He also held an enormous parrilla fork in one hand.
"You seem to have gone native, Mr. Ambassador," Castillo greeted him.
"If you insist on calling me 'Mr. Ambassador,' Castillo, not only will I have no choice but to call you 'Colonel' but I will see that you get nothing to drink but Coca-Cola," Ambassador (Retired) Philippe Lorimer said.
"It's hard for me to call you 'Philippe,' sir."
"Suit yourself, Colonel. Drink Coke."
"I will call you 'Mr. Ambassador,' sir," Colin Leverette said, "because I am bigger and meaner than you are."
"Larger, perhaps," Lorimer said, waving the parrilla fork.
"And I come bearing gifts, sir," Leverette said.
"Good God, I hope you didn't bring flowers!"
"No, sir. Bitters. Peychaud's Bitters."
He handed him a small bag.
Lorimer opened it and took out three small bottles; the bag obviously held more.
"You will be rewarded in heaven, Colin," the ambassador said. "I'm out. And they're not available here."
"May I respectfully suggest, Mr. Ambassador, sir, that we put the essence of the Crescent City to the ultimate test to see if it has endured the rigors of travel?"
"Making Sazeracs is the best idea I've heard this week," the ambassador said. "But not until I welcome this lovely lady to Shangri-La. How do you do, my dear? Welcome to Shangri-La."
"Thank you," Svetlana said.
"I now understand," Lorimer said.
"Understand?"
"How you captured the heart of the colonel. You're stunning."
"You heard about that, did you?" Castillo asked.
"I hear everything, Colonel. I thought you knew that."
"Okay, Philippe, I surrender."
"It was inevitable,"
Lorimer said. "Corporal Bradley, you are always welcome here." He gave Bradley his hand and looked at Dick Miller. "And you, sir, are?"
"My name is Miller, Mr. Ambassador."
"Oh. Charley's Hudson High classmate. I'm Norwich, but I will not hold West Point against you. You probably didn't know any better."
Leverette laughed.
"Why don't we go into the house--actually, through the house; the parrilla is in the interior garden--while Colin makes us one of his famous Sazeracs?" He looked at Svetlana. "We can watch as your brother, my dear, and my wife ruin some wonderful Uruguayan beef on the parrilla."
He got the expected chuckles.
Lorimer turned to Castillo. "And then you can tell me what this is all about. I am old but not brain-dead, and therefore suspect that you didn't just drop in because you were in the neighborhood."