Fortress

83

Sam had never been completely smitten before. It was as if he had been drugged. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. Nothing else mattered now — except Karza. After all, it was he who had brought them together. And together they would free him. That was her promise.

He slept deeply and by the time he woke, she had disappeared into the other bedroom. He had to get to Party HQ, so he showered and dressed. As he was about to leave he tapped gently on the door. She answered and he went in. She was preoccupied, as if Sam wasn’t even there, and barely acknowledged him.

Then she looked up. ‘You understand?’

He nodded.

He hoped this wasn’t how it would be from now, that she would still show him the attention she had earlier. But he had a new bond with her. He had seen these mood changes before and decided not to sweat it. The least he could do was cut her some slack after she had been so good with him. He told her he would be back in a few hours. She didn’t seem to hear him so he shut the door and left.

All the things that had besieged him before, Karza’s fate, his mother’s hassling, the ignominy of the assault by Dink, the threats from Derek Farmer, were diminished now, so much so that he hardly noticed them. He felt a heady kind of freedom.

Pippa was delighted to see him. ‘I’m so glad you’re still with us. It seems the line you took at that meeting with Vernon Rolt definitely resonated elsewhere.’ She gave him a conspiratorial look.

He waited for her to go on.

‘Number Ten, no less. I know this must seem a bit arse about face, but the messages coming down from the PM’s office now are to keep the faith, not to throw multiculturalism under the bus just yet. We’ve had some terrible setbacks but we mustn’t be deflected by them and so forth. We need to keep a bit of outreach going. Okay?’

And that after the humiliation of having his words written for him by Derek Farmer. Sam was almost amused at how much party policy got made on the hoof when there was a panic on, not that he cared any more. All the same he grinned enthusiastically. ‘Right. Got it.’

She thrust a folder into his hands. ‘We’ve prepared a little road trip for you. We want you to make some strategic visits to key constituencies. Sit with the MPs at their surgeries, let them be seen with you. Take your girlfriend along. It’s good they see you as part of a modern couple. People warm to that sort of thing.’ She gave him a sympathetic smile. ‘I’m sorry you’ve had a bit of a baptism of fire with us, and the different messaging that’s been going to and fro. But the PM’s hoping that the fruits of his summit with the President will send the right message to the country about the economy — which, after all, is what people really care about, isn’t it?’

Sam tried to think of something to say that made him sound as if he was paying attention. ‘No question that job insecurity and unemployment are an accelerant to civic strife.’

She clapped. ‘That’s the spirit. You really do have a talent for these one-liners. You’re going to go far, you know.’

He smiled at this. ‘Thanks, I intend to.’

He looked at the folder. Various letters of invitation and tickets to party events were paper-clipped together: Brighton, Bristol, Birmingham, Crewe, Sheffield, York — an itinerary covering half the country.

‘And, as promised, tickets for the summit events over the next few days. Don’t miss any of them. The PM thinks you’re just his sort of guy.’ She studied him, almost with a frown. ‘May I say, Sahim, you look much happier?’

He smiled serenely. ‘You’re right. I am. Much happier.’