Four days after Gwendoline's call to Jessica, the two girls were sitting in the First Class departure lounge, waiting for their flight to be called.

"I hate all this business of wearing clothes " said Gwendoline.  "What with that trip up to London and the visit to Harry's father, I seem to be spending half my time dressed"

Jessica looked at her friend.

"I wouldn't call you exactly overdressed, Gwen.  I should think most tarts  have more of a sense of modesty than you.  Just about everybody's staring at you - eyes popping out of their heads, especially those guys over in the corner"

This was  fair comment.  Gwen was dressed  in a very brief pair of shorts, whose topmost extent was a good three inches under her navel and whose bottom did not entirely succeed in covering her twin luscious hemispheres.  Her top left her shoulders bare except for straps of gossamer like thinness and terminated just below her breasts, giving all and sundry a splendid view of both her trim tanned stomach and a goodly part of her ribcage.  She had a a pair of flip-flops which she had carried in her hand, rather than worn,  since leaving home. Apart from a shoulder bag, this was her entire apparel for the trip.  She had caused quite a few young men to suffer near heart failure and almost been responsible for at least one major traffic pile-up on her way here.

Gwen glanced down at herself in response to Jessie's criticism.

"Tarts shave their legs and armpits and douse themselves with cheap perfume - any one can tell I'm not a tart!   And in any case it's a warm day and it's going to be even warmer where we're going.  No sense in arriving there attired in furs and snowshoes!

"No sense in giving men an open invitation to rape you either!"

"I'd like to see anyone try!  I'd fucking well kill him, Jessica!  You know I could too."

"And  another thing, Gwen you look just  a wee bit bruised around the eyes and ribs.  Still finding people to fight with?"

"Yes, Jessica!  None other than one of that legendary,  dynamic,  titanic duo  beside whom we two were rated as pygmies!   I  had it out with Katie after I'd been to talk about Harry with her,  and I bloody well wiped the floor with her!  Another legend bites the dust!"

Jessica could not stop herself from cheering this bit of news, but was none too happy about Gwen's suggestion of a four-way contest between Angie, Katie, Gwen and herself to find an overall winner when the mission to rescue Harriet was over.

Twenty minutes later, the flight was called and Gwen and Jessica moved towards the departure gate, Gwen leaving her sandals, which she had never really liked, on the departure lounge  floor,  pushed under the armchair.  Jessie failed to spot this until it was too late, and resigned herself to having to make the trip in the company of a friend who was now barefoot as well as at least seventy percent nude. Jessica  groaned to herself.    When, oh when,  would this girl ever grow up?
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The two were the sole occupants of the first class accommodation and  a steward, who could hardly believe his eyes when the girls, especially the scantily dressed Gwendoline,  boarded the aircraft, was attentive to the point that it became almost embarrassing, especially to Jessica, who was also rather put out at the way Gwen was getting so much more attention than she!  After all, she thought, she, Jessica  was respectably dressed - not got up like some brazen whore!   Gwendoline accepted the young man's admiring looks and extreme desire to please with great and very smug satisfaction!   By the time they had landed, this young gentleman was ready to follow Gwen to the ends of the earth.

During a period of solitude, Jessica asked her old friend to enlarge upon her ideas about how they should proceed when they arrived.

"We have an appointment with a Mr Algernon Mboya,  now Minister of the .   This gentleman is  a friend of Harry's who feels responsible for her kidnap in the first place.  He ought to have stopped all travel to the area in which she disappeared, but slipped up rather badly,the stupid prat!.  And his wife, Alicia is one of our number, she was recruited to the London Lodge a few months ago when her father was High Commissioner.  She is anxious to help in any way she can.  I hope she will be able to come with us."

"I also tried to get hold of that Bernard character - I have a hunch he'd be bloody useful - but could get no reply from his home.  He seems to have disappeared f rom off the face of the earth - probably on the run in connection with some shady deal or other."

"That's it, really.  I think we'd best go to where she was thought to have died and play it by ear from there.  In the meantime I suggest we relax and let this lovely handsome young fellow look after us.  Another gin and tonic,  please,  you scrumptious hunk of man!"

"What does Jim think about your swanning of to Africa?"  asked Jessica a little later on. "I mean you've always refused to go anywhere overseas with him since you married, and now you go all the way to Africa for the sake of Harriet."

"He doesn't like it.  Neither do I - I hope I never have to leave England again!  He sees Harry as someone he has to share me with, I suppose.  He thinks I don't spend enough time with little James as it is, but we have two fantastic nannies and Mummy is coming over from Nice so he doesn't have to worry he'll be left holding the baby!  What about Andy - I thought he might veto your coming, to be honest."

Jessie smiled.

"It was he who told me I was duty bound to come.  I know he's terribly worried for me, but he told me he couldn't endure a wife who didn't keep her word to her friends."

"He's a good fellow, old Andy.  You're a lucky woman, Jessica."

"I'm sure you are too, Gwen."

Gwen made no answer to this last of her friend's comments.  She loved Jim,  in her own highly idiosyncratic way, but she loved Harry far more than any other human being,  male or female,  that she had ever known.  The more she explored and experienced the depth of her feeling for that beautiful and strong red head the more amazed and excited it made her feel.  She would go to hell and back, even on the off-chance of rescuing her,  and willingly lay down her own life if that were the only way to get Harriet free.   Something inside her told her that this was precisely what she might be called upon to do and it made her feel strangely happy.

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Alicia Mboya, Zambekia's sole Lady Mason,  was waiting at the airport.  She and Gwendoline had previously met in Hampshire and she was thus not too surprised to see the Countess wearing such revealing clothes - indeed this was the only time that she had ever seen Gwendoline wearing anything at all.  She drove the couple to their hotel and thence to the Interior Ministry, where they were introduced to Harry's friend Gus.

Gwen could see why Harry had formed such a favourable impression of him.   The man had been to Eton and Balliol and had the manners of a true gentleman.   Gwen smiled to herself and reflected that Harry never could resist a  real smoothie.

"I see you have Harriet's reluctance to over dress in our hot climate"  was his greeting to Gwen.

"I assume that to have been intended humorously, Mr Mboya and I accept your observation in that spirit."

An uneasy silence ensued until Jessica tried to sooth the Minister's wounded feelings.

"My friend here has become very  fond of Harriet this last couple of years and more.  You must forgive her if she seems a little rude and brusque.  All we want is to see our precious friend freed and I think you want the same yourself.  As for Gwen - she likes her own body so much and humanity so much more that she feels the two should see more of each other!"