‘We sleep in the bedroom, like Bobby. No windows,’ I said. ‘Can’t you sleep in there with him?’
‘No. He’s so hot and wriggly.’
‘Why don’t you go and stay in a hotel for a couple of nights? Get Charlie to watch Bobby, and just have a rest.’
‘You can’t just book a hotel. Everything is organised and I’ve been allocated my space here. And I don’t trust them.’
‘Them? Russians?’
Alison smiled weakly.
‘I went into the centre a couple of days ago. It’s amazing, Alison. Won’t you have to go shopping for the baby?’
‘They don’t have anything to buy.’
‘Can you get stuff sent over?’
Alison laughed. ‘There was a girl at the embassy who asked her family to send over her thick winter coat. I don’t know why she hadn’t brought it. No room in the suitcase, I suppose. She had to trek out to Ostankino to collect the package, where the guy opens it and then tries to charge her three times the cost of the coat. They assume anything remotely useful will be sold, and they want their cut.’
‘What are you going to do? You have to allow yourself out of this flat.’
‘I do go out with Charlie. I just go to see other English people.’
‘Think about it. There are so many parks and they’re amazing. You can almost see where we went today. There’s a circus up this road, a zoo.’
‘You could take him.’
‘No, I can’t, because I hate circuses and zoos. Get Charlie or UPDK to get you tickets, and you won’t have to speak to anyone. Your driver can even take you there. You need to wear Bobby out, and you’ll sleep better too.’
Alison slumped back in her chair and yawned.
‘Anyway, think about it. I’m going to leave now so you can go and have a sleep in Bobby’s bed.’ I stood up to leave. ‘For God’s sake, lock this door, though.’
Alison nodded but didn’t move. I let myself out.
I walked along Lobachevskogo and, when I reached Leninsky, I crossed over. This was the other half of the wood which I’d been to with Bobby. This half was Yugozapadny Lesopark. Yugozapadny was the area I lived in. Leso meant forest. So, Yugozapadny Forest Park. I had been making Galina talk about my area and the parks. I pretended to be very interested in trees and, as a result, learned a lot of species which I had now forgotten. I sketched out rough maps for her to fill in the names of parks and forests and was amazed that south-west, beyond the edge of the city, was an enormous forest park, Troparovo. It was my aim to get Alison out there. I could make her love Moscow too.
But here, at the edge of my forest park, I was stuck. I couldn’t see a path into the wood. I could see a lake and I walked around it, finding the path behind it. I stood at the edge of the trees, my hands slightly clammy. I realised that it wasn’t the heat. I was afraid to go in without Bobby. It was all Kit’s fault, talking about rampaging teenagers and drunks. I would stay on the path, like all good children in fairy tales.
It was instantly cooler in the trees. I closed my eyes and breathed in the smell of soil. It felt odd to be so completely by myself outside. I hoped I was completely by myself. The trees, although clearly planted in lines, were different thicknesses and heights, which made it feel more wild than when I looked down on the trees outside my window. Their combined canopies let in very little light.
After a while, I started to ignore the smaller rustlings, and only looked around on the bigger cracks and movements. But I didn’t see anyone, neither drunken wolf nor angry giant nor aggressive bear. I missed Bobby’s distracting chatter and, when I saw a good sword, I picked it up to whack the bushes, bravely.
I was happy to get out into the sunshine again. I found myself near Lumumba University, and instantly knew that if I turned left and right twice I would approach my apartment block from the other way, on Ostrovityanova. I had been north, east and west of my flat. Another forest called to me from the south, across the road. I wasn’t going to get lost, after all. I was starting to feel at home.
Kit had arranged the first opera tickets for us, and Pyotr was waiting in the car park for me when I came down. I hoped that a blouse and a skirt were going to be smart enough.
I said hello to Pyotr, he grunted, and that was our first conversation. I was on a roll.
This time, alone, I paid attention to the car, to the soft leather seats and the clean chrome ashtrays. The ride was smooth, and we sped down the central lane which was reserved for important people. I did feel important as we drew up at the Bolshoi and Kit was waiting on the steps for me, a rose in his hand.
‘Cinderella,’ he said as he bowed, and I imagined Pyotr writing that down in a little notebook as my nom de guerre.
I took Kit’s arm, and we went inside.
‘What are we watching?’
‘Khovanshchina by Modest Mussorgsky.’
I bowed my head. ‘Should I know this?’
‘No, you’re quite all right, darling. Only the Russians have heard of this. It’s the Shostakovich revision, which will sound good if you put it in a letter.’
We climbed the stairs to the embassy box, where we found a couple already sitting. I was introduced to Mrs Highfield and her husband, Sir Alec, who I realised was the ambassador.
‘Are you an opera fan, Mrs Hughes?’ asked Mrs Highfield.
‘No, this is my first,’ I said.
She whispered something to her husband who smiled, but not at me.
Kit and I took our seats as the orchestra tuned up, I put my rose on the floor and waited for the gold and red curtains to open.
After about fifty minutes, the curtains closed, the applause was loud and long and the audience began to stream out.
‘There are drinks and snacks downstairs,’ Kit said. ‘Do you want to stretch your legs?’
We joined the movement down to the lobby. Many women had sweeping, vibrant evening gowns under fur collars, and I felt very underdressed. The queue for drinks was long.
‘When does the second half start?’ I asked.
‘Ah,’ said Kit, ‘there are five acts.’
‘Five? How long is it?’
Kit looked concerned. ‘Didn’t you eat before you came?’
‘No.’ My stomach had already been rumbling.
‘But I’ve played operas for you. They are all long.’ He sighed. ‘Darling, I find the best thing to do is just let it wash over you. I could tell you what’s happening, but sometimes it’s best to just guess. It can be more fun that way. And stop you falling asleep, if this isn’t your kind of thing. I’ll get some food.’
‘I’ll wait here.’
I watched Kit join the crowd and looked at the lucky people who had snapped up crackers with red caviar. One man seemed to be watching Kit, but I wasn’t sure. He was tall, almost military with his cropped dark hair and straight shoulders, but didn’t have the heavy jaw many of the soldiers were distinguished by. I would have thought he was Russian, but his black jacket fitted properly. He looked around and then approached Kit, talking close to his ear. Kit shook his head. The man walked away, through some double doors.
When Kit came back it was time to go back up. I crammed the hors d’oeuvres into my mouth and drank the champagne as we climbed the stairs.
‘Who was that man?’ I asked, wiping my mouth.
‘No idea,’ he said, very quickly. ‘Let’s go.’
12
Pyotr picked us up from the apartment. I tried to say hello, but he didn’t even grunt this time. Kit smirked.
‘Do you need me to say it for you?’
‘I have a teacher, thanks.’
‘Otlichno,’ he said.
The dacha was half an hour north-west from the apartment, at Serebryany Bor. We drove along the wide roads until we got close, where the roads narrowed to lanes and there were more guards.
‘It’s not just our embassy here,’ said Kit. ‘There are lots of different ones, as well as the richer Russians. Do you know you can make 150,000 roubles
from a book here? They really like their writers.’ He lowered his voice. ‘The right kind of writer, obviously.’
We passed by more guards and stopped at a barrier for our papers to be checked, then drew up to the dacha. I got out of the car to hear so many English voices that I felt quite homesick. The big old wooden building was in a pine forest. It looked a bit run down, the paint peeling, but loved.
‘You can hire it for the weekend,’ said Kit, steering me to follow the others. ‘This is the way to our private beach.’
The Moskva ran through the forest, and stretches of sand were visible on both sides.
‘This is beautiful,’ I said. I almost wished that we weren’t surrounded by people, but could sit here on our own and enjoy it.
‘Martha!’ Bobby ran up. ‘I saw a dinosaur in the water!’
‘Quick, let’s see!’
We ran down to the river, and Bobby squatted down. I copied him.
‘It was there.’ He pointed.
‘Bobby!’ Alison came down to the river. ‘Daddy wants you. Food first, then monsters. Can’t keep you from the monsters either, I see, Martha.’
‘Someone has to keep an eye on them.’ I stood up. ‘This place is amazing.’
Alison looked around. ‘Wait until you get trapped in conversation with some old git.’
I put my arm through hers. ‘Let’s stick together.’
I saw Kit and Charlie, drinks in hand, deep in conversation away from the others. It wasn’t how I’d normally seen them talk. Charlie was not laughing at his own jokes, and Kit looked worried.
‘What are they up to?’ I asked Alison.
‘No idea,’ she said, but she said it slightly too quickly and kept her eyes on them a little too long.
‘Picnic’ wasn’t quite the word I’d have chosen. There were lots of cooked dishes: coronation chicken, potato salad, sausage rolls and hors d’oeuvres. I filled my plate twice, realising how dull my diet had become.
‘Do they ship in all the ingredients?’ I asked.
‘I suppose so. The embassy shop is quite varied. Have you been there yet?’
‘No. I have barely bought anything since I got here.’
‘What do you do for food? Our driver takes me to a Beriozka, or the embassy shop, which is the only place to get decent milk. Didn’t you get an introduction to all this?’
‘No. Natalya just brings things and I see what I can make.’
‘You don’t choose anything?’
Alison’s astonishment made me feel embarrassed. ‘I never thought.’
She thought for a moment. ‘Maybe they should only send students over here. You’re used to making do. Let’s get some more food.’
‘You can’t still be hungry. Where’s Bobby?’
Alison pointed to a blanket where he and six other children were sitting. He was crossed-legged and cross-armed.
‘He won’t stay there long, but they try to keep the kids together.’
Alison moved to the end of the line and filled her plate again. ‘So, ready to meet some other wives?’
I took a breath. ‘OK.’
‘Watch out for Emily. It may all be first names here, but she’s Mrs Highfield everywhere else.’
‘Ah, I met her last night.’
She led me to a small circle of women by the river, two on chairs, one on the sand. I wondered if there was a hierarchy in this.
‘This is Martha,’ said Alison. She swept her cutlery to point at the two oldest on the chairs: ‘Jessica, Emily’ and ‘Sandra’, on the sand.
Emily held her hand out for me to shake. ‘How did you find the opera, Martha?’
‘Very interesting, thank you. The costumes and sets were very impressive.’
I was conscious of being watched as I settled onto the sand. Their eyes drifted away, and I wondered what they had been talking about. Food shopping, I guessed.
‘So, what did I miss?’ asked Alison.
‘We were talking about yetis,’ Jessica said. ‘Again.’ She was the most smartly dressed, a pink cardigan topped by pearls.
Alison turned to Sandra. ‘Have you found anything new?’
Sandra put her plate down and tucked her hair behind her ears. ‘No, I’m still trying to persuade them that it explains the deaths at Dylatov.’
‘It was a bear,’ Emily said, and shook her head. Despite the heat, she was wearing tights and, unlike Sandra, had kept her shoes on.
Sandra leaned forward. ‘It might have been a bear. And it might have been a yeti.’
I said, ‘What’s a yeti?’
Sandra looked at me bright-eyed. ‘Have you heard of the Abominable Snowman?’
I nodded. ‘From an episode of Doctor Who.’
‘Urgh. OK. Like that, a type of gigantic ancient man which is half man, half ape.’
Oh God, I thought, they’re all mad.
‘Ha!’ Emily pointed at me. ‘Even she doesn’t believe you.’
Sandra turned to me and away from Emily. ‘I read the news reports. There is loads of documented evidence. There was an official scientific hunt in 1958 by the Soviets in Siberia. The next year, nine students were killed in a mysterious accident. And,’ Sandra looked pointedly at Emily, ‘British explorers have also seen them. The Daily Mail sent an expedition in 1954.’
‘Now, you see,’ said Emily, ‘that’s just going too far. I read the Mail and I don’t remember this at all. And, surely, it would have been to disprove the theories of the Soviets.’ She winked at Jessica, who rolled her eyes. ‘And didn’t you say 1958 the last time we discussed this?’
Sandra turned back to me, ‘The fifties. Anyway, every month the research is presented and assessed at the Charles Darwin Museum right here in Moscow. I have a friend who goes there and takes notes for me.’
Jessica cleared her throat. ‘I know you enjoy having a new audience, Sandra, but maybe we could let Martha tell us something about herself.’
Sandra continued, ‘Do you know that the whole lit side of the moon that we can see is as big as Siberia? Can you imagine being so short-sighted as to say you know everything that is there? And it’s not just the Soviets and British looking. Last year, two Americans in Nepal—’
‘OK,’ said Alison. ‘Once we bring in the Americans, you’ve lost me too.’
‘But, I’m just saying that people who have not even been looking—’
Emily clapped her hands. ‘Martha, it’s very nice to finally meet you. Unfortunately, it seems that Christopher did not pass on the message to you about meeting with me so I could make you feel a little bit at home.’
There was a slightly odd intonation to the way she said Christopher that I would replay in my head. Had he got into trouble when I ignored her letter?
‘Never mind,’ I said. ‘It’s lovely to meet you all now.’
‘And how are you finding everything?’
‘I love Moscow. I think it’s an amazing place.’
Now it was my turn for Emily to shake her head at me. ‘Oh dear, Jessica, they’ve got her hooked.’
Sandra, though, agreed. ‘Isn’t it brilliant? It’s like the nineteenth century, when there was no real definition of what science was, so they just looked at everything. Alfred Russel Wallace came up with evolution at the same time as Darwin, while he was also investigating mediumship. There were no rules and everything was up for grabs. Have you heard of Nina Kulagina?’
‘No.’
Emily and Jessica both let out audible sighs and began to speak to each other. Alison put her arms back and raised her face to the sun, eyes closed. I could see the small bump under her dress and quickly looked away.
‘I’ve just read a paper by Professor Ullman. It’s very short, if you want to borrow it. So, Nina can move and lift objects without touching them. There are films that Ullman has seen, and they’re careful about showing it’s not a trick. Because years ago, no one would have believed something as simple as the electrical fields we all have. So why can’t they believe in Kirlian photography? Es
pecially when you can actually see the photographs.’
‘I have no idea what that is,’ I said.
‘Basically,’ Alison said, eyes still closed, ‘the Soviets and the Yanks are trying to find ways to control everyone by trying to exploit our minds and bodies without even having to persuade us or bully us into believing what they tell us.’
Sandra paused. ‘Yeah, that’s probably true.’
‘Good job it’s all rubbish then.’
‘But the evidence—’
‘Is faked.’ Alison lifted her head and opened her eyes. ‘It’s a distraction from what we should be looking at, all this paranormal stuff and racing to space. Nixon’s government, right now, is under investigation for trying to tap the opposing political party. It’s pure Soviet techniques. Listen to your enemy, especially when they’re talking to their friends. As if Nixon didn’t know.’
Jessica sat forward, ‘We’ve talked about this, Alison. I met Richard and Pat when they visited here last year, as you well know, and I won’t hear a word against them. You can talk about all the monsters and flying balls you like, but the Americans are our friends and allies. That’s enough.’
‘I’d better go and check on Bobby,’ said Alison. She sat up and then struggled to her feet. ‘Oh, I feel sick.’
‘It’s not the chicken, is it?’ whispered Jessica. ‘I do worry about the food being left out like that for hours.’
‘No, I’m fine. I’ll just check on Bobby and go inside for a bit.’
She walked away, one hand on her stomach.
Jessica and Emily watched her go and looked at each other.
‘Pregnant,’ Emily said. Jessica nodded.
‘I’m going to get a drink,’ I said. ‘Would anyone like one?’
‘Oh, white wine all around, please,’ said Jessica.
I collected the plates and walked back to the table. I could still hear Emily when she started talking.
The Wolves of Leninsky Prospekt Page 9