if she had been unreasonably accused. ‘Presumably the supplier who supplies
our operational phones. They’ve always been perfectly reliable.’
‘Perhaps you could enquire,’ said Charles.
‘Meanwhile, I’m afraid I have to agree with Charles on this,’ said Stephen, who had picked up his pen and was doodling again. ‘Mobiles are bad news.’
‘I think we’ll have to do something about it,’ said Charles. ‘We’ll return to the subject.’
They broke up with a shuffling of chairs and no lightening of the atmosphere. Charles had been conscious throughout of how much he was keeping back from them: the fact that they were penetrated,
that GCHQ were secretly monitoring their systems, that he was going to recontact Viktor, the very existence of Viktor, all the concerns of COFE. He had thought he could tell them about Peter Tew,
warning that anyone who had known him should report contact, but decided to turn it into a fence-mending exercise by offering it to Melissa to announce to the Office as a whole, to make the issue
hers. However, she left the room first, closing her bag with a snap, followed by Michelle with her laptop. He would have to ring her later. Elaine, still finishing her notes at the end of the
table, was the last to stand. ‘Come and chat about the minutes before you do them,’ Charles told her.
His office was occupied by workmen.
‘They’re just connecting some trunking,’ said Elaine. ‘They said they’ll only be another ten minutes.’
‘Let’s go to the canteen.’
‘There’s quite a list of things we need to discuss.’
‘Bring it.’
They were early and there were not many people. They took curries and salads to a table in the far corner. ‘I suppose this will have to close when they get round to refurbishing it,’
said Charles.
‘It’s been done. Finished two weeks ago.’
She laughed, which he was glad to see. She had with her a list of impending visits from Dutch, American, French, Danish, South African, Indian and Singaporean heads of liaison services, with a
longer list of calls he had to make in Whitehall and of cases into which he had to be indoctrinated. There were also issues arising from his previous service, adjustments to his MI6 pension, and a
photograph swipe-card pass to be arranged. Elaine had had to escort him in that morning on a visitor’s pass. There were also alias identities, including passports, to be set up for when he
visited liaisons overseas. He queried this. ‘I was blown decades ago, I’ve been global Red for years. Anyone who Googles me can see what I was and now that what I am is being publicly
announced what’s the point in hiding it?’
‘Security department ruling.’ One of many, I’m afraid. Because of the public announcement, you’re an obvious terrorist target if you appear on any flight manifest in your
own name.’
He thought he’d left all that behind him when he ceased operational work. ‘What if I’m prepared to accept the risk?’
‘You’d be accepting it for everyone else on the flight, too.’
He held up his hands. ‘Okay, just make sure my new names are easily said and spelt. No Cholmondelys.’
‘Believe it or not, the first one they’ve come up with is Goodenough.’
‘But what is it?’
She laughed again. But he still felt she was watchful, as if he might explode. He knew from having been one that you had to have complete trust in your private secretary, even if she were
reporting back – ad hoc and informally, of course – to Angela Wilson. ‘That was a surprise, that meeting this morning,’ he said. ‘I hadn’t expected it to turn
out like that.’
‘I don’t think they did, either.’
‘Was I unreasonable in making them go and get those figures?’
She hesitated. ‘You were quite firm. Particular. They were a bit complacent. Now they know not to be.’
If things became difficult she could be a useful intermediary between him and the board. ‘When you write up the
our operational phones. They’ve always been perfectly reliable.’
‘Perhaps you could enquire,’ said Charles.
‘Meanwhile, I’m afraid I have to agree with Charles on this,’ said Stephen, who had picked up his pen and was doodling again. ‘Mobiles are bad news.’
‘I think we’ll have to do something about it,’ said Charles. ‘We’ll return to the subject.’
They broke up with a shuffling of chairs and no lightening of the atmosphere. Charles had been conscious throughout of how much he was keeping back from them: the fact that they were penetrated,
that GCHQ were secretly monitoring their systems, that he was going to recontact Viktor, the very existence of Viktor, all the concerns of COFE. He had thought he could tell them about Peter Tew,
warning that anyone who had known him should report contact, but decided to turn it into a fence-mending exercise by offering it to Melissa to announce to the Office as a whole, to make the issue
hers. However, she left the room first, closing her bag with a snap, followed by Michelle with her laptop. He would have to ring her later. Elaine, still finishing her notes at the end of the
table, was the last to stand. ‘Come and chat about the minutes before you do them,’ Charles told her.
His office was occupied by workmen.
‘They’re just connecting some trunking,’ said Elaine. ‘They said they’ll only be another ten minutes.’
‘Let’s go to the canteen.’
‘There’s quite a list of things we need to discuss.’
‘Bring it.’
They were early and there were not many people. They took curries and salads to a table in the far corner. ‘I suppose this will have to close when they get round to refurbishing it,’
said Charles.
‘It’s been done. Finished two weeks ago.’
She laughed, which he was glad to see. She had with her a list of impending visits from Dutch, American, French, Danish, South African, Indian and Singaporean heads of liaison services, with a
longer list of calls he had to make in Whitehall and of cases into which he had to be indoctrinated. There were also issues arising from his previous service, adjustments to his MI6 pension, and a
photograph swipe-card pass to be arranged. Elaine had had to escort him in that morning on a visitor’s pass. There were also alias identities, including passports, to be set up for when he
visited liaisons overseas. He queried this. ‘I was blown decades ago, I’ve been global Red for years. Anyone who Googles me can see what I was and now that what I am is being publicly
announced what’s the point in hiding it?’
‘Security department ruling.’ One of many, I’m afraid. Because of the public announcement, you’re an obvious terrorist target if you appear on any flight manifest in your
own name.’
He thought he’d left all that behind him when he ceased operational work. ‘What if I’m prepared to accept the risk?’
‘You’d be accepting it for everyone else on the flight, too.’
He held up his hands. ‘Okay, just make sure my new names are easily said and spelt. No Cholmondelys.’
‘Believe it or not, the first one they’ve come up with is Goodenough.’
‘But what is it?’
She laughed again. But he still felt she was watchful, as if he might explode. He knew from having been one that you had to have complete trust in your private secretary, even if she were
reporting back – ad hoc and informally, of course – to Angela Wilson. ‘That was a surprise, that meeting this morning,’ he said. ‘I hadn’t expected it to turn
out like that.’
‘I don’t think they did, either.’
‘Was I unreasonable in making them go and get those figures?’
She hesitated. ‘You were quite firm. Particular. They were a bit complacent. Now they know not to be.’
If things became difficult she could be a useful intermediary between him and the board. ‘When you write up the