When I was through Elsa regarded me gravely for a few moments, then nodded. “Good,” was all she said, almost cryptic. “It is right that you should be here.”
In light of the morning’s events, that could have been read in any number of ways.
The three of us went down to lunch together. When I walked in to the dining room I swear the conversation dried up in direct response. As I walked across to the hot buffet I was self-consciously aware of the eyes following my progress. I was glad of the show of solidarity from the two women flanking me, whatever their private doubts might have been.
I received a few cheery nods of encouragement, though. Declan gave me a “Good on you, girl.” Craddock’s reaction was one of relief rather than pleasure, and I realised he’d been feeling guilty about letting me fall in the first place.
I was more wary about the behaviour of the domestic staff than of anyone else, but fortunately they seemed unaware that I’d played any particular role in the proceedings. I don’t know exactly what it was that the Major said to them after Venko’s thugs had gone, but if you knew where to look and did so very closely you could just about spot that they’d all had the fright of their lives.
Now, I held my plate out and Ronnie slapped a couple of slices of roast beef onto it, his movements jerky, his normally good-natured whistling silenced. When I glanced round I saw that all of them were much the same, but very few of the pupils seemed to have noticed anything was amiss. It’s amazing how often people dismiss waiters and porters and cooks without really looking at them.
Elsa, Jan and I sat together at the end of a half-occupied table. There seemed to be more empty spaces than filled seats down here now and I tried to work out how many had left the course so far. I wondered if the Major calculated his costs on the basis that half the students would drop out before the end of the two weeks.
The doors opened and the instructors came stalking in. I could see straight away that Gilby had filled them in and they hadn’t liked what he’d had to say. Some of them less than others. O’Neill was glowering at everybody in general and – when his eye lighted on the three of us women – at us in particular.
“Looks like you’ve ruffled a few feathers, Charlie,” Romundstad commented from along the table. I gave him a wan smile.
In fact, I wasn’t sure that Gilby’s pride would let him tell his men about my intervention, but it wasn’t until Todd swung by the end of our table that I found out for sure.
The bulky phys instructor paused so close to my chair I had to lean back slightly and crane my neck to look up at him. His whole body seemed to be vibrating with anger.
“So what did you have to do to get him to let you stay, Fox?” he muttered, his voice tight and nasty. “Give the old man a blow job?”
I should have kept my mouth shut and my head down, I know, but in twenty-four hours Gregor Venko was going to come in here all guns blazing, and if he didn’t get his son back there was going to be a bloodbath. In the light of that I couldn’t find it in me to be diplomatic to the likes of Todd.
“Why?” I shot back, “Is that how you got him to take
The silence arrived along the table on a gasp of surprise that quickly turned to a splutter of astonished amusement.
“Ah now, Mr Todd,” Declan said almost gently, shaking his head, “but you surely asked for that one.”
The flush started just above Todd’s shirt collar and rose up past his ears like coloured smoke. He opened his mouth to drench me in vitriol, but the dining hall doors swung open again, and suddenly nobody was paying him any attention.
Major Gilby walked in, smart and upright. By his shoulder was Sean Meyer.
I told myself that I’d known Sean was coming. That I was the one who’d told the Major to call him, but the shock of his arrival still hit me like a mental and physical double blow. My brain reeled even as my body reacted, prickling my scalp, tightening my stomach, making my shins itch.
I could hardly believe it was less than three weeks since we’d sat together in that little country pub in Yorkshire and he’d asked me to go to Germany. It was like none of the events of last year had ever happened and we were back in the army again, with all the baggage that implied.
It didn’t help that Sean was wearing the old familiar garb, or something so close to it as to be almost indistinguishable. He had on a khaki T-shirt because he never had felt the cold, and neatly pressed camouflage trousers that sat snug around his narrow hips, secured by the same webbing belt.
He’d even abandoned the expensive Breitling somewhere along the way. Instead he’d retrieved his plain battered old watch with the leather cover that snapped over the face. It was the sight of that watch, more than anything else, which sent a shiver through me.
I recalled Madeleine telling me that Sean was coming to Germany, but I’d never actually got around to asking her about it. Why would he bring an old watch with him other than because he knew he was likely to be going into combat?
Now he strolled into the room managing to convey the impression the Major was merely preceding him, rather than that he was following. He allowed his eyes to skate over the occupants with that same old flat scrutiny, the one that had so terrified me back then.
His gaze passed over me just once. It was cold, indifferent, giving away no hint that he knew me at all, but I couldn’t prevent the stab of remembered fear.
Even after we’d spent that first breathtaking weekend together, and I’d returned to camp dazed and not a little staggered by the depth of the experience, Sean had not allowed his control to slip, had not changed in his outward behaviour towards me. Most of the time, at any rate.
Just occasionally, when we were alone together, or out of sight and earshot of anyone else, he’d launched one of those slow-burning smiles at me, or touched my face. I’d found those tiny unexpected gestures, coming after such a rigid adhesion to protocol, quite devastating in their erotic effect.
And the next time we’d had the opportunity to be together, without fear of interruption or discovery, the release of that long over-wound tension had been both explosive and profound.
I’d fallen for him utterly, without restraint, so that when he seemingly abandoned me I found I’d kept nothing in reserve to sustain me. Looking back, it was a wonder I survived the ordeal.
Now, the Major took Sean straight through the middle of us and up onto the dais where the instructors were giving him the same suspicious appraisal as the students. He weathered their inspection with easy contempt. No defiance, just indifference. I know what I am, his attitude said, and I don’t really give a damn what you choose to make of me.
Gilby turned to face us. By this time he didn’t really need to call for silence, but the impresario in him meant he paused a moment anyway.
“If I might have your attention for a moment,” he said, needlessly, “I’d like to introduce a new instructor.”
Sean stood alongside him, hands low on his hips, eyes raking over us as though in search of weakness. The students shifted in their seats and kept their gaze fastened safely on the Major.
“This is Mr Meyer,” Gilby went on. “Those of you who’ve taken an interest in the close protection world will undoubtedly be aware of his reputation. We’ve been lucky enough to secure his services at short notice to come and join our team for the remainder of this course. I hope you’ll do your best to impress him with the skills you’ve already learned.”
Gilby was nervous of Sean, I realised with surprise. If not actually afraid of him.
Sean stepped forwards and nodded briefly to the Major, who relinquished control without a murmur, like we were watching the arrival of a new alpha wolf in the pack.
“Good afternoon,” Sean said. It was as much of an introduction as he was going to give. “We’ll be picking up your unarmed combat training right away after lunch. You can forget everything you’ve achieved so far because now you’re going to have to prove how good you are all over again.” He paused, looked around the still faces, then added grimly, “The bad news is you’re going to have to prove it to me.”
I’d heard him speak those words before. Exactly those words.
I told myself that I’d been through this before, that I knew what to expect, but I found myself unconvinced. The time and distance since the last time did nothing to make me fear the prospect any less.
***
I suspect that most of the students – the ones who hadn’t heard of Sean, at any rate – thought he was much
