In less than a year, Mortimer has almost died three times. * He doesn't think of himself as having lived a dangerous life, and yet, there you go. Since his revelation at the Ardmuir cromlech ** nothing had changed. After all, there was no indication that his perfectionist old friend might also experience any tender feeling for him. Also who would dare propose an illicit relationship to the head of MI5?
Yet at the end of year 1954, he feels his resolution change gradually. He now knows his friend Blake enough to sometimes follow the occasional conversational hints. Francis Blake is a very good actor and liar, especially in that he does not lie: he just omits. He leaves his interlocutor to jump to the most obvious conclusion with partial information, misleading him.
So when his friend tells him the details of his academic career he had not included in his letters, and what happened to him during his counter-spy training period, when he had stopped the correspondence. Mortimer feels Blake choose his words carefully. And when the Captain speaks of Vernon Kell, Philip Mortimer begins to hope. If Francis could have been "seduced" by a man, then maybe… and then there was the captain's disheveled appearance, the emotion in his voice shouting Mortimer's name when the professor was in danger of being crushed by the power press.
More importantly, Philip Mortimer has absolute confidence in Francis Blake and his strong friendship. Whatever he may say, it is impossible that his friend would completely deny him.
But he must remain cautious. Even if it were certain that Blake could think of him in the same way – which he is not - he remains hesitant. Francis is head of MI5 and has a reputation to maintain. He must wait for the right opportunity.
Mortimer has no doubt that the opportunity will present itself. Is he not now a member of the same club as Francis Blake?
* See "The Strange Encounter" and "The Oath of the five Lords."
** See previous chapters.
