Honour Among Thieves by Jeffrey Archer Page B

once, when she was driven quickly past it on her
first day back in the capital. She wasn’t even sure of its exact location.
After consulting an A-Z map of London, she discovered it was in Palace Green,
Kensington, slightly back from the road.
    Hannah
stepped out of the High Street Kensington underground station a few minutes
before six. She strolled up the wide pavement into Palace Green and on as far
as the Philippine Embassy before turning back to reach the Israeli Mission just
before the appointed hour. She smiled at the policeman as she climbed the steps
up to the front door.
    Hannah
announced her name to the receptionist, and explained she had an appointment
with the Councillor for Cultural Affairs. ‘First floor. Once you reach the top
of the stairs, it’s the green door straight in front of you.’
    Hannah
climbed the wide staircase slowly, trying to gather her thoughts. She felt a
rush of apprehension as she knocked on the door. It was immediately opened with
a flourish.
    ‘A
pleasure to meet you, Hannah,’ said a young man she had never seen before. ‘My
name is Kratz. Sorry to call you in at such short notice, but we have a
problem. Please take a seat,’ he added, pointing to a comfortable chair on the
other side of a large desk. Not a man given to small talk, was Hannah’s first
conclusion.
    Hannah
sat bolt upright in the chair and stared at the man opposite her, who looked
far too young to be the Councillor for Cultural Affairs. But then she recalled
the real reason for the Colonel’s posting to London. Kratz had a warm, open
face, and if he hadn’t been going prematurely bald at the front, he might even
have been described as handsome.
    His
massive hands rested on the desk in front of him as he looked across at Hannah.
His eyes never left her and she began to feel unnerved by such concentration.
    Hannah
clenched her fists. If she was to be sent home she would at least state her
case, which she had already prepared and rehearsed.
    The
Councillor hesitated as if he were deciding how to express what needed to be
said. Hannah wished he would get on with it. It was worse than waiting for the
result of an exam you knew you had failed.
    ‘How
are you settling in with the Rubins?’ Kratz enquired.
    ‘Very
well, thank you,’ said Hannah, without offering any details. She was determined
not to hold him up from the real purpose of their meeting.
    ‘And
how’s the course working out?’
    Hannah
nodded and shrugged her shoulders.
    ‘And
are you looking forward to going back to Israel?’ asked Kratz.
    ‘Only
if I’ve got a worthwhile job to go back to,’ Hannah replied, annoyed that she
had lowered her guard. She wished Kratz would look away for just a moment.
    ‘Well,
it’s possible you may not be going back to Israel,’ said Kratz.
    Hannah
shifted her position in the chair.
    ‘At
least, not immediately,’ added Kratz. ‘Perhaps I ought to explain. Although you
have four more months of your course to complete’ – he opened a file that lay
on the desk in front of him – ‘your tutor has informed us that you are likely
to perform better in the final exams than any of the other five remaining
agents, as I’m sure you know.’
    It
was the first time she had ever been described as an agent.
    ‘We
have already decided you’ll be part of the final team,’ Kratz said, as if
anticipating her question. ‘But, as so often happens in our business, an
opportunity has arisen which we feel you are the best-qualified person to
exploit at short notice.’
    Hannah
leaned forward in her chair. ‘But I thought I was being trained to go to
Baghdad.’
    ‘You
are, and in good time you will go to Baghdad, but right now we want to drop you
into a different enemy territory. No better way of finding out how you’ll
handle yourself under pressure.’
    ‘Where
do you have in mind?’ asked Hannah, unable to disguise her delight.
    ‘Paris.’
    ‘Paris?’
repeated Hannah in disbelief.
    ‘Yes.
We have picked up