He had considered Cyprus again for his summer break. He and his family had enjoyed three postings to the Mediterranean island, and had toyed with buying property there. Lots of army families bought in the north, where it was cheaper, but it was a precarious venture and many of his colleagues had lost money doing it. He’d decided they’d have to give Cyprus a miss this year, though. He’d faced whining from the wife and kids, but he was adamant. It was too risky.

He lit a cigarette and puffed deeply. He felt like shit. His last medical had revealed the early signs of Type 2 diabetes: high cholesterol, raised blood pressure and reduced oxygen levels in his lung capacity. He knew he had let himself go years ago. He never was the fittest in the drawer, and he’d always scraped through his annual military tests, but being a gunner wasn’t physically taxing, and sitting behind desks even less so. He’d been at the MoD now for six years, managing to avoid active postings to please the wife and keep her in her Putney army quarters, which were highly sought after and prized.

He was planning to take the next available early retirement, though the army was now kicking itself for getting rid of so many officers back in 2013. Even old-timers like him could be expected to hang on until their late fifties now. He was done. He was knackered, and had an alternative plan. He had money stashed away all over the place; so much that he sometimes lost track of it. He didn’t need any more, that was for sure. But he could never say no; that’s why he’d lied to Christopher. Besides, it was none of his business. Nowadays, with banks snooping around and asking questions about where large sums of money came from, he had to deal in cash a lot of the time. It wasn’t too much of a headache, especially knowing so many contacts abroad. But it was becoming trickier, and there was a dwindling source of those willing to risk everything.

He planned to stay in his room at the Montague Club later, and that was when he’d meet Christopher to propose his idea. That buffoon Sebastian Montague-Roland would also be attending, and he knew that he faced a long, dull evening ahead. But the benefits were worth it. He’d never paid for his membership at the club, and his wife didn’t know about it. He settled all bills in cash, and kept a safe in his permanent room full of the stuff.