‘Well, that’s the question,’ Tom said. He let the pause hang in the air as Charlie and Holly, who’d dashed up between customers, mindful of the time, and that there could be an email any minute, looked expectantly at him.

‘And?’ Charlie leaned forward eagerly in his seat, like a schoolboy expecting praise.

Tom let the pause linger a little longer while he took a long pull of his coffee. ‘You’re a lover of rhetoric, that’s clear. And your turns of phrase definitely veer to the wrong side of melodramatic from time to time.’ Tom took another sip, clearly enjoying watching Charlie squirm. ‘However…’ he smiled. ‘You manage, just, to walk the fine line between the emotional and the informative. You’ve scattered just the right amount of statistics throughout to counteract the utter frustration and heartbreak of your – and I hesitate, with respect, to use this phrase, Holly, knowing your links to Harry – but your case studies. I think it’ll go down very well.’

‘If he remembers not to flap his hands around too much,’ Holly quipped.

‘Ah, the curse of the modern politician,’ Tom sighed. ‘You wouldn’t have seen Douglas Hurd or John Smith using those tactics.’

‘Got to play to the crowd,’ Charlie said but made a note to tone it down a little, if he could. Although at this stage, he was more preoccupied with remembering the words of the speech; the hand gestures might just have to remain.

‘And, of course, you’d better do your best to keep your eye on the benches, too. There’s bound to be at least one of your colleagues who’ll want to interject on such an emotive issue, and probably quite a few on the other side who’ll use it as an excuse to castigate the Department of Health for not acting quickly enough up to now.’

‘Which will undoubtedly piss off Cora Mellish and her team,’ Charlie reflected ruefully.

‘Well, yes, but since she’s been playing fast and loose with you over this whole issue, I wouldn’t worry too much about that. I suspect the PM has had a quiet word and reminded her about bringing on talent rather than alienating it.’

‘You think so?’ Charlie’s heart leapt for a different reason.

‘You know what Westminster’s like,’ Tom said. ‘They’re talent-spotting constantly, and you know the PM was impressed when you stood up the first time. This is your chance to really make an impression.’

Charlie shook his head. ‘That’s what I thought I wanted, Tom, but, to be honest, I just want to do right by Harry and his family, and the rest of the CF patients in the country. As best as I can, anyway.’

‘Careful,’ Holly quipped, although her voice trembled a little. ‘You’re beginning to sound like a human being, rather than a politician.’