Wimsey drabble: The Spy Who Came in from East Anglia

[nineveh_uk]

The mind works in mysterious – or simply dreadful – ways. The mole in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is code-named Gerald. Present me with a spy called Gerald, a plausible time-period, and the madness that comes at the end of term, and the result is inevitable.

In my defence, I kept it to exactly 100 words, so it is a proper drabble.

The Spy Who Came in from East Anglia

‘Credo quia impossibile be damned!’ said Peter. ‘I can’t believe that Jerry was a Russian spy. He could scarcely manage je ne parle pas francais, let alone Russian.’

‘I appreciate it’s quite a shock, your Grace’ said the Permanent Secretary, ‘but I’m afraid it’s true. Your brother wrote a lengthy confession.’

‘Bang goes my security clearance,’ muttered Peter. ‘Not that I’ve much time for the FO these days. Who was his contact? He can’t have been passing stuff to Moscow himself.’

‘We don’t know. British, well-travelled, access to sophisticated photographic equipment. Codename might be Greyfriars.’

Peter felt a dreadful qualm.

Comments

[antisoppist]

Are you sure it's not Hope Fanshaw? Makes far more sense as a motive for infiltrating the household.

Though I'd like to see Gerald beating them to it and dragging Helen off to end their days in a small Moscow flat.

[nineveh_uk]

Of course! That would solve everything. Also it still allows Peter to be angsty as he investigates, and then relieved.

Gerald has beaten them really, as long as he was sufficiently old when he died! But Helen in a small Moscow flat would be a sight to see.

[legionseagle]

I was rather imagining that Helen was the motive for Gerald deciding to destroy the system that created her root and branch....

[nineveh_uk]

That could be quite an incentive.

[bronze_ribbons]

*snicker*

[tree_and_leaf]

Oh, marvellous!

[castiron]

Ha! Excellent.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Heh :-)

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

;-)

[elmey.livejournal.com]

Banish that qualm Peter, just banish it :D

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

He can't! He's psychologically incapable.

Antisoppist has suggested on DW that maybe it was actually Hope Fanshaw...

[madamedarque.livejournal.com]

Hee! I enjoyed this immensely.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Good!

[aunty_marion]

*splort*

Particularly at 'Greyfriars'.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

No-one could ever guess...

(What is your icon in reference to??)

[aunty_marion]

It's a convoluted reference to a line in a long-ago short Snupin fic; icon on this is another part...

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Clearly a memorable Snupin fic!

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

Brilliant.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[adina-atl.livejournal.com]

Oh dear at all of it. But especially the well-traveled person with access to photographic equipment.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

It's not looking good for someone.

[sonetka.livejournal.com]

*Giggles*
*Wonders what Gerald's compensation was*

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Clearly it was his dedication to the ideology! Or possibly there had once been an attractive Russian housemaid who resented being dragged abroad by an emigree Countess when she'd rather have been fighting in the Revolution.

[heliopausa.livejournal.com]

That was a lot of fun!

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[helenajust.livejournal.com]

That's excellent! But tell me it's all a bad dream...

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

I cannot! The Duke of Denver really was the Fifth Man...

[joyeuce]

Tee hee! Could "Greyfriars" have set Jerry up somehow?

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Surely not - if nothing else, Greyfriars is still alive and Jerry isn't, so he's no interest in being exposed!

[azdak.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid I find it much easier to believe that Peter has been harbouring a socialist serpent in his bosom all these years than that Gerald was remotely capable of spying - although that is presumably why he was caught. I hope he managed to escape on being found out - years of dreary existence in Moscow being regularly questioned by the secret police is a fate he richly deserves,

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Given that Peter is "your Grace", Gerald has probably managed to live a long oak-planting life without being found out before confessing post-mortem (OK, this was the longer version that got sacrificed for the sake of 100 words). I think it quite plausible that Gerald was the unwitting cover for a far more cunning spy, though...

[caulkhead.livejournal.com]

Cunning indeed, to deflect suspicion like that. The way in which all links with the Communist party were severed after that unfortunate affair in which Peter was shot really was very convincing.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

That really would be cunning. Direct access to the top secret papers by right, as opposed to just being the person who packs them...

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

Fabulous!

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[(Anonymous)]

Felled by some virus - this cheered me up enormously! Thank you!

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

I am always happy to bring cheer to the plague-stricken!