Diplomacy

his young lover. “I know, but… it just felt good to ask you, that’s all.”
    “What time is it?” Lucas asked quietly, bringing them all the way back to earth.
    “Time to leave, I’m afraid.”

    JACK arrived home just before eleven, hoping that would give him plenty of time to shower and crawl into bed, before Maria arrived home from her Women’s Club visit to the Ghent Film festival. No such luck, though.
    When he walked in he could see the light was on in the library and that could only mean that Maria had come home before him. For a moment he thought he could get away with quietly making his way upstairs, but realized it would only delay the inevitable, so he walked over to where Maria was sitting underneath a reading lamp with a book.
    “You’re home early.” His voice sounded loud in the quiet room.
    “And you’re late, Mr. Ambassador.”
    Whenever she used that term, her voice was usually soft and teasing, but that wasn’t the case now.
    “Yeah, I got held up.” He tried to stay vague.
    “Meeting?” Maria asked, icy cold.

    D i p l o m a c y | 127

    “Yes, something like that.” Jack could sense he was treading on thin ice.
    “According to your secretary, you left early today. You should really get your stories straight if you’re going to lie to me, Jack.” She looked up piercing him with her dark eyes.
    “Actually Mrs. Claessens left before me so she wouldn’t know, now would she?” Jack tried.
    “It wasn’t your little adoring fan I talked to, Jack, it was the young girl, Annemarie.”
    Jack wondered for a moment whether he should just tell her, but she looked angry and upset, and the only way they could have a decent conversation would be if she were calm and relaxed. He would just have to play it by ear.
    “She’s just a general secretary; she wouldn’t know my calendar.
    You’re making a mountain out of a molehill, Maire. I’m tired; I’m going to bed.”
    “Not so fast, buster. You really think you can keep your pathetic little secret from me, don’t you? Don’t be ridiculous.” Jack smiled, trying to defuse the situation. “What are you talking about?”
    “I know about you and your… your pretty little boyfriend.” She narrowed her eyes at him as she spat out that last word. “In fact, I’ve known for weeks.”
    Jack raised his eyebrows and gave her a ‘what are you rambling about’ look.
    “I just couldn’t believe you’d really be so stupid to jeopardize our lives this way.”
    Jack knew she wasn’t kidding. They were going to play hardball and Maria always played to win, but he wasn’t about to deny Lucas.
    “I don’t see that much has changed in our lives, Maria.” He said reasonably. “You still go to your American Women’s Club. You’re still organizing the social events of the Embassy. You are still the Ambassador’s wife.”
    He could tell she was regaining her cool.
    “I’ve seen you look at other men, I’ve even wondered...” 128 | Z a h r a O w e n s

    “About what?”
    “About where you’re real interests lay. But I didn’t care.” Now she was showing her real colors.
    “Of course you didn’t care. As long as you got what you wanted out of this relationship, right?”
    Maria got up from her chair and leaned on the desk between them.
    “Because I never thought you’d be prepared to risk everything by screwing around behind my back, Jack. We are a good partnership, what the hell did you think you were doing?”
    Jack sighed, trying to gather his thoughts, trying to gather his courage. What would happen if he just told her he loved Lucas? That he could no longer live without him and that they should quietly get a divorce, so she at least could save face?
    He could tell she was softening a bit, cocking her head to one side like she always did when she was trying to get him to see things her way.
    “We’ve got all we want here, why are you risking it like this?” He couldn’t back down now. “Well maybe you have all you want...”
    She shrugged and started to look defensive again. “Oh, so I’m not good enough any more? Is that it? After all I’ve done for your career!”
    “Maria, you know it’s not like that.”
    “That’s all the thanks I get? My wonderful, dependable ambassador husband is screwing around behind my back, and of all the bloody people he could do it with, he chooses to shag a little rent boy from the British embassy.”
    “You don’t know what you’re talking about. He didn’t need to