فصل 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Versoix brought him the letter in the morning. He ran into Bond’s room holding the envelope.

‘There has been a terrible accident,’ he said. ‘Madame – ‘

Bond jumped out of bed and ran to her door. It was open and sunlight lit up the room. Vesper was lying on the bed. Bond could see only her black hair above the sheet.

He fell down on to his knees beside the bed and pulled back the sheet. She was asleep, he told himself. She must be. Her eyes were closed.

But she was not breathing.

Versoix touched Bond’s shoulder. He pointed to the sleeping pills bottle on the floor beside the bed. The bottle was empty.

Bond stood up and took the letter from Versoix. He walked back to his room and sat on the bed. He looked out of the window at the sea for a moment or two. Then he opened the envelope.

It was not a long letter. After the first few words, he read it quickly.

My darling James

I love you with all my heart, and I hope that you still love me. This will be the last moment that you will love me. So, goodbye my darling, while we still love each other.

I am double agent for the Russians. I became an agent for them a year after the war. I have worked for them since then. I was in love with a Polish man who was in the British Royal Air Force. After the war, he worked for M. M sent him back to Poland, but the Russians caught him and tortured him. He told them about me. The found me and forced me to work for them. They said that they would kill my lover if I didn’t work for them.

I had to tell them about you. I told them that you had a job to do at Royale. They put the microphones in your room. They knew that you job was something to do with Le Chiffre.

They didn’t hurt me at the villa because I worked for the Russians. Then I discovered what Le Chiffre did to you. I had begun to fall in love with you. The wanted me to find our things from you when you were in hospital. I refused. I knew that they would kill my lover in Poland.

Then I saw the man with the black patch in the hotel. I hoped that I could escape from them, but they followed us. You can’t get away from SMERSH.

That is all, my darling love. I can’t tell you much that will help you. The Paris number was Invalides 55200. I never met any of them in London. Messages came to me through a shop at 450 Charing Cross Place.

It’s late now and I’m tired.

My love, my love.

V.

Bond threw the letter down. He stood up and looked out of the window at the sea. A moment later, he dressed and went downstairs to the telephone booth.

He telephoned London. While he waited, he thought about Vesper. A spy. A double agent. He thought about all the agents that she had put in danger. All the secrets that she had given to the Russians.

Suddenly, he heard a voice at the other end of the telephone.

‘This is 007 speaking,’ said Bond. ‘Pass on - this message immediately. 3030 was a double agent. What? Yes, I said “was”. The bit@h is dead now.’