They’d met six years ago, introduced by the late Lord Allerdale, who’d brought Charlotte as his guest to a dinner here at the club. Philip had been Sebastian’s guest. He’d known from the offset that old Allerdale didn’t like him; probably something to do with his line of work. The old man was a philanthropist, and he saw big pharmaceuticals as parasites, feeding off the poor and afflicted. Charlotte was more of a pragmatist, and they’d got talking about the terrible plight of street kids in India. She was still in the Foreign Office at the time, and in a unique position, as ambassador to the UN in New York, to raise awareness and beg the pharmaceuticals to develop and donate drugs to vaccinate children. There was no money in it, of course, but, politically it was worth a stab, and Philip promised to look into it. His board of directors dismissed it outright in the end – they were tied up in a huge investment at the time – but he sought out the ear of the civil servant from then on when he needed to, and they’d formed a bond of sorts.

Tonight, they were here to discuss the progress of a project that was still in its infancy.

‘I liked Lord Allerdale,’ Charlotte said.

Tooting laughed.

‘No, I really did. He always gave me a good scrap. One night we argued about the Tories until the small hours over a bottle of 1800 tequila.’

‘I never had you down as a tequila girl.’

‘The colour of gold, that stuff, and smoother than cognac, trust me. No headache the next day either. He sank bottles of it.’

‘It’s amazing that he lasted so long.’

‘Indeed.’

‘I’ll never get my head around philanthropy. I mean, it’s all right caring for the poor, but handing them a way out on a plate, as if they somehow deserve a free ticket when the rest of us have to fend for ourselves, is a puzzle to me.’

‘Now wait a moment, Philip, that’s my livelihood you’re talking about.’

‘I know, Charlotte, and I love it when you get cross.’

‘I suppose I do live up to my name. I believe in what I do, though, unlike you snakes over there at Ravensword, who market the cheapest product for the highest profit margins.’

‘Oh, I’m truly offended! We Pharmas get a bad press. Our business is to save lives.’

‘Only if it makes a profit.’

‘Malaria?’

‘You’re forced to do that because it looks good and you can sell on the back of your good deeds; it’s a win-win.’

‘Shall we order?’ Philip asked. Charlotte smiled and nodded.

‘I was chatting to my opposite number in Afghanistan yesterday,’ she said when the waiter had gone.

‘How’s it all going? Department of Health still in Kabul?’