The Woman of Gratz

6: George writes a letter

The tableau held for a minute, then Leon lowered his gun. 'What is the purpose of this charade?' he asked. 'Mass kidnap? A mass hostage-taking? Are you seeking political asylum in Britain? - because, if so, this is an odd way of seeking it.'

'Not at all, Senor Gonsalez,' said Kroninsky. 'I want the woman standing next to you. Hand her over to us, and you and your wife can go free.'

Maria mouthed at Leon: 'Where is your wife?' Leon shook his head at her - he had guessed where Mirabelle had gone, and he was not going to draw Kroninsky's attention to her. 'I cannot hand over something I don't possess,' he retorted, 'and it is not in my power to hand over Maria of Gratz. That is for her decision.'

'Please,' came a whisper behind them. Leon looked over his shoulder. Mr Simpson stood directly behind him. 'My wife,' he said piteously. 'They're holding a gun to my wife's head.'

Leon nodded. 'Don't worry,' he said, and turned back to face the Russian. George had come up behind them now; Maria greeted him with a smile.

'So, you intend to shoot everyone in this room,' said Leon. 'And then, what? Will you shoot everyone in this house?'

'We will blow the house sky-high,' said one of the other gunmen.

'Indeed?' asked Leon. 'We have removed the explosives you hid in the storeroom under the stairs, and hidden them. And when you have killed everyone, won't the people of Britain turn against the Soviet Union, and everyone who is its friend? You will lose your valuable allies in the West.'

'We will say that the anarchists killed everyone, and we alone escaped,' said Kroninsky.

'I doubt the British Press will believe that,' said Leon. 'The British Press is not readily susceptible to propaganda.'

Kroninsky shuddered suddenly. Staring into the pale blue eyes of Gonsalez's smiling, mirthless face, he suddenly saw a mind's eye image of his own death: as if Gonsalez's smile was Death's horrible grin. He felt terribly cold.

'Who opened the window?' asked one of his companions.

Kroninsky looked around seeking the windows of the drawing room, and saw that they were hidden by floor-length curtains. He realised that the reason he was icy cold was that someone had slipped behind a curtain and opened a window - and climbed out.

'They've escaped!' he swore, and raised a gun to shoot through the curtain. The other gunmen released their victims and ran towards the curtain, then remembered themselves and turned back - but their victims had already scattered, screaming; Maria fired at the first gunman who turned back, and he fell in a splatter of blood. As the hostages ran for the relative safety of the hall, there came a shout of 'Police!', and the sound of running boots on polished wood. Kroninsky swung back and found himself facing Leon's gun. He yelled defiance, but Leon's gun rang out, and Kroninsky fell dead.

Armed police rushed in, guns in hand; the dissident gunmen tried to hide behind the furniture; Maria ducked behind the piano, firing on her enemies; George was beside her, his gun in hand; Leon kept moving, dodging one man's shots and firing at another. Then the room seemed to be full of police, and Meadows's voice sounded over the thunder of gunshots: 'Drop your weapons!' Maria looked round, and rushed out from behind the piano. A shot rang out; Maria fired at the same moment, and fell in a splatter of her own blood.

George and Leon were at her side at an instant. Meadows bent over her, saying: 'That shot was intended for me!'

'Maria,' said George, so tenderly that Leon and Meadows could have wept, 'Maria, are you there, dearest?'

She opened trembling eyes. 'Yes, beloved, I'm here.'

'Why?' he asked. He meant: 'Why did you take that shot for Meadows?'