There was a picture of Mark Topham with two teenaged boys on a skiing trip somewhere, smiling at the camera.

‘Your sons, Mark?’ she said, over her shoulder.

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Les Carroz.’

The Prime Minister turned back to the two men.

‘What would you want me to do for them?’ she said.

Topham looked at her. ‘Anything and everything,’ he said.

She nodded. ‘I’m not paying those bastards a penny,’ she said. ‘But I am going to do whatever I can to get those two girls back. I’m going to push it to the absolute limit. I’d do it for your sons, Mark, and I’d do it for anyone else.’

She leaned on the table, fists against the wood, and looked first at Mark Topham.

‘I want the CT Squadron in the Med, ready to go, just in case we can get that Memorandum of Understanding.’

She turned to look at Justin Nicholls.

‘But I’m working on the basis that that will not be possible, Justin. You can have whatever you need – my private funds. If it ever does come back to us, I take full responsibility. You can have that in writing if you wish.’

Nicholls exhaled slowly.

‘It will take some time to pull together,’ he said. ‘We can give ourselves a little breathing space by demanding proof of life.’

He saw her wince.

‘It’s standard stuff, Penny,’ he said. ‘They’ll be expecting us to request it. And it will take them a while to get it to us safely and securely.’

She nodded and picked up her handbag.

‘Draw up a plan,’ she said.

Chapter 56.

56.

NEITHER MAN SPOKE until Penelope Morgan had left.

Then Mark Topham turned to Justin Nicholls.

‘Christ,’ he said, disbelievingly. ‘Did we just agree what I think we agreed?’

‘We?’ said Nicholls, with a faint smile. ‘So you’re on board?’

‘Unless the PM can square the political side I imagine there will be limits to our involvement,’ said Topham, ‘but I’ll give you what assistance I can. I can hardly drop you in the shit, can I? I assume you have someone in mind?’

Nicholls nodded. ‘John Carr,’ he said.

Mark Topham said nothing for a few seconds.

Instead, he got up, collected the teacups, walked to the Belfast sink, and rinsed them.

‘John Carr?’ he said, turning and drying his hands on a teacloth. ‘I was the Hereford CO when he left. We tried to keep him, but he was adamant. How do you know him? I wouldn’t have thought you and he moved in the same circles. He’s not a fan of spooks.’

‘I was introduced to him a few months ago by Guy de Vere,’ said Nicholls. ‘Guy and I were at school together.’

‘And do I want to ask why you and Guy de Vere were meeting John Carr?’

‘Probably not,’ said Nicholls.