‘What did you make of his behaviour in the Cobra meeting?’

‘It confirmed my suspicions.’

‘Not everyone in your organization agrees with you, I believe.’

Kate glanced at Sir Alan, whose flinty gaze gave not a hint of anger. Fucking Ian, she thought. ‘Not everyone agrees with me, no.’

‘Then what makes you so sure?’

‘I believe the original operation was well set up, so there is very little chance the intelligence was planted. I don’t know how they could possibly have known the PM had prostate cancer—’

‘Unless Viper told them,’ the foreign secretary shot back.

‘My husband was not aware of the PM’s illness.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes.’

‘What about some other source? Perhaps you have another traitor in your organization who picked up the information from somewhere?’

‘Perhaps, but the knowledge of the PM’s illness was kept to such a tight circle around him.’ Kate shrugged, tired of the interrogation suddenly. ‘If you’re asking me, I think the original intelligence was correct and the prime minister is very lucky we were unable to produce any direct evidence of his treachery.’

‘And yet here it now is, popped into our laps by the hands of a potential defector.’ Simpson was looking directly at her now.

‘Potentially.’

‘Do you believe it to be credible?’

‘We’ll have no idea until we see the video,’ Sir Alan said.

‘So what is it you need from me?’

Sir Alan glanced at Kate, as if he was unsure quite how to answer this.

‘Cover,’ Simpson replied for him.

‘If this video were to prove genuine and the allegations surrounding the prime minister true, the controversy and potential damage to our democracy would be incalculable,’ Sir Alan said.

‘And if it were to prove a fake, you might end up with egg all over your face, which you would much rather was our face.’

‘I don’t think you’d thank us if this blew up without warning,’ Sir Alan said.

‘I doubt I’m going to thank you either way.’ She flipped the file containing his single-page briefing note shut. ‘You should know that I’m a patriot more than a politician and I came into politics motivated more by love of country than party. And if that sounds unbearably pompous, you may yet live to be glad of it.’ She stood. ‘I recognize from your note that time is pressing, not least because the events in Estonia make it so, but I would nevertheless like the weekend to think about it. There is a lot at stake here, as I hardly need tell the pair of you.’ She nodded at them. ‘Thank you for coming over.’

They walked unescorted to the door and let themselves out. ‘She’s a lot more impressive than she looks,’ Kate said, as they descended the stairs.

‘She’s a ball-breaker.’

‘That’s a bit sexist.’

‘Why?’

‘You wouldn’t call a man a ball-breaker, would you?’

‘I might.’

‘No, you wouldn’t.’

‘I’d call Ian a parasite. Does that count?’

Kate smiled. ‘No, I don’t think it does.’