Dirty Work

39

Stone’s phone rang early the next morning.

“It’s Carpenter,” she said.

“Good morning.”

“Are you free for lunch today?”

“Yes.”

“Twelve-thirty at the Four Seasons. There’s somebody I want you to meet.”

“Who?”

“I’ll see you at twelve-thirty.” She hung up.

Stone was on time, and Carpenter, with a companion, was already seated at a table in the Grill. The man rose to greet Stone.

“This is Sir Edward Fieldstone,” Carpenter said. “Sir Edward, may I introduce Stone Barrington.”

The man was six feet, slender, rather distinguished-looking, with thick, gray hair that needed cutting, hair visible in his ears and nose, and a well-cut if elderly suit that could have used a pressing. “How do you do, Mr. Barrington,” he said, his voice deep and smooth, his accent very upper-class. “Won’t you sit down? Would you like a drink?”

Stone glanced at the bottle on the table: Chateau Palmer, 1966. “That will do nicely,” he said.

Sir Edward nodded, and a waiter appeared and poured the wine.

“Thank you so much for coming on such short notice,” Sir Edward said. “Let’s order some lunch, shall we?”

They looked at the menu, and Stone ordered a small steak, while Carpenter and Sir Edward both ordered the Dover sole, not seeming to care that it might not be the best thing with the wine.

“Lovely weather,” Sir Edward said. “We’re not used to it. London is always so dreary.”

“It can be dreary in New York, too,” Stone said, wondering exactly who Sir Edward was. He seemed to be in his mid-sixties, and very un-spylike.

They chatted about nothing until their food came. Stone waited for somebody to tell him why he was there.

“Is there anything you’d like to know?” Sir Edward asked. It seemed a non sequitur.

Stone looked at Carpenter, who kept her mouth shut. “Perhaps you could begin by telling me who you are,” he said.

“Of course, of course,” Sir Edward said, sounding apologetic. “I’m a British civil servant. Perhaps I shouldn’t go any further than that.”

“Are you Carpenter’s immediate superior?” Stone asked.

“Perhaps a notch or two upwards.”

“Are you the head of Carpenter’s service?” Stone asked.

“One might say so. Pass the salt, please.”

Carpenter passed the salt.

“MI Five or MI Six?” Stone asked.

“Oh, those lines seem so blurred these days,” Sir Edward replied. “Let’s not be too specific.”

“Perhaps I should explain, sir,” Carpenter said.

Sir Edward gave her the faintest of nods.

“It is very unusual for . . . a person in Sir Edward’s position to meet, in his official capacity, with a person outside his service. In fact, very few outsiders are even aware of his name.”

“Would you prefer to be addressed as ‘M,’ Sir Edward?” Stone asked.

Sir Edward chuckled appreciatively but did not reply.

“That’s a little outdated,” Carpenter said. “You do understand that this meeting is, well, not taking place?”

“All right,” Stone said. “Perhaps you could tell me why it is not taking place?”

“Thank you, Felicity,” Sir Edward said. “I’ll take it from here.” He turned to Stone. “Mr. Barrington, I believe you are familiar with recent events involving a young woman by the name of Marie-Thérèse du Bois.”

“Somewhat,” Stone said.

“And you know that we have been trying to protect certain of our personnel from certain actions of this woman.”

“You mean, you’re trying to stop her from killing your people?”

Sir Edward looked around to be sure he was not being overheard. “One might say that, though perhaps not quite so baldly.”

“Sir Edward, I am an American, not a diplomat, and we are sometimes, as a people, blunt. I think this conversation might go better if you keep that in mind.”

“Quite,” Sir Edward replied, seeming a little miffed.

“What is it you want of me?”

“It is my understanding that you are representing the woman in certain matters?”

“She has retained me for legal advice.”

“Then you are in touch with her?”

“That may be possible.”

“I should like to meet with her.”

Stone nearly choked on his wine. “You astonish me, Sir Edward, given the history of her meetings with members of your service.”

“I am aware that she harbors ill feelings toward us.”

“Then you are aware that she would probably enjoy killing you on sight.”

“Quite.”

“Sir Edward, I think that what you propose is out of the question, given the current state of relations between you and my client.”

“It is the relations between us that I would like to discuss.”

“Frankly, I cannot imagine a setting where such a meeting could take place, given your separate concerns for security.”

“I would be willing to meet with her alone in a place of her choosing, as long as it is a public place.”

“Sir Edward, do you intend to propose some sort of truce between your service and my client?”

“Something like that.”

Stone shook his head. “For such a meeting to take place, I think there would have to be a level of trust that does not exist on either side.”

“I have already said that I am willing to meet with her alone.”

“If you’ll forgive me, I don’t find that a credible proposal.”

Sir Edward looked irritated. “And why not?”

“I think my client would view such a meeting as nothing more than an opportunity for your people to kill her.”

“Nonsense. I’m willing to give her my word.”

“I’m not sure that, given her experience with your service, that would impress her.”

Sir Edward looked as if he would like to plunge his fish knife into Stone’s chest.

“Surely you can understand that,” Stone said.

“Speak to your client,” Sir Edward said.

“And tell her what, exactly?”

“Tell her that we are willing to come to an accommodation.”

“Make a proposal.”

“We stop trying to kill each other. If we can agree that, then I can arrange for all record of her to be removed from our databases and those of other European services.”

“Permanently?”

“We would retain a record, off-line, so that, if she should violate our agreement, we could circulate it again.”

“And if you should violate it?”

“That, sir, is not in question.” Sir Edward shifted in his seat, and his tone became more conciliatory. “Please understand that my service has never before undertaken such an accommodation with . . . an opponent. We are doing so now only because, in you, Mr. Barrington, we suddenly have a conduit to the opposition. You may tell that we respect her motives, but we believe that it is in the interest of both parties to bring a halt to this madness.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Stone said.