«Sure. Good night.» He steered Althaea towards the black picket of trees. He liked Mullen, but the lad had to understand exactly who she belonged to.
«That was very rude,» Althaea whispered.
His free arm went round her shoulder. «Not as rude as what I'm about to show you in a minute.»
Althaea fought against a grin as he tickled her ribcage. Her finger poked him in retaliation. «Rude!»
«Was not.»
«Was too.»
He looked back as he reached the trees. The glowing charcoal was spilling a pool of tangerine radiance over the lawn. It showed him Mullen covering his face with his hands, shoulder muscles knotted. And Tiarella, who hadn't been staring at him after all, because her eyes had never moved when he and Althaea departed. She was watching Mullen.
When the lad's hands slipped back down to reveal a crestfallen expression, the corners of her mouth lifted into a serene smile.
Eason stood on the jetty, his arm around Althaea as they waved goodbye to the Anneka . The parishioners were leaning over the gunwale, waving back, shouting farewells which were scrambled by the wavelets lapping against the coral.
Tiarella started walking back to the house. Eason turned to follow, and gave Althaea a reassuring hug, noting a certain wistfulness in her eyes. «Don't worry, I'm sure your new boyfriend will be in touch. He's madly in love with you, after all.» He grinned broadly to show he understood.
Althaea shot him a look of pure venom, then her face became the identical blank mask which defended Tiarella from the world.
«Hey, listen—« he began.
But she shook herself free and ran off down the jetty. He stared after her in consternation.
«What did I say?»
Tiarella arched her eyebrow. «It's not what you say, it's what you are.»
«You make me out as some kind of ogre,» he snapped, suddenly exasperated with her, the unending stream of oblique remarks.
«In medieval times that's exactly what you would be.»
«Name one thing I've done to hurt her.»
«You wouldn't dare. We both know that.»
«With or without your threats, I wouldn't hurt her.»
Her lips compressed as she studied him. «No, I don't suppose you would. I never really thought about how you would be affected by your time here. I should have done.»
«My time? You make it sound finite.»
«It is. I told you that the day you came.»
«Your fucking cards again!» Crazy bitch!
Tiarella shrugged and sauntered off down the path to the house.
He slept alone that night, for the first time since the funeral. Guilt soaked his mind as he lay on the cot, yet he still didn't know what it was he'd done.
The next morning over breakfast she gave him a timid smile, and he glossed over any awkwardness with an enthusiastic account of how he intended to clear all the island's old service tracks with the mower tractor. Then they'd be able to start attending to the coffee bushes.
That night he welcomed her back to his bed. It wasn't the same; she had become reserved. Not physically, as always her body was defenceless against his skill and strength. But somewhere deep inside her thoughts she was holding herself back from him. No matter how exquisite their lovemaking was she no longer surrendered completely.
It took a certain amount of nerve to walk into the Kulu Embassy carrying three antimatter-confinement spheres. Eason was pleased to find himself perfectly calm as the glass doors of the reception area closed behind him. He asked the girl behind the desk for an interview with the military attaché, only to be told the Kingdom had no military ties with Tropicana.
«What about a police or security liaison officer?» he asked. «Surely you cooperate in tracking down criminals?»
She agreed they did, and asked for his name.
He handed over his passport, proving if nothing else that he was a bona fide citizen of Quissico. «And could you also say I'm a senior member of the Independence Party.» He smiled warmly at her flustered expression.
Three minutes later he was in a plain second-floor office with a window wall overlooking Kariwak's eastern quarter. The man sitting on the other side of the marble desk introduced himself as Vaughan Tenvis, of indistinct age, but certainly under fifty. He wore a conservative green suit, but filled it out in a way that suggested he spent a lot of time away from the office performing more physical tasks than accessing files.
«I need to speak to a representative of the Kingdom's External Security Agency,» Eason said. «And please, I don't want the bullshit stalling routine.»
«Sounds reasonable,» Vaughan Tenvis said with a dry smile. «If you're quite sure you want that much honesty. Suppose you tell me why I should allow a known terrorist organization's quartermaster to walk out of here alive?»
«Because I don't want to be the quartermaster any more. And I've done you a favour.»
«Ah. And there I was thinking you were going to threaten me with whatever it is you have in your case. Our sensors couldn't quite get through the magnetic covering.»
«No threats. I just want to do a deal.»
«Go on.»
«The Kulu Corporation is one of the major investors in the Quissico Development Company, that makes it a target for my Party. I came to you because the ESA is more than capable of neutering the Party if it has sufficient reason.»
«Very flattering. But contrary to rumour, we don't go around terminating everyone who has a quarrel with the Kingdom. Bluntly, you're too small and petty to warrant any effort. We monitor you, that's all.»
«Not very well. Our Party acquired some antimatter. The Kulu Corporation's administrative centre on StAlbans is the first intended target.»
«Antimatter . . .» Vaughan Tenvis stared in shock at the case resting on Eason's lap, his hands gripping the side of his chair. «Holy shit!»
The risk of coming to the embassy was worth it, just to see the horror cracking the suave agent's face.
«As I said, I've done you a favour.» Eason put the case on Vaughan Tenvis's desk. «That's all of it. I'm sure the Kingdom has the appropriate facilities to dispose of it.»
«Holy shit.»
«I would appreciate two things in return.»
«Holy shit.»
«One, your agency's gratitude.»
Vaughan Tenvis let out a long breath, and swallowed hard. «Gratitude?»
«I expect to be left alone by you in future, Mr Tenvis.»
«Sure. OK, I can swing that.»
«I'd also like a reward. That antimatter cost the Party eight million fuseodollars. I'll settle for one million. You can pay me in Kulu pounds if you like; and I'll throw in the codes for the confinement systems. I'd hate you to have any accidents with them now we're friends.»
Tenvis paid him in Kulu pounds. With the current conversion rate, he wound up with eight hundred thousand in his bank disk. Not bad for forty minutes' work. Forty minutes to erase his life.
Eason was back on board the Orphée an hour later, after a shopping expedition through the fancy shops of Kariwak's main boulevard. He picked Althaea up, and spun her around, kissing her exuberantly. Tiarella gave him a sour glance as she cast off. He even smiled at her.
The department store's big carrier bag was slapped down on the roof of the cabin with considerable panache. «I bought some essentials,» he said as they were passing the ancient landing craft in the middle of the harbour. Althaea gasped in delight as he pulled out a couple of bottles of champagne, and three crystal glasses. Packs of honey-roast ham followed, then steaks, imported cheeses, exotic chocolates, ice-cream cartons cloaked in frost.