‘Tom, can I have a quick word?’ Rolt put an arm round him and moved him aside, leaving Hugh with Clements.

Rolt put his mouth close to Tom’s ear. ‘Well done. You really stepped up. As I said on the phone, Stutz filled me in. I seriously owe you. Come by first thing tomorrow, promise?’

Tom had already agreed to meet Woolf for a debrief. ‘Can we make it the afternoon? I seriously need to catch up on some sleep.’

Rolt sighed, then smiled. ‘Of course. But the pressure’s on now. Lots to do.’

They made their farewells and Clements steered him away. Tom and Hugh sat back down again.

‘Well, that was extraordinary. I’ve never seen adulation like it in this room, apart from when Andy Murray came in. Proves my point. Something big is happening.’

But Tom wasn’t listening: he was thinking about Rolt’s companion. ‘Tell me about Clements.’

Hugh’s contempt was only too evident. ‘An operator par excellence. A ferociously bright Civil Service mandarin who’s clawed his way to the top post in the Cabinet Office by stabbing his rivals in the back. The cabinet secretary is basically the most powerful unelected official in government, the main source of policy advice for the PM. That means he’s at the very heart of where the most important decisions are made.’

‘So being seen with him is a vote of confidence for Rolt.’

‘You bet. Clements is the type whose every action is a calculation. Bringing Rolt to dinner is de facto his endorsement of the man, and that will reverberate round Whitehall. Shocking, really.’

‘Why?’

‘People in Clements’s position don’t change when there’s an election. They’re in for the long haul. Chances are he’s laying down a marker for whoever is in power now or after the election.’

‘Aren’t you crediting him with too much power?’

‘Not outright power. Let’s call it influence.’

‘So Clements wouldn’t associate himself with anyone he didn’t regard as useful to him in some way.’

‘Absolutely.’

‘So giving a present to or having himself photographed with the wrong kind of person . . .’

‘Just wouldn’t happen. He’s much too smart. But why the sudden interest in Clements? I thought this sort of political minutiae bored the pants off you.’

‘Maybe I’ve changed.’

Hugh put down his glass and put his hand over Tom’s. They didn’t go in for physical contact: Tom had made that clear years ago. ‘All I can say is, I hope you’ve not got yourself into something you can’t get out of.’

But he was already in, and in deep. It was time to move the conversation on. ‘I’ll do what I have to do, okay? Trust me on that.’