Chapter 40

"You are late."

"We were in Edinburgh."

The tailor at Gieves raised his eyebrows in a look of question.

"Kilts," explained Amber, "Russell's."

"They do very good work. Did you bring it?"

"Bring it? I'm wearing it." I opened my trench coat and took it off.

As soon as he saw the tartan he asked, "Austin? Huntly? You're a FitzGordon?"

Huntly refers to the heirs descendant of George Gordon, the Earl of Huntly.

The Austin clansmen are the descendants of the first bastards of the Earl ... according to Daddy, anyway. Fitz before the Gordon is just the English way of saying 'you're a right bastard, you are, ' and meaning it.

"Not really," I said. "But Mother..."

"That I can understand," he said.

"We're much older than that... 593 ... Middlesex ... some little village that's probably not there now. Mom doesn't mind being married to an aristocrats blow-bye ... it's better than being married to some muckraker."

He laughed ... I did too. Recently, I had learned some home truths about mom from dad. Medications ... overdose ... been like this all her life ... didn't know when he married her ... the vacations that were actually hospitalizations ... things like that. I always thought she was visiting her sister, Jean. These were things I didn't know ... even in my first life.

Oh ... I knew she was a spiteful vindictive bitch but I didn't know she was crazy.

Daddy told me that mother was a climber ... she figured his position as prosecuting attorney should put her in the upper crust ... but it didn't. Her place was right along with the wives of the other elected officials ... and she didn't like it.

That's one thing that hasn't changer ... Daddy is prosecuting attorney. The 1951 Mercury two door is another. I need to buy that and get the rocker panels fixed.

But ... Dad isn't here ... and neither is mom. So I asked about it.

"He was here on time." That was said with reproach, because I was late, " ... she wasn't with him." That was said with relief. "He didn't say and I didn't ask."

He summoned his minions and the murder and mayhem commenced. The suits were sewn together with huge stitches of white string.

"Stand up straight," he said. "Chest out, shoulders back, chin up, eyes forward" ... then he said, "Tuck those ears in."

I lost it. When I stopped..."That's how I want you to wear my suits, like you just had a good laugh or, " he winked at Amber, "You'd just gotten laid."

"Sorry, guv ... he sleeps," she realized what she said and blushed bright red.

"I'll have to say one thing for you Yanks ... I've never laughed so hard since 1946 ... we English are a taciturn lot."

He made a chalk mark here ... one there ... pulled and stretched this and that, took the jacket and passed it to a minion. "Bring that right back."

"Yes, sir."

Then he started on the pants. It amazed me that wool can be woven that thin and still be warm.

"Sit."

"Woof!"

Chuckling he said, "Stand." I got about halfway and he said, "Stop." I stopped ... stooped. He chalked and said... "Stand ... Sit ... stand ... off. Wait ... what do you have in your pocket ... umm."

He turned to Amber... "When you said 'right' ... you forgot to mention the length."

"I didn't know it then." She blushed again.

"You might fight a lot ... but the making up will be glorious."

"It is that," she'd done it again ... she blushed.