Page 16 of Fire Must Burn

‘Your accent is terrible.’

‘And you speak Spanish better than any of us. That’s another reason you should come.’

‘To be what?’ she snapped, finally looking at him. ‘Your interpreter? Your camp follower?’

‘I didn’t mean it like that. But with your abilities …’

‘My abilities,’ she said. ‘I’m reading History and ModernLanguages, I’ve never fired a gun in my life, and I don’t want to shoot at anyone. Or be shot at.’

‘Not all of us will be on the front lines,’ he said. ‘The International Brigade is going to be largely in support operations. You could drive an ambulance, or make bandages, or sandwiches, or something.’

‘Easy for you to say,’ she said. ‘You’ve got your privilege to fall back upon if you don’t finish school. I haven’t.’

‘You can finish when you get back,’ he said. ‘It shouldn’t be long.’

‘You have no idea how long it will be,’ she said.

‘Maybe not,’ he said. ‘But Spain is where the fight is going to be.’

‘No, it isn’t,’ she said. ‘Which is why I’m spending the Lent Term in Berlin.’

‘You are? To do what?’

‘To get to know the real enemy,’ she said. ‘Spain is just the prologue, Tony. The real war is coming from Germany.’

‘Not if we nip fascism in the bud, and we will if enough of us join. Come with us. With me.’

‘I’m sorry, Tony,’ she said, reaching across the table and taking him by the hand for a moment. ‘Good luck, and goodbye.’

‘And that was that,’ said Iris.

‘He survived, though,’ said Gwen.

‘He did. The others – Cornford, Bell, Guest, Cater – all of them were killed there, along with many others. Cornford left behind a mistress, a baby son, and some heroic poetry.’

‘You sound bitter about it.’

‘It was a fools’ war,’ she said. ‘The International Brigade never stood a chance. And they were just as prone to infighting and backstabbing in their own ranks as anyone, as it turned out.’

‘You said you saw Tony when he returned. What was he like then?’

‘We had dinner. He wouldn’t talk about what happened there. He barely spoke at all. He told me he was going to Singapore to teach. Then, when we were parting, he said, “You were right, Sparks. About everything.” And that was the last time I saw him.’

‘What do you think he’s like now?’ wondered Gwen as they arrived at the building holding their offices.

‘I can’t imagine,’ said Iris. ‘Take all that he had already gone through, then add seven years in the Far East, fighting the Japanese. Maybe he can talk about things now. But first, we have to meet his pre-selected match.’

Mrs Billington, their sole employee, was already at her desk when they arrived.

‘Good morning, ladies,’ she said. ‘You have three interviews scheduled before lunch. All women. We need to bring in some new male blood – we’re running low.’

‘You’re making this sound unnecessarily vampiric,’ said Gwen.

They went into their shared office and unpinned their hats.

‘Did you really feel that way about marriage back then?’ Gwen asked as they sat behind their desks.

‘I was young, full of myself and suffering from delusions of grandeur,’ said Iris. ‘I had all sorts of big ideas. That’s what university is for.’