Redemption - Leon Uris [220]
Rory aimed at his doorway and fell into kneeling position on the smooth, soft, sensuous pillows. Ah, dear old Sonya-lass. She’s lit a candle. The breeze keeps blowing. The candlelight is going wild.
Sonya stood in the doorway naked to the waist, her body glistening with clove oil. She knelt before Rory, arched her back and undulated, and snapped her fingers, while her breasts rolled under large, rigid nipples.
Rory seized her in his arms. They hung on and swayed together on their knees, now keeping the long promise, now letting it all fly, now feeling the other’s oils, now wild in kisses and her pleading, her groaning, now pulling each other’s hair. She brought him down into softness and he let the Cairo night overcome him.
At three o’clock in the morning everyone was abruptly awakened by a pounding on the door. It was an angry pounding. A voice shouted behind it.
The lads scrambled into some kind of covering—sheets, towels, Arab pantaloons—and made down the stairs. Chester slipped on all the oil and slid down. Sonya ran from room to room herding the girls and pushing them out of sight.
“Stop pounding, we’re coming!”
Rory flung the door open and looked at Serjeant Yurlob Singh. He entered with George, the villa’s Christian Terrier, whining that he had been taken by surprise. Rory ordered the boy upstairs with Sonya.
“What the hell’s going on!” Jeremy managed.
“It’s Major Hubble. He is being held hostage by the Egyptian police.”
71
“Let me have the notes, Eddie,” Churchill directed.
“They’re rather loose, Winston. I haven’t had a chance to tidy them up.”
“Not to mind. I just want to see if I missed anything.”
It was three o’clock in the morning, more or less the middle of the day for the First Lord of the Admiralty. Eddie poured a glass of Scotch for his boss and set a flame under Churchill’s cigar.
Notes from the War Council Meeting—March 12, 1915
(Gathered and transcribed in the rough immediately after War Council meeting this day, adjourned 12:45 A.M. Eyes only for Churchill. Eddie Marsh.)
Foreign Minister—Sir Edward Grey
Grey continues to cling to the hope of obtaining a Balkan ally against the Turks.
First Lord of the Admiralty—Winston Churchill
Feels the Balkans are too risky and unstable except for the excellent Greek Army offered by the King, until British take Constantinople.
Prime Minister—Herbert Asquith
Adamant that Balkan issue is closed. Cites Bulgarians in recent union against Turks turning on their Romanian allies at end of conflict.
Use of Greek Army would only encourage former Balkan union to join war on side of Germans. Use of Greek Army would likewise anger our Russian ally.
Admiralty—Churchill
Expresses fears that naval gunfire may not be doing job as earlier believed.
At onset of war with Turks, British Naval Attaché in Constantinople, Admiral Limpus, warned that German General von Limon assuming command over Turks. Von Limon is apt to get the best out of his forces and will certainly defend Gallipoli more cleverly than Turkish staff.
Churchill agrees Balkans are too dicey but expresses strong feeling that Italy can be swayed to renounce its treaty with Germans and join Allies, thus giving us a reserve for the Dardanelles operation.
Believes that when we take Constantinople Balkans will fall in line with us for drive up Danube Valley.
Commander, British Forces—Field Marshal Lord Kitchener
When Italy is induced to join Allies, it is far more important that she open a major front against the Austrians.
Commander, British Forces in France—
General Sir John French
The Western Front should have main priority. Dardanelles operation taking too much strength away. Against entire Dardanelles operation.
First Sea Admiral—John Fisher
Very