'What was that about losing a dear friend in the INLA, Mr Kell?' whispered Nelligan quietly. 'Shut up,’ hissed Kell.
The Americans returned. Shelby stood in the middle of the floor flanked by Bogroless and Roker. 'We agree,’ said Shelby. 'We'll finance it.'
‘Then this calls for a celebration,’ said Kell. 'Nelligan! The glasses.'
It was decided that Roker would handle negotiations on behalf of NORAID and Innes would be sent to the States to represent the interests of the IRA. Kell suggested that Innes return with the Americans to their own hotel so that he and Roker could finalise details about the exchange.
‘To a free Ireland,’ proposed Shelby with the final toast of the evening. Kell smiled and raised his glass.
When the Americans had left, Nelligan asked if Kell wanted any more whisky. Kell shook his head and said, 'We've got work to do. I want to speak to Harrigan in England and then I want to see Reagan. But first, phone the Long House… find out if the woman has called.'
Avedissian found that he could not sleep. He tossed and turned for a while before getting up to look out at the garden. It was bathed in moonlight and pale shadow, like a scene from another planet where no man had ever trod. The flowers had lost their colour and the trees their true form to become abstracts in a dream. There was no sound.. save for a slight scraping sound, that came from be-hind him! He turned round and saw the handle of the door turn slowly.
Avedissian tip-toed quickly across the room to press himself to the wall beside the door and wait for it to open. His pulse rate was rising rapidly. As a shadowy figure entered the room Avedissian reached out his arm and circled it round the figure's neck in a head lock. What he touched was silky and soft and smelled sweetly of a perfume he recognised. 'Kathleen!' he exclaimed. He relaxed his grip and felt on the wall for the switch.
'No, don't put on the light.'
'I'm sorry, I didn't realise…'
'It was my fault. It was a silly thing to do.'
'Are you all right? Did I hurt you?' whispered Avedissian, still holding her shoulders.
'I'm fine. I just feel stupid that's all.'
'But why? Why did you…?'
Kathleen looked up at Avedissian so that he could see her face in the moonlight coming from the window. 'It's silly. I couldn't sleep. I thought we might talk, then I realised that you would probably be sleeping so I thought I would look in on you quietly to see.'
Avedissian smiled in the darkness and told her that he hadn't been able to sleep either. He had been looking out of the window.
'May I join you?'
'Of course.'
'It's peaceful,' murmured Kathleen.
'Just what I was thinking,’ agreed Avedissian. 'But when there is nothing to distract you all your past mistakes return to haunt you.
‘The accusation of silence,’ said Kathleen.
'But now we each have a confessor,’ said Avedissian.
Kathleen smiled and pointed to a cat that was stealing across the lawn in pursuit of some unseen prey. They paused in their conversation to watch it then, when it had disappeared into the bushes, Kathleen said, 'Me first?'
'If you like.’
'I wouldn't know where to begin, "Father", for I am guilty of so many things. I feel sometimes as if I have lived my entire life as a victim of circumstance. A willing victim for I did nothing to change it.’
'Does that make you guilty of anything?' asked Avedissian.
'I think so. I think if you see harm being done and do nothing to prevent it it's almost as bad as doing it yourself, perhaps even worse because then you can pretend that you're entirely innocent.’
'Are you talking about your brother?' asked Avedissian.
'I suppose so. Don't get me wrong, I'm for a free Ireland as much as he ever was. I want to see an end to all the injustices of the North and I want to see the British out. It's just that I lack conviction when it comes to the crunch.’
'I don't understand.’
'When Martin came to me, as he always did when he needed someone, I was always there, but not because, as he imagined, I shared his enthusiasm for what he was doing but simply because he was my brother and I loved him.'
'That doesn't sound so bad to me,’ said Avedissian.
'But it was. Don't you see? I let him think that I agreed with him that there was no other way to achieve our ends, because my head told me that he was right, and still does. It's just that my heart always told me that it was wrong and it was a dreadful sin. I never told him that. I never tried to convince him that I might have been right. I just opted out and played the dutiful sister.'
'You are doing something positive now,' said Avedissian.
'I'm just a victim of circumstance again.'
'You needn't have agreed to come along,' Avedissian pointed out.
Kathleen looked at Avedissian and smiled distantly. She said, 'You are a nice man, Avedissian. What kind of a name is that anyway?'
'Armenian grandfather,' replied Avedissian.
'And what sins are you guilty of?' asked Kathleen.
Avedissian shrugged. 'Arrogance when I'm winning, weakness when I'm losing.’
'You sound like the human race,’ said Kathleen.
'It's just a question of degree.'
Kathleen shivered and Avedissian put his arm round her. He did it unsurely and there was an instant when she stiffened, but it passed. She relaxed and laid her head against his chest. 'It's been a long time since anyone held me,’ she said.
I’m sorry. That shouldn't be.'
'Do you find me attractive?' Kathleen asked, sounding vulnerable.
'More than attractive. You’re beautiful.’
'I'm thirty-four years old.’
Avedissian kissed her hair and repeated what he had said.
'You see, there has been no one to tell me that for such a long time.’ Kathleen looked up and Avedissian brought his mouth down on hers, kissing her gently and feeling her lips part, warm and moist.
Kathleen drew away slightly and put her hands against Avedissian's chest. 'I'm going back to my room now,’ she whispered. 'Thank you for talking to me.’
Avedissian smiled and whispered, 'Good-night, Kathleen O'Neill.’
He watched the door close and turned again to have a last look at the garden before returning to bed. It had started to rain, a few spots at first, then steadily. He got into bed and listened to the sound of the drops striking the leaves. Somewhere in the night an owl hooted but Avedissian felt warm and comfortable and out of its reach.
SEVEN
The rain persisted throughout the following day. It made Avedissian and Kathleen huddle down into their collars as they walked the short distance from the airport bus to the steps of the TWA Boeing 747. David, to their relief, seemed completely at ease with them, something that Avedissian put down to Kathleen's winning way with children. They had had only an hour with him and his real parents in a room at the airport but it had been sufficient. The boy was happily clutching Kathleen's hand as he scaled, what were for him, the giant steps to the rear entrance.
Almost at the same time the three Americans who had met with Kell were boarding by the front steps. As 'Ambassador Class' passengers they would be unlikely to come into contact with the Farmer family who were more ordinary passengers, not that it would have mattered. They didn't know each other. Fate's little joke would have been lost on both parties.
Two hours out across the Atlantic David fell asleep and Avedissian and Kathleen could talk without distraction. Kathleen asked, 'Do you think we're going to the States because the kidnappers are American?'
Avedissian shrugged. He had been thinking along the same lines himself but had to confess that he had not reached any conclusion. He said, That seems logical but there could be other reasons. The kidnappers may know that the Irish could only fund this thing with the help of American money. They may have decided to set up shop close to the bank, so to speak.'