orchestra were already clambering on. One more minute, and he should be safely away. He watched as the drums were packed carefully in the large trunk.

“Oh, God, I forgot,” said Robin. “I meant to put this in the trunk at the back of the bus.”

“Do it later,” said Adam sharply. “Just keep going until you reach the coach door.” Then he saw the car on the far side of the road. He felt light with relief, almost dizzy. The car door was being held open for him. Another man was seated in the back, just as Lawrence had promised. Ten o’clock struck somewhere in the distance. The man dressed in a chauffeur’s uniform, hat pulled down over his forehead, stood by the open door. He turned toward the hotel in anticipation. Adam stared toward him as the man’s eyes scanned the hotel entrance.

The uniform wasn’t a good fit.

“Into the bus,” hissed Adam.

“With this thing? They’ll kill me,” said Robin.

“If you don’t, he’ll kill me.”

Robin obeyed, despite the adverse comments as she lumbered down the aisle with her double bass screening Adam from the gaze of anyone on the far side of the road.

Adam slumped into the seat next to Robin with the double bass between them. He wanted to be sick.

“Which one?” she whispered.

“In the chauffeur’s uniform.”

Robin glanced out of the window. “He may be evil, but he’s damned good-looking,” she said, inconsequentially.

Adam looked disbelieving. Robin smiled apologetically.

“Everybody’s in,” called a man from the front of the bus. “And I’ve double-checked, and we seem to have one extra.”

Oh, my God, thought Adam, he’s going to throw me off the bus.

“My brother,” shouted Robin from the back. “He’s only traveling with us for part of the journey.”

“Oh, that’s okay then,” said the manager. “Well, let’s be on our way.” He turned to the driver.

“He’s started looking at the bus,” said Robin. “But I don’t think he can see you. No, you’re all right, he’s now turned his gaze back to the hotel entrance.”

“I didn’t realize you had a brother,” said the manager, who was suddenly standing beside them. The coach moved slowly out of the square.

“Neither did I until this morning,” mumbled Robin, still looking out of the window. She turned to face her boss. “Yes, I forgot to mention to you that he might be in Switzerland at the same time as the orchestra. I do hope it’s not going to cause a problem.”

“Not at all,” said the manager.

“Adam, this is Stephen Grieg, who, as you will already have gathered, is the orchestra’s manager.”