Crossword Genius

Escort about to arrest couple from the east (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

retinue

'escort' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'about to arrest couple from the east' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'about' could be 're' ('re' means regarding or about) and 're' is present in the answer.
'from' could be 'in' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'in' is located in the answer.
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is present in the answer.
'east' could be 'e' (synonyms) and 'e' is located in the answer.
A single letter 'u' remains which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

(Other definitions for retinue that I've seen before include "company" , "Band of attendants" , "Group of assistants" , "Body of aides" , "Train, following" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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