‘Your son has been brought here for you to visit him, sir. Mr Gilbey didn’t think it would be wise for you to be seen at your own home. It’s now, what… eleven o’clock. The plan is for you to stay here until three. You’ll be able to play with Henry – apparently there’s a large garden with a swing in it – and have lunch and spend some time together. Mr Gilbey said it was because you might not see him for a while.’

There was a pause as Shaw’s final words hung heavy in the car. For a while…

‘That is very nice of Mr Gilbey,’ said Prince. ‘Though four hours isn’t terribly long, is it?’

‘I’m afraid it’s as long as we can spare, sir. There is one other thing: Mr Gilbey said to remind you you’re not to utter a word about where you’re going and what you’re up to.’

‘For Christ’s sake, Shaw, Henry is three years old! If you seriously think I’m going to discuss my mission with him…’

By the end of the visit, Prince wondered if it wouldn’t have been better if it hadn’t taken place at all. Henry had been thrilled to see him, and for the first hour it had been fine: they’d played in the garden, kicked a football around and played with a large black cat that gave the impression they were in its territory and should respect that. Then it had started raining, so they came inside, where there was less to distract them, and sat in a slightly formal lounge with a couple of jigsaws that were far too difficult for Henry. Shaw was in the kitchen but popped in every so often to ask if everything was all right.

Prince’s sister-in-law was also there, and she hovered nearby.

‘Evelyn, perhaps if you could let Henry and me have a few minutes on our own?’

‘Lunch will be ready soon.’

‘Well, a few minutes before lunch then, eh?’

He’d never got on particularly well with his wife’s sister, who since Jane’s death had appeared put out that she’d not been asked to be more involved in Henry’s life. It was as if she felt she ought to replace her sister as Henry’s mother, something Prince wasn’t keen on.

However, when he was recruited by Gilbey, he felt he had no alternative but to ask her to help out. After all, Gilbey had assured him it would only be for a few weeks. She’d had to make do with a brief explanation about a project to do with port security.