Russian Hide-and-Seek

16

‘What a glorious day.’

‘All put on specially for you, my darling. You look your loveliest in the sunlight. It brings out the colours in your hair.’

‘It also brings out the freckles on my skin. I suppose you’re going to say you hadn’t noticed them.’

‘You underrate me. To say I hadn’t noticed them would be to slight them. In fact they constitute one of your great beauties.’

‘Dearest Theodore, I really think you should try to be a little more selective in your flattery.’

‘Now you do me an injustice: I’m highly selective. Should I ever come across a piece of you I don’t find beautiful I intend to keep silent on the matter.’

‘You’ll have plenty to choose from.’

Nina had spoken without thinking. When she did think, desire made her catch her breath and turn her head away. She had on the instant such a vivid sense of lying naked in Theodore’s arms that she found it hard to believe that it had never happened, that their closest physical intimacy had been a kiss, an embrace that no one living could possibly have found improper, or rather a fairly crowded series of embraces. Hearing of this from her, Alexander had shown or feigned surprise and indirectly (but clearly) intimated that it could be nothing but the result of deficient erotic drive, especially on Theodore’s part. As if he had read her thoughts the latter got hastily to his feet at that moment and strolled up the ornamental steps to the small summer-house, containing a likewise small sarcophagus, near which they had been sitting. On every side were assorted saplings and the stumps of cedars, oaks and pines.

‘Whose tomb is this?’ he asked.

‘I don’t know, darling. But is it a tomb? It isn’t big enough, surely.’

‘“To the memory of Pug,”‘ he read out, ‘“who departed this life June 24th 1754.” Presumably a young child, though it seems odd to give just the nickname. And to bury it here, or rather not bury it… Do you want to get married in a church?’

‘Well yes, if we can, but perhaps we can’t.’

‘M’m.’

She certainly followed his thoughts at that point. ‘I hear the evensong wasn’t a success.’

‘We had some of the people in for interview today. They said they enjoyed the singing but didn’t know what the parson was talking about.

‘Oh dear. He’s very old, isn’t he?’

‘The attendance at the exhibition of visual arts has been very bad, almost non-existent, in fact, and some of the paintings have been defaced or ripped from the walls. I’m dreading the music recital.’

‘When is that?’

‘Tomorrow night. I wish I knew what we’ve done wrong.

‘You’ve all had something else on your minds.’

‘Yes.’ He spoke without conviction.

‘Is everyone ready for Sunday?’

‘As ready as they’ll ever be.’

Suddenly Nina felt a dreadful incredulity, like a void in the middle of her life and emotions; could it be another involuntary message from Theodore? At any rate, she found herself facing as if for the first time the concept that in a single day the whole world was going to be changed. She was being asked to believe that within a few kilometres of her there were hundreds of respectable-seeming people, including the mild young man she was talking to, who after a morning and afternoon just like any other would start pulling out guns, arresting important officials, occupying public buildings, giving orders. And being obeyed – that was the hardest part. Surely Director Vanag would just smile, shake his head and go on as before if anybody tried to tell him what to do. She started to speak and stopped again.

‘I suppose…

‘What’? What is it?’

‘This isn’t all a joke? There is going to be a revolution?’

‘No joke. Whether there’s going to be a revolution or not is largely a matter of words. By now it looks more as if there’ll be just a peaceful and orderly transfer of power. The important part, the real work will come afterwards.’

Before she could say anything to that her attention was caught by the sight of Alexander a hundred metres away leading Polly up the shallow incline from the churchyard, moving purposefully, not at his more usual dreamy stroll. Nina waved to him and he raised his hand rather stiffly in reply. He was hitching the mare to the little temple when, as though by prearrangement, the figures of Elizabeth Cuy and a brown-liveried manservant of the house emerged from the hall door on to the top of the steps. On seeing Alexander she hurried down them and embraced him with much zeal; even at the distance of the summer-house the lack of real warmth in his response could be seen. Before she had released him he shouted a quite sufficiently curt order to the servant to take the mare to the stables; then he set off towards the waiting pair with Elizabeth unregarded at his side.

‘She keeps coming back for more,’ said Nina. ‘I couldn’t if it were me.’

‘Why does she do it? Assuming you’re right.’

‘It’s funny, it’s as if she positively wanted him to turn her down. I suppose in one way that’s easier than… And even the bad language…

‘What? How beautiful you look. What on earth am I saying? How beautiful you are.’

She was certainly looking her best, happy, healthy and altogether young; there were indeed freckles enough over her jaws and temples but of lines none at all. By some trick of chance her sleeveless dress had been cut right and its two shades of green suited her colouring, which was brighter than ever in the sun. Without a word she stepped up into the summer-house and, out of sight, they kissed. Although he was nothing but gentle with her he seemed to her infinitely strong.

They were sitting on the steps when the other two arrived. Alexander’s expression was curious. It was serious and even troubled but Nina thought she read a kind of elation in it too. Addressing himself directly to Theodore he said,

‘The information was not forthcoming.’

‘Any reason given?’

‘The person who was to have supplied it to my source is proving stubborn. Or so I was told.’

‘That sounds rather fishy, somehow.’

‘I thought so too. Delivery is promised for Friday afternoon without fail.’

‘Not much more than forty-eight hours before we go into action. Fishier and fishier.’

‘Agreed.’

‘Fucking hell,’ said Elizabeth, looking from one man to the other. ‘Don’t try and behave as if we’re not here – I won’t have it.’

The general topic under discussion was clear enough to Nina. ‘You can say anything you like; I’ll vouch for her.’

Theodore said rather wearily, ‘As you’ll have gathered, we were expecting some information that has failed to arrive. There’s an old principle about being kept in ignorance of what you needn’t know.

‘Of course,’ said Nina. ‘So that there’s that much less for you to be able to give away under interrogation.’

‘Or not under interrogation.’

‘How do you mean?’

‘Well… voluntarily. Willingly. In the course of duty.’

Nina crossed her arms and clasped her shoulders, frowning. ‘But that wouldn’t apply in this case. In Elizabeth’s and my case.’

‘You never know,’ said Theodore, still wearily.

‘You never know? Are you saying you can’t be sure I’m not one of Vanag’s people? That you’ve no way of being sure?’

‘What way could there be? How can anybody be absolutely sure about anybody?’

‘About anybody. Dear God, what a terrible world we’ve made.’

‘I’ll go if you like,’ said Elizabeth with some violence, turning her head to include Alexander specifically in her audience. ‘I was just passing. I didn’t come for anything in particular.’

‘Shut up, Elizabeth,’ said Alexander; ‘life’s hard enough as it is.’

‘You’ll have a hard life, my lad, about the day the King of England gets to sit on his throne.’

‘We are helping to run a revolution, you know.’ Theodore’s tone now was querulous rather than weary. ‘It’s a heavy responsibility.’

‘I can see it must be. Locking up a few policemen. Very responsible work.’

‘There’ll be more to it than that. Certain persons will have to be killed.’

This was accompanied by a glance at Nina that showed awareness of having contradicted the reassuring forecast he had given her a few minutes before. To her, he sounded like someone organising a garden party who complains of a shortage of good servants. Again she was visited with incredulity: had she somehow misunderstood everything, childishly mistaken a sophisticated game for a serious proposal to overthrow the administration by force? She hoped she was not looking as shaken as she felt.

After staring at Theodore in a parody of amazement, Elizabeth said sarcastically, ‘Killed!’ and gave a great snort. ‘But not by you or the gallant soldier here, that’s for certain.’

Alexander went red. ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about,’ he said in a shrill voice.

‘Oh yes I do. You haven’t got the guts, my lad. Not for a killing in cold blood, which calls for a lot.’

He said, this time in a furious, rapid whisper, ‘Perhaps you’ll change your mind when I shoot my father.’

‘Impossible!’ exclaimed Theodore, but after much too long a pause to carry conviction.

‘Are you mad, Alexander?’ Elizabeth turned to Nina. ‘Did. you know about this?’

‘No,’ said Nina, still trying to take it in but experiencing only a sense of monstrous unreality.

‘What did you go and blurt that out for?’ Theodore was quite as angry as Alexander had been.

‘They’d have known soon enough.’

‘Why?’ said Elizabeth with great determination. ‘I want to know why you think you have to… w H Y.’

‘It’ll have great moral effect,’ said Theodore.

‘That’s no justification.’

‘I can assure you it’s necessary.’

‘Necessary for what?’

‘For the revolution.’

‘What will it achieve for the revolution?’

‘Don’t argue with her, Theodore,’ said Alexander. ‘You won’t get anywhere, and the thing has to be done whatever anybody thinks about it.’

Elizabeth looked steadily up at him. ‘To shoot an unarmed man is a terrible thing to do, and for you to shoot that man is revolting.’ She was wise enough to say no more of not believing in his ability to kill in cold blood. ‘You’ll be using your position to get close to him without him suspecting anything, so you won’t be giving him any sort of chance. And what’s he ever done to you or anyone else to justify the least violence against him? He’s always treated you kindly, too kindly for your own good perhaps, but I’d be willing to swear he’s never done you an injury. And this is how you repay him.’ She looked away and paused and then spoke in a new tone. ‘I’ve been in love with you for two years while knowing you’re rather a fraud. Now I think you’re rather evil. But I still love you. I don’t suppose you can be bothered to try to imagine what that’s like, so I’ll tell you – it’s hell.’

Bursting abruptly into tears, Elizabeth turned and ran towards the house. Alexander gave a cheer and clapped his hands, but so quietly that she could not have heard. The other two had moved a little way off and Theodore was talking in gentle, serious, explanatory tones while Nina listened attentively, nodding her head from time to time, by the look of her not far from tears herself.