The lucky bastard. What did a beauty like this see in that ugly, old bear? Well, he thought to himself as he extended his arm to indicate where Voronov was sitting, that’s obvious isn’t it; it’s what makes the world go round – money, property, gold, jewels – Voronov had plenty of all of those. Mikhail sighed. He and the woman arrived at Voronov’s table simultaneously. Voronov rose stiffly to his feet and kissed his guest’s hand.
“Ah, Mikhail, another menu please and another vodka. Would you care for something to drink, my dear? No. Well, perhaps some wine with the meal. Bring me the wine list, will you? And some water. Please sit down, Countess, I am delighted that you have found the time to join me. Delighted. And we have so much to talk about, you and I.”
As Mikhail handed a second menu to the Countess, he noticed that she was very pale and that her smile seemed forced. Ah well, perhaps Voronov would have to put in some extra work for this one.
*
Merlin was still puzzling about the gold he had found when he realised it was lunchtime. He decided to find out how his friend Jack Stewart was bearing up. As he walked down the stairs, he toyed with the idea of getting a car from the pool, but just as he got outside he could see a bus moving slowly along the Embankment. He broke into a run and managed to get onto it just as the traffic lights in front of Big Ben were turning green. Twenty minutes later he jumped off on the King’s Road, turned down Flood Street and found the Chelsea AFS station around the corner from one of his and Stewart’s favourite haunts, The Surprise pub.
As soon as he pushed through the swing doors, he found Stewart, or rather heard him, tearing a strip off a couple of firemen.
“Why on earth haven’t you got that pump fixed? You’ve had six hours since we got back. I said everyone could have a little rest, but by little rest I didn’t mean six hours. It’s a small job anyway and shouldn’t take more than half an hour.”
Merlin heard a stuttered apologetic response.
“That’s no bloody excuse. Well, get on with it now anyway. We’re probably only a short time away from the next raid. Go on, off you go.” Stewart emerged from behind a bright red door, shaking his head. Stewart’s frame never did have much meat on it, but Merlin thought his friend was thinner than the last time he’d seen him.
A broad grin split the fireman’s face. “Well, this is a nice surprise. Frank Merlin, welcome to my humble abode. ‘Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam. Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home!’”
Like Merlin, Stewart was a great lover of poetry and through their many years of friendship they had enjoyed proclaiming favourite lines to each other. “Have you got any time to be taken out of your humble abode, Jack? Time for a quick one round the corner?”
Stewart consulted his watch. “I shouldn’t, but alright. A very quick one.”
Minutes later, both men were nursing modest half-pints of mild while trying to get to grips with two rather stale pork pies.
“So, how are you finding it, Jack?”
“Finding it. How am I finding it? Well, I don’t know if I have the words to be honest, Frank. Hellish. Stomach-churning. Knackering. Those are some not very good words. Strangely, also exhilarating, awe-inspiring, invigorating. Those are some good words. And Byron had some better. How does it go now?
‘For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast,
And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed,
And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill,
And their hearts but once heaved, and forever grew still!’”
“Muy bueno! Beautiful. Anyway, I thought you’d like to know that I’ve been thinking of you. To tell the truth, I’m still upset the A.C. blocked me from joining up. I can’t help feeling that I should be doing something more worthwhile in this war.”
“Oh, don’t feel like that. You’re doing just as important a job. Didn’t you just get that creepy little woman-murderer his just desserts? You know I’ve been twiddling my thumbs for months waiting for some action. It’s just the case that now the fire service’s moment in the spotlight has finally arrived. It’s probably going to be a long moment, but…” Stewart shrugged.