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sorry for Sharov. Gently she said: ‘I don’t want you to go on with the lists, not for the moment. I want to talk specifically about something. You told me you knew names of British-born spies in place throughout England.’
    â€˜I haven’t had time to write them all out yet,’ he said eagerly.
    Jane raised her hand, stopping the flurry of words. ‘Just listen,’ she said. ‘I don’t want a list. I just want one name. Who is the person who has managed to get into a branch of British intelligence?’
    â€˜What!’ exclaimed the Russian.
    â€˜You heard me.’
    Sharov slowly shook his head. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
    â€˜You have to, Anatoli. If you know all the secrets of your intelligence organization in London, which you’ve told me you do, then you have to know the name.’
    â€˜Maybe I exaggerated a little,’ conceded the man. ‘I thought I knew everything. Honestly I did. But I don’t know of a spy in place within any British intelligence bureau. Please believe me!’
    There were a few unanswered doubts but Jane decided that she did believe the man. Because of the restrictions imposed upon her by the Director General she did not know how to phrase any ancillary questions. She said: ‘I want you to reconsider everything very carefully. What else have you misled me about?’
    â€˜Nothing!’ implored Sharov desperately. ‘I’m being totally honest now.’
    Jane thought she saw her escape, to get to the Director General for further guidance. ‘I’m going to leave you for a little while. I want you to think through what you’ve said. I want all of us to be absolutely sure about this.’
    Outside in the corridor Jane hesitated, realizing that she didn’t know how to find Bell in his concealed observation room. She started to walk further into the house and then smiled with relief at the sight of the Director General emerging through a side door, coming to meet her. He was stern-faced, angry almost.
    â€˜It’s not going well, is it?’ she acknowledged at once.
    â€˜I don’t know what to think about the man,’ said Bell. ‘If he’s who he says he is, he must know .’
    â€˜Know what?’ demanded Jane, exasperated. ‘Which of the British services has been penetrated?’
    Bell shook his head, not so much in refusal as of not listening to her. ‘You did well, leaving him in there uncertain like you did. Tell him you are going to give him one more chance. Hendrix has invited us to lunch here. We’ll accept so that Sharov has some time finally to decide what he’s going to do. Warn him. Warn him that unless we get it all, we’ve no intention whatsoever of trying to reunite him with his girlfriend. Nor will we grant him asylum. We’ll make him available to his own embassy people and they can repatriate him to Moscow.’
    â€˜That’s…!’ started Jane, horrified at the brutality.
    â€˜â€¦ being as tough as we’ve got to be,’ insisted Bell.
    Sharov seemed a shrunken, crushed man when Jane re-entered the drawing room. He said: ‘I don’t know what else to say.’
    â€˜Then hear what I’ve got to say,’ said Jane uncomfortably. Sharov’s eyes started from his head and he became very red-faced as Jane recounted what the Director General had ordered.
    When she finished the man said, aghast: ‘Why are you doing this to me? Treating me like this! I’m doing all I can. Everything. Please don’t be like this. It’s like I’m an animal.’
    It was exactly like treating him as an animal, thought Jane: a taunted, baited animal. But to what purpose? She said: ‘You’ve got until this afternoon. OK?’
    â€˜I don’t know what you want!’ sobbed Sharov.
    â€˜Until this afternoon,’ repeated Jane, not knowing what else to say. She