Margaret turned at the top of the steps and saw the Jeep drive away at speed. Li’s words were still ringing in her ears. Go straight to your room. Lock the door. Do not answer it to anyone, even room service. Wait for me to call. If I do not call, get a taxi straight to the airport in the morning and get on your plane. She knew he had no intention of calling, that he believed she would be safe as long as he stayed away from her, as long as she left the country as planned in the morning. But she had no intention of leaving. Her visa was good for nearly five more weeks. What she felt for Li she had not felt for a man in a long time. And she was damned if she was going to throw away the chance of at least a few weeks of happiness after everything that she had been through. After all, she thought, she could be dead tomorrow, or next week, or next year. And she would have played safe for what? For a few more empty days, weeks, months? If she had learned anything from the last year, it was that you had to grab the good things in life when they were there, because they, or you, might be gone tomorrow.

She crossed the polished marble floor to the reception desk to pick up her key.

“Margaret.”

She turned, surprised, to find Bob hurrying across the foyer from where he’d been sitting impatiently reading a paper, waiting for her return. It was not a pleasant surprise. “What do you want?” she said, running up the short flight of steps to the elevators.

He hurried after her. “I was worried about you. Jesus Christ, Margaret, what have you been up to? Public Security were at the university this afternoon looking for you.”

She stopped and scowled at him. “What are you talking about?”

“Apparently you’re booked on the first flight out of here tomorrow.”

“You don’t say,” she said scornfully. “I brought the booking forward this morning after our little exchange. Only now, I’ve changed my mind.”

He looked at her in confusion. “But you can’t.”

“I can do what I damn well like,” she said pressing the call button for the elevator.

“Not without a visa.”

“My visa’s good for another five weeks.”

“That’s the point. It’s not. These guys were from the Visa Section. Apparently your visa’s only good now till your flight leaves.”

The elevator arrived and the doors slid open. She stared at Bob in disbelief. “They can’t do that.”

“Oh yes they can, Margaret.” He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “What’s going on?”