The hot, gushing water of the shower was wonderful. He eventually got out and, after wrapping himself in a luxurious towel, walked back into the bedroom. The room was peaceful; Kate had turned off all the lights except for the small lamp on his side of the large bed. She was sound asleep, her damp hair framing her face against the background of the white duvet and pillow. Lying on the floor was her bathrobe. She stirred slightly; she looked beautiful – stunningly beautiful. She snuggled further under the duvet and continued her well-earned sleep.
Rafi slipped off the bath towel, slid under the crisp duvet and turned the light out. As he drifted off to sleep, he reflected that something good had come out of the worst week of his life.
Rafi awoke to find the curtains half open and noticed that it was dark outside. Kate was sitting at a small table by the window in her bathrobe; her mass of hair was neatly brushed and resting strikingly on her shoulders. He looked carefully at her face and the splashes of freckles on her cheeks and across her nose – she had an innocent schoolgirl-like quality. He liked what he saw.
‘Late lunch is served,’ she said. ‘Hope you don’t mind but I’ve taken the liberty of ordering a selection of things: a couple of starters – smoked salmon or pate – followed by medium-rare steak or Dover sole, a couple of delicious-looking gooey chocolate puddings… and loads of fruit.’
Rafi opted for the pate and the fish, letting Kate finish off both chocolate puddings.
Whilst they were eating, Kate thought about the person sitting opposite her. What was it about Rafi that made her want to be in his company? His inner strength? Perhaps they were soulmates? She hoped so. She worried that she had shown her feelings to him too soon.
‘I hope that was alright changing suites,’ said Kate, coyly.
Rafi looked across at her lovely face. He’d been working alongside her for almost four days and hadn’t fully taken in how beautiful she was. ‘I’m glad you did,’ he replied. ‘If I wasn’t more enthusiastic earlier, I apologize. I didn’t know whether I was coming or going with tiredness.’
She smiled and poured a cup of steaming coffee. They sat there, sipping their coffee and enjoying each other’s company.
When they had finished their late lunch Kate got up and, looking at Rafi, said, ‘I have some bad news. Well, not that bad… Our time here is running short. We have got forty-five minutes before we have to leave. But before we go, I think we should get that off,’ she said, pointing at him.
Rafi raised his eyebrows.
She gave a beaming smile. ‘No, not what you are thinking. I meant that dirty Elastoplast bandage. Whilst you were asleep, I asked the manager for a medical kit.’ She opened the first aid box and pulled out a pair of scissors and a roll of bandage. She leant forward, took his hand and carefully cut the plaster from top to bottom. She finished and moved closer.
‘I fear this is going to hurt. If it’s anything like strip wax, it’ll hurt like hell – sorry.’
She pulled the plaster with a sharp, prolonged tug. There was a quiet ripping noise as it pulled the hairs out of his arm. This was accompanied by the sharp hissing sound of Rafi sucking air in through his teeth.
As Kate moved back, her bathrobe fell open across her chest, revealing a lovely and distracting sight. ‘That wasn’t too bad, was it?’ she said.
‘It was an eye-opener,’ he replied.
‘I’m here to please,’ she quipped and then realised why Rafi had gone quiet and was staring at her. She leant across and kissed him delicately on the cheek.
‘All in good time; unfortunately, we have things to do.’
‘Queen and Country and all that,’ he mocked.
‘You’ve got it in one,’ she grinned, pulling her bathrobe closed. ‘Let’s get you bandaged up.’
Tenderly she strapped his wrist. ‘Your bruises still look very impressive. Are they painful?’
He smiled at her. ‘In comparison to your strip wax treatment, not really!’
‘Time to get dressed,’ said Kate. ‘The manager has sent up a selection of clothes for both of us. They’ve hung them in the wardrobe. Have a look and see what you think. I’ve got a bit of tidying up to do in the bathroom.’
They dressed in casual but smart new clothes. Rafi chose a white shirt, charcoal grey flannel trousers, dark blue blazer, black moccasin shoes and in case he had reason to venture outside, a smart blue wool overcoat. Kate opted for a light camel-coloured trouser suit, a creamy-white open neck shirt and a dark brown wool and cashmere overcoat. She looked stunning.
‘I hope your credit card is going to be working soon; there’s no way that mine will withstand the damage that I’ve run up since we got here!’ said Kate.
‘Don’t worry; we can sort it out manana.’
‘It must be nice to be rich.’
‘Yes, it must be. Unfortunately, this isn’t how I normally live,’ replied Rafi.
‘Well, I’ll want to be with you when it is like this.’ Kate chuckled and winked playfully at him.
Rafi looked down at the clean dressing on his wrist. ‘And whenever I need cheering up all I have got to do is look at this bandage and think of you!’
He pointed to the old hat and stripy scarf draped over the back of the sofa. ‘Will I need these?’
‘How about these instead?’ asked Kate, pointing to a new dark blue scarf and trilby hat. ‘You know, we really must get going. Jeremy and John are waiting for us downstairs.’
Sure enough, a large unmarked police car was waiting outside.
They sped through an eerily quiet London.
‘The curfew is still in place,’ John told them. ‘Thankfully, almost everyone is keeping their heads down. The people from COBRA and the PM have been on the radio and television to try to stop people panicking and advising them to stay indoors.’
John turned left at Trafalgar Square, into Whitehall. ‘I hope you’re going to be on your best behaviour,’ he said as he turned right and stopped the car in front of the tall metal gates guarding Downing Street. John showed his police warrant card to the armed guards standing at the gate and they were let through.
‘We’ve been asked to act as your minders,’ said Jeremy. ‘Heaven only knows how long it’ll be before you get to see the Prime Minister. It must be chaos in there.’
John stopped the car in front of Number 10. Kate and Rafi were ushered in.
To Rafi’s utter surprise, they were met in the front entrance hall by the Prime Minister, with outstretched hands. He then led them through to the inner sanctum of Number 10. As they started walking he looked at Rafi. ‘I like the disguise,’ he said with a grin. ‘You’d make a good gangster.’
The PM stopped. ‘I am afraid that there is a lot going on at the moment. Kate, I need Rafi for ten minutes or so. Would you and your colleagues see how things are progressing downstairs in the COBRA meeting?’
Kate nodded.
‘Mr Palmer here will show you the way.’
A dark-suited young man beckoned Kate to follow him.
‘Rafi, I’ve arranged for you and your economics team to meet here at 7.30 to discuss your concerns. We’ll be joined by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and a couple of people from his team.’
The PM strode on, with Rafi following close behind. They arrived at his study door. The PM beckoned him into the room. They’d been in there for only a few seconds when the phone rang.
The Prime Minister took the call. ‘My apologies, Rafi. I have the Mayor of London on the line. I am likely to be some while, perhaps you could find DI Adams and catch up on what’s been happening with the terrorists? If you go next door, I’ll arrange for someone to show you the way.’
Rafi walked into the empty, adjoining office. He looked around, plumped for the comfiest chair, sat down and waited.
A few minutes later, a smart, but soberly dressed woman appeared.
‘Excuse me for keeping you,’ she said with a hesitant smile. ‘I’ve been asked to show you the way to COBRA. Please come this way.’