‘Exactly.’ Charlie struggled to his feet, sopping-wet trousers flapping in the breeze. ‘So, from this moment on, I’m putting myself wholeheartedly behind the campaign to get these drugs on the NHS and to get them to Harry.’ He reached out a hand to Holly, who, after a moment’s pause, took it and stood up.

‘Forgive me if I’m a little sceptical,’ she said, ‘but you said that to me and Rachel before. Why should we believe you now?’

Charlie took a risk and reached out a hand to brush the sodden hair from Holly’s forehead, so he could see her eyes better. ‘Because some things are more important than careers. And because you, and your family, are the most important things in the world.’ He felt dizzy as he stared into her eyes. ‘And one day, if you decide you’ll have me, I wouldn’t want to think that our children wouldn’t be able to benefit from the most up-to-date drugs, should they need them.’

‘I don’t know, Charlie,’ Holly said. ‘These are great words, but you’re a politician, that’s what you do. I’m struggling to see how that translates into anything actually helpful.’

‘I guess what I’m trying to say is that I was wrong to back away because of my career. And I hope it’s not too late to do something about it. I want to put all of my weight, for what it’s worth, behind this campaign. I’ll talk to the committee, start making some proper noise in the House, anything it takes to help get this drug reassessed.’

‘But without the backing of the Secretary of State, you’re shouting in the wilderness,’ Holly replied. ‘You’re just one voice, at the end of the day.’

‘Wasn’t it you who told me off for saying your plastic bags and litter picks achieved nothing?’ Charlie replied, a note of frustration in his voice. ‘Isn’t it a start?’

‘Harry doesn’t have time for grand gestures,’ Holly dropped her hand from Charlie’s. ‘If he gets access to this drug now, he could get another twenty-eight years of life. If he waits until he’s twelve, it’ll be twelve more. Can you see how important this is?’

‘What do I have to do to convince you?’ Charlie tried to touch her again, but Holly, agonisingly, stepped out of his reach. ‘Jesus, Holly, I’ll cross the floor if I have to.’ Charlie was referring, of course, to the tradition of MPs who disagreed with the government, leaving their political party to sit on the opposition benches and act as independent candidates, which, at times of national crisis, seemed to happen with alarming regularity.