It was late Friday evening when we arrived at Harrogate. Joseph and Mrs Franks, had been assiduous in the painstaking detail they had taken over my late instructions regarding our arrival and needs. In all, twelve more rooms had been made ready, and dinner for fourteen prepared. Tanya, with her escorting team drawn from the Static Protection arm of Special Branch, had already arrived, but she had chosen to wait for us before eating, excusing herself from their company by saying, “It will give the soldiers here more time to get organised without having an old fuddy-duddy like me around in their way.”
“The gun room is awash with weapons, sir. Might I ask why?” Joseph attentively asked, after reporting Tanya"s words.
“Oh, it"s nothing really. They"re for all the dignitaries on Sunday…you kn
