Red Star Falling

9

Both intelligence-agency deputies were, in fact, more than satisfied with the enquiry-chamber encounter. To Jane Ambersom — and to Aubrey Smith, whom she told the moment he entered the room — Rebecca’s remark, innocuous though it appeared, eased Jane’s intended approach. To Rebecca Street, Jane’s response was a pinprick to deflate the balloon-thin confidence with which Gerald Monsford arrived, his entry with Harry Jacobson timed to gain the maximum attention from the almost-assembled tribunal.

‘Witnesses!’ stressed the MI6 Director, drawing Rebecca beyond the hearing of anyone else. ‘You mean there are several?’

‘Certainly more than one.’ This was definitely closer to orgasmic than the farce she’d frustratingly endured the previous night.

‘But not today?’

‘I don’t think so, not from the way she spoke.’

‘We need to know who they are, get an idea of what they’re going to say, before they’re called.’

‘Something might emerge today.’ It was so easy to nudge the man off his self-constructed pinnacle, Rebecca thought. She even knew enough Shakespeare to find the mockery—I have a faint cold fear thrills through my veins. The only inconsistency after the last night’s farce was that it came from Romeo and Juliet.

‘What I…’ began Monsford but was halted, needing to return to the table, by the arrival of Geoffrey Palmer and Sir Archibald Bland.

Monsford did not immediately respond to MI6 becoming the focus of attention at Bland’s announcement of Harry Jacobson’s appearance, hunched instead over his pad. It was in the momentary hiatus of Bland’s invitation for Monsford to take his witness through his evidence that the MI6 Director slipped his palm-concealed note to Rebecca, who left the folded paper unopened, preferring instead to watch the unintended difficulty she’d created by putting Monsford and Jacobson beside each other.

Monsford had to twist awkwardly sideways to lead Jacobson, who had matching difficulty needing to face across the table, not at his director, for his responses. Rebecca’s imagery was of a ventriloquist operating his mouth-shuttered dummy, which was totally appropriate in view of the rehearsal she knew Jacobson had undergone.

He had, deposed Jacobson, become Radtsic’s Control from the moment of the Russian’s approach at a French-embassy reception. He had not, at that stage, known the man was Maxim Mikhailovich Radtsic, the executive deputy of the Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti. Over the course of several clandestine meetings at various Moscow locations, Radtsic had made clear his determination to defect, with his family, believing he was about to be purged. He had not given any positive reason for that belief but allowed the inference that he was being held personally responsible for the Lvov debacle. Throughout the planning of Radtsic’s extraction, Jacobson had dealt primarily and directly with the Director but also logistically with the operations director, James Straughan. He was also aware, from both men, that the deputy MI6 director, Rebecca Street, was an active participant at every stage of the planning. A difficulty arose in that planning from Radtsic’s son being a student at the Sorbonne, in Paris. To persuade the son to defect, Radtsic’s wife travelled to Paris. Because of Radtsic’s intelligence expertise, it was decided by James Straughan that a large extraction-support team was unnecessary — that Jacobson alone was sufficient Control and escort for the man — particularly acknowledging the possibility of the FSB becoming aware from airport and embassy surveillance of the arrival in Moscow of a British intelligence contingent for a separate, MI5 extraction of Natalia Fedova. The defection of Maxim Radtsic went flawlessly but that of the man’s wife and son was intercepted by French security. He knew nothing of the circumstances of that interception. Nor did he have any detailed knowledge of the Natalia Fedova extraction.

‘Was there, during the planning with either myself or the operations director, any discussion of a staged diversion to draw attention from Maxim Radtsic’s crossing?’ asked Monsford.

‘Not with you, sir.’

Jane’s exasperated move was halted by Aubrey Smith’s leg jamming into hers.

‘Which is not a complete answer,’ prompted Monsford.

‘There was one reference from operational director Straughan. He said he was thinking of introducing a diversion.’

‘What was that diversion to be?’

‘I don’t know. It was never referred to again by operations director Straughan.’

‘Was there any discussion of a diversion with anyone else: deputy director Rebecca Street, for instance?’

‘I do not recall any such discussion. I cannot categorically say that one never took place. If it did, I can’t remember it.’

Aubrey Smith’s leg was painfully into Jane’s: he felt the anger throbbing through her.

‘Did you ever, either in discussion or as a rumour within either the MI6 or MI5 rezidentura of the Moscow embassy, hear of an intended distracting assassination?’

‘No, sir. My instructions from operations director Straughan were to keep myself completely separate from the second extraction.’

Properly turning his chair back into the room, Monsford said, ‘I do not think I can help this enquiry any further.’

‘There’ll be a refreshment break,’ decreed Bland.

Rebecca at last opened Monsford’s note. It read, ‘FIND OUT ABOUT MI5 WITNESSES.’

It was Jane’s idea to go alone into the adjoining annexe, leaving Smith and Passmore in the enquiry room analyzing Harry Jacobson’s anodyne puppetry. Jane got there first, putting the onus of approach upon the other woman, quickly getting tea she didn’t want and an empty table, away from which she moved one chair and put her sagged briefcase on the third, leaving only one place vacant. It was physically a mechanical, unthinking process, Jane’s mind blocked by a single mantra: beat him, beat him, beat him.

‘I guess this vacant chair is for me?’ said Rebecca, standing behind it.

‘Why not?’ invited Jane.

‘Thank you for saving it.’ Straughan had disdained the MI6 headquarters ribaldry at the other woman’s androgyny and Rebecca trusted the sadly dead man’s judgement.

‘With whatever questioning there might be for Jacobson, it made every sense to keep your witnesses back, didn’t it?’ began Rebecca, covering the silence by opening and pouring her mineral water.

‘We haven’t decided a specific day: there’s a lot to be discussed.’ It was her lead, with Rebecca having to follow, Jane decided.

It would be naïve for her to expect any other attitude from the woman whom she’d replaced, Rebecca acknowledged. Objectively considering the circumstances, Jane Ambersom was being remarkably receptive, even though she was sure the attitude was motivated by the same reasons as her own. Knowing the concessions had to come from her, Rebecca said, ‘We’ve both got far too many of our people in Russian custody.’

‘And too many innocents totally unaware what the fuck’s happening to them, largely because of Charlie Muffin.’ It would appear too much, as the all-girls-together obscenity was too much, but Jane hoped it would cloak the direction in which she wanted to lead the other woman.

More than receptive, judged Rebecca. Cautiously, she said, ‘Some people other than the innocents don’t know what’s going on, either.’

‘That was a pretty shitty trick Monsford pulled, getting you into the records.’

There was almost a physical wince of withdrawal from Rebecca. She sipped her water, needing the pause, discomfited by the reminder of how Jacobson’s remark had been manipulated. ‘I didn’t have anything to do with what happened to you at Vauxhall Cross. I want you to know that.’

A clever evasion, conceded Jane. ‘If for a moment I believed you had, I’d thank you as sincerely as I knew how. Where I am now, among the people I am with now, is the luckiest escape I’m ever likely to have.’

‘We’re straying into generalities,’ complained Rebecca, further unsettled by the other woman’s response.

‘What, specifically, should we talk about?’ pounced Jane.

‘This, all of it, has gone beyond any sensible rivalry: beyond any sense at all.’

‘I think so, too.’ Jane hadn’t expected such a commitment.

The summons bell signalled the resumption of the hearing.

‘Are your witnesses going to cause us difficulty?’

Jane was briefly off-balanced by the directness. Deciding to match it, she said, ‘The one who was actually at the airport and saw it all, could…’ The pause now was for emphasis. ‘But not to you, personally: you personally haven’t made any claims, have you? We’re judging your inclusion by Jacobson to be yet another of Monsford’s responsibility insurances, having someone else at whom to point the finger if he thinks it necessary.’

Rebecca rose, to prevent their being the last to return. ‘I think we should talk again.’

‘I think so too,’ agreed Jane.

Natalia looked up expectantly at Ethel’s entry. ‘You’ve heard something!’

‘Not about Charlie,’ quickly calmed the security supervisor.

‘What then?’ It was close to a disinterested question, Natalia even turning to where Sasha was playing with her zoo-animal models. She’d chosen a giraffe to go with the tiger.

‘They’ve agreed to your seeing Irena Yakulova’s admission to Charlie.’

Natalia came back, frowning, to the other woman. ‘We only spoke about it this morning?’

‘I told you the conversation was being relayed from the car. Are you surprised?’

Natalia gauged the question. Finally she said, ‘Yes, I am.’

‘Why?’

‘Are you debriefing me?’ demanded the Russian. It wasn’t resentment.

‘I don’t think I’m professionally competent enough, do you?’

‘Not if there was something I wanted to keep from you.’

‘Something like why you’re surprised to be seeing Charlie’s confrontation with Irena Yakulova?’

Natalia smiled at last. ‘Normally it wouldn’t be contemplated with someone who hadn’t proved themselves during a full interrogation: it definitely wouldn’t be conceivable in Russia.’

‘The judgement is that these are anything but normal circumstances.’

‘That’s certainly true.’

‘What Irena said isn’t being electronically transmitted, for obvious security reasons, so it won’t be here today. It’s being couriered from London.’

‘A courier could be followed!’ objected Natalia, the concern immediate.

‘Not by helicopter, making an intermediate transfer stop to prevent the initial flight plan being hacked into,’ assured Ethel.

‘You were testing me for right answers, though, weren’t you?’ challenged Natalia.

‘Weren’t you expecting me to test you, being included as closely and as quickly as you are?’

‘I was waiting, hoping not to be disappointed.’

Knowing before he even set out on his experiment that the warning ache in both feet would make it difficult — and determined against worsening the discomfort by encountering any unpredictable spetsnaz—Charlie limited the expedition to the dacha’s immediate surroundings, not expecting to confirm the extent of the cottage’s outside electronic surveillance, despite believing he’d isolated the most likely internal observation in the main rooms. He tested that belief by slipping out a side door onto the encircling veranda but sat at once on one of its rough-hewn seats to assess the quickness of the male housekeeper’s pursuit. He spent the fifteen minutes he allowed for the man’s appearance intently studying as much of the exterior of the building as he was able to see, confident he also identified two devices beyond his eyeline from their internal supply cables.

Charlie was careful to avoid both when he finally moved, sticking to the inside of the raised walkway, along which he detected two more telltale supply leads, and by visually estimating the distances between them left the dacha beyond their scope. The usual provision in such safe houses was that every potentially detectable camera or CCTV was duplicated by at least one so well hidden as to be invisible, no matter how well trained or experienced the searcher. And here that invisibility was doubly compounded by the tightly encircling firs among the branches of which a profusion of unseen cameras could be mounted.

None of which was the point or purpose of Charlie’s so-far-uninterrupted excursion, which he was surprised — as well as increasingly concerned — he was being allowed to continue.

The unevenness of the track to the paved road was even more pronounced than it had been during the agonizing car approach, slowing him to a groping foot-at-a-time progress, and he was relieved at the tree break he’d memorized, smiling at the instantly more comfortable pine-needle path through trees so closely packed together that almost at once he was shrouded in near-total darkness. Charlie stopped after about fifteen metres, conscious of the undergrowth scurrying and tree-branch scraping, waving his arms about him in a pointless battle against the miasma of flying, stinging things protesting his intrusion. The movement made his shoulder itch.

The pine-needle carpet was so thick — and the approach so professional — that his housekeeper guard was practically upon him before Charlie realized the man’s presence, despite the intensity with which Charlie was both listening and expectantly looking.

‘It’s easy to become disorientated, lost, in woods this dense,’ said his house guard, conversationally.

‘I was just turning back,’ responded Charlie, still waving his arms around his head. ‘And I’m being badly stung.’

‘They’re a particularly vicious type of mosquito,’ said the man, turning. ‘It’s easier if we go back this way: shorter, too.’

It was, conceded Charlie, shuffling gratefully behind. He’d probably get away with the same experiment once more but after that he’d have to find something different. But this had been an encouraging confirmation.

It was not until she re-entered the enquiry that Jane Ambersom fully realized that she could, if sufficiently adept, at least humiliate and at best expose as a lying megalomaniac the man who’d tried to destroy her professionally. And if that near-hypnotic intensity with which Monsford was staring at her was attempted intimidation, it wasn’t going to be any more successful than his thick-fingered seduction efforts when she’d been his deputy.

‘Let’s get on,’ formally reconvened Sir Archibald Bland, mirroring the open surprise of almost everyone else at Aubrey Smith’s announcement that Jane would open the MI5 questioning.

Bullet points were set out for her on a single sheet and John Passmore, close beside her, had a second sheet of corollary targets dependent upon Harry Jacobson’s initial responses. Following the first written prompt, Jane said, ‘We have been left to assume a great deal, perhaps too much, from what you’ve told this enquiry. I’d like you to be far more specific because what little you’ve offered so far is very directly contradicted by MI5’s understanding of events.…’

A stir went around the chamber, the concentration settling upon Monsford and Jacobson who remained like statues in their seats.

‘So let’s start from the absolute beginning,’ Jane continued. ‘Maxim Mikhailovich Radtsic approached you at a French-embassy reception?’

‘That’s what I’ve already deposed,’ said Jacobson, the words measured.

‘How?’ Jane demanded, sharply.

Jacobson shifted, uncertainly. ‘I don’t understand that question.’

Jane exaggerated the sigh. ‘How, exactly, did Radtsic approach you?’

‘He came up to me; I was standing alone.’

‘And said? I’m sure you can recall his words exactly.’

‘“I want to talk to you of something of great importance,”’ quoted the man.

‘Just that: just those eleven words?’

‘Yes.’

‘What was your reaction?’

‘I asked him who he was. He said he was someone who could be of great interest and value to my country.’

‘Did he identify himself?’

‘No.’

‘Did he address you by name?’

It was another sharp question and almost imperceptibly Jacobson moved to look to Monsford for guidance, the gesture stopped as quickly as it began. ‘He called me Mr Jacobson.’

‘In English?’

There was another hesitation. ‘Yes.’

‘And you acknowledged the identification by continuing the conversation?’

‘I believed it was an approach that could prove useful.’

‘Why?’

‘He’d arrived as part of a Russian-government group.’

‘In front of which he openly approached you, addressing you, in English, by name and in such a way that showed he knew you were an intelligence officer attached to the British embassy? Didn’t it occur to you that you were being targeted by Russian intelligence?’

‘Of course it did!’ insisted Jacobson, indignantly. ‘It was my immediate thought then and remained my concern throughout the entire extraction.’

‘What’s the purpose of all this!’ abruptly intruded Monsford. ‘This officer successfully brought to England Maxim Mikhailovich Radtsic, the executive deputy director of Russian intelligence. What is there to be questioned, beyond that?’

Satisfaction surged through Jane at the opportunity, openly and in front of his peers, to confront the man she loathed. ‘So very, very much. We believe it’s important to discover how many inviolable precautions against entrapment your officer ignored, and which could have led to subsequent events at Vnukovo Airport. We also want to learn, which I imagine also to be of primary importance to you, if there were any indications of Radtsic’s alleged treason from exchanges James Straughan might have had with your officer. And then there’s—’

‘I don’t think there’s any need for you to expand any further or for this intervention to have been made.’ broke in Geoffrey Palmer, from his joint chairman’s position beside Bland. ‘Let’s continue with the examination.’

Jane only just held back the smile of triumph at the public rebuke to the MI6 Director, conscious that Rebecca Street hadn’t tried so hard to conceal the quick facial twitch. ‘You were telling us of your fear of entrapment?’ Jane picked up. ‘Did you follow the prescribed MI6 procedure for defections: particularly a defection of this importance? There were, after all, sufficient MI6 officers on Moscow station for protective surveillance during your encounter with Radtsic.’

There was a further hesitation from Jacobson. ‘My orders were to keep Radtsic’s extraction quite separate from those MI6 officers involved in Muffin’s operation.’

The man’s reply opened several pathways, and Jane chose the most personally important. ‘Orders from whom?’

This time Jacobson completed the look towards Monsford, answering the question without needing to speak, which he did anyway. ‘The Director.’

Jane hoped there hadn’t been sufficient rehearsal. ‘You had a resident officer, David Halliday, permanently on station with you.’

‘He was also precluded.’ The answer was less assured.

‘Upon whose orders?’ She scarcely needed the bullet-point prompts, Jane decided.

‘The Director.’

‘Was Radtsic’s extraction controlled entirely by the Director?’

‘Not entirely.’

The man was apprehensive of an unanticipated question, Jane knew, that thought at once replaced by another at Rebecca’s shift on the opposite side of the table. ‘With whom else did you deal directly?’

‘The operations director, James Straughan.’

There was another stir around the room. ‘With whom did you deal the most, the Director or James Straughan?’

Jacobson appeared to consider the question and again Jane decided the rehearsal had been inadequate. ‘I would estimate more with Straughan than with the Director.’

‘Were some of the exchanges shared or were they always one-to-one?’

‘As far as I am aware, they were always one-to-one.’

‘Again, as far as you are aware, were the conversations between yourself, the Director, and James Straughan always recorded?’

‘It’s standard practice for them to be recorded.’

‘Were you aware of any exchange, with either man, being unrecorded?’

‘No.’

‘Would you have been aware?’

‘Not unless I was told: it’s always done from London.’

‘So there’s a full voice record of everything that passed between yourself, the Director, and the operations director, James Straughan?’

‘I told you the recording systems are operated from London. I was in Moscow. I cannot say whether everything was recorded or not.’

On his secondary sheet Passmore marked a series of exclamation marks. Time for another question she didn’t imagine had been rehearsed, decided Jane. ‘How many one-to-one, presumably recorded, discussions did you have with your deputy director, Rebecca Street?’

Jacobson moved to speak but seemingly changed his mind, briefly looking down at the table before saying, ‘I don’t recall any direct discussion between us.’

‘Not thirty minutes ago you suggested there had been!’ challenged Jane.

‘I didn’t mean to convey that impression.’

‘So any exchanges that might have involved the deputy director, Rebecca Street, were shared either with the Director or James Straughan?’

‘They would have been, yes.’

‘And as it is standard practice, they would have been recorded, providing a positive log of every occasion in which Rebecca Street was involved, along with the subjects of whatever those conversations were?’

‘Yes.’ The admission strained from the man.

‘From your exchanges with either the Director or James Straughan, did you get the impression that Rebecca Street was being excluded, as people in Moscow were excluded?’

‘No, I did not get any such impression.’

‘But let’s stay with impressions,’ encouraged Jane, disregarding her prompt list entirely, totally confident of where she was going and how to get there. ‘What were your impressions of the operations director throughout all your dealings with him?’

Jacobson stared across the table, appearing nonplussed. ‘I’m not sure I got any particular impression!’

‘Let me help you,’ intentionally patronized Jane. ‘Was it your impression that he was competent?’

‘Yes,’ said Jacobson, uncertainly.

‘Was there ever an instruction or a remark from which you got the impression that James Straughan was trying to obstruct or misdirect you?’

‘No.’ The man frowned, still uncertain.

‘Did the operations director ever appear stressed, out of control?’

The frown deepened. ‘No, never.’

‘To whom did you first speak about Maxim Mikhailovich’s approach to defect?’

‘The Director,’ replied Jacobson, at once.

‘How soon afterwards did Straughan become involved?’

‘Virtually immediately: the same day, I think. The official recordings will be dated and timed.’

‘And how soon was that after Radtsic’s approach at the French embassy?’

‘The following day. I’m sure it was the following day.’

‘You have told us Radtsic did not identify himself at the French embassy that evening. How were you able the following day to name him, both to your Director and James Straughan?’

‘At the French embassy I gave him one of the reserved contact numbers at our rezidentura. He called the following day, to arrange a meeting. At that meeting he told me his name.’

The moment, decided Jane. ‘Was that when you talked of a diversion?’

‘It was…’ started Jacobson, then stopped. ‘I don’t recall mentioning a diversion to Maxim Mikhailovich.’

‘He appears to recall it very easily.’

‘I don’t.’

‘Nor what the diversion was going to be?’ tried Jane.

‘It was never mentioned.’

‘Did the word assassination come into it?’

‘This has already been exhaustively covered and denied!’ intervened Monsford, flushed.

‘Do you have any evidence to support this line of questioning?’ Bland asked Jane.

‘Not at this stage, but I would like to register the request to recall this witness after evidence still to be produced by this side,’ conceded Jane.

‘The request is registered but for now move on to other points,’ ordered the chairman.

‘Did you recognize the name Maxim Mikhailovich Radtsic?’ resumed Jane.

‘Of course. He’s named as the FSB’s executive deputy on our watch list.’

‘The additional function of protective surveillance by a fellow officer at this first open meeting would have been to photograph the man,’ said Jane, baiting her trap.

‘There is a photograph on our watch list.’

Jane was aware of Monsford’s discomforted fidgeting. She said, ‘I know the watch list, from my time at Vauxhall Cross. And I know the photograph. It was snatched, from a distance, at a Presidium meeting sixteen years ago.’

‘It was sufficient for initial confirmation of his identity.’

Turning directly to the joint chairmen, Jane said, ‘I would ask that this photograph is subsequently produced to give this committee the opportunity to decide upon its clarity for positive identification.’

‘Let’s have it, shall we?’ Palmer said to Monsford.

‘What reason did Radtsic give for wanting to flee Russia with his family?’ demanded Jane.

‘Radtsic is still being debriefed,’ intruded Monsford, hurriedly.

A second opportunity she hadn’t imagined, seized Jane. ‘It’s our understanding that Radtsic is refusing any co-operation until he is reunited with his son, who in turn has refused to follow his father here. Which surely creates an impasse for you. But that’s another entirely separate matter. I am not asking about any debriefing. I’m asking what reason Maxim Radtsic gave for defecting, which is quite different.’

‘Radtsic’s been given an ultimatum in the light of the hostile penetration of my service,’ persisted Monsford, flushed again by a confrontation he knew he was losing.

‘Which again does not affect my question,’ insisted Jane, in turn,

‘I’d like to hear the reason,’ once more supported Geoffrey Palmer.

Monsford, defeated, jerked his head as if in permission to Jacobson, who said, ‘He told me he was about to be purged, although he had no personal involvement in the Stepan Lvov affair.’

‘Learning much more about that could be key in getting a lot of our people — certainly those innocently caught up — out of Russia,’ unexpectedly declared Sir Archibald Bland.

‘Which I assure you we will learn, very quickly,’ said Monsford, anxious to recover.

Next to Jane, Passmore hurriedly wrote disclose, followed by more exclamation marks, on his secondary prompt sheet.

Jane said, ‘An assurance I can also give. In the days immediately prior to her extraction, Natalia Fedova, who was successfully brought to this country despite the events at Vnukovo Airport, had open access to the personnel files of Maxim Mikhailovich Radtsic.’

‘You sure this Fedova woman isn’t the witness Ambersom thinks will cause us the most difficulty?’ demanded Monsford.

Us, picked out Rebecca, recognizing the familiar responsibility shuffle as quickly as she’d earlier established that the man hadn’t activated his recording system. ‘Of course I’m not sure. I understood it was one of their people who witnessed the shooting but she could have been trying to put us off track.’ Rebecca didn’t think the MI5 deputy had been attempting anything of the sort but she was enjoying unsettling Monsford.

‘It was a personal attack upon me: a positive decision by Aubrey Smith to nominate her as Jacobson’s questioner. Bastards, both of them! And Palmer, too. He was definitely against me.’

She had to make contact with the woman to thank her for the particular questioning that took her out of the direct firing line, acknowledged Rebecca. ‘It didn’t go well, did it?’

‘Jacobson fucked up. He definitely isn’t getting Paris after today’s performance.’

So that was the promised reward, accepted Rebecca: the original assassination order had to have been given to Jacobson. ‘Do you want me to tell Timpson that all the voice recordings between Jacobson and here have to be handed over to the enquiry?’

‘No!’ said Monsford, at once. ‘I want you to concentrate on Radtsic. I’m appointing you his interrogator. I want everything he knows about Lvov and the penetration here. I’ll notify Timpson: I’ve given notice that I’m calling him tomorrow. I’m expecting him to be good.’

At that moment Monsford had no way of knowing just how good.

‘Sounds like you won,’ congratulated Barry Elliott.

‘Aubrey Smith seemed to think so: told me afterwards there was no need for either him or Passmore to have taken over the questioning.’ She was in the kitchen, preparing the spaghetti sauce.

‘Congratulations.’

‘I didn’t mean to tell you in so much detail.’

‘I’m glad you trust me enough to do so.’

‘You know why I did?’

‘Why?’

Everything at a snail’s pace, she warned herself. ‘You kept your word, about Radtsic’s defection. Neither your people nor the CIA could have held back if there’d been the slightest hint.’

‘I’ve got a dilemma about the way things are going between us. If they knew, Washington would accuse me of losing professional objectivity.’ That night he’d made closet space for some clothes with which Jane arrived.

‘I don’t think there’s going to be a conflict,’ said Jane, coming into the room to accept the offered wine.

‘I hope you’re right.’

‘Trust me,’ said Jane. She hoped she didn’t have to make the choice between professional and personal, either. Despite the perfection of it all — being in a personal relationship that until now she’d only ever dreamt of, never imagining it ever happening — she was unsure what that choice would be. She had to be very careful not to appear too eager and spoil everything, certainly not until she was positive that Barry’s professional dependence had become personal.