“No, sir.”
He handed Mary a thick manila envelope sealed with red tape. “Sign for it, please.”
She signed.
During the ride on the way back to the hotel, Mary clutched it to her lap, feeling like a character in a James Bond movie.
The children were dressed up and waiting for her.
Oh, dear, Mary remembered. I promised to take them out to a Chinese dinner and a movie.
“Fellas,” she said, “there’s been a change of plans. We’ll have to make our excursion another evening. Tonight we’re going to stay in and have room service. I have some urgent work to do.”
“Sure, Mom.”
“Okay.”
And Mary thought: Before Edward died, they would have screamed like banshees. But they’ve had to grow up. We’ve all had to grow up.
She took them both in her arms. “I’ll make it up to you,” she promised.
The material James Stickley had given her was incredible. No wonder he wants this right back, Mary thought. There were detailed reports on every important Romanian official, from the President to the minister of commerce. There was a dossier on their sex habits, financial dealings, friendships, personal traits, and prejudices. Some of the reading was lurid. The minister of commerce, for example, was sleeping with his mistress and his chauffeur, while his wife was having an affair with her maid.
Mary was up half the night memorizing the names and peccadillos of the people with whom she would be dealing. I wonder if I’ll be able to keep a straight face when I meet them?
In the morning, she returned the secret documents.
Stickley said, “All right, now you know everything you should know about the Romanian leaders.”
“And then some,” Mary murmured.
“There’s something you should bear in mind: By now the Romanians know everything there is to know about you.”
“That won’t get them far,” Mary said.
“No?” Stickley leaned back in his chair. “You’re a woman, and you’re alone. You can be sure they’ve already marked you as an easy target. They’ll play on your loneliness. Every move you make will be watched and recorded. The embassy and the residence will be bugged. In Communist countries, we’re forced to use local staffs, so every servant in the residence will be a member of the Romanian security police.”
He’s trying to frighten me, Mary thought. Well, it won’t work.
Every hour of Mary’s day seemed to be accounted for, and most of the evenings. Besides Romanian language lessons, her schedule included a course at the Foreign Service Institute in Rosslyn, briefings at the Defense Intelligence Agency, meetings with the secretary of the ISA—International Security Affairs—and with Senate committees. They all had demands, advice, questions.
Mary felt guilty about Beth and Tim. With Stanton Rogers’s help, she had found a tutor for the children. In addition, Beth and Tim had met some other children living in the hotel, so at least they had playmates; still, she hated leaving them on their own so much.
Mary made it a point to have breakfast with them every morning before she went off to her eight A.M. language course at the Institute. The language was impossible. I’m surprised even Romanians can speak it. She studied the phrases aloud:
Good morning Bunădimineaţa
Thank you Mulţumesc
You’re welcome
Cu plăcere
I don’t understand Nu îinţeleg
Sir Domnule
Miss Domnişoară
And none of the words was pronounced the way it was spelled.
Beth and Tim sat watching her struggle over her homework, and Beth grinned, “This is our revenge for your making us learn the multiplication tables.”
James Stickley said, “I want you to meet your military attaché, Madam Ambassador, Colonel William McKinney.”
Bill McKinney wore mufti, but his military bearing was like a uniform. He was a tall middle-aged man with a seamed, weathered face.
“Madam Ambassador.” His voice was rough and gravelly, as though his throat had suffered an injury.
“I’m pleased to meet you,” Mary said.
Colonel McKinney was her first staff member, and meeting him gave her a sense of excitement. It seemed to bring her new position much closer.
“I look forward to working with you in Romania,” Colonel McKinney said.
“Have you been to Romania before?”