Heads You Win

Sasha’s reputation inside and outside Parliament grew, and members on both sides of the House became aware that whenever he rose to take his place at the dispatch box, the ill-prepared lived to regret it.

Fiona was made an undersecretary of state at the Foreign Office, and looked set for a long parliamentary career. However, it was another newly elected Conservative member who caused Sasha to jump with joy—if only in the privacy of his own home.

Sasha accepted that there would be no love lost when they faced each other across the floor of the House, but that wouldn’t stop him sharing the occasional half pint in Annie’s Bar with The Hon. Member Ben Cohen MP.

37

SASHA

London and Moscow

When the government announced they would be sending an all-party delegation to Moscow to discuss Anglo-Russian relations following the election of Mikhail Gorbachev as General Secretary, no one was surprised that Sasha was chosen to represent the Labour Party.

However, Sasha was not amused to discover that the Conservatives had invited Fiona Hunter to lead the delegation. Was it simply because nothing gave her greater pleasure than to oppose Sasha given any opportunity?

“How long will you be away with that dreadful woman?” Charlie asked when Sasha told her the news.

“Three, four days at most, and we won’t exactly have any time for socializing.”

“Don’t relax, even for a moment, because nothing would give Fiona greater pleasure than to derail your career.”

“I think she’s more interested in promoting her own at the moment. She’s hoping to become a minister of state in the next reshuffle,” Sasha said as he came out of the bathroom.

“Don’t you believe it,” said Charlie. “And before you desert me, have you given any more thought to names for our child, who should be joining us in about six weeks’ time?”

“If it’s a boy, I’ve already chosen his name,” said Sasha, placing his ear against Charlie’s stomach.

“Do I get a vote, or is this a three-line whip?” she asked.

“One line. You can choose between Konstantin, Sergei, and Nicholas.”

“Konstantin,” said Charlie without hesitation.

* * *

Fiona boarded the BA jet bound for Moscow accompanied by a small cadre of civil servants. They took their places at the front of the aircraft while Sasha sat alone near the back. He wished he was leading the delegation, and not just a shadow.

Once the seatbelt signs had been switched off, he leaned back, closed his eyes, and began to think about returning to the Soviet Union for the first time in nearly twenty years. How would the country have changed? Was Vladimir now a senior officer in the KGB? Was Polyakov still stationed in Le

ningrad? Was his uncle Kolya the docks convener, and would he be allowed to see him?

When the plane touched down at Sheremetyevo airport four hours later, Sasha glanced out of the window to see a small delegation waiting on the runway to greet them. Fiona was first off the plane, making the most of the photo opportunity she hoped would be picked up by the press back home.

She walked slowly down the steps, waving at a group of local people gathered behind a metal barrier, but they didn’t return her greeting. It wasn’t until Sasha appeared that they suddenly burst into spontaneous applause and began waving. He walked uncertainly toward them, unable to believe the welcome was meant for him until one of them held up a placard with the word KARPENKO scrawled on it. Fiona couldn’t hide her displeasure as an embassy official stepped forward to greet her.

Several bunches of flowers were thrust into Sasha’s arms, as he walked across to join them. He then tried to answer the multitude of questions being thrown at him in his native tongue.

“Will you come back to lead our country?”

“When will we be allowed contested elections?”

“What chance of a free and fair election next time?”

“I’m flattered you even know my name,” said Sasha to a young woman who couldn’t have been born when he’d escaped from the Soviet Union.

He glanced around to see Fiona being whisked away in the ambassador’s limousine, a Union Jack fluttering from its front wing.

“Can I get a bus into the city?” he asked.