‘I was hoping you’d say that. It’s a relief to find that Brussels maintains proper lunching traditions. If it died out here there’d be no hope for the rest of the world. You know the wines. You choose.’

They were both having steak. Timber Wolf chose a Chianti Classico. ‘Mr Thoroughgood—’

‘Charles, please.’

‘And I am Ed. Big Ed, they call me.’ He laughed. ‘Tell me, Charles, you are – you must be, Gareth often mentions you – his boss?’

Charles nodded.

‘So I am lunching with the big cheese, the chief of MI6? This is a great honour, something I never expected.’

‘I’m very happy the opportunity arose. I’ve heard a lot about you from Gareth. He’s fond of you.’ He paused as a man and a woman squeezed past on their way to another table. ‘And he greatly values your advice. He thinks highly of it. As do I.’

‘He shows them to you, the reports he writes?’

‘Indeed he does. Not only me but people higher up the food chain.’

‘How high?’ Timber Wolf’s expression was still genial but his question came just a little too quickly and sharply.

‘As high as it goes, right up to the top.’ It was almost possible to watch that little nugget go down as it was tasted, swallowed and digested. Of course, normal vanity would guarantee appreciation – everyone liked their offerings to be appreciated – but Timber Wolf’s evident relish suggested something beyond that, such as the need for precision in reporting. There was another pause while he tasted the Chianti. ‘Now tell me,’ Charles continued with lowered voice, ‘what is it you wanted to tell Gareth so urgently? I’m pretty well up with what you reported at your last meeting but the negotiations have moved on since then. It’s about them, I assume?’

‘It’s about the money, what is acceptable. As you know, there’s the British offer down there’ – he lowered his hand, palm down, towards the floor – ‘and the EU demand up here.’ He raised his hand high above the table, grinning. ‘Everyone assumes but no one says there must be a compromise about here.’ He laid his palm flat on the table. ‘Especially the British side because you are always pragmatists, but because you are choosing to leave the Commission thinks it is not for the EU to compromise further. But it is coming under pressure from European governments to reach a compromise.’

‘Which governments?’

‘Mostly the smaller countries. My own, for example, and Denmark – which has already gone public, as we’ve seen. And the Eastern Europeans.’

‘Aren’t they supposed to be hard-line on this because they want more EU money and don’t want the EU to be poorer?’