LONDON CALLING

"7:30 it is, then," Brian said. Jessie asked about Angus's shoulder. "He hasn't said a word about it, so I'm presuming its alright. He did ask if you two might be interested in getting together after dinner. He packed a deck of cards, and he's got this little tin that has a number of board games in it, all conveniently shrunken for easier packing. I think there's a little bit of everything in it--chess, checkers, backgammon, scrabble, yahtzee, and maybe battleship, if I recall. It's been a long time since we've had that tin open."

"Sounds good to me," Michael said. "I bet we could get some sodas or something. We could ask the night porter when we get back."

"Alright. Well, we'll plan on going to the dining car together at 7:30 then."

"Plan on being hungry. This sort of dining has several courses to it. It will be a very formal dinner," Michael told them.

"Tux," Brian and Michael both replied simultaneously, and then they laughed, not intending to answer together.

Brian and Angus changed for dinner, and Brian helped him get the stupid shoulder brace off and get changed. Angus didn't want to wear the brace to dinner with his tux. Brian wasn't his keeper, so he had no desire to force him. As it was, though, Angus hadn't done anything to strain his shoulder, so he felt alright. Angus doublechecked his appearance in the mirror, and it occurred to him that Ruby had never seen him in a tux. Well, he hadn't seen her in an evening gown either, so fair was fair. They'd get their chances.

"These tuxes are missing something," Angus told Brian quietly.

"Yeah," Brian said. "They're alright enough, but for some reason, we always look sharper when the girls are with us."

"Agreed," Angus said. "As it is, our dates are Michael and Jessie." He looked up at Brian, and Brian burst out laughing.

"Some dates," Brian said sarcastically. "Come on. Let's go to dinner." They left their compartment and knocked on Jessie's and Michael's door. "Come on, Ladies," Brian called, teasing Michael and Jessie just a little. "Our dinner reservation awaits."

"We need to find a camera," Brian said.

"Why?" Angus said.

"Nobody's going to believe he wore a tux," Brian laughed. "Seriously, though, it looks good, Jessie."

"Let's go. It is quite a hike to the dining car. Nearly the length of the train," Michael said. He led the way through the cars up towards the engine to the dining car. The dining car was done in sumptuous shades of red with red carpet and red armchairs. The tables had sparkling white linen tablecloths and formal table settings.

The menu gave them the choice of a gourmet sea bass entree or braised lamb shanks, and both entrees were served with risotto and some fresh grilled seasonal vegetables, with a mont blanc cake with candied chestnuts for dessert. And, of course, the meal was served with wine chosen for each entree, with champagne served with dessert, and, if chosen, a glass of port after dessert.

Brian chose the sea bass, and Angus and Michael chose the lamb. Michael spoke in French to the sommelier and chose the wines for the entrees, and the sommelier appeared to be impressed with Michael's choices.

"I have a feeling this is going to be an outstanding meal," Brian said.

"Without a doubt," Michael said. "The chef is award winning. He's won a James Beard award and a Michelin star, so I believe we are in for one of the best suppers we've ever had."

"Leave it," Michael told Jessie. "I could loosen it for you just a little, but this is not the place to take it off."

"It could be worse," Brian said. "You could be a woman. You have no idea what they go through just to wear an evening gown."

"Let alone labor and delivery," Angus said.

"Well, yes. There's that too."

"You've delivered a baby or two, haven't you?"

"Absolutely, and I was there in the delivery room when Abbey was born. So, Jessie, I suggest you learn to wear a tie before you do any complaining about them in front of one of the girls. You will very likely get not one shred of sympathy from them. Just fair warning, Mate. Ah. Our wine is arriving."

The wine steward served the wine and left them a loaf of warm, fresh bread and some creamy saffron butter.

"Saffron," Michael said, impressed. "Do you know saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world? Nearly 9 pounds for a single ounce. I'm going to savor every little taste of this butter." He broke the bread into manageable pieces, since cutting it was not proper manners. He didn't want anyone struggling with it. "Now, that will make things easier. Help yourselves." He took a piece and then put a bit of the saffron butter on his plate and then spread a bit of that on the piece of bread he'd taken for himself. He figured if he modeled proper etiquette, it would be easier for the others to follow without causing any embarrassment.

Michael loosened Jessie's tie as much as he could without Jessie's appearance suffering for it, which wasn't a lot, but maybe it would be enough.

"Saffron threads are actually the stigma or center threads of a crocus flower that grows only in a certain small portion of the world. Part of what makes it expensive is that each thread has to be harvested by hand. So, even if a worker works a regular 40 hour work week, they still haven't picked enough of those little threads to make a single pound of saffron. That's why its so blooming expensive," Michael said. "And it's a very distinctive aroma and flavor, so it really can't be duplicated."

When Jessie mentioned Angus and Ruby having children, he simply smiled. Ruby hadn't been very subtle lately about wanting children. He wanted children too, but he had been going back and forth about whether the time to do it was now or later. Part of what had pulled Angus back was the death of his parents and his own anxiety that maybe some of their genetics might make him turn out to a crappy parent, just like his parents had been. The other thing that shook him was the dangerous nature of their work. Angus had said he wasn't going to do missions work anymore, and then Robert had sent him to Romania anyway. He didn't want to think about maybe something happening to him and then her being left to raise their kids without him. That wasn't fair to her.

And that fear lasted until something happened that made him feel, even for a moment, like he was going to die--like hanging from a root over a pit. That made him want to cast away everything else and just have children anyway, in case their time had run out.

"If that's in the cards for us, then I'm sure I'll be there when that happens," Angus said simply. "We've talked about it, but we haven't found the right time for it. We've also talked about wanting to do a lot of travel. It's bloody hard to do that once one has children. So I don't know."

He didn't see himself as a hysterical dad in the delivery room. After all, working on a farm showed a man all sorts of birth and life and death. It just did. And, Angus was generally good in a crisis. He knew how to stay calm and focused and just do what needed to be done. It would be just his luck for Ruby to go into labor out in the hinterlands in the winter on one of Robert's survival weekends and for him to have to deliver his own child in a snowbank.