Breaking Cover

34

The BBC weather website said that Tallinn was fine: 21 degrees and clear skies. Peggy looked glumly out of one of the windows of the fourth-floor open-plan office, and wished again that Liz had taken her too. In London a westerly wind had swept in from the Atlantic, bringing rain and a cold wind. It felt more like autumn than spring, thought Peggy grumpily.

Until recently she’d always looked forward to the end of the day and to going back to the flat and seeing Tim. But things had changed. Now she found herself dawdling at her desk, almost looking for extra things to do, anything to reduce the hours she spent in his company.

So when the phone on her desk rang just as she was thinking of packing up for the day, she was pleased rather than annoyed – and delighted when it turned out to be Jasminder, suggesting they meet for a drink. It gave Peggy just what she wanted: a good excuse for being late home. She’d text Tim to warn him, and with any luck he’d find his own supper and retreat to the study and she wouldn’t have to cope with his inevitable surliness.

She met Jasminder in a wine bar near Embankment station, in one of the vaults below the railway bridge. Jasminder was looking stunning. She’d had her hair cut into a chic bob, and wore a smart raincoat, tightly belted. She was sitting in a corner nursing a glass of white wine.

Conversation flowed easily now that Jasminder knew where her friend worked. By coincidence, when she’d come round Thames House on an introductory tour, one of the people she’d been introduced to was none other than Peggy, who had laughed at her amazement.

‘How’s it all going?’ asked Peggy now. ‘Are you sorry you took the job? The press have been giving you a bit of a hard time.’

‘Not at all. I’m really enjoying it – in spite of all that,’ said Jasminder, sipping her wine. ‘I had my doubts at the beginning, as you know. But I was wrong – the job is fascinating. C has been very supportive and I think he really is committed to greater openness. So I don’t feel at all as if I’ve sacrificed my principles – which as you know was what I was most worried about.’

‘And Geoffrey Fane? How’s that old brute been behaving?’

Jasminder laughed. ‘I think he still thinks my arrival signals the end of the world as he knows it – and it probably does. But to be fair to him, he’s been very friendly.’

‘Yes, he would be,’ said Peggy. ‘One thing about Geoffrey is that he’s a gent. But that doesn’t mean he’ll take it all lying down. Just watch your back for when he sticks the knife in.’

‘I hear you, but honestly, I don’t think he will.’

‘Hmm.’ Peggy sounded sceptical. Then something buzzed, and Jasminder reached into her bag. She brought out a shiny green iPhone.

‘Ooh, nice,’ said Peggy admiringly.

‘I know. It was a gift. I’d never spend that much myself.’

‘Is it something urgent?’ Peggy asked as Jasminder looked at the message.

‘No. It’s my friend Laurenz. I’m meeting him in a bit – in front of the National Gallery.’

‘Is he the guy you mentioned before? You know, when we were filling out your application form?’ From which, Peggy also remembered, any mention of a boyfriend or partner had been omitted.

‘That’s the one.’ Jasminder seemed too pleased to be embarrassed. ‘We met when I got mugged,’ she added. ‘Do you remember, it was just before that lecture where we first met? He was the one who chased the men off.’

‘I remember. Are you seeing a lot of him then?’

Jasminder nodded. She suddenly looked shy. ‘I usually stay at his place now. When there were all those reporters round my house, he rescued me.’

‘Isn’t that dying down? The press is known for its short attention span.’

‘Yes. They’ve gone now. But Laurenz is still a bit nervy about them.’

‘Why does he care? It’s you they’re interested in.’

‘I know. But he’s a very private person and very protective of me.’

‘What does Laurenz do?’

‘Don’t laugh: he’s a private banker.’ Peggy couldn’t help but smile, and Jasminder said ruefully, ‘I know, it seems unlikely – Miss Civil Liberties going out with a representative of capitalism. But at least he’s not a hedge-fund manager. And, surprisingly, he shares my view on a lot of things. He’s remarkably liberal on many issues.’

‘But presumably his clients aren’t. Is that why he doesn’t want them to see him in the newspapers?’

‘Probably.’ Jasminder hesitated. ‘There’s something else too. He’s going through a divorce and it’s been very unpleasant. He says he doesn’t want his wife to know about me until everything’s settled. He said it would only make things worse if she knew he was seeing someone else. I think they’re arguing over money. He says she’s trying to bleed him dry.’

‘Sounds nasty. But I wouldn’t have thought the fact that he was seeing someone else would make any difference. I don’t think the courts expect any man to be a monk these days.’

Jasminder shrugged, then glanced at her phone again. Peggy said, ‘Did he give you that?’

‘Yes, when I got the job at MI6. He’s very generous. If I let him, he’d pamper me the whole time.’

Peggy smiled, trying not to think about how long it had been since Tim had given her a present. It wasn’t that she expected them; on his lecturer’s salary he wasn’t in a position to flood her with gifts. Actually, the nicest thing she’d ever had from him was a bunch of wildflowers he’d presented her with on her birthday. It just would have been good to know sometimes that he still wanted to please her.

Jasminder said, ‘I’d better be going. Laurenz is one of those irritatingly punctual types.’

‘Did you say you’re meeting him by the National Gallery?’

‘That’s right.’

‘I’ll walk up with you, if you don’t mind. It’s on my way.’

‘Great. I can introduce you. That will be a first. He’s never met any of my friends.’

‘I’ll just get the bill,’ said Peggy. She was curious to see this man who seemed to have Jasminder wrapped around his finger. Odd, how this impressive young woman – a role model to others, known for her ability to take strong positions and argue the toss with anybody from aggressive television interviewers to senior government ministers – was acting like a besotted teenager.

Outside it was still light as they walked up to the Strand, then cut across Trafalgar Square towards the steps in front of the National Gallery. The tourist season was just beginning, and by the fountains young visitors were posing for each other in front of Nelson’s Column. As they walked by it, Jasminder suddenly waved and Peggy saw a tall man in a dark blue suit, standing on the steps at the north end of the square, lift his hand in response.

As they approached, Peggy hung back a bit and waited while Jasminder and the man embraced. Peggy felt slightly awkward, especially when he didn’t even look at her; she wished now she had simply made her own way home. But Jasminder turned, holding the man’s hand, and said, ‘Laurenz, I want you to meet a friend of mine. This is Peggy Kinsolving.’

Peggy put on her warmest smile. ‘Hello,’ she said, trying to sound as friendly as she could.

Laurenz nodded at her, but didn’t say hello. He was a handsome man, almost dauntingly so – with a strong jaw, deep-set eyes, and dark hair that he brushed straight back.

‘I’m just on my way home,’ Peggy explained, in case Laurenz thought she was hoping to horn in on them. ‘But it’s very nice to meet you. Jasminder’s been telling me about you.’

‘Has she?’ he said, and Peggy could see that Jasminder was sharing her own discomfort. ‘Do you work with her?’

‘No,’ said Peggy emphatically.

‘How do you know her then?’ he asked rather abruptly. He seemed suspicious.

‘We met after a talk I gave,’ Jasminder said, and Peggy added, ‘I’m a big admirer of Jasminder’s – like a lot of people.’

Though this was intended to please Laurenz it had the opposite effect. He scowled slightly, then put his arm through Jasminder’s until she’d turned and faced him. ‘We’re running late,’ he said, and started to lead her away.

Jasminder looked back at Peggy, with a helpless expression that seemed almost beseeching, as if asking her to understand.

‘Nice to meet you,’ Peggy called out to Laurenz with a cheerfulness she didn’t feel. ‘I’ll ring you,’ she said more quietly to Jasminder, but her friend had already turned around and Peggy doubted she’d been heard.