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Tudin any opportunities. Which she had no intention of doing. And most of all she had Alexandra – always shortened, of course, to Sasha.
    A peaceful, settled existence, she determined, letting the reflection run on in a familiar direction. What she didn’t have, she couldn’t have: absolutely impossible. And because it was impossible it was easier to live with than her dilemma over Eduard. Not true, she denied herself once more. Not easier to live with: easier to confront because there was no possibility of her ever seeing Charlie again. The baby murmured and Natalia got the cooled bottle before picking her from the cot to feed.
    ‘Wonder what Daddy’s doing, Sasha? He’d love you very much, if he knew. Be very proud. I know he’d be proud. He told me once he had always been frightened of having a baby but I don’t think he would be frightened if he knew about you. No one could be frightened of you.’
    Natalia looked up from the contented baby, out into the darkening night enveloping Moscow. How would Charlie feel, knowing he had a baby daughter?
    John Gower picked up the telephone expectantly on the second ring, smiling in anticipation.
    Marcia didn’t make any greeting. She just said: ‘I’m missing you.’
    ‘I’m missing you, too.’
    ‘Enough to set up house, so we don’t have to be apart at all when I’m in London?’
    Gower hesitated. ‘You win.’
    ‘It isn’t a game. Or a battle.’
    ‘I can always kick you out, if we don’t get on.’
    ‘Who said we’ve decided on your place?’
    ‘You can always kick me out,’ he said. He had to learn how to be permanently with someone, just as he had to adjust to everything else.
    ‘How’s the course?’ asked Marcia.
    ‘OK.’ His pause was longer than before.
    ‘What sort of course is it?’
    Another hesitation. ‘Difficult to define, really. I suppose it’s to see how well I’ve learned everything else.’ Gower wasn’t at all sure that was correct, but it was the best he could offer.
    ‘What are the people like?’
    It was obvious she would expect there to be a classroom group. ‘Odd,’ he said, honestly, giving his personal judgement on his instructor with shuffling shoes.
    ‘Like them?’
    ‘Too soon to say.’ He’d done what had occurred to him at the first meeting and was apprehensive now at the outcome. Whatever, he knew he’d made the right decision. ‘How’s it going in Manchester?’
    ‘I’ve had two invitations to dinner tonight. One guy has a gold tooth and claims he owns a Rolls Royce.’
    ‘Accepted either?’
    ‘Do you want me to?’
    ‘If I said no it would mean I didn’t trust you. As I do trust you, I don’t think it’s my decision.’
    ‘But do you want me to?’ she persisted.
    ‘No.’
    ‘I didn’t think you would. That’s why I refused both.’
    It had taken Charlie days of trying to catch the same downward elevator as Julia Robb. She showed no sign of recognition.
    ‘I’ve been meaning to thank you for the other day.’
    For what?’
    ‘Miller keeps his intercom live, so he can hear what happens in the outside office, doesn’t he? Could have been embarrassing for me. So thanks.’
    She gave no confirmation but she did smile, very briefly.
    ‘I think I owe you a drink,’ pressed Charlie.
    ‘I thought we’d covered all this already?’
    ‘For the benefit of the open intercom.’
    Julia smiled more broadly. ‘Just for a drink?’
    Charlie looked open-faced at the joint personal assistant for both the Director-General and his deputy. ‘What else?’
    ‘I’ll think about it.’
    Sometimes the old tricks were the best, reflected Charlie.

Eight
    For long periods – as long as a total of six months on one occasion – Charlie’s mother had retreated from any reality, unreachable in total catatonia. It had all changed with the development of new drugs. Now she was invariably brightly alert, chattering constantly, although the senility was still well advanced. The largely one-sided