Chapter 10: The Bank Manager Cometh

Henry had become rather annoyed. Lauren had agreed that she would provide a report on their progress before his regular weekly meeting. She hadn't and, as a result, he had had to suffer the embarrassment of trying to explain to Mr. Kerrish why he still didn't have the details on their plans for repayment of the loan.

He'd called her several times. Mostly he'd got her voice mail and, on the few occasions that he had actually managed to speak to her, she'd promised to call him back and then hadn't.

The only way to resolve it, thought Henry was to go out and see Lauren, whether she was ready to have a discussion or not. Anch was not at all happy with the thought. "I'm not sure that you should be planning to visit a Kuhtian woman without the permission of her husband," she said.

"I'm sure you are right Anch, normally," said Henry. "The difficulty is that he doesn't seem to be in any condition to give his consent. He's very unwell, I feel. The only time I met him, I wasn't even certain that he was conscious."

"It makes no difference," said Anch emphatically. "For a Kushtian man, his wish is his wish. Would you visit his wife when he was sleeping because he could not give his yes or no?"

"I think its different Anch. And I'm worried that his wife may be taking advantage of the situation."

"No, that cannot be possible. A Kushtian wife can only respect the wishes of her husband."

"I think you are forgetting that Mr Koresh's wife is not of Kushtian upbringing. I feel I must go and see what is going on."

Henry arrived at Koresh's estate late in the afternoon. He was welcomed, if that was the right word, at the door by Koresh's overseer.

"Mr Koresh not seeing any one," he said, helpfully. Husna Hannish was tired by the comings and goings. The women brought by his master's young American wife and the English wife of the Kalinin's son would cause nothing but trouble, he was sure.

"That's all right I wish to see Mrs Koresh."

"I have no permission to admit you."

"I really think you should tell Mrs Koresh that I am here."

"I cannot do that."

"Of course you can. I will wait here."

"No I cannot do that. Mrs Koresh, not here."

Henry and Husna Hannish were debating whether or not he should be admitted when a veiled Victoria appeared over Husna's shoulder.

"What is it, Hannish" she asked.

"This bank gentleman. He seeks Mrs Koresh but I tell him, she is not here."

"Quite right, Hannish, quite right. However, I will see if I can help him. Let us extend the hospitality of the Koresh to him."

With ill grace, Husna gestured for Henry to enter. Victoria led the way to one of the comfortable formal rooms off the entrance hall. She sprawled on a pile of cushions and waved to Husna to leave them. Husna, scowling, did so.

"He is a loyal servant but not very able to adapt to western ways."

"I hadn't thought that much of western morality or custom had penetrated here."

"You would be surprised what goes on behind close doors, Mr Clegg."

Henry noticed that as she stretched out on the cushions one of the slits in the long panelled skirt that she was wearing had fallen open affording him an excellent view of her legs. She reached out for the silver mouthpiece of a large hookah that stood beside the couch, slipped it between her lips and inhaled deeply. Almost at once a beatific smile came over her. She picked up a second smoking tube and offered it to Henry. "Won't you join me," she said, stretching sinuously towards him, her eyes wide and looking straight at him.

Even with Henry's usual slowness to react he realised that what was on offer might be more than a puff on her hookah. But, as he told himself, it would be rude to refuse her hospitality and besides he really needed to get to the bottom of what was going on with Lauren's business. "Thank you," he said, sitting down beside her on the couch and taking the second mouthpiece from her and inhaling himself.

The cool smoke had a curiously calming effect. He found himself smiling as easily as Victoria was. He looked at her as she smiled back at him. "This isn't tobacco is it?" he said.

"Partly," Victoria grinned mischievously. "and partly hunashif. It is a traditional herb, burnt in the halls of the seragla, the harems, to sooth and relax the man's wives and concubines."

"Who needs relaxing, you or me?" said Henry as Victoria lay back on the cushions.

"Let's just say we believe in a more, ah, intimate relationship between a bank and its customers than might be the custom in Europe."

"Hmmm," said Henry thoughtfully, the expression of doubt and curiosity dragged out by the intoxicating effect of the hunashif.

"Mmmm," responded Victoria, stretching out a hand to Henry's thigh.

Henry looked down at it, taking another drag on the hookah that left him wondering if the hand had suddenly appeared there or had been there all along. He looked back at Victoria, somehow her shoulders were now bare, the deep green velvet of the top of her costume contrasting with the soft cream skin of her bosom and the dark shady chasm of her cleavage.

"Are you trying to seduce me, Mrs Kalinin?" he asked.

"Would you like me to?"

"I can't help but feel that might make our business dealings more difficult, Mrs Kalinin."

"It's Mrs Kalanis, Kalinin is the title of my father in law."

"Oh," Henry found himself laying back on the cushions. He took another puff from the hookah. The hunashif certainly seemed to have a calming effect. "Well, Mrs Kalanis, I most certainly apologise. The bank is at all times concerned with..." His voice trailed off. He couldn't think what the bank could possibly be concerned with. What interest could they have in the fact that one of their senior officers was sprawled, half intoxicated, in the company of the wife of the country's ruler while her hand slid sinuously across towards him and unfastened the belt of his trousers?

While Henry was enjoying Victoria's company, he didn't notice his mobile phone being slipped out of his jacket pocket. Some time later Anch responded to the bleeping of her own phone and read the text message she had received. "Most important meet you. Spice Market. Old Fountain. 14:00 Please bring Koresh file. Henry."

Anch wasn't sure what to think about the text. She was intrigued by puzzle it presented. Why did her boss suddenly want a meeting away from the office? And why in the Spice Market? Then there was the reputation of the Spice Market itself. Once upon a time the Spice Market had been notorious as the venue for secret assignations between lovers, between errant husbands and their lovers or adulterous wives and theirs. The old tenements of the spice merchants had been the scene of many an illicit tryst and the old fountain was at the heart of the maze of alleys between them. It would have been nice if Henry had discovered a romantic streak during their sessions in the cubicon. However, the fact that he'd asked her to bring the Koresh file rather implied that he hadn't.

She tossed the file into a shoulder bag and headed off towards the east of the old town.

The closer Anch got to their meeting place, the more out of place she felt. She had almost forgotten how different the old parts of Kushtia were. Compared to the modern centre of Kolin, the area around the Spice Market seemed to belong to a different century. Of course as a good Kushtian girl Anch was veiled but she wore her head and face covering with a smart skirt and blouse in the season's fashionable colours for the office. Here though the women all dressed alike in the all enveloping dark chanoosh. They bustled by her carrying wicker tubs containing their day's purchases. She couldn't tell whether they noticed her or not as she made her way through the alleyways of the old town but she felt conspicuous anyway. There were few men on the street, but occasionally as she passed a coffee house one or other would look up from a game of tavla and give her an appraising silent stare as she walked by. She was careful to keep her properta on view; that way she was seen to belong to a prominent family and should as a result be safe from molestation. Even so she didn't feel entirely safe here, she clutched the strap of her shoulder bag tightly.