‘That is the public stance but privately, beneath the table, as it were’ – he grinned again and pointed beneath the table – ‘they are saying some money is better than no money. They worry that Britain is serious about walking away if there is no deal.’

‘But France and Germany, who will run the EU by themselves once Britain is gone, say no compromise, don’t they?’

‘Again, that is the public perception.’

All public thus far, Charles was thinking. All this could be found in the media, including the claim that the Eastern Europeans spoke differently in private. Although, to be fair to Timber Wolf, that had so far surfaced only as speculation. ‘But which Eastern European countries? All of them in common cause or only one or two?’

Timber Wolf shook his big head. ‘I don’t know, not yet. But I hope to find out. So far it is mentioned only in general terms.’

‘Mentioned by whom?’

‘By one of Michel Barnier’s team.’

‘That’s very interesting, thank you.’ Charles tried to sound appreciative before continuing, gently, ‘Which one?’

He couldn’t be sure whether he perceived or imagined awkwardness on Timber Wolf’s part. He might have been unprepared for Charles’s persistence, or perhaps felt he was crossing a line by naming names. Names of officials did not feature much in Gareth’s write-ups. Timber Wolf’s hesitation, if it was one, was only momentary before he named one of Barnier’s team, a French official. Charles thought he had seen the name in the press. He nodded. ‘Thank you. Were you with him when he said this or did someone tell you he’d said it?’

‘I was there, I was with him.’

‘Where?’ There was a natural pause now as their steak arrived. Timber Wolf shrugged and held up his knife and fork as if it were an impossible question. ‘Gareth is bound to ask me,’ Charles added with an ameliorating smile.

‘In Barnier’s outer office. I was there to discuss a brief I had written. He didn’t say it to me, he was talking to other members of his team. I just overheard it, that’s all.’

‘When was this?’

‘Let me think – Monday – no, Tuesday. Definitely Tuesday.’

Charles wanted to go on, to nail the occasion down – the exact words used, names of others present, their reactions to it, what else was said, whether it was regarded as received opinion or as something new. And what was the brief that Timber Wolf had written, for whom and what did it say, had he a copy? But he didn’t want to provoke exasperation. Timber Wolf was clearly unused to being pressed on his sources, which was disappointing. Charles had thought better of Gareth’s debriefing skills. He changed tack. ‘Going back to France and Germany and their no-compromise approach. You said that was the public perception. Were you suggesting that it’s wrong?’