It was the sweetest of feelings, him believing he was using her to keep an eye on everything that happened in the department, insisting on rubber-stamping every decision that was made, being kept abreast of every action taken, every morsel of information uncovered, and all along knowing that she was watching him, keeping tabs on exactly what piqued his interest – and handing everything she discovered straight back to Madeleine at the NCA.

‘Do you think we should speak to someone here about our suspicions?’ Gabriela asked one day.

‘Absolutely not. We can’t trust anyone there. Not even Serena or Johnny,’ Madeleine replied without hesitation.

‘But when you said, months ago, that there were suspicions in your department about confidential stuff being leaked, surely whoever it was that alerted you might have more information, and we could work together?’

‘Gabs, leave this to me, OK? No one can know what we’re doing. Not yet. Not until we know more about what’s going on. Oh, and do me a favour,’ Madeleine added thoughtfully. ‘Let me know when he’s next off to Moscow …’

‘Why?’ Gabriela asked, and she could almost hear her friend smiling at the end of the phone.

‘Just do it, would you? Don’t worry, I’ll let you know if we get something.’

‘I know you will,’ Gabriela said, and as she hung up she felt a buzz like electricity charging through her veins.

Despite the satisfaction of these calls, and of knowing the work that was going on to catch Emsworth out in whatever it was he was involved in, it had become a tic of Gabriela’s to refresh the internal jobs board, imagining herself in another department, rising up through the ranks.

And finally she saw it, the following year: an opening for a senior lead in Human Rights and Democracy. Not only was it precisely the role she had been aspiring to for so long, but there was enough overlap with what they had been doing of late to ensure, in anyone’s mind, that she was as qualified as one might hope to be. She shivered at the possibility as she made her application, knowing in her bones this role was meant for her.

‘I’m thinking of applying for the job in Human Rights,’ she said to Emsworth at the end of their next briefing. After all, she could hardly keep it from him, and it would be necessary to have his support.

He looked thoughtful for a moment and then he nodded. ‘Very good. Well, I’m sure you’re an excellent candidate.’

The positivity of his response briefly silenced her. ‘Thank you very much. I’m very excited about applying. Does that mean you’d back me, to Bradford, in my application?’