Chapter 2

Next morning, Simpkins was called into the editor’s office.

“Simpkins, just what did you do, you stupid boy?”

“Pardon, sir? Do about what?”

“This Robertson story. You managed to stir up someone to take action!”

“How do you mean, sir? I simply spoke to a couple of people I met on the university grounds and chatted to them about Robertson and his goings-on.”

“Well, one of them took offence at your questions, and went to his or her lawyer. We have been served with an injunction against publishing anything which identifies Reginald Robertson or his family members. In case you are unaware of it, Simpkins, a legal injunction must be scrupulously observed, or we can be faced with a large fine against the paper AND me AND you.

Whatever you managed to do to piss off someone, you managed to scupper the entire story. Now we have to find some other salacious tale with which to titillate our readers. I am not happy, Simpkins, not happy; take note of that fact.”

Simpkins went back to the newsroom, furious. He had done his best for the paper, at the urging of his editor, and now that same editor was giving him stick for what arose from it. This job sucked at times!

Freda’s phone rang as she was going into one lecture room. She stepped back out to answer it.

“Freda Robertson.”

“Freda, this is Jenny, at your father’s office. I spoke to your father and he did just what you wanted. In fact, he made it specific to the local newspaper, with a wider coverage as an advisory. If the paper tried to get another media outlet to take it on, that would also contravene the injunction. I think what we got you is watertight. Your Dad really loves you, Freda; he seldom goes so far on a short notice deal.”

“That is wonderful, Jenny. Daddy is a darling man. Give him a kiss from me, will you?”

There was a short pause as Jenny absorbed this instruction, then, “I don’t know about that, Freda. I wouldn’t normally. but if you insist, I shall do just that, and make it clear that it is from you, on your instructions.”

“Jenny, just enjoy it. Daddy won’t mind, nor will I; and Mummy doesn’t need to know!”

“You are a terrible tease, Freda. Look after your man, and keep well, dear.”

“Bye, Jenny. Thanks for everything.”

Closing off the call, she phoned the others on a conference call, to announce, “Injunction in place for that paper, and a lesser coverage for everywhere else, it seems.”

Reg was ecstatic. “Wonderful, Freda! That should stop us becoming a media sideshow. We need that like a hole in the head.”

Frances took over. “Right, if that is all, the panic is over. Situation normal at the end of the day. Meet at the car park as usual. Now, everyone back to work; you have subjects to work on, remember. You can’t depend on Reg for everything!”

The Media Centre staff were surprised to see the local reporter back in their office the next day. He explained, “I came to apologise to Mr Robertson. My paper was served with an injunction that cut off the story, but I was not averse to that. I was pushed into it, you see, and I want Mr Robertson to know I don’t bear him a grudge. Just don’t tell my editor, okay?”

The staff were astonished that an injunction had been served. They didn’t think Reginald Robertson could afford that, or even know how to get it done. However, they said nothing about it, and the reporter was reassured that it would be as he asked. “We will pass on your apology to Mr Robertson, sir. It was good of you to do that. We media people don’t need ructions in our careers, we agree.”

The Media Centre passed on the apology, for which Reg was grateful. When they asked how he was able to serve an injunction, he looked sheepish and said, “I am afraid that was the doing of one of my wives. Her father is a lawyer, and he was able to do that for us at short notice. It surprised me, as well.”

That evening, Prudence phoned her parents, for a chat and an update on her new life as Mrs Robertson since the commitment ceremony, but her face fell as she listened. Erika noticed, and as soon as the call was over, spoke to her, placing a comforting arm round her shoulders.

“Prudence, dear, what is the problem in your family? I saw your face, earlier, as you chatted on the phone.”

Prudence slumped a little, and explained, “My Dad has gone off again, Mum says. Mum never knows when he will be off and when he will return.”

Erika was stunned. “He has gone off and left your Mum?”

Prudence shook her head in contradiction, “No, not what you are thinking. It has to do with his work. He gets a phone call and vanishes somewhere, and we may not see him for days or weeks. He never says where he is off to, and Mum gets a bit depressed at the situation. At least we are not short of the readies. Whatever Dad does, it pays well.”

“You mean, you don’t know what his job is? Weird.”

“Oh, we know it is legal employment, not illegal. He is involved in international affairs, as far as we can gather, but he never says exactly what he is doing. He says it is best that we don’t know.”

“He works for the Foreign Office, does he, if it is international affairs? A diplomat?”

“No, he doesn’t seem to be paid by the government. That would be fairly obvious, with a pay cheque to the family account, and so forth. His income seems to be paid into an account at some bank or other. He always has access to cash, if and when he needs it.”

Erika’s eyes lit up with glee,, as she overheard the discussion. “Oh, a Black Ops guy? Deniable? Sent out by a department that doesn’t officially exist, to do tasks that don’t officially happen, in places that we don’t officially know about?”

“Erika, don’t let your imagination run away with you. My Dad is shorter than I am, he is portly, and decidedly unfit, as far as I can see. No way can he be a James Bond type!”

“Maybe he is James Bond’s boss; that sort of thing?”

Prudence laughed, “My Dad, as the illustrious M? You must be joking. He is an adventurous man, but not the type to be involved with physical exercise. He probably has a desk job that he wants to seem important and exotic.”

Erika was not deterred. “In that case, Prudence, what the heck does he do? Have you ever asked him?”

“Oh, yes, but if you ask him right out, you just get the runaround.”

“How do you mean?”

“Things like, ‘Daddy has an important job to do for important people, so I am not allowed to talk about it, my sweet’, or something of that nature. He says he is doing important work, but what that work is, he doesn’t tell you. Mum has learned to live with it, and so have I. It doesn’t make it any easier for us, though, when he is off again.”

Erika told her, “Speak to Reg about it. He might have an inkling, or at least a way of putting your mind at rest. With a bit of luck, he will fuck your mind out when he is at it!”

“That’s not what I want at the moment, Erika. I hanker after a bit of cuddling, and perhaps gentle love-making. A bit of reassurance; that’s what I need.”

“I see what you mean. Perhaps you are right. Tell Reg about it, no matter what.”

Reg was receptive. He had not been given much detail about the parents of his wives; just names, descriptions, and occupations. He inquired further of Prudence.

“Has your father been in this job all your life, Prudence?”

“I suppose not, but ever since I was in my early teens.”

“What did he appear to be, back then? Do you remember?”

“Not terribly much, except that he was wider around the middle than he should have been, almost as if he was wearing something under his jacket.”

“Hmm. Like a bullet-proof vest, or a knife-repellent vest?”

“Could be. I wasn’t thinking in these terms. It might have been just some sort of padding. I can’t think of any reason for him to wear stuff like that at home. The idea is ridiculous.”

“He might have been wearing such a thing, to get used to having it on his body. That’s just my suggestion. Hmm. No idea who employed him at that time?”

“None at all. I never saw any payslip or cheque, or anything like that. This was my Dad, so I wasn’t in that sort of questioning mode Reg. You just don’t do that to the father you love.”

“Okay ... all I can think of is a job in the security industry, but what it might be, who knows? As for now, he may have moved into the administrative ranks of the business. That would make sense, and he would not want his family to have any connection with his job.” He paused to reflect. “In fact, he may even be using an assumed name for his employment tasks.”

“Reg, you make it sound so exciting, but it also appears that it may be dangerous. Do you really think my Dad is in any danger?”

Reg smiled at the thought. “From your description of him, Prudence, the desk job is most likely, and such men are not in the line of fire any more. Come to think of that, has your Dad ever had to stay home because of injuries?”

“Only once, and he said he had been in a car crash at work, so his firm would continue to pay him while he recuperated.” She paused. “Reg, that means he was employed by a company at that time, doesn’t it?”

“Pretty much so,” Reg agreed. “It doesn’t mean he is still with the same firm today, so we mustn’t read too much into that past event, my darling.”

She looked at him admiringly. “Reg, you have become much more self-confident recently. You are much more forceful and direct now. I like it, husband.”

“My lovely wife, it is all down to you and the other ladies. You have made me what I am, and I am exceedingly grateful.” He leaned over to give her a loving kiss. “Thank you, Prudence.”

He went on, “Now, stop worrying about your father. He sounds a competent man to me. He will want you to concentrate on your studies, my girl.”

“You are right, Reg, but at this time of night, I could do with a bit of reassurance in bed.” She looked at him shyly. He grinned. “It is Frances’ turn, as you well know. I’ll ask her if you may join us. That is the socially correct thing to do, I am sure.”

Prudence smiled to herself. She knew that Frances would say yes.

Erika came and had a chat with Reginald next morning, just before they left for the university.

“Reg? I phoned my dad this morning, and wonder of wonders, he was awake. Not having to work, he often sleeps late, but not today, luckily. I asked him if I could have some cash to help our new family to mesh together. He knows you come from a poor family, so I thought he might help. He said ‘Certainly. How about I put some cash into your account, and you can draw on it as you need to?’ I thanked him, and he said he would make it ten thousand, so we didn’t run short.”

Reg’s mouth dropped open, as he took this in. He stuttered, “Ten THOUSAND? M ... m ... m ... my goodness, Erika. I have never seen money like that in my life. Please keep it for emergencies. We should try to work within our normal means, if at all possible. Perhaps you can pay Frances for our accommodation here, even though she says we don’t need to.”

“I’ll try to get her to take the money. I can tell her it is me wanting to show commitment to the family. That should sell it to her; you know how committed she is to you, and to us all.”

Prudence tried, but it didn’t work.

Frances smiled sweetly at the offer, but said, “Thanks, Prudence, but providing a home for our family is my contribution. Please let me do so. Find another outlet for your new assets, dear.”

Prudence bowed to the inevitable. “All right, Frances. It is your call.”

They set off for the university, with Prudence following the car as usual. Students and lecturers were starting to get used to the presence of four Mrs Robertsons. The girls were noticeable enough to start with, so a new name didn’t cause them any hassle. Their new relationship showed in their attitude to life. All four were bright and cheery these days, happy to engage with everyone else as long as they were secure with Reg.

Reg was also noticing he had a new status in the university. He was no longer bypassed as he used to prefer. Now, others spoke to him, involving him in conversations, and he was slowly taking his own part in these conversations. Mostly, he spoke about what he knew of the academic subjects that came up. When it came to interpersonal relations, he normally dropped from the chat, and just listened and learned. This was different from chatting with his girls. Here, Reg was storing away all the responses he was hearing, gathering a database in his own head for future use.

One lad, naming himself Steve Grogan, was a bit odd in the way he spoke to Reg. It was as if he was pumping Reg for information about Reg himself, rather than just socialising. Eventually, the lad asked if he could speak with Reg privately.

Reg agreed, provided one of his wives was with him. “I rely on her to give me good advice on some matters.” He was sure that Erika could defend him, if necessary. They agreed on the next day before classes, in the car park. Most students were rushing to get to their classes then.

Reg and Erika waited behind, when the others left their car, and moved to stand under a convenient tree, hand in hand. Soon, Steve Grogan came along and stood with them. He nodded to Erika, but faced Reg.

Reg said softly, “You wanted a word, Steve?”

“Yes. Only the other day I heard about your commitment ceremony. I was away when it happened. I’d like to know more about it, if I may?”

Reg’s brow furrowed. “Nothing unique about it, Steve. It was forced on us by circumstance. The law won’t let us marry, so we committed to each other instead. We regard that ceremony as wedding-equivalent.”

“That’s what I thought. Nice to have it confirmed. Can anyone do it?”

Reg was puzzled at the question. “Depends. It is only available as an option where the law won’t allow marriage. I wouldn’t think you would be wanting to marry your sister or aunt, would you?”

Steve looked horrified. “Certainly not! Particularly since I am gay.”

Reg brightened up as he started to get a handle on the problem. “Oh. I see. But gays can get married now, in the UK. There is no problem with you marrying your partner.”

Steve suddenly blushed. “Ordinarily, I would agree with you, but, you see ... there are three of us.”

“Oh! So that’s why you cannot marry: the law only accepts couples.”

“Yes. So, I was thinking ... it might be possible for the three of us to have a commitment ceremony, just like you did.”

Reg nodded. “That sounds reasonable,” he agreed. “Best of luck with it. Have you talked about it with the other two?”

“Not yet. I wanted to check out the possibility with you first ... and to ask a favour. Can we use the same or similar wording that you used for your ceremony?”

Reg turned to Erika, “Do we have any issue with that idea? There is no copyright involved, is there, Erika?”

Erika paused, then declared, “I spoke with Freda about this recently. The entire ceremony should remain our copyright, but we can allow it to be used, free of charge, for one occasion as an example. Any future requests, we make a charge in respect of our copyright.”

Reg turned back to Steve. “Steve, it looks like the decision is made, on our part. We’ll give you a transcript to work from. It is now in your hands, to speak with your other partners.

Just a reminder, though: a Commitment Ceremony is just as binding as a wedding ceremony, and must be approached in that light. It is a forever choice. That is what we decided, and you should also.”

“Thanks, Reg, ... and you too, Mrs Robertson. Points noted. I’ll give you my e-mail, for you to send the text to me, o.k.?”

The rest of the day went well, and the happy family went home feeling pleased with themselves. No-one now regarded themselves as not pretty; they had happy instead of pretty. They all seemed to glow with happiness, Reg thought. This made him feel the same inward glow.

Unlocking the front door, they stepped inside carrying the shopping bags of food they had purchased on the way home. Frances led as usual, and Freda bumped into her as she stopped short.