‘That’s outrageous,’ cried Karin, feeling a sudden sense of solidarity with Daria. ‘You must tell Mikhail that you know and that you won’t tolerate it.’
Daria laughed softly. ‘And when he calls my bluff, then what do I do?’
‘Well, I will tell you what we would do in England. We would go and see a divorce lawyer.’
‘In Russia we now have London’s boutiques, your restaurants, your bars; but we do not yet have your divorce laws. If I divorce Mikhail I will be lucky to end up with an apartment as big as this teahouse.’
Karin looked at Daria and her sad big blue eyes,
eyes that knew she could be back selling fruit as quickly as she had escaped it.
A fire suddenly burned inside Karin as she found herself becoming protective of this woman. ‘Well, you have to fight back,’ she said quickly.
‘How?’ said Daria.
‘Why do you think Mikhail likes this woman so much? Surely she is no more beautiful than you?’
‘Mikhail loves glamour. He loves status. This mistress – she runs around with a very glamorous crowd in London.’
‘Then so shall you.’
She laughed. ‘I live in Moscow.’
‘Do you want to save your marriage?’ asked Karin sharply.
Daria nodded.
‘If Mikhail is as impressed with the London scene as I think he is, then he might sit up and take notice if his wife is a major player. A woman other women want to be, and other men want to sleep with. Men can be simple creatures. A rich man likes the woman that every other man likes; he wants other men to look at him and envy him not just for the money in his bank but for the woman in his bed.’
Karin put her hand on Daria’s knee. ‘You have to put the excitement, passion and glamour back into your marriage.’
Daria looked at Karin with those little-girl eyes. ‘Can you help me?’
Karin laughed. ‘You will have to help yourself, but I can help you make a start. Next time you are in London, give me a call. I can introduce you to everyone who is worth knowing. Even the committee members of the Hamilton Club,’ she smiled playfully.
‘And then let me help you,’ said Daria, looking at Karin shrewdly. ‘I am still Mikhail’s wife, the mother of his child, and he wants to keep me happy. I think that, in twenty-four hours, Adam may just have his contract to build the skyscraper.’
The two women looked at each other, each recognizing how they could help each other, and smiled.
‘I’ll drink to that,’ said Karin.
‘Thanks for coming, honey,’ said Adam, pulling Karin close. ‘Mikhail loved you.’
It was 2 a.m. and they were back at the Moscow Park Hyatt hotel, lying between crisp white sheets; but Adam was clearly wide awake. It was always the same way when he was trying to land a deal, when an almost feral energy inside him made him jumpy and on edge.
‘I aim to please,’ smiled Karin. ‘So when do you think you’ll hear about whether he’s giving you the contract?’ she asked, running her finger up and down his arm.
Adam shrugged and popped another goosedown pillow under his head. ‘Don’t get too excited just because we managed to charm him at dinner. I’m sure that was just one of many hoops I’ll have to jump through before Mikhail even thinks of giving the job to Midas,’ he said, frowning.
‘Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure,’ said Karin, stroking his hair.
She’d been wrestling all evening with the dilemma of whether to tell Adam about her conversation with Daria. To tell Adam ran the risk of denting his ego. He was a Master of the Universe, he could close any deal, talk anybody into anything; did he really want his girlfriend interfering; single-handedly influencing a billion-dollar development? But then again, if Daria had the power she said she had, then there was no way Karin was going to keep quiet about swinging the deal.
‘What do you mean?’ asked Adam, propping himself up on one elbow.
Slowly, cautiously, Karin recalled her conversation with Daria, and waited in silence to hear Adam’s reaction.
‘Fuck me, Dr Ruth,’ he said, smiling. ‘It really has been worth you coming.’