‘Great news, Wada,’ she announced. ‘Lawyer Shimozuki reckons Nishizaki will be horrified when he hears what Driscoll’s been up to. Quartizon shouldn’t have gone it alone on this. The scam never had approval from Tokyo.’

‘You believe him?’

‘There’s no reason for him to lie.’

‘Is there not?’

‘He’s going to recommend cancelling the sales for the areas I didn’t approve. All of them. Say there’s been some error. He’s confident Nishizaki will agree in order to avoid reputational damage to the company. Maybe he sails a bit close to the wind, but what businessman doesn’t? Or maybe he started out a crook, like you say, and has gone respectable since. It’s not unknown in that world, is it? Either way, he’s as much an injured party as I am and he won’t like it any more than I do.’

Wada hardly knew what to say. The lawyer had told Dr Morrisette what she wanted to be told. That everything would be made good. That her academic standing wouldn’t suffer. But had he told her that because it was true? Or simply because he needed to shut her up?

‘This explains why Hardekar was desperate to deter me from going to Nishizaki,’ she continued. ‘And why I’ve heard nothing from Driscoll. He hasn’t got an answer. And pretty soon he won’t have a leg to stand on either.’

‘I am sorry, but I do not share your confidence,’ said Wada cautiously.

‘I’m promised definitive written assurances by tomorrow morning. So, we won’t have to wait long to find out whether Nishizaki is going to deliver, will we? Where are you staying tonight?’

‘I have nothing arranged.’

‘No phone. No accommodation.’ They were standing in the kitchen. Morrisette stepped closer and utterly astounded Wada by dapping her forefinger on the tip of Wada’s nose. In the grey evening light Wada caught some look in Morrisette’s eyes she hadn’t expected to see. ‘You’re a bit of a waif, aren’t you?’

‘I meant to book something earlier. But …’

‘Fat chance in Cambridge on a bank holiday. I can imagine. Never mind. Stay here. There’s a spare bedroom. Then you can eat your words tomorrow morning when I get the email from Nishizaki. How does that sound?’

It sounded more than slightly worrying on several levels. But Wada didn’t see that she had much choice. ‘Thank you,’ she managed to say.

‘No.’ Morrisette grinned at her. ‘Thank you, Wada. It’s possible you may have saved my life.’ Her grin broadened. ‘Professionally speaking, that is.’

Nick was still distracted by what had happened in Iceland. But the new term started on Wednesday. He was hoping the realities of daily teaching would set him back on an even keel.