The political counsellor seemed to rise on his toes.
"You insult my government."
He boomed, "The man's not born who could do that."
The political counsellor swung on his heel, thrust his way through the diplomats. The laughter would have been a tide in his ears. His back vanished.
The Australian handed the British ambassador the glass. "Bit strong, Sylvester, but you gave us a good laugh."
He looked keenly at his friend. "My elder daughter, Aggie, she's doing a year's voluntary work on a kibbutz in southern Israel. If those bastards had had their way she'd have been obliterated along with 300 others. She happened to be on that flight."
After two more drinks and a full minute's conversation with the General Secretary, he left the reception, down the steps to his waiting car. He shuddered.
The dark depression of autumn was settling on Moscow.
2
Just before midnight the British Airways Boeing 737 touched down at Sheremetyevo, modern and miserable and the gateway to Moscow.
An hour later, Customs and Immigration on high quality go-slow, young Holt met his girl.
"Pretty damn late, young man."
" They had to hold the flight so I could say goodbye to my lady."
"Pig" Jane pouted.
And she came to him and grabbed him and hugged him and kissed him.
The Second Secretary stood back and looked at his watch and coughed and shuffled, and wondered whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office had got itself intothe business of love-broking, for crying out loud, He had to cough twice more, and there was a ring of petal pink smudges around young Holt's mouth.
"Fifteen pairs, r i g h t… Just the same as usual. Fifteen atExtra Large, with gussets… Just as long as you don't forget… and give my love to Hermione… Bye, darling, keep safe."