Now’s your chance, Kate told herself and, stuffing the leaflet she’d been idly reading back into its slot, she headed for Roger with the directness and swiftness of a torpedo.

‘Hi,’ she said, arm out, offering a handshake.

From behind his wire-framed glasses, he looked bemused at her appearing from nowhere but gave a professional smile.

‘Hello. Roger Harris,’ he said, taking her hand.

‘I know who you are,’ said Kate.

He looked taken aback.

‘It’s on your name badge,’ she indicated.

He laughed loudly, and she caught a whiff of garlic from the night before. He looked at her badge. ‘Caitriona Ellis.’ He frowned, stroked his beard, sensing familiarity but unable to place it. ‘Have we met before?’

‘We haven’t. But I have emailed you. Three times, in fact.’

He tried to make a joke out of it. ‘Did I reply?’

‘No.’

The one-word answer and her challenging stare made him begin to look around at his colleagues. Seek out reinforcements.

Enough of this, thought Kate. You’ll throw your chance away. She tucked a long, loose curl behind her ear. ‘Which sort of made me feel a little neglected,’ she said with a smile.

Roger smiled back. Glad – and flattered – to be back on friendly terms. ‘I’m sure I wasn’t neglecting you.’

‘I didn’t think you were that kind of man. So, anyway, as I was here, and I knew you were here . . . I thought maybe you’d have a minute to chat.’ She saw him glance around at his colleagues again. This time, instead of seeing if anyone was aware of his conversation, he checked to make sure they weren’t.

‘I’m sure we could manage something,’ said Roger. ‘In fact, I don’t have any appointments for half an hour.’ He indicated one of the pop-up booths, placed around the pop-up stand. ‘Shall we?’

She led the way he indicated. As she slid into the booth opposite him, she shrugged off her jacket.

He put his elbows on the table, hands clasped. ‘So, what can I do you for?’

‘Well, I was hoping to learn more about what you do here.’

He puffed himself up with importance, then chuckled at the enormity of his company’s – and therefore by way of association, his own – professional achievements. ‘Can you stay all day?’

She forced a smile. ‘I was particularly interested in your products. The chemicals you make to protect our crops.’

‘There’s a few. We are able to manage and control the vast majority of threats to our crops, whether fungal, herbal or insect-based.’

‘Amazing. I’m sure I read somewhere that there had been a study that showed that organic farming could produce the same yields with crops rotated more freely?’

He shook his head dismissively. ‘Don’t think so.’

‘Oh, really? Must’ve got mixed up with something else. Silly me.’ Kate saw Roger’s gaze had wandered. ‘Stop looking at my tits.’

His eyes sprang up. ‘I beg your pardon?’

She smiled. ‘So, are they all perfectly safe then, these chemicals?’