As always, it has been such a mix of heartbreak and pleasure reading Cindy's work, she evokes such strong emotions with her writing and the wonderful characters we have all come to love, lust for and in some case despise. I am pretty sure I speak for all of us when I say that I cannot wait for the next book in the series so we can spend more time with the Riordans and his Lordship. -- Shamrocks & Stones

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Date Posted: 19:37:39 08/04/12 Sat
Author: Carla
Subject: As always, it has been such a mix of heartbreak and pleasure reading Cindy's work, she evokes such strong emotions with her writing and the wonderful characters we have all come to love, lust for and in some case despise. I am pretty sure I speak for all of us when I say that I cannot wait for the next book in the series so we can spend more time with the Riordans and his Lordship.

Chapter Ninety – The Summons Home

Yevgena has given Jamie a couple of days to adjust to life back in the West, but Jamie senses that there is much more beneath the surface than she is admitting. Finally she hands him two letters, both written on his own letterhead. One is from Robert, a report on how Pamela has done during his absence and the fire in the distillery, wrapping up with an entreaty to read Pat’s letter and to come home urgently. With dread in his heart, Jamie reads Pat’s letter, which tells him that Casey has disappeared under strange circumstances, he fears his brother is dead, Pamela is not coping well and ends with a plea for him to come home as quickly as possible. Jamie pushes through his own exhaustion, both physical and mental, and begins the trip home to Ireland. He thinks of the shamaness' last words to him, that he must let go of his dead to move on in his own life, something he knows to be true but for which he is not ready, not yet.

Q1. Was Yevgena right to hold back the letters for two days from Jamie, knowing as she did what news was contained in them?
Q2. Why do you think Jamie is still not ready to let go of his ghosts, despite having almost literally come back from the dead? Are there other ghosts in his life besides those he names here (Violet, Andrei and Nikolai)?
Q3. How do you think his family and friends in Ireland will react to his arrival with Kolya?

Epilogue

Before he is able to leave London, Jamie is "debriefed" by British Intelligence. It turns out the British had known where Jamie was, but were unable to get him out for fear of compromising their operative already on the ground there. Richard, who is debriefing Jamie, thinks to himself that he knows who told the Russians about Jamie’s presence in their country. Jamie bargins for papers for Shura and Vanya and again states that Kolya is his son and therefore a citizen of Northern Ireland. Richard thinks that they will do what he asks, for now, for they fear him. He also has Jamie confirm that Andrei is working on satellite weaponry for the Russians. Jamie hands over two chess pieces – a white and a black knight – which contain all the information the British want and then quits. Again, we hear Richards’ thoughts that while they will give Jamie time there is no way they will allow him to walk away for good.

Jamie walks through London. Stopping to stare into the Thames, he reflects that he feels "cut free of the earth, adrift and unaquainted with his own self." He feels his soul has been darkened by his time in Russia, but that there is still a core of blue, a brighter self within. He wonders who he will be now, how he will deal with the world he left behind several years ago. He begins to walk, alone in the crowd, but finds his thoughts turning east one last time, to a friend he once had.

Q1. Jamie uses the phrase "Whatever he had been to them before Russia, he was now a free agent." What do you think he was to the British government? And why has his time in Russia changed that relationship? Was he there partly on their behalf, not just to visit Andrei? Why would he work with the British?
Q2. Who do you think betrayed Jamie to the Russians?
Q3. Do you think Andrei knew that Jamie was partly there to report on his work to the British?
Q4. Jamie clearly believes Andrei to be dead. Do you agree?

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