Fenby’s concern was such that he did not even notice Hillary’s careless cursing.
He had a big one here – the biggest of his career so far – of international consequence with the added burden of the House Speaker’s very personal attention. Everything had to be right, exactly right, with no wrong moves and certainly no oversights. Overkill didn’t matter; overkill was fine, in fact, because too much not too little got done in overkill.
He smiled across the expansive desk at the girl who sat, as she’d sat before, with her legs crossed to display practically the whole length of her thigh. ‘I want to be on top of this, one hundred per cent,’ he said, unthinking of the double entendre that broadened Hillary’s smile. ‘I want you in Moscow.’
‘Me! Moscow!’
‘As soon as you can,’ said Fenby. ‘I’ll get State to arrange the visa as quickly as possible.’
The conference, which continued after the departure of Kestler and Charlie, broke up in near disarray and with Natalia as exposed as ever although with more chance to influence decisions for which she was ultimately accountable. The Interior Minister insisted Natalia chair the immediately convened and following meeting to prevent the Pizhma haul getting out of the country, which was technically her responsibility as the department head, although Natalia thought there was an element of inferred criticism of Aleksai and suspected he thought so too. The impression increased, spreading, she believed, to the military commanders, when the meeting ended with the belated investigation following virtually every suggestion put forward by Charlie and the American. That second session was expanded, again on Radomir Badim’s orders by internal division commanders from the Federal Security Service, the new intelligence service formed from the old KGB, and the Federal Militia to provide as much additional manpower as possible to secure borders into Europe and the West. A further ministerial edict was that every planning decision be channelled to the minister through Natalia, which kept her the inevitable focus for mistakes as much as for successes. And realistically she recognized the risks of mistakes were far greater than the benefit of successes.
Ever conscious of that, Natalia questioned and examined every proposal, relegating to secondary importance the chauvinism of the military and the other male division chiefs and Popov’s barely concealed impatience at her operational experience. Natalia rigidly limited her questioning to the practicalities of stopping the stolen nuclear material reaching the West, but was not reluctant to challenge Popov.
She was as annoyed with him as he appeared to be with her. She’d been very vulnerable at the beginning of the minister’s inquest and Aleksai had done nothing to help: indeed, he had led the denunciation of Western involvement with which she would have been culpably linked if it had been judged ill-concieved, and she’d felt satisfaction as well as embarrassment for her lover when the attack had blown up in his face.
It was a resentment Natalia intended privately to let him know beyond what he’d doubtless already assumed, but she acknowledged the opportunity wasn’t going to be easy that night. As pointedly as Natalia felt able when she left to report to the minister, she demanded Popov contact her with the street-level, city-by-city details of the regional and outer border closures upon which they had decided.
She returned uneasily to Leninskaya, hoping Popov would assume the contact insistence a relayed demand from Radomir Badim that had to be complied with. Which it virtually turned out to be anyway from the point-by-point interrogation to which she was subjected by the minister, as well as by Viskov and Fomin, before they agreed every proposal. Because of the uncertainty, Natalia left Sasha in the care of the creche staff.
It clearly was Popov’s assumption from the formality with which he telephoned, an hour after she arrived back at the apartment.
He recited the demanded details in a flat, expressionless tone, scarcely making any allowances for her to take notes. She didn’t ask him to slow or repeat anything. ‘Is there anything additional you want?’ he concluded.
‘I don’t think so.’
‘I shall stay at the ministry tonight.’
Objectively Natalia accepted it was right he should remain in the ministry building: the need was greater now than when he was preparing for the Kirov interception. ‘Call me immediately there is any development’
‘Of course. Anything else?’
‘I would have liked more support this afternoon.’ If she couldn’t tell him to his face she’d tell him this way.
‘So would I!’
‘You were too anxious to criticize!’
‘And you to approve!’
‘I wasn’t approving! Just showing practical common sense to practical common sense suggestions!’
‘Which no one was left in any doubt about that I should have had and already initiated!’
‘You’re assuming a criticism nobody made!’
‘Your Englishman made it.’
‘He’s not my Englishman! And you asked him what he would do in the circumstances, didn’t you!’
‘I was made to look a fool!’
By yourself, nobody else, thought Natalia. Aloud she said, ‘Blaming Western involvement, which you set out to do, could have cost me the directorship!’
‘That’s an exaggeration.’
‘I don’t think so. I don’t have to tell you what that would mean… not just to me. To Sasha, too.’
‘And I don’t have to tell you how much I want properly to look after you. And Sasha.’
Natalia hadn’t expected him to turn the conversation like that and for several moments could not think of a response. She recognized it as the olive branch to end their argument but she didn’t want so quickly to take it. He hadn’t done enough to help her. So it was right he should know how deeply she was annoyed: too deeply to be mollified in a five-minute telephone conversation. Reverting to the formality with which he’d begun, Natalia said, ‘Call me, if there is anything.’
Rebuffed, Popov said, ‘I will,’ and replaced the telephone without any farewell.
Natalia remained by the receiver, gazing at it. She hadn’t said what she’d wanted to say and knew what she had said hadn’t been right. She felt confused and angry, at herself and at Aleksai and peremptory ministers and presidential aides and at whatever they were involved in, about which she felt most confused of all. She grabbed the receiver when it sounded, anxious to hear Aleksai apologize.
‘We should talk,’ suggested Charlie.
‘Yes,’ agreed Natalia. ‘We should.’
‘What’s the seriousness of the leak?’ demanded Patrick Pacey.
‘We need far more information before any proper assessment can be made,’ said Dean. ‘There’s a scientific team being assembled at Aldermaston. We’re feeding them the raw information as it comes in. Washington is cooperating fully: the President telephoned Downing Street an hour ago. I’ve had three separate telephone conversations with Fenby.’
‘Is it a Chernobyl situation?’ persisted Pacey.
‘We don’t know enough to answer that.’
‘The fallout, from Chernobyl, reached England!’ Simpson pointed out.
‘This can’t possibly be as big,’ guessed Dean.
‘Chernobyl was a reactor,’ reminded Pacey, unnecessarily. ‘This is weapons-graded. Surely that will be more powerful?’
‘I don’t know!’ repeated the exasperated Dean.
‘Why break open the canisters deliberately?’ said Johnson.
‘It’s beyond belief!’ said Pacey.