‘It’s too long ago for anything to be left between us,’ persisted Malik. Was it important, to make such an effort? If Kazin were going to have conceded any sort of response – the proper sort of response – it would have come by now.

‘I don’t understand,’ protested Kazin, who did but who was enjoying the other man’s efforts to rebuild bridges across divides too wide ever to be crossed again.

Malik sighed determinedly. He said: ‘Whatever happened, happened. It’s past. Gone…’ He hesitated and said: ‘Olga and I were very happy, afterwards. She loved me. I loved her.’

Fool! thought Kazin. He wanted to speak: was desperate to hurt the other man as he knew the words would hurt him, but Kazin held back because the words weren’t any longer enough. With a difficulty he thought he managed to keep from Malik, Kazin said: ‘Yes. It all happened a very long time ago.’

‘I did not seek this.’

‘You already made that clear.’

‘I’m prepared to try: not to forget – we neither of us could ever forget – but to try.’ Malik felt once more that he was prostrating himself too much.

‘So am I,’ said Kazin, a remark for his own benefit. ‘I am prepared to try.’ Starting with the meeting which is directly to follow this, he thought.

Deciding upon a test he felt necessary, Malik said: ‘Did you know that my son served in this Chief Directorate?’

‘No,’ said Kazin immediately.

The man was lying, Malik knew at once. He’d already checked the posting records and identified Kazin’s signature on the authorization for Yuri to be sent to Kabul. Malik was glad he had not interfered when Yuri had asked him to block the assignment.