An Invitation, of a dinner party nature

[pbrione]

Lord Canning didn't even look up when his private secretary announced the arrival of the letter, sitting at his desk in the Foreign Office Building. "Thank you Perkins." he dismissed his secretary with a wave and went back to working through his ministerial red box. He paused for a moment and sighed. He had already pre-empted the invitation and set aside time from his schedule. He had had his valet prepare his best dinner jacket and other formal attire. He had even asked his butler to order a fine Fortnum and Mason Hamper as a birthday gift. However, he realised, as he pressed the button to summon his private sectretary once more, that he had neglected to inform his wife...

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Sir Stanley Nelson was at one of his many desks, this one aboard the Battleship Harlow, meeting place of the Admiralty Board, when the note arrived. A young Lieutenant saluted smartly as he handed over the rare piece of paper correspondence. Nelson opened the envelope with a puzzled look and then quickly scanned the page. The Lady Tarrant.... reception .... Saturday 23rd January.... Cambridge. Damn. Yet another ostentatious gathering of aristocrats that he was expected to attend... as if these people forgot that he had a war to fight. Nelson quickly scribbled a note on a piece of paper and handed it to the waiting relay officer to be drawn up into a reply. "May attend, work dependent." As if he could write anything else, when the combined enemies of Bretonia could attack at any moment, and find all Bretonia's military and government leaders distracted at some tea-party on Cambridge. Sometimes he really questioned the sanity of Bretonia; letting nobles run everything, and making sure anyone who wasn't a noble who ended up running anything was quickly turned into one. Half the Bretonian leadership would be at any such party. On reflection, he scribbled a second note, and called for another officer to deliver it. It was addressed to MI5, "Ensure maximum security at Araluen Manor, Saturday 23rd, Nelson."

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Sir Stanley Nelson




<span style="color:#000066">Charles Canning </span><span style="color:#000066"> Foreign Secretary</span>