think we both needed a respite from the nagging problem of Slade and his damned package, and the act of setting out our camp was a return to happier days which we both eagerly grasped.
Elin got up to cook supper and I poured another drink and wondered how I was to get rid of her. If she wouldn’t go voluntarily then perhaps the best way would be to decamp early in the morning leaving her a couple of cans of food and a water bottle. With those and the sleeping bag she would be all right for a day or two until someone came into Asbyrgi and gave her a lift into civilization. She would be mad as a hornet but she would still be alive.
Because lying low wasn’t good enough. I had to become visible—set myself up like a tin duck at a shooting gallery so that someone would have a crack at me. I didn’t want Elin around when the action started.
Elin brought the supper and we started to eat. She said, ‘Alan, why did you leave the…the Department?’
I hesitated with my fork in the air. ‘I had a difference of opinion,’ I said shortly.
‘With Slade?’
I laid down the fork gently. ‘It was about Slade—yes. I don’t want to talk about it, Elin.’
She brooded for a while, then said, ‘It might be better if you talked about it. You don’t want to keep things locked up.’
I laughed silently. ‘That’s funny,’ I said. ‘Telling that to an agent of the Department. Haven’t you heard of the Official Secrets Act?’
‘What’s that?’
‘If the Department found I’d talked out of turn I’d be slung into jail for the rest of my life.’
‘Oh, that!’ she said disparagingly. ‘That doesn’t count—not with me.’
‘Try telling that to Sir David Taggart,’ I said. ‘I’ve told you more than enough already.’
‘Then why not get it all out? You know I won’t tell anyone.’
I looked down at my plate. ‘Not of your own free will. I wouldn’t want anyone to hurt you, Elin.’
‘Who would hurt me?’ she asked.
‘Slade would, for one. Then there’s a character called Kennikin who may be around, but I hope not.’
Elin said slowly, ‘If I ever marry anyone it will be a man who has no secrets. This is not good, Alan.’
‘So you think that a trouble shared is a trouble halved. I don’t think the Department would go along with you onthat. The powers that be don’t think confession is good for the soul, and Catholic priests and psychiatrists are looked upon with deep suspicion. But since you’re so persistent I’ll tell you some of it—not enough to be dangerous.’
I cut into the steak again. ‘It was on an operation in Sweden. I was in a counter-espionage group trying to penetrate the KGB apparat in Scandinavia. Slade was masterminding the operation. I’ll tell you one thing about Slade; he’s very clever—devious and tricky, and he likes a ploy that wins coming and going.’
I found I had lost my appetite and pushed the plate away. ‘A man called V. V. Kennikin was bossing the opposition, and I got pretty close to him. As far as he was concerned I was a Swedish Finn called Stewartsen, a fellow traveller who was willing to be used. Did you know I was born in Finland?’
Elin shook her head. ‘You didn’t tell me.’
I shrugged. 1 suppose I’ve tried to close off that part of my life. Anyway, after a lot of work and a lot of fright I was inside and accepted by Kennikin; not that he trusted me, but he used me on minor jobs and I was able to gather a lot of information which was duly passed on to Slade. But it was all trivial stuff. I was close to Kennikin, but not close enough.’
Elin said, ‘It sounds awful. I’m not surprised you were frightened.’
‘I was scared to death most of the time; double agents usually are.’ I paused, trying to think of the simplest way to explain a complicated situation. I said deliberately, ‘The time came when I had to kill a man. Slade warned me that my cover was in danger of being blown. He said the man responsible had not reported
Elin got up to cook supper and I poured another drink and wondered how I was to get rid of her. If she wouldn’t go voluntarily then perhaps the best way would be to decamp early in the morning leaving her a couple of cans of food and a water bottle. With those and the sleeping bag she would be all right for a day or two until someone came into Asbyrgi and gave her a lift into civilization. She would be mad as a hornet but she would still be alive.
Because lying low wasn’t good enough. I had to become visible—set myself up like a tin duck at a shooting gallery so that someone would have a crack at me. I didn’t want Elin around when the action started.
Elin brought the supper and we started to eat. She said, ‘Alan, why did you leave the…the Department?’
I hesitated with my fork in the air. ‘I had a difference of opinion,’ I said shortly.
‘With Slade?’
I laid down the fork gently. ‘It was about Slade—yes. I don’t want to talk about it, Elin.’
She brooded for a while, then said, ‘It might be better if you talked about it. You don’t want to keep things locked up.’
I laughed silently. ‘That’s funny,’ I said. ‘Telling that to an agent of the Department. Haven’t you heard of the Official Secrets Act?’
‘What’s that?’
‘If the Department found I’d talked out of turn I’d be slung into jail for the rest of my life.’
‘Oh, that!’ she said disparagingly. ‘That doesn’t count—not with me.’
‘Try telling that to Sir David Taggart,’ I said. ‘I’ve told you more than enough already.’
‘Then why not get it all out? You know I won’t tell anyone.’
I looked down at my plate. ‘Not of your own free will. I wouldn’t want anyone to hurt you, Elin.’
‘Who would hurt me?’ she asked.
‘Slade would, for one. Then there’s a character called Kennikin who may be around, but I hope not.’
Elin said slowly, ‘If I ever marry anyone it will be a man who has no secrets. This is not good, Alan.’
‘So you think that a trouble shared is a trouble halved. I don’t think the Department would go along with you onthat. The powers that be don’t think confession is good for the soul, and Catholic priests and psychiatrists are looked upon with deep suspicion. But since you’re so persistent I’ll tell you some of it—not enough to be dangerous.’
I cut into the steak again. ‘It was on an operation in Sweden. I was in a counter-espionage group trying to penetrate the KGB apparat in Scandinavia. Slade was masterminding the operation. I’ll tell you one thing about Slade; he’s very clever—devious and tricky, and he likes a ploy that wins coming and going.’
I found I had lost my appetite and pushed the plate away. ‘A man called V. V. Kennikin was bossing the opposition, and I got pretty close to him. As far as he was concerned I was a Swedish Finn called Stewartsen, a fellow traveller who was willing to be used. Did you know I was born in Finland?’
Elin shook her head. ‘You didn’t tell me.’
I shrugged. 1 suppose I’ve tried to close off that part of my life. Anyway, after a lot of work and a lot of fright I was inside and accepted by Kennikin; not that he trusted me, but he used me on minor jobs and I was able to gather a lot of information which was duly passed on to Slade. But it was all trivial stuff. I was close to Kennikin, but not close enough.’
Elin said, ‘It sounds awful. I’m not surprised you were frightened.’
‘I was scared to death most of the time; double agents usually are.’ I paused, trying to think of the simplest way to explain a complicated situation. I said deliberately, ‘The time came when I had to kill a man. Slade warned me that my cover was in danger of being blown. He said the man responsible had not reported
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