Emma by Gaslight ch 4

Emma by Gaslight by Gale Force Part 4 of a multi-part story in which Emma Peel copes with the dangers of 1970s Europe, where eagles...and vultures... are gathering. The file on 1973: Events of January - May January January 3 - CBS sells the New York Yankees to a syndicate led by George Steinbrenner. January 14 - The Miami Dolphins defeat the Washington Redskins 14-7 in Super Bowl VII to complete the NFL's only Perfect Season. January 20 - U.S. President Richard Nixon is inaugurated for his second term. January 22 - Roe v. Wade: The U.S. Supreme Court overturns state bans on abortion. January 27 - U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War ends with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords. February February 21 - Libyan Arab Airlines passenger Flight 114 is shot down by Israeli fighter aircraft over the Sinai Desert, who suspect it is an enemy military plane. Only 5 of 113 survive. March March 7 - Comet Kohoutek is discovered. March 8 - In the 'Border Poll', voters in Northern Ireland endorse remaining in the United Kingdom. Irish nationalists largely boycotted the referendum. March 17 - Queen Elizabeth II opens the modern London Bridge. April April 3 - The first handheld cellular phone call made by Martin Cooper, who conceived the phone, in New York City. April 4 - The World Trade Center officially opens in New York City with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. April 6 - Pioneer 11 is launched on a mission to study the solar system. April 17 - The German counter-terrorist force GSG 9 is officially formed. April 17 - Federal Express officially begins operations. May May 1 - An estimated 1,600,000 workers in the United Kingdom stopped work in support of a Trade Union Congress "day of national protest and stoppage" against the Government's anti-inflation policy. May 3 - The Sears Tower in Chicago is finished, becoming the world's tallest building. May 5 - Secretariat wins the Kentucky Derby. May 14 - Skylab, the United States' first space station, is launched. May 17 - Watergate scandal: Televised hearings begin in the United States Senate. May 19 - Secretariat wins the Preakness Stakes. May 22 - Ethernet is invented by Robert Metcalfe. May 25 - Skylab 2 (Pete Conrad, Paul Weitz, Joseph Kerwin) is launched on a mission to repair the Skylab space station. ...File ends Part Four: June 3, 1973 Emma Peel wended her way through the long lines of blackjack tables that ran from one side of the room to the other. She carried a champagne glass in one hand, from which she sipped occasionally, and a handful of jetons (or betting chips) in the other. A black mink stole covered her bare shoulders and set off her white gloves and white evening gown. Formal dress was de rigeur at the Casino of Monte Carlo. She paused occasionally at a table to watch the play - invariably half the players would lose the hand, while the other half would win. And each half generally alternated with each new hand. Emma would suppress a shake of her head as she walked away. Emma had never understood why people played blackjack, or chemin de fer, or poker, any other card game that depended more on luck than skill. Oh, of course those people with fantastic memories (such as herself, though she did say it), who could "count cards," perhaps had a slightly better chance of winning...but overall it was a mug's game. Give her a decent game of bridge any day. Emma hadn't intended to go back out into the city that night, but after reading the news about poor Jouvert, she'd decided she wasn't yet ready to retire to her room. She walked out of the blackjack pit and into an adjacent room, which featured roulette and craps, and once again commenced her stroll around the tables. She was looking for someone, though she didn't really expect to find him. But if he was alive...he'd been a great one for the gambling tables. No matter what he was doing in any city, if there was a casino there, that's where he would invariable be found. "Where the casino is, there are eagles gathered," she paraphrased to herself. "And vultures." She watched a tuxedo-clad man push a stack of 100-franc-jetons onto the number 24 on the betting table, watched the roulette ball spin, saw him half-rise from his chair in anticipation as it seemed the ball was heading straight toward 24, and saw him sink back in despair as it fell into the adjacent slot. He uttered a brief profanity, stood up from the table with a jerk and strode away. "And fools," she thought, controlling that shake of the head again. She wouldn't find him in this room. Emma thought. Roulette and craps - two of the silliest games for anyone to play -ever. The chair in front of her was still empty. With a smile twitching her lips, Emma sat down. "Hey ho," she thought to herself. She'd risk a few francs. The croupier called for everyone to place their bets. Emma placed a one franc-jeton on the 24, and on the two numbers on either side of it, 16 and 5. She wasn't surprised when the ball followed the same trajectory as in the previous spin, and this time landed right in 24. The croupier pushed 36 francs worth of jetons at her. Emma gathered her winnings and rose. "Masterfully done," said a voice behind her. A deep, rich voice that she'd been impressed with this morning...it had belonged to the man at her breakfast table. The author of the Mark Caine spy stories. Jason King. She turned and gave him a brief smile. He wore a black tuxedo, with a frilly white shirt. "Mr. King." "Oh, Jason, please. And I hope I may call you Emma. You're looking very lovely this evening." "Thank you." She wished she could return the compliment, but although she quite liked his slenderness, and the ramrod straightness of his back, and the voice, the bouffant hairstyle and the Fu Manchu moustache did nothing for her. She knew it was the coming style...but just because something was in style was no need to embrace it, in her opinion. "I see you've finished your champagne. Would you like another?" "Thank you." She accompanied him to the bar, and waited while he purchased two glasses of champagne from the bartender. "Thank you for paying my bill this morning," said Emma, accepting one of the glasses. "I apologize for leaving you in the lurch, as it were." "Oh, don't give it another thought," said the author. "Did you find your friend?" "No," said Emma. "No, I didn't." "He must have been a very good friend, for you to go to such lengths to try to catch up to him." Emma glanced at him, but he was innocently sipping champagne. She shrugged and took pains to smile ruefully. "I know it was a bit foolish of me, but I've always been impulsive. It was someone I'd known in my university days. We were always doing outrageous things back then, and I'm afraid I just...regressed for a moment." "I see." "By the way, I left my tablet behind. Did you pick it up, by any chance?" "Yes. It's in my room at the Grand. Are you staying there?" "Ye-es," Emma said. "You don't sound very sure." She looked at him. He was smiling, and devouring her with his eyes, and concentrating on her absolutely. Oh, he was smooth, all right, and as self-confident as any man she'd ever seen, up to and including John Steed. She'd have to scotch this - she didn't want anybody hanging around while she investigated a possibly-defected agent, and murderer or murderers unknown. "I wasn't very truthful with you this morning, Jason," she said demurely. "You see..my real name is Emma Peel. Mrs. Emma Peel. I'd been going through a bad patch with my husband...and came here to be alone. But...he's coming here tomorrow. I don't know if he'll want to stay there, or if he'll want to whisk me away on a second honeymoon. He can be as impulsive as me, sometimes." "I see." He reached into his pocket and drew out a gold cigarette case. He offered it to her, and she shook her head. Long fingers withdrew a cigarette, tapped it on the case, and inserted it into his mouth. Cigarette case returned, gold lighter produced. He lit the cigarette and took a deep drag. "Well, I'm pleased for you, of course, but I must say I'm disappointed for me." Emma took a sip from her champagne. At the same time, her eyes looked past Jason King and down the corridor and she saw that long-thought-dead agent, deep in talk with another man. Both in tuxedos. Both clearly about to go into the casino. Quietly, quickly, Emma slid around the booth so that she was sitting with her back towards that walking dead man. Unfortunately, she was now sitting side by side with Jason King. "Emma," he said in a delighted tone of voice. A sudden rush of longing for John Steed rose in her. It was all very well to be working alone...but Rioridan - for that was the name of that walking dead man - knew what she looked like and would invariably cut and run if he caught sight of her. Of course, he knew Steed as well...but Steed would be able to call someone to get to the casino to shadow him. She knew no one in Monte Carlo. She'd have to shadow him on her own. She had driven her rental car to the Casino, just in case she did come across someone she'd need to follow, and had some sets of spare clothing in the boot - slacks, shirts and boots better for running and jumping in than this evening gown. But...how to get rid of Jason King? She didn't want to place him in danger. He was clearly a dandy who liked to live vicariously through his super spy protagonist, but in the real world he would probably collapse like a house of cards at the first harsh word. She had to get rid of him.