Julian was not fooled. He knew the question was rhetorical. They were patently opposites: an aesthete and an athlete; old world and new money. Julian took a cagey breath. ‘Well, Kit has his demons still. It is true he is not a man at peace with himself, and that can make him . . . difficult. But he is trying to rebuild his life and start over. We must all be patient.’

‘So that’s a no, then,’ Clover grinned, calling him on his diplomacy.

‘It’s a . . .’ Julian hesitated. ‘A “not yet”. But first and foremost, of course, this is a business relationship. It helps to get on, of course, but we do not have to like each other.’

‘Funny, that’s what I said too.’

‘Then we are similar beasts.’ He was smiling at her but she could see the assessment behind his eyes. They were neither of them quite what the other had expected.

‘There’s something I’ve been wondering about,’ she mused. ‘It’s clearly incredibly challenging for Kit to have to deal with us, work with us. He absolutely does not want to do this film – but you’ve made it part of his contract.’

‘I had to. His reputation is in tatters. Winning medals will not be enough. He must commit to every effort to win back the public’s trust and forgiveness.’

‘And make your brand look good.’

‘Of course.’ Julian didn’t deny it.

‘And yet, I think he’s up there in the chalet right now, debating whether twenty years in jail for shooting me when I get back tonight would actually be completely worth it.’ Julian gave a shocked laugh but Clover was perfectly serious. ‘That’s how much he’s hating this. Why is he putting himself through it? He’s already a rich man. He self-funded his last year on the world surf tour. He could have done the same here and not shackled himself with marketing obligations that are clearly anathema to him.’

Julian was quiet for a moment. ‘Well, perhaps it’s because he self-funded his last year surfing that he wanted a sponsor for this. I suppose it bestows a certain . . . authenticity and respectability upon his efforts?’ He hooked up a single eyebrow. ‘More likely, though, his manager did not read the small print in the contract.’

Had Ari messed up? she wondered, not for the first time. Got his client into a situation with no easy way out? Ari was Kit’s old friend and he undoubtedly had Kit’s best interests at heart, but he was a former pro surfer himself, with no experience (that she knew of) in legalese. It would explain Ari’s desperation for her to give him time to bring Kit round—