Highest Order_An Action Thriller Novel

by David Archer

  The front door opened suddenly and a man stepped out, followed by three other men who hurried down and took their bags. Noah glanced at Catherine, who was smiling.

  “I meant to warn you,” she said. “The house comes with a staff. That’s the butler, Thomas, and the other men are his sons. They take care of the grounds and do the general labor. His wife is the housekeeper, and there are three maids and three cooks. They are all paid by your company’s bookkeepers, so you don’t need to bother about them. They don’t, of course, know anything about who you actually are, but since you won’t be involved in any actions, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

  She turned and smiled at Thomas. “You’d be Thomas? I’m Catherine Beasley, the estate agent.”

  “Good afternoon, Miss,” Thomas said. “Your office rang that you were on the way with the new owners.”

  “Yes,” she said. “Thomas, I would like to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Lightner, and their friends, Mr. and Mrs. Jamieson and Mr. Davis. They own the corporation that has purchased the manor. Mr. Lightner, Mr. Thomas, your new butler.”

  Noah extended a hand, and Thomas looked at it for just a second before reaching out to grasp it firmly.

  “Thomas, it’s a pleasure,” Noah said. “I hope you can put up with a bunch of Yanks running around the place.”

  Thomas smiled, and Noah could tell that it was genuine. “To be frank, sir, I’ve found most of our American guests have been considerably more polite than my own countrymen who have stayed here. I was quite pleased when I learned that the old place had been sold, and that we would be permitted to stay on.”

  “Well, after one look at this place,” Noah said, “I sincerely doubt we’d be able to handle it without you. Are those chimneys from fireplaces?”

  “Indeed they are, sir,” Thomas said. “However, there was added six years ago a new heat and air con system. The hearths are now used mostly for delight, rather than for warmth. May we show you in, sir?”

  Noah glanced at Catherine, who nodded. “By all means,” he said. “Lead on.”

  The three younger men lined up behind them as they followed the butler into the house. They were shown a pair of sitting rooms that flanked the hallway just inside the front door, and then led through the passage to the Great Hall, a large room that looked like it could almost be used as a theater. One end seemed to have a raised dais.

  “The lord of the manor would hold manorial court in this chamber,” Thomas said. “In modern times, it is used primarily for social gatherings, holiday parties and such things.”

  Sarah and Jenny were staring around themselves in delight, while Noah, Neil, and Marco were looking closely at the suits of armor and numerous swords and battle axes and other weapons that decorated the walls. Some of them were polished and shining, but others showed signs of having actually been used.

  “This is incredible,” Noah said, doing his best to look like the amazed American.

  Thomas smiled and led them further into the house. They were shown the private dining room, the kitchens—there were two of them—and a number of rooms dedicated to the staff. The butler explained that the staff all lived on the ground floor, so that “the Family,” which meant anyone who was a permanent resident of the house without being an employee, could have the upper floors to themselves.

  After this tour was completed, they went up to the second floor. This was where they would be staying, and it took only moments for Thomas to show them the six available suites. Noah and Sarah were instantly placed into the master’s chamber, Neil and Jenny took the one across the hall from theirs, and Marco was given one at the other end of the hallway. Thomas’ sons put their bags into the appropriate rooms, and then seemed to vanish.

  Catherine had followed along, smiling as she watched the young people. This was obviously far beyond anything they had anticipated, and she actually found herself hoping they would be able to stay for quite some time.

  “Mr. Lightner,” she said. “Will you be needing me for anything else today?”

  Noah turned and looked at her. “I think you were supposed to arrange some vehicles?”

  Her eyes went wide, and her smile got even bigger. “Oh, yes,” she said. “The estate comes with several, and I thought they might meet with your approval. Thomas?”

  “Yes, miss,” the butler said, and he led the way down the stairs and directly out the back door. A large barn sat a dozen yards behind the house, and had obviously been converted to a garage. He opened one of the swing-up doors, and Noah saw a beautiful Bentley sedan that he guessed was from the late seventies. A second opened door revealed a nearly new Land Rover, and a third housed a 1963 Jaguar XKE roadster.

  “There is also,” Thomas said, “a small utility truck, which we commonly use for fetching supplies.”

  Noah smiled at him. “I think these will do nicely,” he said. “The Bentley; what year is it?”

  “Nineteen seventy-nine, sir.”

  Noah turned to Catherine. “I suppose we’re all set, then,” he said. “You’ll let us know if you come across anything else we need to deal with, right?”

  “I certainly will,” she said. “I’m going to be on my way back, then. Do let me know if you learn anything more about that other matter.”

  Noah agreed, and Catherine got into the van and drove away. Thomas showed all of them where the keys to the vehicles were kept, in a small cabinet just inside the back door, and pointed out that there was also another barn off in the distance that held the tractors and other equipment necessary to maintain an estate with more than three hundred hectares.

  “Will you be wanting something particular for dinner, sir?” Thomas asked.

  Noah glanced at the others, then shook his head. “I’m certain that whatever the kitchen provides will be perfect,” he said. “Should we dress for dinner?”

  “It is not necessary, sir,” Thomas said. “It is only customary on Sundays, but this is your home. The choice is entirely up to you.”

  They had begun walking back toward the house, and Noah glanced at his phone to check the time. It was growing close to four o’clock. “What time is dinner served?”

  “Customarily at six thirty, sir. If you would prefer a different timetable, you need only let me know.”

  Noah grinned and shook his head. “I think it might be best if we try to learn how to be on your schedule,” he said. “I’ve got a feeling you folks know what you’re doing, and we’re all new at this. I don’t know if anyone told you, but we actually just sort of fell into money. Our website just sort of took off, and the next thing we knew, we were rich. If you happen to think of any advice you can give on how we can avoid looking like total fools, we are more than happy to listen.”

  Thomas smiled. “In my humble opinion, sir,” he said, “you have just managed to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that you are anything but fools.”

  They went back into the house and Thomas went his own way. The five of them went upstairs and gathered in Noah and Sarah’s room.

  “Dude,” Marco said, “if this is what happens when everything falls apart, I’m ready for a whole lot more bad luck.”

  “I know, right?” Jenny asked with a smile. “Do you have any idea how glad I am that I got sent out with you on this last job? I could live like this for the rest of my life.”

  “Yeah, me, too,” Sarah said. She and Noah were sitting on the bed, and she was snuggled up against him. “This is the kind of thing I used to dream about when I was a kid. Almost like hitting the jackpot in a fairy tale, right?”

  “Okay, I like it too,” Neil said. “But am I the only one that’s worried? What happens if they really start looking for us? Do you honestly think we could stay here?”

  “As long as we keep a low profile,” Noah said, “and continue to use the identities we’ve been given, we’d probably be okay. These identities are pretty solid. If you remember from training, any time we get a Horatio call, the idea is to lay low and blend in. However they have us set up, we don�
��t need to be drawing any attention to ourselves to make money, or do anything else. We could probably last a long time, here.”

  “Okay, maybe. Do you mind if I set up my computer and try to find out more about what’s happening?”

  “Of course not,” Noah said. “I was going to ask you to. And that brings up another point; for now, you can all stop thinking of me as the boss. Unless something changes, I think we need to think of ourselves as equals in this situation. We’re apparently business partners, and we know that we can get along well, even when we’re not on the job. I think we need to lean on our friendship and dedication to each other, rather than any chain of command concept.”

  Neil and Marco looked at each other, then turned to Noah. “Oh, no,” Neil said. “Noah, we need you in charge. You’re the only one who can really think things through clearly, so don’t even think about trying to ditch your responsibility.”

  “I agree with them,” Jenny said. “I learned in China and Russia that your instincts are better than any of ours. We might be friends, but that’s partly because we have learned to trust you completely. We need that leadership now, more than ever.”

  Sarah smiled up at him. “They got you, babe,” she said. “You’re Camelot, no matter what.”

  Noah locked eyes with each of the for a second before moving to the next, then nodded his head. “All right,” he said. “Logically, you are correct. I just didn’t want to assume leadership if it wasn’t necessary.”

  “It’s necessary, boss,” Marco said. “Trust me on that. If the shit hits the fan, you’re more likely to see it coming than anyone else. We need you to tell us when to duck.”

  “All right, we’ve agreed. It’s been a rough couple of days, I think I’m going to grab a shower before dinner.”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” Neil said. “Honey?”

  “I’m in, pumpkin.” The two of them left the room, holding hands.

  Marco watched them go. “Shower, my ass,” he said. He turned and looked back at Noah, then blushed and turned to leave the room. “Yeah, my ass needs a shower, too.”

  Sarah chuckled as he went out the door, closing it behind himself. “I can’t help but feel sorry for him,” she said. “If this goes on too long, he’s going to be a wreck without Renée. I think they were getting pretty serious.”

  “I agree,” Noah said. “On the other hand, this brings up one of the risks of our position. Suppose Neil and Jenny were to be married, and then one of them gets a Horatio call while out on a mission. How could they cope with it?”

  “Yeah, right,” Sarah said. “If I were back home when this happened, I’d go crazy. He can’t even call her, can he?”

  “Protocol says absolutely no contact except through secure channels,” Noah said. “I doubt they would consider Renée secure. If she were to slip and mentioned that she talked to him, it could blow up in all of our faces.”

  Noah got up and opened the suitcase, taking out clean clothes. Sarah stayed on the bed and looked up at him.

  “So, if you were sent out without me and this happened, I’d just be out of luck? That would be it, I’d never see you again?”

  Noah stopped what he was doing and looked into her eyes. “Eventually, the situation should come to an end and I would be able to come home to you. You know me, though. I don’t want to be without you. If I came to believe that the situation would never be resolved, I would use whatever resources were necessary to come and get you.”

  Sarah smiled. “You would, wouldn’t you? Babe, you walked into almost certain death for me, I should have known you wouldn’t let something like this keep us apart.” The smile faded into a frown. “So, if this goes on, what are we going to do about Marco?”

  “I suppose we would have to mount a mission to go and get Renée,” he said. “The only question would be whether she wanted to come.”

  Sarah narrowed her eyes and gave him a seductive grin. “Have you seen the way she looks at him? Trust me, she’d come.”

  The shower was a nozzle that was attached to a large, claw-foot tub, and a metal oval overhead held a curtain that went all the way around. Noah got the water set to the temperature he liked, then climbed in. He wasn’t surprised when the curtain opened a moment later, and Sarah stepped in with him.

  Downstairs, Thomas walked into the kitchen, where his wife Caroline was watching over the cooks.

  “Well, they’re here,” he said. “The new owners. Seem like some lovely young folk.”

  “That’s good, then,” Caroline said. “You can introduce me at dinner. I peeked out, and they look very nice.”

  “They seem so. There’s something about that Mr. Lightner, though. He’s polite enough, but there’s a hard core underneath. Strikes me he might’ve been a soldier.”

  “Nothing wrong with that,” his wife said. She leaned over one of the cooks, who was using a rolling pin to flatten a piecrust. “Susan, you needn’t beat it to death.”

  “Yes, mum,” the girl replied. She laid the rolling pin aside and carefully folded the crust over before picking it up and pressing it into the pie pan. Caroline continued to watch as she spooned in the banana cream filling, then turned back to her husband.

  “Three men, and only two women. What’s the other lad like?”

  “Mr. Davis? Seemed bright enough, and a bit to the quiet side. Definitely the manly sort.”

  Caroline’s lips pressed into a thin line. “We’ll be watching the girls, then,” she said.

  “Well, and that’s a bit of wisdom in any case, innit? Let’s get everyone together, so we can make all the introductions at dinner.”

  “They’re all here. What are the boys up to?”

  Thomas smiled. “I sent them out to check the fields,” he said. “Thought Brendan’s eyes were going to pop out at the young ladies. I’ll be having a word with him later on, as both of them are wed. Little Tom and Chauncey were well behaved, but they could stand to hear it as well.”

  “You needn’t worry about Chauncey,” Caroline said. “He fancies Diana, which is why I keep her on the upstairs staff. When they get in the same room, neither of them can manage to think.”

  That got her a chuckle from Thomas. “I suspect they can think just fine,” he said. “I’d wager it’s that they don’t want you to know what they’re thinking about that keep them so quiet.”

  “You’re probably right,” his wife said with a grin. “He’s your son, after all.”

  * * * * *

  Noah and the rest came down shortly before six thirty, and Thomas met them in the dining room.

  “As master of the house,” Thomas said to Noah, “you should traditionally take the head of the table. Your lovely wife will be seated at your right hand, and the rest should be seated according to your own preferences.”

  The table was one that could be expanded, and Thomas had taken out sections to make it only six feet long. Noah took the chair he had indicated, with Sarah directly at his right, but rather than taking the other end of the table, Neil and Jenny sat down at one side together, with Neil directly across from Sarah and Jenny on his left. Marco grinned and took the chair directly opposite Noah.

  “I thought this might be a good time for you to meet the rest of the staff,” Thomas said. “Would that be all right?”

  Noah smiled. “Certainly, that would be fine,” he said.

  Thomas bowed stiffly and walked out of the room, returning only a moment later with a small crowd following him.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Lightner, Mr. and Mrs. Jamieson, Mr. Davis,” he began, “I should like to introduce you to my wife, Caroline. She is the housekeeper for the estate, and supervises the maids and cooks in the performance of their duties.”

  “Caroline, we are delighted to meet you,” Noah said. “Let’s be a little less formal, though, can we do that? I’m Travis, and this is my wife, Penny. That’s John down at the other end of the table, and this is Gary and Stacy. If you go talking about Mr. Lightner, I’m probably going to look around a
nd see if my father has found me.”

  Thomas and Caroline both smiled. “That would be fine, sir,” Thomas said. He held out a hand and indicated the rest of the staff. “These young men are my three boys, who take care of the grounds and the house. First is the eldest, Thomas Junior, but we all call him Little Tom. After him is Brendan, and that’s Chauncey.”

  Each of the young men bowed briefly as he was introduced, and then Thomas moved on to the ladies who were lined up behind them.

  “These are the maids,” he said. “First is Julianna, who happens to be our daughter. She sees to the downstairs, and makes fine work of it. Next is Constance, and then Diana. They are sisters, and actually grew up just up the road in Guildford. They are the upstairs maids, so they will be seeing to your rooms. Feel free to let them know about anything you need, and when you want them to do your rooms. They will take care of your washing, so tell them about any special requirements for your laundry.”

  The young ladies each offered a curtsy, which made Sarah and Jenny smile. Noah thanked them for the work they did and told them to let them all know if they did anything to make the work harder, but the girls only smiled nervously.

  “And these are the cooking staff,” Thomas said. “We have Beatrice, who is the chef, and her helper, Lynn, and that leaves us with Susan, the pastry cook. She bakes cakes, pies, and biscuits, and you’ll always find some ready and waiting.”

  Beatrice seemed to be the oldest of the ladies, and the least intimidated. “Now, don’t any of ye be shy about lettin’ me know what ye like,” she said, her accent thick and Welsh. “I know the ways of American cookin’, and many others, so tell me what ye’d like and it’ll be me pleasure to make it fer ye!”

  Noah smiled. “We appreciate that,” he said, “but I think we’re all looking forward to trying new things, so we’ll be happy to let you make those choices.”