The Spy Who Loved Me

I was woken by the harsh sound of the alarm. "Mmmf."

Tim was instantly awake as usual. We showered and dressed, then finished packing and went down to reception. Our guide was waiting for us, looking no different despite the early hour.

Tim approached her. "Just wanted to thank you for all your help during our trip."

He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and glanced at it. "Ah, xièxiè, zàijiàn?"

Her face lit up. "Gracious thanks for visiting our country."

Tim nodded. "I hope our country can continue to have good relations with yours."

She nodded, giving a short bow. "Car is ready now."

As the car took us to the airport, I said, "You really are sneaky, aren't you. What did you say?"

Tim grinned. "Just goodbye, and thank you. I hope I managed to make my accent bad enough."

I punched his arm playfully. "As if I could tell you."

We reached the airport, and I was surprised as the car pulled through a set of gates and drove straight onto an airside roadway. We drove past the larger planes, towards the area where the smaller jets were parked.

"Special flight," Tim grinned.

We were met at the bottom of our aircraft's stairs by a young woman in a dark uniform, four gold stripes on each of her sleeves.

"Welcome, Mr Scott, Mrs Scott," she said. "Please, come aboard."

We climbed the steps, and turned right into a small cabin. "Just us?" I whispered to Tim.

He nodded. The captain made sure we were strapped in, then went forward. The engines started, and soon we were hurtling down the runway. The plane lifted into the air, and I grinned. "Feels very different from the bigger planes."

The captain's voice came over the address system. "We've now reached cruising altitude. Please, enjoy the refreshments that have been prepared for you."

I glanced round, noticing a tray covered with a cloth. "Mm, breakfast."

Our meal consisted of rolls, and a kind of sweetened rice porridge, then jasmine tea. "This is good," said Tim, his voice muffled by a bite of roll.

When we'd finished eating, Tim said, "Now, look out of the window. As we go further south, the scenery gets more spectacular. You remember the rock pillars in that Bond film?"

"The Man with the Golden Gun," I said.

Tim raised his eyebrows. "Well remembered. So the scenery in this part of China is like that."

I looked down, seeing tree-covered mountains, then rock formations of the kind he'd described, all lit by the sunrise. "Wow."

After a couple of hours, the captain announced, "We'll be landing shortly. Please fasten your seatbelts."

The plane came in for a smooth landing, and drew to a halt. The captain emerged from the cockpit.

"Your luggage will be taken straight to your hotel," she said, "and a car has been arranged to take you to the river."

"At last, a clue," I smiled at Tim.

The car took us from the small airport along narrow roads between the pillars of rock. Tim glanced at his watch. "We'll get there just before the boats set off."

Finally we pulled up at the side of a broad river, and Tim said, "Now, look carefully."

We got out of the car, and I looked across at the fishing boats being prepared at the wooden jetty. At the front of each boat was a large woven basket, and perched on the edge of the baskets were several large, dark birds with long necks.

I looked again. "Are they stealing the fish?"

"No," replied Tim softly. "This is what we came to see, the fishing cormorants of the Lijiang."

He approached the nearest boat, and spoke to the elderly fisherman. Clearly he'd decided to set aside at least that part of our cover in the interest of our experience that day.

Tim returned. "He says that we can go with them, but only one of us on each boat."

We walked over to the jetty, and Tim stepped gingerly in beside the old man. In the next boat stood a young woman, and she smiled shyly as I carefully boarded the small craft. I looked across at the birds, who were taking a keen interest in the proceedings.

We cast off, the boat carrying Tim going first, and soon we were out in the middle of the water, the surface absolutely flat.

"Tim," I called softly, "this is utterly magical. Thank you..."

He nodded, and called back, "Watch."

The two boats moved closer together, and the old man gestured at the birds and spoke briefly. One by one they slipped off the boat and under the surface, and I watched fascinated as they twisted and turned like seals in the water.

One broke the surface, a large fish in its mouth, and the girl stretched out a long pole for the bird to perch on, lifting it back into the boat. The bird bent its neck, and the fish was deposited in the basket.

"Why don't they swallow them?" I asked Tim.

"They have a metal ring round their neck," he explained. "It doesn't hurt them, but they've learned that they can't swallow with it on. They'll be fed later."

We watched as the birds brought fish, then slipped back into the water again. After each had brought several fish, the old man spoke again, and the birds hopped onto the boat, spreading their wings in the warm late-morning sun.

The girl spoke to me, and Tim translated. "Time for lunch, but first the birds get something. Do you want to feed them?"

I nodded, and the girl picked out a smaller fish from the basket and handed it to me. A cormorant hopped over, looking hopeful, and the girl lifted the ring from its neck and indicated that I should let it have the fish.

The small fish disappeared in one gulp, and I glanced at the girl, wondering if the bird would get more. She shook her head, and spoke to Tim.

"If they feed them too much at lunchtime, they won't want to fish again afterwards," Tim explained. "It's quite a lot like falconry back home, except that here it's these people's livelihood."

The birds took turns to come and get their limited reward, then spread out their wings again.

Our lunch, not surprisingly, consisted of what looked like grilled fish with some kind of pungent vegetable. Afterwards, the fishing continued, more boats joining us until the surface of the river seemed covered with a small flotilla, the birds finding their way unerringly back to their own boat.

As the light started to go, the fishermen lit lamps, casting a soft glow over the surface of the water, and my heart was pulled back to our last meal with Suleika and Akilah. I felt tears prick at my eyes, and wished Tim was in the boat with me so I could share my feelings with him.

Finally the old man called out to the other boats, and they started to make their way back to the shore. As we approached the jetty, he took the pole he'd been using to guide the boat and put it across his shoulders. Two of the birds – apparently special favourites – flapped up to the pole and perched one at each end.

When we reached the jetty, the birds' neck rings were removed again, and Tim and I fed them under the watchful eye of the old man.

We stepped back onto the shore, and the old man spoke to Tim.

"He invites us to his home. The young woman – his granddaughter – will cook for us," explained Tim.

I remembered what Tim had said on the plane to Beijing, though it seemed an age away. "We don't have any gifts to give them? Flowers, fruit?"

"I bought a couple of things at the hotel," said Tim. "Handkerchiefs, a couple of small items of jewellery."

We followed the old man and his young companion back to their home, as the other fishermen took care of the catch. We went in – I was careful to take my shoes off – and sat on the mat floor, while the young woman served us.

"Something else I'll never look at the same way again," I said, trying the various dishes.

When we'd eaten, Tim presented our gifts to our hosts, receiving broad smiles. I looked across at them, and did my best to remember the words Tim had used earlier in the day.

"Xièxiè," I ventured.

Tim looked across at me grinning, and I saw the young woman nodding, a delighted expression on her face.

She took my hand. "Zàijiàn, xièxiè."

I nodded in response, and Tim repeated our thanks to the old man.

We walked up from the house to the small hotel where we were booked in for the night, and as we settled into bed, I said, "Tim?"

"Hmm?"

"This was the most amazing surprise – thank you."

He held me close. "I wanted the end of our trip to be special."

***

We woke late, and I looked out of the window to see the boats already out on the river, the cormorants following their routine. I did my best to imprint the scene on my memory, then turned back into the room.

"So what are our plans?" I asked Tim.

"First, fly from here to Tokyo," he began.

"But that's further east," I said.

He grinned. "I thought we'd take the long way round. Believe it or not, there's an airline that offers a suite with a double bed in First Class."

I rubbed my eyes, then pretended to pinch myself. "Now I know I'm dreaming – it's always at the end of the film where Bond and his latest girl float, sail or fly off into the sunset..."

"No dream this time," smiled Tim.

As the car drove us to the airport, I said, "Any news from the Farm?"

Tim nodded. "All the more reason to make our way out of China quickly. The documents that Mei-Li provided clearly implicate two of the ministers, though without the knowledge of the Central Committee. Diplomatic conversations have taken place at the highest level, and we've been assured by the Chinese government that immediate action will be taken."

He looked grim for a moment. "Given that they'll want to avoid publicity, that means that those involved will have unfortunate 'accidents'."

I nodded. "But they were responsible for the terrible things that happened."

"True," said Tim.

"What about Mei-Li?" I asked.

"She's still being debriefed, but Beth tells me she's adjusting better than expected."

"Good," I said. "I'm looking forward to meeting her."

We reached the airport, and boarded our plane. The flight to Tokyo was comfortable enough, but I was starting to anticipate our journey over the Pacific.

When we reached Tokyo we had a brief stopover, and Tim introduced me to sashimi.

"Hmm," I said. "I think I'll leave the raw fish to the cormorants, thank you very much."

Our flight was called, and I grinned at Tim as we were shown to our suite. "Officially they frown on, ah, in-flight activities," he said, "but as long as we're discreet..."

I smiled. "I think I can manage that. You'll just have to watch my face..."

***

As we stepped off the plane at New York, I twined my fingers through Tim's. "No more making sure we're not offending any cultural sensitivities," I said softly, glancing across at him.

He grinned. "Don't forget Mei-Li," he said. "We don't want to introduce her too abruptly to our Western customs."

We reached the car that Beth had sent for us, and settled back for the journey to the Farm. It was dark when we got there, and I thought back to the first time I'd arrived there, just a few short days ago. Beth was waiting at the main door just as before, and she hugged me first, then Tim.

"What a trip you two have had," she said. "I've been following you on the map, but it's not quite the same as being there."

She took us through to the dining room, where a young Chinese woman was sitting at a table. She stood as she saw us come in, and without hesitating stepped forward to embrace Tim. I saw tears in her eyes, and I waited a few moments before introducing myself.

"Jenny, of course," she said, hesitating.

I took the initiative, hugging her. "I'm sure someone's already said this, but welcome."

We sat down to eat – Beth had organised a celebratory meal for our return – and when the meal was over, we talked late into the night. Beth seemed particularly moved by my account of our stay with Suleika.

"I'll make sure all the information we have on the Dubai end of the operation gets back to her," she said.

She glanced at her watch. "Time to get some sleep. You'll both be debriefed separately in the morning."

I glanced at Tim. "Just a formality," he said. "There's always paperwork to do."

We woke late in the morning, and had breakfast with Beth and Mei-Li. Then Tim took my hand. "Remember, don't worry. Just go through exactly what happened – no need to hold anything back."

I nodded, forcing a smile, and followed Beth to the interview room where two men, one older, the other about Tim's age, were waiting.

"So, Miss March," the older man began. "Tell us in your own words what happened from when you left here, to when you returned."

The younger man spoke. "We may ask questions – we're not trying to catch you out, we genuinely just want to have all the facts."

I nodded, and took a deep breath. I described the flight to Geneva, and my day with Johanna, then our journey on to Dubai.

The older man seemed particularly interested in the attack at the oasis. "The two men were armed, you say."

I nodded. "They both had long knives – the blades looked like they'd been coated with something to darken them, but it seemed pretty obvious what they were intending to do."

The younger man made a note. "And Tim shot both of them?"

"Yes. It was amazing; one minute he was in my arms, the next his gun was in his hand. As far as I could see he only fired twice."

"What happened to the bodies?"

"The sheikh's men took them away. I assume they disposed of them."

We moved on to the day we'd spent back in Dubai. I detected a hint of a smile on their faces as I described our outing with Akilah, and the older man nodded as I mentioned the stories we'd shared that night.

"That proves that teaching Lawrence, and the Thousand and One Nights, isn't a waste of time," he said.

As I started my account of our time in China, the older man stopped me. "Go over again exactly how Tim described his first meeting with Mei-Li," he requested.

I repeated what Tim had told me, trying to recall his exact words.

"And Mei-Li definitely volunteered the information about her minister's involvement in the bombings unprompted?"

"That's how Tim described it, yes. He mentioned what had happened, and she said how terrible it was, how she'd disagreed with what was done, and that the minister she worked for had been somehow involved."

"And that was when he suggested she defect?"

"Yes."

I carried on to describe the events of the following day at Tai Shan. "Obviously I didn't see any of what happened – the car, the special operation."

The younger man nodded. "And then you travelled to Guilin?"

"That was amazing," I said. "I even managed to learn a couple of words of Chinese."

I hesitated. "I hope it wasn't a problem, Tim taking me to Guilin. He said he'd always wanted to see the birds, and it was a remarkable experience."

"And after that you flew back."

I nodded. "So here we are."

The younger man stood. "Thank you, Jenny. That all seems very clear, and I'm sure you'll have no trouble fitting into the role."

I gave him a blank look, and the older man interjected. "I'm sorry, we should have explained. Obviously this mission was a success, and we want to make sure we're using the experience gained to good advantage. It's clear that you and Tim are, how shall I put it..."

"An item, I think is the phrase you're looking for," the younger man spoke up.

The older man nodded. "So, we'd like to offer you both the opportunity to represent the agency in our Middle and Far East operation – you could choose where you based yourselves, and travel as needed. We'd provide training – language skills for you particularly – but we wouldn't anticipate you'd need the same sort of field skills as Tim already has."

I took a deep breath. "That's quite an offer. Can I talk to Tim about it?"

"Of course. Just one thing more."

"Yes?"

He hesitated. "It would make things easier, ah, administratively, if you two really were husband and wife."

I grinned. "Don't think it hasn't occurred to me, but I was waiting for Tim to make that particular move."

"I'm sure now you're back it won't take him long to get around to it," the younger man smiled.

"That's the interview concluded," the older man said. "And Jenny – thanks again for the service you've done us."

I opened the door, finding Beth waiting for me. "Everything OK?" she asked.

I nodded. "I'm still a bit off-balance, though."

"Come on – let's get some lunch."

We walked back to the dining room, finding Tim in conversation with Mei-Li.

"Her debriefing is finished," Tim said. "We were just discussing where she'd like to live now she's here."

I nodded. "Need to talk to you," I said.

Beth sat down with Mei-Li and the two started up a conversation, Beth continuing to describe some of the places on the map Tim had been using.

Tim and I walked out into the cold air, our breath condensing in front of us.

"Have they told you about this job offer?" I asked.

He nodded. "Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it."

I grinned. "Perhaps the last week or so has spoiled me, it sounded perfectly natural to me."

Tim's face became serious. "Jenny –"

"Hmm?"

"I don't want you to think I was ordered to do this."

"Do what?" I asked, my voice puzzled.

Tim reached in his pocket, producing a small box, then sank to one knee before opening the box to reveal a blaze of diamonds.

"Jenny," he said softly. "Will you marry me?"

I felt my face start to beam. "You know what they say?"

"What do they say?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.

"Diamonds are forever..."

***

Epilogue

Once again we sat in the courtyard of the house in the Old Town, the lamps lit, their soft glow illuminating Suleika's face as she watched us. I leaned back against Tim, and Akilah rested her head carefully on my stomach.

"Amma?" she said quietly.

"Yes, my darling?"

"I think I felt the baby move."

"I'm sure you're right," I said, feeling Tim's fingers tighten gently on mine.