"How far to the border?" "Not far." "Unless they changed it again since I was here last." "Round here a man can rise from his bed in Poland, go down to the kitchen and find himself in Germany." "You're getting well, they tell me." "Playing football soon, eh?" "I hope so, sir." "You've been over there a few times?" "Yes." "Did you see something?" "That made them angry enough to shoot you?" "Soldiers." "With shovels and machinery." "What kind of machinery?" "Moving the earth." "We warned Stefan not to go over after they strengthened the border." "Are there patrols?" "Every two hours." "We should take a closer look." "There's a new moon in two weeks." "I'll arrange it." "Who's the man fencing with your brother?" "Colonel Jean-Francois Mercier." "And what does the gallant Colonel do?" "He's the Military Attache at the French Embassy." "He's only been in Warsaw six months." "Married?" "Widowed?" "Don't get your hopes up, Cecylia." "I already have my eye on him." "How did this happen?" "A bayonet." "And this?" "A sniper's bullet." "Where else should I look?" "The doctor says there's still some shrapnel in my left knee." "Most men of your generation have scars of some sort." "Unless, like my husband, they spent the war at home and got rich." "Well, if there's another he'll get even richer." "Crazy talk, surely?" "Countess!" "I was..." "I was..." "I was beginning to think..." "Champagne!" "You wicked boy." "Herr Uhl." "You look pale." "Too little sleep." "What have you got for me?" "The first diagrams for the new tank turret." "What's different?" "It's the same." "But now the plates are to be..." "One beer for you." "The plates are to be face-hardened." "That means carbon cementation." "Very expensive but the strength is greatly increased." "Next time we'd like to see the formula for the face-hardening process." "Next time?" "I'm not sure" "I'll be able... 15th November." "There are many problems." "There are always problems in this sort of work but you can use the money." "The Countess has expensive tastes." "A thousand zlotys." "Go on." "Let me finish my beer." "Morning." "Morning." "The embassy are holding a dinner for our people from Renault." "They're coming here to sell their tanks." "That won't be easy." "The information I've received suggests to me that the" "Germans are preparing for a different kind of combat." "Is this another one of your gloomy predictions about the likelihood of war?" "There are certain indications." "If so, try to use your influence to persuade the Poles to buy French." "They've paired us off for this dinner, but I'm fighting a cold, Jean-Francois." "If you give it to me we could both be excused." "You're not getting out of it that easily." "But I've found you a substitute." "Anna Skarbek, a delightful girl." "A lawyer with the League of Nations." "And afterwards there will be dancing." "I'll try not to step on her toes." "I'm looking for Madame Skarbek." "She's almost ready." "Come in." "Anna, your general is here!" "Coming!" "Not quite a general." "Lieutenant colonel." "A brave one too by the look of it." "A lucky one." "I'm alive." "As am I. I survived bloody Bolsheviks." "I'm Maxim." "Jean-Francois." "Will this do?" "Splendidly." "I don't go to many formal dinners." "It's very kind of you to do this at such short notice." "Madame Dupin does favours for everyone so how could I refuse?" "Don't bring her back too late, eh?" "Don't drink too much." "Have you always lived in Warsaw?" "No, I've been here just over a year." "My work means I travel a lot." "So where's home?" "I'm Parisian by birth, Polish by heritage." "So we have Paris in common." "In case we run out of conversation?" "I'm sure we won't do that, Madame Skarbek." "Anna, please." "And it's Mam'selle." "For a while anyhow." "Good evening." "Evening." "Anna, here you are." "Would you excuse us?" "I think they want us at table." "So nice talking to you, Monsieur Blanc." "I'm sorry, were you trapped?" "Not at all." "He's an engineer specialising in treads." "Fascinating." "Mercier, you dog!" "Where have you been hiding this beautiful lady?" "Anna Skarbek, this is Colonel Antoni Pakulski." "That does not answer my question." "We met an hour ago." "Really?" "We are old friends." "I was with him when he won this." "The Virtuti Militari." "How did a Frenchman win a Polish medal?" "He was attached to my cavalry squadron in 1920." "We fought off the Red Army together." "Just the two of you?" "There may have been others, I don't recall." "Promise me a dance later." "Dancing?" "Yes." "So I would advise against all six courses." "Is this something you do often?" "Unhappily, almost every night." "I sip the wine, taste the food, find everyone fascinating." "A good motto for diplomacy." "It's one way to save the world." "You dance well, Jean-Francois." "My wife loved to dance." "What happened?" "Consumption." "Three years ago." "I'm sorry." "You must miss your wife." "I do." "She made these evenings tolerable." "As have you." "It's been an unexpected pleasure." "And I've learned so much about this tank." "I worry about the armament - a 37-millimetre cannon with only one machine gun?" "You've been talking to Colonel Pakulski." "He thinks it's not much of a machine for Poland's money." "Better than nothing if German tanks roll across the border." "But if they do, surely the gallant French will rush to our rescue?" "May I?" "Of course." "Oh, not a good idea after Scotch, claret and slivovitz." "Not a good idea at all." "You know everything, Antoni." "What's the story with this Russian she lives with?" "Maxim Mostov." "White Russian." "He's lived in many places since he left his homeland." "He makes a living as a political journalist." "Mostly attacking Stalin." "Talks too much and drinks even more." "Why is she with him?" "Who knows with women?" "How long have they been together?" "Long enough, is that what you are thinking?" "Careful, my friend." "It's 3.30." "I was told not to bring you back too late." "Max will be asleep." "Don't bother to see me upstairs." "And thank you for a memorable evening." "Coffee, please." "And another chocolate for Madame." "Always so punctual, Colonel." "Were you on time for your rendezvous with Herr Uhl?" "For him the Countess is always late." "She can be difficult at times." "I rather like her." "Of course he thinks she's penniless." "He loaned her some more of your money." "Do you want it back?" "No keep it, Olga." "We've made your usual deposit." "We're appreciative of what you do." "Perhaps I was born to be a spy." "We adapt to the times we live in." "There's a French saying," ""Wherever God has planted you, you must know how to flower."" "It's certainly an improvement on what came before." "How did you find Herr Uhl?" "His trips to Warsaw are the high points of his life." "Otherwise he labours away, the good family man." "He'll be back next month." "Though he showed some reluctance." "Oh, he'll come." "He may even be in love with the Countess." "Am I overplaying my part?" "My scarf" " I left it." "Fuck these people." "Please!" "Not yet." "Now." "They still have patrols out there." "The next one comes through at 9.35." "They're always prompt?" "Like a clock." "Dogs?" "Always." "Sure you want to do this, Colonel?" "If they see you they'll shoot on sight." "If we don't show up, do something with the car." "All right?" "I'm OK." "What is it?" "It's a tank trap." "Why are they covering their tank traps?" "That doesn't make sense." "Go for the light." "Go, go, go, go, go!" "I looked for you last night." "Did you forget the Prince and I were holding a soiree?" "It was impossible to get away, Princess." "Paperwork." "Reams of it." "Hmm, and what's this, a paper cut?" "I read your report." "A near miss by the sound of it." "I was fortunate." "What if you were caught?" "Or you'd shot someone?" "Christ, how would we explain that?" "I wasn't." "And no-one was." "Paris will take a dim view of this." "What are you, what are you trying to prove?" "I thought I made that clear." "They're covering traps so their own tanks won't be impeded." "If they invade, you mean." "Hitler is intent on war, it's only a question of who he picks a fight with first." "Dear Colonel!" "How has life been treating you?" "Very well, Madame Rozen." "And yourselves?" "Could be better, but we can't complain." "Is he a friend of yours?" "Not exactly." "A compatriot, but an emigre." "Sad how some people abandon us." "Some of the brightest." "Not everyone wants to build socialism, my love." "Well, it isn't an easy life, where we come from, why not admit it?" "But, Colonel, better than what we had before." "Excuse me." "Anna." "I know you find these occasions boring but I'm beginning to enjoy them." "Or is it the champagne?" "The champagne helps." "So you know the Rozens." "Everyone knows them." "Do they try to recruit you?" "Max says everyone at the Russian Embassy is a spy, even the janitor." "Well, Malka offers to cook me borscht from time to time." "They despise Max of course, because of what he writes." "It's not so far from the Russian experiment..." "I'd better get him home." "He's cornered the American Ambassador." "You Americans go weak at the knees when you hear the word" ""socialism" but what else can you call it?" "Why is she with this Russian?" "You hate Russians as much as Germans, Marek?" "Nothing to choose." "One to the east, one to the west." "Both waiting to crush Poland like a walnut." "You wish to go on somewhere, boss?" "Restaurant?" "Nightclub?" "No, I want to go home and get this bloody collar off." "Countess, since you introduced me to the Frenchman, my life has changed." "It has brought us closer, of course, but, I am caught up in a dangerous game and these are dangerous times." "You don't wish to see me again?" "Oh, no, of course I do." "You know how I feel about you." "But perhaps we have to think of our future." "Together?" "Why not?" "Edvard, I have already fled the country of my birth." "I don't know where is safe any more." "Safe would be with me." "Here it is." "The final blueprints should be complete by next month." "Then that's when we'll meet next." "Ah, that's difficult." "On the eighth me and two other engineers, we have to go to Schramberg in the Black Forest." "What for?" "To observe tank exercises." "We're being asked for our recommendations." "Exercises?" "You mean manoeuvres?" "Manoeuvres, yes, I suppose so." "Tanks don't go in forests, Herr Uhl." "There are trees in forests." "I'm not a military man." "How would I know what they're up to?" "Let's meet a week later." "I will do that." "But then it ends." "Last time, the Gestapo were at the border." "I had to elude them, scramble down the tracks and take a taxi to the next station." "What were you frightened of?" "What if they asked me what I was doing in Warsaw?" "!" "Tell them you were seeing a lady." "Adultery is not yet a crime." "Herr Uhl?" "Yes?" "I'm Renata." "The Countess's niece." "She wanted me to catch you before you went to the station." "Is she unwell?" "No, no, no." "She says it's important that she tells you something before you catch your train." "Who is the girl?" "What girl?" "The blonde who met your man." "He went off with her." "Hard to blame him, she was very pretty." "Was she a prostitute?" "Why would he want a tart after a night with his Countess?" "Which way did they go?" "Towards Muranow." "Let's get after them." "The Countess lives here?" "She tells me without your help it would be somewhere worse." "I don't like this." "Something isn't right." "What's going on?" "The man is sick." "He's not sick, he's drugged." "It's chloroform." "Is he dead?" "There's a pulse." "It's faint, but it's there." "An abduction in public, brawling in the streets!" "Are we to look forward to this in the morning papers?" "No, Jourdain, I made some calls and put the lid on it." "Who was this man?" "A contact." "You mean a spy." "Will he live?" "Yes, but he can't go back to Germany." "I'd like to assure him that we can help with some kind of relocation." "On what grounds?" "He's earned it." "And I intend to follow up on what he told me." "Try to remember, Colonel, that your function here is covert, which means we want to hear as little as possible about what you get up to." "You don't look well - are you all right?" "A slight headache." "Well, I presume you're in some sort of disguise." "If not, let me get you the name of my tailor." "I was hoping for South Africa." "I already applied for a visa." "That was unwise." "If the Gestapo found out, that might explain why they tried to snatch you when they did." "But you can get me there?" "Yes?" "A new life?" "No." "German agents will be waiting for you." "It has to be somewhere French." "Canada perhaps." "Canada?" "Would it be possible for the Countess to join me there?" "Herr Uhl... she's not a Countess." "Nor was she ever in love with you." "He's awake, then?" "Awake to the facts of life." "Officially, he died of cardiac arrest, brought on by asphyxiation." "That should throw the Germans off the trail." "Thank you." "Have you noticed how young these nurses are?" "Or is it just that we're getting older?" "I'm afraid so, Antoni." "Ich habe so eben ein Telegramm aus Warschau erhalten." "Uhl ist tot." "Sie haben also nicht nur seine Entfuehrung versaut." "Sie haben ihn verdammt nochmal getoetet!" "Vollidiot." "Ich kann das nicht glauben, Herr Sturmbannfuehrer." "Gehen Sie zu seiner Witwe." "Um unser Beileid auszusprechen?" "Nein, Sie Koffer." "Tear the house apart" "Was versteckst du, Zoller?" "Bist du Jude?" "Some pieces are missing." "I can't find this one, I can't find it anywhere." "Are you sleeping better?" "Not really." "They don't treat me very well here, you know." "The younger ones seem to forget that this was my house once." "And if it was, I'd dismiss most of them." "How's Warsaw?" "Cold and wet." "Is there a man in your life?" "I've told you about Max." "Oh, he's still in the picture?" "Yes, Mother." "Well, I wonder why it is you've never brought him here to see me." "Because you don't like Russians." "Well, that's true." "Or Germans." "If we'd stayed in Paris, you'd be married to a Frenchman by now." "I met one recently." "He seemed quite taken with me." "Does he have land?" "I've no idea." "Well, they often pretend they do and then they turn out to be penniless." "I mean, your Russian doesn't have money." "I need a piece of blue sky with a little bit of green." "The Germans tried to snatch Herr Uhl." "It could be the Gestapo is onto him." "They may know about you." "If so, they'll be looking for the Countess Potocki, not Olga Musser." "Even so, we should take precautions." "A bodyguard, perhaps?" "Tall and handsome with a soft spot for women of a certain age?" "Olga, please treat this seriously." "Take some things, move to this hotel for a few days." "It's on Sienna Street, not far from the Cafe Cleo." "The reservation's under your real name." "So no more Countess?" "I shall miss her." "I haven't seen you of late, Dr Lapp." "Have you been travelling?" "Berlin, for my company's sales conference." "While I was there, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor visited Herr Hitler." "Smiles, handshakes and waves." "Are the English falling under his spell too?" "You don't approve of the present regime?" "The culture of old Europe, civility, stability... was not such a bad thing for Germany." "Some of us Germans may not be so much the enemy of France as you might think." "Sorry - you were saying?" "Don't worry." "A beautiful woman always catches my eye too." "You know her?" "We met recently." "I..." "I should say hello." "Of course." "And if it goes well, I will say goodbye." "Always good to see you, Dr Lapp." "May I?" "Or is Max joining you?" "No." "Max is finishing an article." "I came here to get out of the rain." "I've been to the cinema." "To see what?" "Laurel and Hardy." "Babes In Toyland." "I needed a laugh." "What made you sad?" "My mother is unwell." "She's never been quite right since my father died." "She misses the grand old days." "She can't believe she has a daughter who works." "So you had a privileged childhood?" "Not compared to you." "Doesn't this ring mean you're nobility?" "Oh, just a lowly chevalier." "A knight in service to the king - when France had a king." "Still... the only one I've ever known." "You've been checking up on me." "Yes, I'm home, my darlings." "These letters - bills mostly - are addressed to Olga Musser." "So whose idea was it to make you a Countess?" "I can't believe how late it is." "Will Max be upset?" "He might be upset that you took me to such a fine restaurant and that you ordered some very good wine." "Life's too short to drink bad wine." "Thank you." "And thank you for making me smile." "When can I see you again?" "Maybe it's better if we don't." "I think it might be better if we do." "Good night, Jean-Francois." "Did you finish it?" "For what it's worth." "Chit-chat." "I don't have the chance to write anything serious any more." "And if I did, would I have anything to say?" "You're a brilliant writer, Max." "Just bide your time." "Maybe I should go to England." "They might give me a soapbox in the park." "On Saturdays, I can rage against Stalin." "On Sundays, Hitler." "Who brought you home?" "I saw you from the window." "Colonel Mercier." "Should I be jealous of the Colonel?" "Get to bed, you old bear." "I'll bring you some hot milk." "Who found her?" "A neighbour." "She hadn't seen her for a couple of days, and the cat was making a racket." "How did she die?" "Strangled." "Why did the police bring you into this?" "Another neighbour heard men leaving and thought they were German voices." "That makes this an internal security matter." "I know she was one of your contacts, Jean-Francois." "That's why I called you." "What a horrible way to die." "Poor bloody Olga." "Was she tortured?" "I imagine she told them what they wanted to know fairly quickly." "This is the terrible part of what we do, Antoni." "Recruit someone, gain their trust, use them, and then one day..." "It was easier when we were simply soldiers." "Hmm." "Black and white." "Now everything is grey." "Shadows." "Secrets." "Do you have a file on me?" "A thin one." "I'm sure you have more on me." "I presume Marek reports to you." "He's a good man to have at your back." "You're in danger yourself now." "I think Paris has sent everything for your jaunt into Germany." "Maps, weather reports." "Oh, have you used one of these before?" "No." "The directions for reloading are somewhere here." "There's a film in the camera and ten more in the knapsack." "You'll pick up a car in Basel and drive over the border." "You're Albert Ducasse, from Lausanne." "Paris wants you to leave your own passport here." "Do try not to be caught, because, technically speaking, you're a spy." "And in that situation could be shot." "What is the purpose of your visit, Herr Ducasse?" "A wedding in Freiburg." "Aufstehen!" "Aufstehen!" "Ich bin nur Ornithologe." "Komm her." "Bring die Kamera!" "Los." "Vorwaerts." "Vorwaerts!" "The post made the motorcycle exactly the same width as a tank." "I watched them measure it." "The officer was trying to prove that if that could find a way through the trees, then so could a Panzer division." "You were discovered?" "Regrettably." "I took care of him." "You killed him?" "He was no more than 18 years old." "I gagged him and tied him up with his rifle strap." "You're getting soft, Mercier." "We're not at war, Colonel Lessard." "Not yet." "Your previous report concerned tank traps on the Polish border." "Which as you may have noticed, is flat." "Polish steppes are tailor-made for tank invasion." "So why are they holding manoeuvres in a forest?" "Possibly Poland is not their sole objective." "You think they'll invade us?" "They could come through the Ardennes from Belgium." "They'd run into the Maginot Line forts - it would be suicide." "I believe that's what they were trying to refine in Schramberg." "What information took you there?" "My contact, Herr Uhl." "Oh, yes, the man we're now obliged to relocate, at some expense." "Of course, living in Quebec is somewhat preferable to being dead in Warsaw, the fate of your woman agent." "Your other little foray over the border ended in gunshots." "Perhaps cloak and dagger isn't your strong suit, Mercier." "Would you prefer a new assignment?" "No, Colonel." "My preference is to remain in Poland." "That is up to General Beauvilliers." "He wants to have lunch with you." "Oh, don't worry about Lessard." "I want you in Warsaw to reassure the Poles that we'll come to their aid if the worst happens." "Are you sure the politicians will honour the treaties?" "No... but for God's sake, don't tell them that." "Daladier and that English moron Chamberlain are keen to strike a deal with Hitler." "To them, the Czechs and the Poles are entirely dispensable." "That's Lady Angela Hope, a pillar of Parisian society." "General!" "Everything to your satisfaction?" "The oysters were excellent as usual, Papa." "So glad we could offer your favourite table." "The choucroute is on its way." "With two glasses of your best Pilsner." "Why is this table so special?" "A Bulgarian head waiter was assassinated here." "Bullets all over the place." "All the mirrors were replaced except this one." "It's a good story." "Personally, I come here for the gossip." "So..." "Poland." "They're doing their best to buy weapons, though the Depression crippled their economy." "And the Germans are building tanks... and more tanks and modifying the ones they've got." "Invasion plans." "There are many gems in this murky business, all sorts of emeralds and rubies." "But find those plans, and you have the jewel in the crown." "And they come from only one mine, General" " IN6." "The planning section of the German General Staff." "Impossible, would you say?" "Perhaps not." "The right person, the right moment." "Does the name Dr Lapp mean anything to you?" "No." "Who is he?" "He claims to represent a German pharmaceutical company, but I doubt he's ever sold a pill." "He makes remarks." "Hints." "As if he wants to make more than small talk." "I'll check him for you." "Oh, yes, this looks excellent." "I definitely think we should do that." "Open house." "Quite soon." "Absolutely." "Good afternoon." "Arnaud, who is this delicious man?" "Colonel Mercier, Lady Angela Hope." "Roddy Fitzware." "You can't live in Paris, Colonel, or I'd have made it my business to meet you." "I'm flattered, but at present, I live in Warsaw." "Oh?" "That sounds cold and dull." "Well, a party this evening might lift your spirits." "An exhibition of a new artist." "He's something of an enfant terrible, so the evening is bound to end in drunkenness and violence." "It's tempting, but I'm on a train tonight." "I'm spending Christmas with my sister in the country." "Oh?" "What a pity." "Then I hope we meet again next year." "A pleasure." "It doesn't take a genius to guess Herr Hitler's intentions." "Know his favourite saying?" ""The world wants to be deceived, therefore let it be deceived."" "And he's not wrong." "Just read the newspapers." "Are you listening to a word I'm saying?" "I've heard it all before, Max." "For God's sake, it's Christmas." "Ah, good to see you." "And you, you look very well." "How was your holiday, Colonel?" "Very pleasant." "I was with my sister in the country and also Paris." "I envy you Paris." "How are things in the motherland?" "Difficult at present." "The trials." "We have been recalled." "Promotion, perhaps?" "More likely a bullet." "Stalin is purging all the old Bolsheviks." "Can you help us?" "We like you, as you know, Colonel." "But we always felt... that your function here was more... clandestine than diplomatic." "And we understand you would expect something in return." "For getting you out of Poland?" "Are you being watched?" "Here?" "We can't say." "They're very good at it when they don't want you to know." "I have to go to Belgrade for a few days." "Let's talk when I return." "Don't wait too long." "Was this trip Jourdain's idea?" "Of course." "He'll do anything to get you out of the office." "But there is one consolation." "For Belgrade in January?" "It's a League of Nations conference." "So Anna will be there." "She may even be on your train." "Would you prefer the first or second seating for dinner, Colonel?" "Which seating is Mademoiselle Skarbek down for?" "The lady's not listed, sir." "The second, then." "You prefer something else, sir?" "Just a Remy Martin." "Anna!" "I looked for you." "Where were you?" "I got on at Krakow with some colleagues." "And I dined alone." "What a waste." "Please..." "Where are you going?" "The same conference as you." "I doubt it will do any good." "Does anyone listen to the League any more?" "Especially now Mussolini's pulled Italy out." "What do you hope to learn?" "To be honest, I intended to bow out till I heard you'd be there." "What did you have in mind?" "An adventure on a train?" "No." "More." "I'm pursuing you, Anna." "You know my situation." "Yes, I do." "Makes no difference." "We hardly know each other." "Where do you think we are?" "The next stop's Budapest." "I'd rather talk about Warsaw." "I'm in love with you, Anna." "I'd forgotten these feelings." "Are you sure about this?" "With the way things are in the world, it's the only thing I AM sure about." "And I don't believe you're in love with Max." "You have no idea about my feelings for Max!" "I was adrift." "He pushed me to take this job." "He made me feel useful... relevant." "Max is my anchor." "Then it's me who's adrift." "You must give me time." "To end it my way." "You're under surveillance, my friend." "Not very high-grade, we spotted them quite easily." ""Them"?" "A team of four, so they are taking it seriously." "One's Ukrainian, the other three are Poles, of German extraction." "Does one of them have a pinched face, like a fierce weasel?" "You've seen him before?" "Yeah." "The day Uhl was abducted." "That's him." "They are watching your apartment and tailing you when you go out." "I suppose you know things are heating up between Anna Skarbek and me." "I had heard." "Didn't she stay over twice last week?" "I want her to move in with me." "A woman who was formerly living in sin with a Russian emigre of dubious reputation?" "That should make your superiors piss their pantaloons!" "Max is fragile." "Can't you understand?" "He feels... displaced." "Dispossessed." "When I leave, he'll be completely alone." "So you still haven't told him?" "Not yet, I have to pick my moment." "Our lives aren't as simple as they are in your bed." "Our lives will never be simple." "Who is it?" "Malka Rozen." "Please, Colonel, let me in!" "Oh, God!" "He's hurt!" "Viktor." "We were on our way here." "They know!" "He fell on the ice and hurt his ankle." "Where?" "In the small park." "In the square by the church?" "Yes, yes, there is a church!" "Wlada, take Madame Rozen into the kitchen and make some tea." "Who is it?" "What's going on?" "There's a problem." "I have to go out." "When I leave, lock the door behind me and don't open it for anyone." "It's all right, it's all right, Viktor." "They know, Colonel." "They know." "All right, all right, all right." "Come on." "Don't worry." "Don't worry." "I'll take care of it." "Thank you." "Why tonight, Viktor?" "What happened?" "A late meeting was called at the Embassy." "One of our friends... a good friend from the old days... suddenly wouldn't talk to us." "It was in his eyes." "He'd been questioned, we could feel it." "We knew." "We didn't even go home to get our things." "Right, keep walking." "Not far." "You work half your life for them." "25 years of service, faith and obedience." "And still you're afraid of the knock on the door at midnight." "Why have we stopped?" "Who was he, Viktor?" "I wouldn't know." "Anna, it's me." "Viktor!" "Are you all right?" "He's frozen." "Wlada, run a hot bath." "As hot as you can get it." "And some dry clothes." "What can I do?" "Can I help?" "You must go home now, Anna." "And you saw none of this." "For God's sake, bring them to the Embassy!" "Risk a diplomatic confrontation with the Soviets?" "Paris will want to handle this." "Paris will get them soon enough." "Find a private plane to get them there." "We have to keep this to ourselves." "We can't risk embarrassing the Poles." "You shouldn't be running this alone." "They came to me." "They trust me." "So did your Countess." "How many are with you?" "Two." "Put one in the back alley, one on the stairs and you out front." "Do you have a weapon?" "Good." "Don't hesitate." "Who are we expecting?" "Our German friends?" "No, these are Russians." "NKVD." "Oh." "It will be a pleasure." "We had little to do with France." "Our operations were centred on the Poles." "Especially penetration of the socialist parties." "Moscow Central is obsessed with this." "We did what everyone does." "War plans, arms production, political personalities, border defences." "I doubt it's much different from what you do, Colonel." "Any German networks?" "We didn't handle them." "That was the preserve of the elite." "Not you?" "The Jews in the service aren't so favoured these days." "No German information?" "You're sure?" "Only gossip." "Such as?" "A camp, in Pomerania where they train spies to work in Poland." "Surely you know already." "Of course I know!" "If I'm to convince Paris to save your skins, I need more than this." "What do you know about IN6?" "IN6?" "Was that Kovak's operation?" "No, it wasn't Kovak... it was Morozov." "She's right, it WAS Morozov." "What was it?" "He had a contact who worked in the IN6 office." "Someone who had concealed his political affiliation to the Black Front." "They were..." "I know." "Hitler's opponents in the Nazi Party." "The left wing." "Go on." "This man was pressured to become a Soviet agent." "It worked for a while, then..." "Morozov was purged, so the operation stalled." "And this man still works in the heart of German intelligence?" "Yes." "And he is no friend of Hitler." "A name?" "I need a name." "It was a code name." "A...a bird." "I think it was a bird." "Kanarejka?" "Something like that?" "No, it wasn't." "Well, what then?" "It was a seabird, dear." "In harbours everywhere." ""Chaika," that was it!" "Seagull." "Isn't she something?" "So you intend to fly to Paris with the Rozens?" "I do, yes." "Is that really necessary?" "We have to follow up on this information." "This is opposition to Hitler inside his own party." "If we can tap into that, it could be invaluable." "Hmm." "When Madame Rozen came to your apartment, you weren't alone?" "No." "My maid was there." "And also a young lady." "Anna Skarbek." "Yes." "We'd been to dinner." "This was after one in the morning, so presumably you'd had more than dinner." "Is that any of your business?" "The Ambassador thinks it is." "Because you're now seriously compromised." "The woman is Maxim Mostov's mistress." "That relationship is at an end." "It's possible she's more than a hapless mistress but a willing accomplice." "That's ridiculous!" "The Ambassador feels very strongly in the circumstances it would be best to terminate this liaison." "I'm not prepared to do that." "Perhaps you should think very carefully about that." "The Rozens were defecting, presumably?" "You know I can't comment on that." "Max feels certain that's it." "You discussed it with him?" "He's heard about it." "Who hasn't?" "Anna, this is a very tricky situation." "The Embassy doesn't want me to see you any more." "Why?" "Cos they think I'm a spy?" "Or a slut?" "If they insist, I'll resign." "I have to go away for a few days." "By the time I get back, I want it all over between you and Max." "I don't like ultimatums." "I need you to be free." "Keep your heads down." "Go on!" "He seems upset." "Wouldn't you be?" "Hey!" "What?" "!" "I don't mind if you screw him a few times and get it out of your system." "It's not like that." "I can see the attraction." "The war hero." "Killed lots of my countrymen 20 years ago." "And he looks good in a uniform, even if he walks like he has a poker up his arse." "Max, don't do this." "Well, I suppose I knew this would happen one day." "You are young, you are alive." "I'm just a sad, miserable old bastard." "I see it in people's faces when we go to parties." ""What DOES she see in him?"" "Max, you're a wonderful man and I chose to be with you." "And now you choose to go." "I'm going out." "Just be gone when I get back." "And don't hide the goddamn vodka!" "Do you think there's any value in what the Rozens told you... or is it just some fiction to save their skins?" "I believe them." "I want to follow up on it." "That'll have to wait until we've had a go at them ourselves." "I'm anxious to get back to Warsaw as soon as possible." "The city seems to have attractions for you." "Certainly not your attitude when we posted you there." "I believe it's the right place for me... and the right time." "And I agree." "And you handled this whole episode most commendably, Colonel." "I'll leave you to your coffee." "Why doesn't he like you?" "He hates de Gaulle and knows I served with him." "He missed the war, that's his problem." "Can't bear the thought of all your medals." "Last time you were here, you mentioned a Dr Lapp." "Your instincts were right." "The good doctor is in the German military intelligence." "He and Admiral Canaris and his Abwehr loathe the SD and Hitler, the whole nasty business." "It's as much social as political." "They see themselves as gentlemen, the Nazis as gangsters." "Then he could be useful." "All right." "All right!" "I'm coming!" "Who's that?" "Klaus and Frida." "Fled from Frankfurt with only the clothes on their backs." "Do they pose a threat to the government?" "They're CELLISTS, for God's sake." "By German law now, persons of more than 25% non-Aryan blood are forbidden to play" "Beethoven, Mozart and Bach." "Leaves them Gershwin, I suppose." "What on earth was the Duke of Windsor doing visiting Hitler?" "Probably Mrs Simpson's idea, he always does what she says." "What sort of hold does she have over him?" "I imagine she spanks him and reminds him of his nanny!" "That's a very English thing." "Your call to Warsaw at last, Colonel." "Do excuse me." "Don't be TOO long." "Hello?" "Anna, where were you?" "I've been trying to reach you all day." "What's the matter?" "They took Max!" "They just took him in the night like a common criminal!" "Wait, what are you saying?" "Who took Max?" "You know who took him, for God's sake!" "I went to visit your friend Pakulski." "He said the Poles had no problem with his visa, it was the French that wanted him out." "You couldn't wait for me to deal with it like I asked!" "Anna, you're not making sense." "They won't even let me see him!" "They're sending him back to Moscow." "It's... it's a death sentence!" "Anna?" "Anna, hello?" "Colonel Mercier sends his regrets, but he was obliged to leave." "Oh." "Affairs of state, General?" "Or the heart, perhaps." "Why would you say that?" "Well, I've met him twice now and on both occasions he's shown not the slightest inclination to take me to bed." "You must realise, the Ambassador had no choice!" "You were compromised, it was imperative." "It was vindictive, unnecessary and cowardly of you to wait until after I left." "We have other priorities now." "What did you learn from the Rozen debriefing?" "I have leads I've been authorised to act upon." "What are they?" "Like I said, I have been authorised." "Paris feels the fewer people in the know, the better." "If she wants to disappear for a while, so be it." "I need to talk to her." "I need a chance to explain." "She's filled with guilt and anger." "Because what happened to Max would not have happened if she had not fallen in love." "Her heart is closed to you." "My advice?" "Bide your time." "How much time do any of us have?" "Hitler will march into Austria any minute." "And he won't stop there." "So we must fight any way we can." "Askenazy." "One of Poland's great historians." "Please." "Can we talk privately here?" "Yes." "That's why I suggested it." "It belongs to a friend, and no-one comes here at this time of day." "On the occasions when we talked, you gave me reason to believe you're no friend to your country's leaders." "I also know you're a member of the Abwehr." "As I know that you are connected to the Deuxieme Bureau and General Beauvilliers." "Surprising how few secrets there are in our secret world." "Were you ever a member of the Black Front?" "No." "I never joined Nazi organisations, of whatever shade." "But they were amongst Hitler's most determined enemies." "Yes, that's why the ones that aren't dead are either in hiding or exile." "I have been told a former member still works at the heart of IN6." "Just leave them on the table, young man." "There is a man who might help you." "He was once a professor of ancient languages." "Now he's in hiding in Czechoslovakia because he's hunted by the Gestapo." "You should move quickly." "He still writes anti-Nazi pamphlets that are smuggled into Germany, which infuriates them." "So I fear he may not be long for this world." "I'm crossing a line here, Colonel." "If I give you his name, you must make me a promise." "You may offer him money but you may not threaten him, because we still talk to him." "So do not bruise him." "Agreed?" "Agreed." "The courier goes back on the morning express, so look through this now." "And you have to sign for it." "Count it, by all means." "And there's a message from General Beauvilliers." ""Please do try very hard not to get caught." ""And best to avoid a visit to the casino."" "I'll be away for at least a week, Wlada." "Take some time off, see your family." "I want to make a stop on the way to the station." "Book him." "Rest in peace, Countess." "Marek?" "What happened?" "He was following you." "So I followed him." "Then he saw me and aimed his pistol." "So I shot him." "We should go, boss." "What the hell do we do with the body?" "!" "Good place to die." "If only we had a shovel." "OK." "You take the car..." "and I'll take care of this." "You're coming with us." "Sehr schoen."