condensed master

The Reluctant Agent
A Compelling Story of Espionage
out the box of slides, putting them on the bench. Her eyes were transfixed on the
box but she was standing like a stone statue. Will squeezed her arm and she
looked up at him. "Just pretend that you've come back off holiday and you're
looking through your slides. I'll be outside should anyone appear." She smiled
nervously as he closed the door.
The waiting game had started and minutes seemed like hours. The music was
still playing, and Will was just beginning to wonder how long it would be before
Margaret stepped back through the projection room door, when suddenly Mrs.
Byer appeared in the study doorway.
She glanced around the room. "Has Margaret gone?"
"You have just missed her. She must be looking around the house for you, or
perhaps she's in the garden."
Within seconds of her leaving Margaret emerged from the projection room.
She looked ashen faced.
"Mrs. Byer's been looking for you." Taking her by the hand he led her to the
exit door in the auditorium and let her out into the garden. "Tell her you've been
looking for her in the garden, I'll see you tonight at the house."
Quickly closing the door behind her Will hurried to the projection room to
check that everything had been left in order, and breaking down his equipment
carried it to the main foyer.
"Did Margaret find you Mrs. Byer?"
"Yes, she thought I was in the garden."
"The service department have agreed that I best be here during the
proceedings on Monday, just in case you have a breakdown, so I'll come during
the early evening to pre-run everything."
"That's very kind of you. It will be a relief to know that we won't have to
worry."
It was now late afternoon and he had to get rid of both the tapes and the
dubbing machine at the earliest possible moment, but first he had to go home. Each
mile that passed progressively lifted the commotion that was going on inside him
and he was fairly composed as he sat down for a bite to eat. His mind though kept
flashing back to that projection room, instigating reoccurrences of stomach nerves.
Clutching the tapes after arriving at Margaret's he ran up the two flights of
stairs, eager to find out whether she had been successful or otherwise. At first, Will
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