Read Online Winter in Madrid by C. J. Sansom - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: C. J. Sansom
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words with a touch of distaste.
Hillgarth was in his forties, tall and darkly handsome with large brown eyes. They were hard but there was something mischievous, almost childlike, about them and about the wide sensual mouth. Harry remembered Sandy reading adventure stories at Rookwood by a man called Hillgarth. They were about spies, adventures in dark backwaters of Europe. Sandy Forsyth had liked them but Harry had found them rather garbled.
The captain shook his hand warmly. ‘Hello, Brett. You’ll be directly responsible to me, through Tolhurst here.’
‘Sit, please; sit, all.’ Hoare waved Harry to a chair.
‘We’re glad to see you,’ Hillgarth said. ‘We’ve had reports of your training. You seemed to pick up everything reasonably well.’
‘Thank you, sir.’
‘Ready to spin your yarn to Forsyth?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘We’ve got you a flat, Tolhurst here will take you round afterwards. Now, you know the drill? The cover story?’
‘Yes, sir. I’ve been seconded as an interpreter, after the illness of the previous man.’
‘Poor old Greene,’ Hillgarth said with a sudden laugh. ‘Still doesn’t know why he was rushed off home.’
‘Good interpreter,’ Hoare interjected. ‘Knew his job. Brett, you’ll have to be very careful what you say. As well as your – ah – other work, you’ll be interpreting for some senior people, and things are delicate here. Very delicate.’ Hoare looked at him sharply and Harry felt suddenly intimidated. He still couldn’t get used to the fact that he was talking to a man he had seen on the newsreels. He took a deep breath.
‘I understand, sir. They briefed me in England. I translate everything into the most diplomatic language possible, never add comments of my own.’
Hillgarth nodded. ‘He’s doing a session with the junior trade minister and me on Thursday. I’ll keep him in order.’
‘Maestre, yes.’ Hoare grunted. ‘We don’t want to upset
him
.’
Hillgarth produced a gold cigarette case and offered it to Harry. ‘Smoke?’
‘I don’t, thanks.’
Hillgarth lit up and blew out a cloud of smoke. ‘We don’t want you to meet Forsyth straight away, Brett. Take a few days to get yourself known on the circuit, settle in. And get used to being watched and followed – the government put spies on all embassy staff. Most of them are pretty hopeless, you can spot them a mile off, though a few Gestapo-trained men are coming through now. Watch out for anyone on your tail, and report to Tolhurst.’ He smiled as though it were all an adventure, in a way that reminded Harry of the people at the training school.
‘I will, sir.’
‘Now,’ Hillgarth went on. ‘Forsyth. You knew him well for a time at school, but you haven’t seen him since. Correct?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘But you think he might be well disposed towards you?’
‘I hope so, sir. But I don’t really know what he’s been up to since we stopped writing. That was ten years ago.’ Harry glanced out at the courtyard. One of the men there was looking in at them.
‘Those bloody airmen!’ Hoare snapped. ‘I’m fed up with them peering in here!’ He waved a hand imperiously and the men got up and walked off, disappearing through a side door. Harry saw Hillgarth gave Hoare a quick look of dislike before turning back to him.
‘Those are pilots who had to bale out over France,’ Hillgarth said pointedly. ‘Some of them have walked here.’
‘Yes, yes, yes,’ Hoare said pettishly. ‘We must get on.’
‘Of course, ambassador,’ Hillgarth said with heavy formality. He turned back to Harry. ‘Now, we first heard about Forsyth two months ago. I’ve an agent in the Industry Ministry here, a junior clerk. He let us know they were all very excited there about something that was going on out in the country, about fifty miles from Madrid. Our man can’t get to the papers but he overheard a couple of conversations. Gold deposits. Large ones, geologically verified. We
Hillgarth was in his forties, tall and darkly handsome with large brown eyes. They were hard but there was something mischievous, almost childlike, about them and about the wide sensual mouth. Harry remembered Sandy reading adventure stories at Rookwood by a man called Hillgarth. They were about spies, adventures in dark backwaters of Europe. Sandy Forsyth had liked them but Harry had found them rather garbled.
The captain shook his hand warmly. ‘Hello, Brett. You’ll be directly responsible to me, through Tolhurst here.’
‘Sit, please; sit, all.’ Hoare waved Harry to a chair.
‘We’re glad to see you,’ Hillgarth said. ‘We’ve had reports of your training. You seemed to pick up everything reasonably well.’
‘Thank you, sir.’
‘Ready to spin your yarn to Forsyth?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘We’ve got you a flat, Tolhurst here will take you round afterwards. Now, you know the drill? The cover story?’
‘Yes, sir. I’ve been seconded as an interpreter, after the illness of the previous man.’
‘Poor old Greene,’ Hillgarth said with a sudden laugh. ‘Still doesn’t know why he was rushed off home.’
‘Good interpreter,’ Hoare interjected. ‘Knew his job. Brett, you’ll have to be very careful what you say. As well as your – ah – other work, you’ll be interpreting for some senior people, and things are delicate here. Very delicate.’ Hoare looked at him sharply and Harry felt suddenly intimidated. He still couldn’t get used to the fact that he was talking to a man he had seen on the newsreels. He took a deep breath.
‘I understand, sir. They briefed me in England. I translate everything into the most diplomatic language possible, never add comments of my own.’
Hillgarth nodded. ‘He’s doing a session with the junior trade minister and me on Thursday. I’ll keep him in order.’
‘Maestre, yes.’ Hoare grunted. ‘We don’t want to upset
him
.’
Hillgarth produced a gold cigarette case and offered it to Harry. ‘Smoke?’
‘I don’t, thanks.’
Hillgarth lit up and blew out a cloud of smoke. ‘We don’t want you to meet Forsyth straight away, Brett. Take a few days to get yourself known on the circuit, settle in. And get used to being watched and followed – the government put spies on all embassy staff. Most of them are pretty hopeless, you can spot them a mile off, though a few Gestapo-trained men are coming through now. Watch out for anyone on your tail, and report to Tolhurst.’ He smiled as though it were all an adventure, in a way that reminded Harry of the people at the training school.
‘I will, sir.’
‘Now,’ Hillgarth went on. ‘Forsyth. You knew him well for a time at school, but you haven’t seen him since. Correct?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘But you think he might be well disposed towards you?’
‘I hope so, sir. But I don’t really know what he’s been up to since we stopped writing. That was ten years ago.’ Harry glanced out at the courtyard. One of the men there was looking in at them.
‘Those bloody airmen!’ Hoare snapped. ‘I’m fed up with them peering in here!’ He waved a hand imperiously and the men got up and walked off, disappearing through a side door. Harry saw Hillgarth gave Hoare a quick look of dislike before turning back to him.
‘Those are pilots who had to bale out over France,’ Hillgarth said pointedly. ‘Some of them have walked here.’
‘Yes, yes, yes,’ Hoare said pettishly. ‘We must get on.’
‘Of course, ambassador,’ Hillgarth said with heavy formality. He turned back to Harry. ‘Now, we first heard about Forsyth two months ago. I’ve an agent in the Industry Ministry here, a junior clerk. He let us know they were all very excited there about something that was going on out in the country, about fifty miles from Madrid. Our man can’t get to the papers but he overheard a couple of conversations. Gold deposits. Large ones, geologically verified. We
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