Chapter 5: Asylum

In Warwick, Jennifer McEwan receives a letter from Corinne Aimes the CEO of the Adult Experience Company Inward Bound to say how pleased they are to hear that she is back safe and well and to inviting her to visit.

In Edgebaston, Jennifer has another session with Dr Laura Malvern, the trauma psychologist helping her to come to terms with her recent history. Jennifer may be safe but is she well?

In Moscow

As Anatoly strides purposefully thought the streets, the rhythm of his steps and the cool autumnal air once more prompt his thoughts to arrange and rearrange themselves in new and useful patterns. A few steps behind, his security team follow in discreet persuit.

The problem of the moment, the Vyera problem, is beginning to take up seriously too much time - which is often the case when a solution seems out of reach. Now at last, Anatoly has a plan to bring the situation under control. Now he understands how to fight the campaign. It is from an unexpected direction and it will be wise – actually it will be essential - for him to get the approval of Mikhail Barysovitch and the approval of those above him and beyond them, approval from those in the political sphere. Anatoly would generally try to avoid involving the very highest authorities with operational details but in this case, it is necessary.

Anatoly has chosen an opulent venue for lunch. He feels in charge of events again and he wants Mikhail to know it. The National Hotel (1) is very suitable and convenient for Mikhail’s office, less so for the AKE Corporate Headquarters but that is an advantage for Anatoly because as walks briskly towards the appointment, he can clarify in his mind exactly how to explain his scheme.

Anatoly finds Mikhail and another man - a body guard - waiting for him in the lobby. He holds out his hand to Mikhail and says... “I have arranged a private room for us two. There is no need for your assistant to wait out side” and turning to the ‘assistant’ he says “go to the dining room and order lunch for yourself along with my boys here”, as he indicates his own security detail. “Tell them to add it to my account for the day”. The assistant looks at Mikhail for guidance and Mikhail waves him away and lets Anatoly take him up to the private dining room which awaits them.

Anatoly is wearing a dark grey suit with a pale blue shirt and a restrained dark blue tie striped with white. He looks sober and his tie creates an impression of ‘freshness’. Mikhail on the other hand is all together more flamboyant. On this occasion he wears a pale grey suit brought to life with a thin white chalk stripe and contrasting bright lemon shirt and bright blue tie. The tie is spotted with yellow elephants raising their trunks, the elephants complementing the colour of his shirt.

Anatoly allows himself a smile as he takes in a statement in tailoring about the modern secret policeman. The observation Sveta had made about Mikhail Barysovitch was true: someone had taught him refinement and elegance.

“Ah, the room. Please Mikhail Barysovitch, after you.”

The view from this particular room is magnificent – Red Square. For most people it would be a distraction but for Anatoly and Mikhail, it is merely commonplace, a constant background to their lives.

Anatoly and Mikhail take their seats and Anatoly gestures to the menu.

“Mikhail Barysovitch, I have ordered lunch in advance. There is not much to say but a lot to think about I hope this will be acceptable?”

“The meal? Yes of course Anatoly Sergeyevitch, very acceptable but I see there will be four courses? says Mikhail glancing over the menu. “Is there really so much ground to cover?”

“I can merely repeat,” replies Anatoly. “ that there is not much to say but there is much to reflect on and my suggestions will need some careful reflection.”

A waiter enters the room and sets out tiger prawns with plums and pistachio and pours Anatoly and Mikhail each an ice cold vodka into shot glass. “A toast”, says Anatoly. “To success!”

“To Success”, echoes Mikhail Barysovitch with a careful smile. “We always had every confidence in you, Anatoly.”

“Igor Ivanovitch telephoned me yesterday”, says Anatoly, beginning the business of the day.

“Did he? I am sure that would be a valuable interlude in your morning”, replied Mikhail his sarcastic barb skewered into the virtual presence of Dr Mendeleyev in their conversation.

“Igor Ivanovitch is celebrated in his field. I agree that is not so reliable when we ask him to give opinions on matters outside his expertise but that may be our fault, not his.”

“Well there is that of course. So what did he have to say? I am sure there was plenty of theory but was there anything useful, anything practical?”

“He wanted to give advice about how we should manage Vyera with respect to her divided loyalties. Her responsibilities to us and Jennifer McEwan’s responsibilities to her husband and to the academics she was working with when she was in England.”

“Hmmm, that seems well outside neuropsychology so I don’t suppose he had anything in the least bit helpful to offer you?”

“I will not tax you with the details of his suggestions but his words actually were very helpful although not in the way he intended. You see, I realized there was a new perspective on the whole problem. Here it is:

Vyera is going to crack. It is just a matter of time. Inside her head, Vyera Anatolyevna and Jennifer McEwan are both present and each takes centre stage, according to circumstances. When the girl is alone and when she speaks with Neena, she becomes Vyera Anatolyevna. When her husband is at home and when she is out of her house she becomes Jennifer McEwan.

Vyera is under siege from the demands of her husband, her parents, the police, the psychologist and the academics she worked with before she was acquired. This cannot go on. A siege will always end in a surrender and in an engineering context, there is always the risk of failure at the interface between two different materials under stress. As I said before, she is going to crack. It is time we began to establish an alternative narrative of events in the minds of the people around her.”

“You are speaking as if we must leave the girl in place Anatoly Sergeyevitch? To let the crisis break?”

“The only alternatives to leaving her in place are to eliminate her or to abduct her once again. The first alternative will raise interest in the case and will have serious diplomatic ramifications and serious ramifications for me. I dare not think of the effect on Svetlana Nikitechna. I am sure you understand, Mikhail Barysovitch?”

“Of course, of course. We are merely looking at all the alternatives comprehensively?”

“Kidnap is also impractical. It would need the resources of the State and once again, there would be serious diplomatic repercussion with the British. The Americans and the Canadians would quickly become aware of the events, creating further serious difficulties between our countries and of course in my business activities. The Interconnector Project is always going to be at risk from diplomatic tensions and I could see AKE having to withdraw from the project completely but the worst aspect is – well, I expect you can easily imagine conservative voices who oppose the project asking why the United States and Canada would want a permanent connection between us in concrete and steel if the Russian Federation is involve in abductions and people trafficking? We have to accept that Vyera Anatolyevna is out of reach, and prepare for the moment when she begins to tell her story.”

The waiter returns, clears away the first course, sets out Gazpacho served with crab and apple mille feuille, pours more vodka and leaves them alone. Anatoly is sure of his scheme and wishes to set it out carefully course by course until by the time of the dessert, Mikhail has been won over. Anatoly needs more that agreement. He needs support and cooperation. The vodka should help to mellow Mikhail Barysovitch, too.

“Anatoly, this lunch is excellent. I like the insightful and realistic assumptions in your argument. Please...”

“Mikhail Barysovitch, let us start with the bald facts of the Vyera story, stated in neutral terms:

In 2009, Professor Angela Dawney and her research student Jennifer Karin McEwan are arrested by the CIA in the UK and interrogated about me and about my business intentions (2) In 2011, Jennifer McEwan travels from the UK and in 2013 returns to her family.”

“People were detained and interrogated by the CIA? About you? Excuse me Anatoly Segeyevitch but why have I not been informed about this before?”

“Because it was not actually the CIA. Merely a criminal gang pretending to be the CIA”

“You know the identity of the criminal elements involved?”

“I do. Exactly. They were people employed by Freddie Clegg Enterprises. They are known in the United Kingdom as a freight forwarding company. As a matter of fact, they are on the British Government list of approved contractors. There is, however, another secret division of the company which is actually the main interest of Freddie Clegg himself. It is a slave trading operation and they have been active in Kushtia for the past several years but have supplied many other buyers too.”

“Ah ... so why did they ... do they see you as a competitor?”

“It is hard to say for sure but I think that they became aware of my friendship with Angela Dawney and wondered if I was interested in what they were up to. As far as Angela Dawney is concerned, you will recall our interest in her when she was a leading protestor against American Cruise Missiles being deployed in the UK?”

“Yes, yes I remember quite well but I still do not understand why they came to be interrogating Dawney about you, Anatoly Sergeyevitch?”

“The Clegg Organisation have invested in an ‘adult experience’ company called Inward Bound. Perhaps they were using it as a vehicle to identify potential slaves. Perhaps they were merely trying to diversify. Perhaps they were trying to reduce their exposure to the slavery operation. The police in the UK are beginning to treat people trafficking and modern slavery much more seriously and the Clegg people will be well aware of the fact. Dawney sent one of her students to conduct research at Inward Bound and at some point, the Clegg Organisation must have become aware of Dawney’s connection with me. Anyway, the ‘CIA interrogation’ was a clumsy and particularly risky way to find out if I was.”

“Ah ... and the British Authorities will be aware of this little charade by now...”

“Yes, I am sure they are. I expect the real CIA will have been asked about it too. So, on with my proposal:

Jennifer McEwan’s husband, her family and the UK police force will describe these events she has experienced as Abduction, False Imprisonment and an Escape to Freedom.”

“There is another way to describe these events. I am proposing a new narrative. Mrs McEwan accepted an opportunity to live in Russia. She was able to explain the work she was doing in the United Kingdom and complete the work to the highest standard using the superior facilities of our leading University. She enjoyed many adventures — enjoyed is the right word for her —when she was with us. She now has a new language, she has a new citizenship, and she has a Doctorate degree. She is stronger and fitter physically and intellectually and she is beautiful. In due course, she returned home.”

“Which narrative is true? Are they both true or is one more true than the other?”

“Mikhail Barysovitch, on the one hand, I think we may have to admit, at some stage, that Vyera Antolyevna Kuznetsova is Jennifer McEwan but, at the same time, we should promote the alternative narrative of events.

On the other hand, we can try to set the British and the Americans against each other by making a diplomatic protest about the clandestine and heavy handed actions of the CIA against me in respect of my international business activities when they arrested and interrogated Professor Dawney, who is an old friend and who both agencies know is an old friend. They will understand that Professor Dawney would have told me about her experiences at the hands of the CIA and this explains how we have the information to make our diplomatic protest.

“This brings the relationship between the British and the CIA centre stage. We can expect the Americans to convince their British friends that they had no part in the CIA charade. We can rely on the British Police to conduct a competent investigation at Inward Bound and uncover the hand of Freddie Clegg and his gang. The discovery will give the British real criminals to hunt down and expends their energy and resources on something very concrete. Meanwhile their attention is directed away from us and Vyera. She is no longer the main event. She becomes a signpost, pointing to the true criminals.”

The waiter returns He clears their table and sets out the main course, grilled rack of lamb served with green and white asparagus. He pours them each another shot of vodka and leaves.

Anatoly concludes his presentation. “Meanwhile, behind the scenes I am preparing to recruit Joseph McEwan to my team of engineers working on the Interconnector Project. We can send him somewhere in North America. His wife will accompany him of course and she will be away from the immediate influence of the police in the United Kingdom. North America is on the opposite side of the world to Russia, but she will still be securely connected to us through the employment of her husband”

Mikhail Barysovitch chuckles at Anatoly’s ingenuity. A method of dealing with the Vyera problem which complicates the British relationship with the CIA but helps the British to uncover a serious criminal conspiracy. That would be enough to shift their attention, surely? They would not be chasing phantoms any longer. They would have real criminals in their sights. Wonderful! Mikhail merely says: “I can see now why you wanted to leave time for reflection and thought, Anatoly Sergeyevitch. This will have to be considered by people much more senior than myself but it has many attractive things about it. Very attractive things. Let us now enjoy this excellent lamb. I do not wish to be greedy but even though you have given me so much to chew over (Mikhail laughs at his own pun) and I am still looking forward to dessert”

“Strawberry cold soup with vanilla ice cream, then coffee – and yes, me too,” replies Anatoly.(3)

In Warwick

Jenny is upstairs when she hears the rattle at the front door. She goes downstairs tentatively, unsure about exactly what to do. On the door mat there are letters.

Jennifer McEwan knew all about letters. She sent them. She read them. She sorted them. Some for her. Some for Joe. Some for them both.

Since Vyera has returned to England, there had been such a lot to get used to - like what to do with letters? Vyera never received letters - who would write to a slave? Instructions and tasks were a different matter. They were an every day affair, but letters?

Vyera picks them up and reads the envelopes carefully. She has to, nowadays. None of the letters look quite right. What they represent has to be sought from deep in memory. The written script she prefers is kyrileetsa. (4) Kyrileetsa in handwriting has a special flowing aesthetic. Vyera can remember carefully practicing each letter, capital and small in endless exercises until each was rendered perfectly and looked beautiful. It had to be both. Neither was good enough on its own. Mistakes were punished by the strap or the crop. Vyera remembers just how a tender bottom always reminded her to take more care over the next exercise.

One of the letters is addressed to Jennifer McEwan and after a moment’s reflection Vyera understands that Jennifer McEwan is her, now she is here, in England. The paper is nice, so it is not an official letter. The shape is almost square, so it is not about an appointment from Dr Malvern. She does not recognize the writing but she does not feel frightened of it. Ought she to wait until Joe is home, to open it with him there? She prefers to do that. It is safer that way. He is calm and reassuring but the letter seems “friendly” and so Vyera carefully makes a decision. She opens the letter.

Inside is a card and on it there is a beautiful picture of the gardens at Stow. It is a calm, reassuring image. She opens the card. There is neat informal feminine writing inside. Not too much, which is a relief and Vyera begins to feel more confident but by now, she has become Jennifer once more and reads the writing.

‘Dear Jenny.

Jennifer is taken completely by surprise. This is something she is not expecting at all. She reads and re-reads the note. It makes her feel happy and warm inside. Yes! She would like to go and see Corinne, Charlotte and Josephine again. Jennifer makes another decision. She is surprised how easy it is. She wants to go. She will go. She will take Joe. They will both go. She will wait for Joe to get home and then with him in the house beside her, she will call Corinne.

After a few moments pause, Jennifer retreats back upstairs. There was something she was going to do. What was it? And in that moment, Jennifer politely steps aside and Vyera re-emerges. There is cleaning to do! She spends a lot of time cleaning these days. Its what she has done for a long time now. Cleaning is simple, precise, orderly and a supervisor can see what has been done. The supervisor can also see what has not been done correctly and arrange punishment.

Punishment is a complex issue. It is unpleasant, to give a slave the opportunity to pay back for work not properly done. To make restitution. After all, a slave has no external resources of her own but she can suffer and suffering comes from within, so it is an almost unlimited resource and thus it teaches the slave generosity. It is educative, helping a slave to learn what is expected and hold the training in mind. It is restorative because afterwards, the slave starts with a clean page, the debt paid by suffering. It is an achievement, when borne stoically. It is – well, sometimes – almost pleasant, like a sports massage or a vigorous skin rub with an abrasive loofah, leaving the slave feeling happy, free from guilt for their recent infraction and their supervisor, no longer angry and disappointed with them. At such times, a slave has the opportunity to learn gratitude may even become euphoric.

Before, Vyera’s supervisor Neena was physically present. Now, Neena is virtually present and in a curious way, omnipresent. She is present in memory, in the results of the technical schooling Vyera has received and sometimes she is immediately present, when she appears without warning on Jennifer’s PC screen, when Jennifer is working on computer. These are the occasions when Vyera emerges in full force from the secret places in Jennifer McEwan’s mind. At such times, Jennifer fades to a pale transparent shadow and it is Vyera who occupies her physical form.

The cleaning and tidying done, Vyera feels that it would be appropriate to check emails on the computer. Sometimes she can deal with them. Frequently she tidies them into folders so she can check with Joe what to do.

Its funny: when he is with her, she is so more confident.

She feels safe. Like being with Dr Malvern, only better.

Today, she begins with the BBC News feed. When Vyera is alone, she will usually go to Pyervi Kanal (5) and sometimes sees Gaspazha Kustenskaya which is always a pleasure but is tainted by a tickle of home-sickness. What wonderful romantic musical names some fortunate people enjoy! Vyera rolls a familiar name I her mind, enjoying its poetic rhyme: Gaspazha Svetlana Kustenskaya; such a contrast to the awkward lumpy names of people in England. Ackroyd. Elba. Grantby. Borland. McEwan. The tickle of homesickness becomes a sting. Perhaps one day soon Vyera, one day soon...

Vyera has just opened their email account, her’s and Joseph’s when without warning, the image of Neena Alexandrovna Kirova fills the screen! It always comes unexpectedly and seems to come from a tiny spot in the top left corner of the desktop, expanding until it occupies the whole screen. Then Vyera must give Neena her whole attention but how could she ever not do so? Neena is her Supervisor.

“Good morning, Vyerochka!”

“Good morning Mistress. How can I help?” (Vyera notices that Neena has used the “affectionate” diminutive of her name, so Neena must be pleased with her)

“You are alone?”

“Yes, Gaspazha.”

“You are occupied?”

“I have just cleaned the bathrooms and kitchen. The wash hand basin and shower are clean, dry and polished, also the taps. In the kitchen, I have cleaned and dried the sink and given special attention to the plug and sink drain.”

“Plug?”

“Yes, Gaspazha. The plugs in the kitchen and bathroom wash hand basin.”

“Vyerka! That is a disappointing thing to hear you say. You know that we regard the western habit of putting plugs in sinks and washing with dirty water as a very retrograde and insanitary thing to do? A dirty thing to do?”