‘He assures me you’ve been most thorough.’

‘I have, sir, but there are literally tens of thousands of people with the surname Brown in this country, probably over a hundred thousand. Henry could be anywhere. It’s possible Brown was never their real name and they’ve moved to another part of the country; apparently there’s something of a stigma about adoption and it’s by no means uncommon for people to use different identities so people don’t realise a child is adopted. It’s beginning to feel utterly hopeless, sir. Henry was adopted by these people in early February, which was what… four and a bit months ago? He’s young. He may well have forgotten everything about his past. Would he even recognise me? After all, it’s been over seven months since he last saw me. At that age…’

Gilbey walked round the room, pausing by Prince to pat him on the shoulder. ‘What I said to you last month – about going on another mission. Something’s cropped up and I know you’d be the ideal person for it…’

‘While Henry is still missing? How could I possibly contemplate that?’

‘You’re the best man we have at the moment, and this mission requires our best man. I give you my word that I will make finding Henry a priority while you are away – I can pull strings few other people can. I promise you we put top people on this. The process may take time, but I’m sure we’ll find him. You should only be away for a few weeks.’

‘Really, sir?’

‘Hopefully, yes.’

Prince got up and paced the room, started to speak, then paused. Gilbey said nothing, letting him make up his mind. But he was hopeful: he could see the signs. It was apparent he wanted to say no but couldn’t bring himself to. When Gilbey had first entered this world, one of his seniors had taken him aside and told him the most important thing he needed to know about espionage was that it was an addiction. His experience since then had convinced him the man was right. All the best spies were addicts. They couldn’t say no.

Prince continued to pace, then returned to his chair, looking annoyed with himself. ‘Very well then, sir, but I want another month to look for Henry. At least then I can set in train various lines of enquiry and know I’ve done my best.’

‘Very well. One month, but after that I’ll need you.’

‘There is one other thing, sir: Agent Osric, Hanne.’