‘I’ve been transferred; I’m going back to Damascus. I thought Fane would have told you.’
‘Geoffrey? What’s it got to do with him?’
‘He’s part of the reason I’m going,’ said Miles, with a trace of resentment. ‘It was Bokus’s idea to start with -he never liked me, and after the Oval debacle it’s got harder than ever to work with him. Then when Ty Oakes went through the Middle East after the peace conference, your head of station there - his name’s Whitehouse - mentioned that my presence in Syria would be useful to the joint effort. He told me off the record that Fane had instructed him to make the request. It dovetailed so neatly with Bokus wanting to see the back of me that I assumed it was a put-up job.’
It took Liz a moment to follow his logic, for she was still taking in this news. ‘But why did Geoffrey care?’ she managed to ask at last.
Miles gave a small shrug. ‘I’ve got my own ideas of why. I think it may have something to do with you. But you’ll have to work it out for yourself.’
Liz was silent for a moment while she worked it out. Miles could only mean that Fane didn’t like their friendship. Did he object for professional reasons or was it personal? She’d have to think about that.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said eventually, not sure whether she meant she was sorry about Miles’s transfer, or about the fact that he’d been forced into it by Bokus and Fane.
Miles gave a wry smile. ‘Don’t be. I like Damascus. Like I say, you’ll have to visit. Shall we go?’
Outside, a low, bleak sun did little to take the edge off the chill of a cutting autumn wind. Liz buttoned her coat and tied the belt firmly round her waist. They walked in silence towards the river. At the southern end of Lambeth Bridge she turned, and after a moment’s hesitation said goodbye to Miles with a handshake rather than the hug she wanted to give him.
Who knew what might have happened between us, she thought as she crossed the river. Thanks to the professional jealousy of Bokus, and perhaps to the personal jealousy of Geoffrey Fane, it seemed unlikely she would ever find out. It was easy to say she’d get on a plane one day soon and fly to Damascus, but she knew it wasn’t going to happen. So many might-have-beens in my life, thought Liz, which made the clear conclusion of the Syrian plot at once satisfying and yet another reminder of her personal life’s dismaying lack of progress.
Oh well, she thought, as the bulk of Thames House loomed before her, at least I have a career I’m committed to - and care about. At the entrance as she showed her ID, she laughed at the usual bad joke made by Ralph, the security guard at the door, and as she went up in the lift she found a melancholy comfort at being back in her familiar surroundings. Gleneagles seemed to belong to a different world.
Once in her office, Liz began leafing through the stack of papers that had accumulated in her absence. She had not got far down the pile when there was a tactful knock on the open door of her office, and she saw Peggy in the doorway, white as a sheet.
‘What’s wrong?’ she said with concern.
‘Liz, I don’t know what to say. I’ve only just heard the news.’
‘What news?’ demanded Liz, wondering what could have gone wrong now. The peace conference had run its full if unedifying course, Hannah Gold was safe and sound back in Tel Aviv, and Danny Kollek had been caught. So what could be the matter?
‘It’s Charles,’ said Peggy tearfully. Liz felt her heart start to pound. What could have happened to Charles?
‘Joanne’s died,’ Peggy said. ‘It must be terrible for Charles. I know she’s been ill a long time, but now she’s gone and he’s all alone.’
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Chapter Fifty-Eight