Simon Green - Live and let Drood

He came out from behind his desk with brisk movements and easy charm, and insisted on shaking hands with me and Molly. He had large bony hands and a firm hearty handshake. I found myself relaxing in his presence, despite myself, feeling safe and secure and at home. Molly was friendly enough to him, but I could sense the reserve in her. She never was easily impressed by anyone.

I made a point of looking round the Regent s office to keep from staring at him. It looked more like a retired gentleman s study than a place where important decisions were made every day. More like a quiet room to sit and relax in and refresh the inner man. A comfortable setting, cosy and cheerful, with richly polished, wood-panelled walls. No framed portraits anywhere, for which I was grateful. I d had enough of that for one day. Books filled the shelves of a battered old bookcase, but they were well-thumbed paperbacks rather than leather-bound first editions. And there were yet more fresh flowers, blooming in elegant vases.

There was just the one window, firmly closed, looking out over a late-evening view of wide-open fields spreading away to lap up against a dark forest, half-silhouetted against the dying day. More evidence, if more were needed, that we weren t in London anymore. Beside the window stood a tall grandfather clock, its heavy pendulum swinging slowly, ticking loudly in an impressive and reassuring way. I was half-convinced the entire office had been specially designed to put visitors at their ease, to lull them into a false sense of peace and security. I did my best to resist it. Molly seemed entirely unimpressed by her surroundings, but then, she always did. On principle.

She d liked Catherine Latimer s office only because it was full of things she intended to liberate and take home with her. Or sell for a healthy profit. Fortunately, I couldn t see anything in the Regent s office worth stealing.

He smiled easily at Ankani, who was still hovering in the open doorway. Thank you, Ankani. That will be all for the moment. I can take it from here. Do try and have those execution warrants on my desk by the end of day. There s a dear.

Ankani nodded quickly, smiled brightly at all of us and left in a swirl of sari, shutting the door quietly behind her. The Regent gestured invitingly at the two stiff-backed visitors chairs set out before his desk, and Molly and I sat down. She made a point of moving her chair a little to one side, so she wouldn t be sitting with her back to the door. The Regent sank into his much more comfortable-looking chair on the other side of the desk. There were no in or out trays, no scattered papers; an entirely empty desktop, as though he d deliberately cleared everything away so he could concentrate on Molly and me. He leaned forward and clasped his large hands together on top of his desk. But before he could say anything, his door flew open and a large, plain, middle-aged woman in a cheap print dress bustled in, bearing an enamelled tea tray, complete with a delicate willow-pattern china tea service, and all the makings necessary for a good cup of tea. She strode right up to the desk and planted the tray on the desktop. The Regent beamed at her.

Thank you, Miss Mitchell. Right on cue. And a plate of chocolate hobnobs! You re spoiling us today.

Those are for the visitors, sir, said Miss Mitchell. You told me to remind you you re on a diet.

So I did! So I did

Shall I be mother, sir, and pour for everyone?

No, no, that s fine, Miss Mitchell. I can cope. That will be all for now.

Call if you need anything, sir. I m never far away. She smiled briefly about her and hurried off, closing the door firmly behind her.

A very efficient, and almost frighteningly friendly woman, that Miss Mitchell, said the Regent. I inherited her from someone, and if I ever find out who, I ll have his guts for garters. Possibly quite literally.

And, of course, then nothing would do but the Regent had to set out all the tea things and make sure we all had a nice cup of steaming-hot tea before things went any further. I sipped at mine cautiously. It was good tea. The Regent gave every indication of being a decent, genial, charming sort, but I was determined not to be taken in by appearances. There had to be some good reason why my family would never talk about the man. And then the Regent took a sip of his tea, grimaced at the heat, poured some of his tea into his saucer and sipped the cooled tea from the saucer.

I sat very still as a sudden chill seized my heart and my soul.

The Regent looked at me over his tilted saucer and smiled easily at me. I m glad you ve come to see me at last, Eddie. It s been such a long time since I last saw you.

Molly looked quickly from the Regent to me, saw I wasn t going to say anything, and looked back at the Regent. You know Eddie?

Of course. Though it has been many years

We ve met before, I said. It was a statement of fact, not a question. It was hard to speak. My lips, my face were numb with something like shock.

Of course we have, Eddie, said the Regent. His voice was calm and kind. I am your grandfather Arthur. Martha Drood s first husband.

Molly was up on her feet in a moment, putting herself bodily between me and the Regent.

Cut the crap! Eddie s grandfather is dead! Everyone knows that! I don t know what you re up to here, but I won t let you hurt him. I ll kill you first!

And then she stopped, because the Regent was smiling proudly at her. I really am who I say I am, Molly Metcalf. And I would die before I let any harm come to my grandson here. I have to say, Eddie, I m glad to see you have such a protective girlfriend.

I rose slowly to my feet to face the Regent. Molly stepped reluctantly back to hover at my side, scowling unhappily, so the Regent and I could stand face-to-face.

They told me you were dead, I said. Everyone in the family said you were dead, killed in the Kiev Conspiracy back in 1957.

Well, they would, said the Regent. There is a reason why the family doesn t talk about me. I went rogue, Eddie, because I stood up and said I no longer believed in how the family did things. I wanted to make the Droods over, into a better and more ethical organisation. More involved in protecting people than ruling them. I really thought Martha would stand by me, right up to the moment when she didn t. We d been so close, after all, for so many years ran so many missions together, back when we were both Drood field agents. But once she was made Matriarch, we both had no choice but to return to the Hall and our duties. I did my best to take on the burden of day-to-day decision making, keeping the pressure off her shoulders so she could concentrate on the things that mattered. Dictating policy, directing the family, guarding Humanity from all the things that threaten it. And the work just ground us down and drove us apart. We never seemed to have time for each other after that.

We did talk about my growing doubts over how the family operated; it s hard to overlook all the dirty business the family gets up to when you re running things but her answer was always, What else is there? We have a duty, she said, to stick to what we know works. When the time came when I just couldn t stand it any longer, because we d lost our only daughter and her husband in the field over stupid mistakes that should never have happened then I called an emergency meeting of the council and I stood up in front of all of them and said, No more! And Martha looked me right in the eye and ordered me to either sit down and shut up or get out. It was either complete and unswerving loyalty to her and the family or nothing. Her way or the highway I think I like to think that she was actually shocked when I said I d leave. That the Droods had become something I was ashamed to be a part of.

Martha never thought I d really leave, because that would mean turning my back on her as well as the family. But I no longer recognised her. She wasn t the woman I d loved and married anymore. She had to fight to be allowed to marry me, you know; had to go head-to-head with the previous Matriarch. Because she and I were second cousins. The family s always had a horror of inbreeding.