‘That’s not the point, he’s a crook.’

‘Do I really care?’ Striding side by side down Old Bailey, Sara turned sharply to the bulky, puffing figure on her right. Her bright blue Chanel scarf flicked over a shoulder and her teasing eyes cast him a look of mischief.

He stopped, caught his breath and glared. ‘A Ponzi scheme’s a Ponzi scheme.’

‘But a wine-selling Ponzi scheme…’

‘Yes, and it’s poor old buggers like… like what I’ll end up as, conned into thinking they’re buying bloody good claret without realising the pension’s going straight into the man’s pocket. And when they try to retrieve it, the whole lot’s been sold to finance his floating palace on the Med.’

‘So what? I don’t drink.’

‘I don’t say prayers five times a day.’

‘Ludovic!’

He knew that whenever she scolded him, he was near to overstepping the mark. But that was the fun of her – even if you did, she was quick to forgive; though he’d seen others shrivel under her silent raising of an eyebrow.

Over the past year, he had become ever more fond of Sara Shah – and ever more admiring. The greatest pleasure had been the change in his more cynical colleagues. ‘Let me get this clear, Ludo,’ Peter Alexander, Head of Chambers, had said at the chamber QCs’ meeting, convened to discuss her. ‘You want a Muslim human rights lawyer to join this criminal law chambers.’

‘Yes, Peter.’

‘And she wears a hijab.’

‘Yes, Peter, rather nice and expensive scarves as it happens. Blue usually.’

‘And you haven’t forgotten that our principal earnings come from fraud, in which she has little or no experience.’

‘No, Peter. She may have spent the last few years doing liberal luvvie stuff with Rainbow, but she began with criminal, including fraud, is well-grounded in all aspects of law, wants a change and is extremely clever. And extremely attractive too.’

‘Aha,’ piped up Percy Fairweather QC, rubbing his hands.

‘Stop it, Percy,’ said Amanda Fielding QC.

In fact, Amanda had been the main objector, saying she had no issue with either another woman – the more, the better – or a Muslim. But a Muslim woman covering up her hair was inappropriate for a chambers which should be seen as secular and progressive. ‘Honestly, Ludo, will she insist on looking like that for the website photo?’

‘Have a coffee with her,’ he’d said. Which Amanda had. She waived her objection almost before taking a sip.