‘Really?’ said Tindall. ‘I have no Welsh blood in me, thank Christ; never even been to the bloody country – avoided it like the plague. My parents spent their honeymoon there, a week in Aberystwyth. Some years later, when drink had taken a premature but permanent hold on her, my mother confided in me that it had been the worst week of her life. She said it was as if my father were raping her. Can you imagine, her telling me that? She never allowed him in her bed after Aberystwyth. His revenge was to name me Llewellyn when I arrived nine months after the honeymoon: not even a middle name she could use as an alternative. So trying to establish a Welsh connection between us is probably not wise. But tell me, Hendrie, what did you do to queer your pitch at Broadway? Must have been something to be demoted to this forsaken outpost.’

Hendrie remembered Gilbey’s instructions. Obviously don’t own up to having done anything wrong as such. That would be too suspicious. They’ll wonder why you’ve not been booted out altogether. More a clash of personalities than anything else, six of one and half a dozen of the other in a row with Bentley and he pulled rank, hence you having to move on. You felt you weren’t treated with enough respect; I’ll square the story with Bentley in case anyone ever asks him. Perhaps there was a row, raised voices…

‘Well…’ said Hendrie, allowing a long pause, hoping to signal a reluctance to discuss the matter. ‘I’m not sure this is a demotion, as such. My section head and I didn’t quite see eye to eye, and I regret to say a discussion intended to clear the air rather got out of control. Obviously, I apologised, but it was difficult to stay on after that.’

‘No hand in the till, then?’

‘Good Lord, no!’ Hendrie had little trouble sounding genuinely aggrieved, even angry. ‘Nothing like that. You may have heard of Bentley, my section head? Rather smart, very well connected; his wife’s the youngest daughter of an earl who owns half of Worcestershire. He was at Balliol and is a lawyer, no real record in the Service – didn’t even fight in the Great War. Treated me rather like a dogsbody at times and I’m afraid I let my frustration build up. But you know… here I am, a new start and all that.’

Tindall stood up slowly, wincing as he did so. He straightened himself up and walked over to the window, turning his back to it so he was in silhouette when he addressed Hendrie.