Chapter 18: Resolutions

Anchari Astana was facing a difficult dilemma. She was suspicious of her boss but she understood enough of the way of the world to know that denouncing him to Mr Kerrish was unlikely to result in anything other than her being dismissed from the Bank. Only if Henry's actions had threatened the Bank in some way would Mr Kerrish even think of considering action on the word of a mere secretary. And besides, Anch told herself, she didn't have any sort of proof, just a lot of supposition and guesswork.

On the other hand, she certainly had been less than willing to extend the usual pleasantries of the cubicon to Henry, leaving him rather confused as to whether he had broken some unwritten rule of the bank or committed some horrendous social gaffe that Anch would not discuss with him. In fact things had now got to the point where they were addressing one another as Miss Astana and Mr Clegg.

Only one thing served to thaw the frost. The news that Henry had actually been present at the meeting where Victoria's scandalous actions had finally come home to roost tempted Anch with the prospect of undreamed access to the stuff of gossip that would keep her in her friends' debt for many months.

As Anch's curiosity drove her to reopening discussions with Henry she found herself revising her opinion of him.

"Do we need to do anything as a consequence of your meeting with the Emir, Mr Henry," Anch asked, hoping that this might open to door on some indiscretion about Victoria's activities and her actual fate as opposed to the speculation from the pages of Yassi!

Henry, surprised by the use of his Christian name for the first time in a long time, looked up. "Let me see," he said. "No, I don't think so. It seems the entire project was being carried through without the knowledge of her husband and he is less than happy. The financial risk in the project is being born by the Kalinin's son, so we are indemnified against any losses. Even the United Nations are involved in trying to sort things out."

Anch could quite see how Henry might have been duped by the scheming Victoria. It was harder and harder for her to think if Henry as some sort of criminal mastermind. "But Victoria ... If things are as it is said, she will be finding it difficult to continue with her involvement in the project. Do you think that she or her partner will be able to revive her business ambitions?"

Henry was coming to realise that Anch's interest was not entirely professional. "Still," he said to himself, "if that cheers her up around the office it can only be to the good."

"So, is she still free to act, or are the rumours about her and her husband true?"

"Anch," Henry fell easily back into using the girl's familiar name, "You know me, I can't keep track of the ins and outs of Kushtian intrigues."

Anch exclaimed with a disbelieving, "Pooh!"

"But," Henry said with a conspiratorial air. "I did see something. Though I am not sure if I should say."

Henry's remark may not have been calculated to fire Anch's curiosity but it certainly had that effect. "Come," she said, "to the cubicon. In there all confidences can be put to one side for what is said in the cubicon may not leave the cubicon."

Henry was happy to follow Anch behind the curtain and into the alcove. An hour or so later he felt much more relaxed, while Anch was further reassured. And, for her part, she had heard of the way in which Victoria had been led away in manuses and a moaungf like some common doenya rather than a wife of a Council member. It was an exceptional tale and, of course, she would respect the confidence of the cubicon.

Except with her friends, naturally. Well, she felt, tradition is only tradition but friendship is friendship.

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Ellie stood by the steps of the white truck, watching as the heavy wooden doors at the back of the Kalinin's home were opened. As the doors swung open she could see the group of seven women huddled together in fear in the courtyard. She waved to them gesturing for them to get into the truck. The Russian girls, relieved by the sight of the UN letters on the truck pressed forward, eager to put their experiences at the hands of Victoria and Lauren behind them. "Thank you, oh thank you," one of the girls gasped in gratitude as she clambered up into the truck. "There is another of our party, missing still,,,, " she went on.

"Don't worry, she's over there," said Ellie gesturing to the UN ambulance parked not far away where Natalya lay helpless, silent and sedated in the back.

The other girls joined the first, each almost breathless with thanks. "This humanitarian stuff has its compensations," Ellie thought to herself. Besides, she quite liked the combat camouflage of her uniform. And the powder-blue beret rather suited her, she felt.

With the girls inside she slapped the driver's door, indicating that they were ready to go and took her seat in the ambulance, following behind the truck as it headed towards the Russian border.

When the truck stopped and the girls disembarked they were all relieved to see the huts with the Russian flag, border control troops and a heavy Kamaz truck waiting for them. Ellie walked up to the leader of the Russian troops, saluted smartly and spoke briefly before two of his men began to help the girls into the Kamaz. Natalya, barely able to walk and disoriented by the drugs that had been used to sedate her was helped from the ambulance into the Kamaz as well.

As the rear door of the Russian truck closed, Ellie spoke again to the Russian officer. "There you are Anatoly, all as promised."

"So I see," the Russian said gruffly. "I am glad Clegg sorted this out."

"It was hardly his fault, Anatoly," Ellie said. "And, besides, you are well up on this one, aren't you?"

"Hmm, maybe," he replied. "We'll see. It depends on what they're like. Customers are getting more selective."

"Come on Anatoly. It's not like you had any expenses on this. And Freddie wasn't even obliged to do what he did."

"You think this customs post came for free," he grumbled. "These boys all need their wages paying."

Ellie smiled. Of course Anatoly had needed to spend a little on this. The customs post, a good five miles inside Kushtia, had been a good ruse that had certainly allayed any concerns the girls might have had. The Kamaz would take them back into Russia over an unmade dirt road where border controls were less stringent than on the main route from Kolin. Even so, from what she had seen of Victoria and Lauren's selection of recruits and her own experience of Natalya, Anatoly wasn't going to have any problem selling them on at a good price and a substantial profit. "Well," she said, "I'm sure you'll work it out."

"So, maybe." Anatoly grudgingly said. "And you Ms Grant; you will come out ahead as well. I think you may have found a way to defray your expenses. You are something more than a lawyer for Mr Clegg it seems to me."

Ellie preferred not to draw attention to herself. "I just fix the things that need fixing," she said. "Mostly it's pretty dull stuff."

"But only mostly," Anatoly smiled. One of his men waved from the Kamaz. He saluted Ellie and took his leave. "A short journey for me," he said. "A longer one for you. A longer one still for our friends." He looked across at the Kamaz as its engine started and black diesel smoke belched from the tail pipe. "Goodbye."

Ellie watched as the Kamaz pulled away and then joined her own truck for the drive back to Kolin. Freddie would be wanting to know what was going on and they needed to agree what was going to be done about Esther and Dana.

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Ellie put the phone down after her conversation with Freddie. She really wished that he wouldn't get so excited; it didn't help with the decision making. At least he was happy with how the Russian girls had been dealt with. Now there were just the other loose ends to be tidied up; Esther, Dana and, of course, Henry! One of the advantages of the remoteness of Kushtia, Ellie felt, was that at least she could get on with things in her own way. Freddie might be fretting back in London but there wasn't much he could do from that far away and Ellie would square things off with him once she got back.

She thought about her options. She was pretty certain that there couldn't be any question of Henry, Esther or Dana returning to London any time soon but if Henry was staying in Kushtia he needed more diversion than the job at the Bank provided. She had a couple of assets in the form of the two girls. They were still enjoying the hospitality of Desnerek Dobranin and Freddie wasn't worried what she did about them as long as it didn't complicate things with Anatoly. Somehow she'd be able to conjure something from all this she was sure.

As it was the solution came partly from an unexpected direction.

++ ++ ++

"I wanted to ask your advice, Ms Grant." The Kalinin's son showed Ellie along the corridors that led into the suite of rooms he occupied in one wing of his father's palace.

Ellie, impressed by the sumptuous nature of the décor, was busily wondering how the place had survived through the Russian occupation. "If I can help excellency, I will."

"That is good. For Mr Freddie Clegg has been an excellent friend of Kushtia and he holds you in high regard, I think." he gestured through a beaded curtain into a large room. "My seragla," he announced.

Said the spider to the fly, thought Ellie. Then, deciding that with his slight post-adolescent pudginess he didn't really look like much of a lothario, she felt she was probably safe enough. As a last resort she still had her kongo, hidden as Modesty had taught her, in the plaits of her hair. She looked around the room. The floor was covered with silk woven carpets thrown across one another. Thick cushions of various sizes made up the furnishings. On one of them, asleep, sprawled a grizzled looking, middle aged, Kushtian man in a long heavy fur trimmed robe.

"We will take some sherbet. I understand that you do not enjoy the hunashif."

Ellie had not particular objection to the stuff but she didn't think this was the time for it, "At the right time, Excellency, but not if you wish for sound advice." As it was the sweet smell of hunashif smoke hung over the room as it did in so many places. She could imagine that if she ever ran for political office and she was asked if she had ever visited Kushtia she would have to say, "Yes, but I didn't inhale."

The Kalinin's son picked up a small handset from one of the cushions that lay spread across the floor and punched a few buttons. "Some sherbet will come," he said smiling.

Ellie had expected a bell or a gong or a clap of the hands to summon service but obviously things had moved on.

In response to the buttons two servant girls appeared with trays of drinks and sweetmeats. Immediately behind them came the ginger haired girl that Ellie recognised as Gerry, one of her host's wives.

Gerry gave no sign of remembering Ellie from her short time in Clegg's Preparation Centre but then she moved in a way that suggested she had taken on enough hunashif to not remember very much at the moment. She sat down on the floor beside her husband, running her hands over his thighs in a desultory way. The Kalinin's son looked towards Ellie to see if she was concerned by his wife's behaviour.

Ellie shrugged her shoulders. She didn't mind at all. "How can I help, Excellency," she said.

"It is a matter concerning the activities of my wife Victoria," he said. "She has caused considerable difficulty. Of course money has been repaid the contribution of the Cultural Heritage programme has resolved much but there are other debts too you understand."

Ellie wasn't sure that she did but she nodded anyway.

"Some of those involved have been anxious to see that their dissatisfaction is balanced by that of those they see as responsible." The grizzled man stirred. "Kolash!" the Kalinin's son waved in greeting. Kolash grunted, got to his feet and waved back in acknowledgement with one hand while scratching himself with the other. He sat back on the cushions as the Kalinin's son pressed some more buttons on his key pad.

Gerry's hands were busily moving toward's her husband's crotch. He seemed to feel no wish to prevent her. "Kolash here has been understanding. I have been able to amuse him by allowing him to see that I show my wife that such behaviour is not acceptable from a Kushtian wife. And, of course, the girl Lauren is able to show her contrition in her own way as part of my household now. Ah, here they are."

Ellie looked round to the beaded curtain where she had entered. First Lauren appeared, head bowed, wearing a typical Kushtian harem costume together with wrist chains and manacled ankles, the manuses and ancluses, that looked a great deal heavier and more constricting than the fashion items that could be seen on the streets of Kolin.

Immediately behind her came Victoria. No longer dressed in palace finery she wore a simple length of dark cloth as a long skirt. Her upper body was naked and she wore no jewellery of any kind. Like Lauren, she too was restrained but in her case she wore a heavy wooden disk almost a metre across, padlocked in place about her neck. Her wrists were held in holes in the disk so that her hands were held up beside her head. Heavy chains ran from the edge of the disk down to her ancluses. It was obvious from the slow and awkward way that she moved that the weight of the disk and the chains made it difficult for her to move at all. Her mouth was filled with a bright red ball gag so that even though she evidently objected to her situation her only contribution to the conversation in the room was an "Aargnh!" of frustration as he husband waved her away pointing to Kolash.