Topaz - Leon Uris [46]
André returned to his seat, smiled reassuringly to Juanita, took her hand and kissed it.
“Hello there, mind if we join you for an after-dinner drink?”
It was the welcomed sight of the French Ambassador and his wife, Blanche Adam.
“I have a new travel film on the Cannes Festival,” Adam said. “Why don’t we all go back to the Embassy and I’ll have it run.”
“Not tonight, Alain darling,” Juanita said.
“Don’t be a killjoy. The cognac at my place is still French.”
Juanita relented.
“By the way, Juanita,” Blanche said, “the Chinese have a new First Secretary. Terribly clever chap. We’re giving him a cocktail party next Friday. Perhaps you’d like to meet him. Now that France and China will probably be recognizing each other, we should get to know them.”
“Yes, I’ll be delighted to come,” Juanita said.
“If you ask me, it’s asinine of the Americans to withhold recognition of the Chinese. And they’re not going to be able to keep them out of the United Nations forever.”
There was further discussion of the conversation, made solely for the enlightenment of the G-2 wire taps. And then, the four of them swept from La Torre.
In the car on the way to the Embassy, Juanita allowed herself the luxury of becoming upset over the scene by Rico Parra.
“I would like very much,” André said, “to have the pleasure of pulling his beard out, hair by hair, but I am afraid that my gallantry must be restricted in this country.”
“He’s the worst of the lot,” Juanita cried. “He’s a filthy beast and he’s dangerous.”
In the sanctity of the French Embassy, the charade of the day could be dropped. After Blanche poured their cognacs she excused herself from her husband’s office.
“What is it, André?” Alain asked. “Something smelled rotten here for weeks.”
“Yesterday,” André said, “the port of Viriel was closed to all outside shipping. Clearing of the woods and other building activity at the Finca San José in Pinar del Río have been intense.”
“What does it all mean?”
“The United States suspects that Russia is about to bring offensive missiles into Cuba, and I’m here to find out.”
“Good God,” Alain muttered.
“It could mean war,” Juanita said.
“Yes, it could,” André said. “The best chance there is to avoid a war is to detect the missiles and expose them before they become operational. Juanita, everything we’ve built in the past two years must pay off now.”
“I see that we have our work cut out, my dear,” she answered. “I believe in our people, André. We’re not going to fail.”
André nodded. “Alain, have Blanche figure out as many occasions as possible to have Juanita and me here together so I can give her instructions. It’s impossible to do at her house anymore.”
The Ambassador nodded.
“Information will be passed in the usual way. All other discussions will be held in this office. First priority is to cover that port,” André said.
“I’ll take a trip tomorrow and see our friends,” Juanita said. “They’re good boys, extremely reliable. Believe me that nothing will come into Viriel from the sea or out of Viriel into Cuba that will escape detection.”
When the two men were alone and all the other business done, Alain Adam shoved all the papers on his desk aside and refilled the cognac snifters.
“She is a remarkable woman, André ... a magnificent soul .... André, you and I have been comrades for a long long time. I sense something very different. Are you very much in love with her?”
André’s face was drawn. “Yes,” he whispered, “I am ... and I’ve never told her and probably never will. What a shame. What a damned shame. Time has ... just about run out on us.”
The harrowing day was over. All the hungry anticipation was done. Now, alone together as man and woman, there was neither wildness nor desperation. A beautiful calm descended over André and Juanita as they came together on the bed. They were at peace and grasped the rare instant of total contentment.
Not a word passed between them nor was any needed....