Tadeusz beamed with delight. ‘I hoped you’d think so. I can’t take it seriously, but the food is exceptional, and I think it’s an experience one should have at least once.’

They sat by the fire, supplied with champagne by their personal waiter, who left them in peace, pointing out that he could be summoned by pressing a buzzer when they were ready to order dinner. ‘I really am sorry about this afternoon. I think your resemblance to Katerina unsettles me. It stops me thinking straight. And of course, in our line of business, paranoia is never far from the surface,’ Tadeusz said.

‘I won’t deny I was angry. I’m not accustomed to being accused of murder,’ Carol said, allowing a little acid into her tone.

He inclined his head in a regretful nod. ‘It’s not a good basis for building trust. I feel ashamed of myself, if that’s any consolation.’

‘Let’s try and put it behind us. I promise not to walk out if you promise not to ask if I assassinate my business associates.’ She smiled.

‘I promise. Perhaps I can demonstrate my good intentions by listening to the details of your proposal?’ Tadeusz said.

Carol felt butterflies tumbling in her guts. This was one of the many testing points of the operation, she knew. She took a deep breath and outlined her fictitious business in East Anglia once more. ‘In exchange for a roof over their heads and food, they work for me without wages for a year. At the end of that time, they get an Italian passport and their freedom. And that’s the deal,’ she concluded firmly.

He raised his eyebrows. ‘A sort of slavery, then?’

‘I prefer to think of it as indentured labour,’ she said. Obviously, I only want adults. ‘I don’t want families – kids are no use to me.’ Carol marvelled at how easily she was playing the role of the tough businesswoman she was supposed to be. She seemed to be getting in touch with a side of herself that she hadn’t realized existed. She wasn’t sure how much she liked this cold and calculating person, but it took surprisingly little effort to slip into the personality she’d fixed on for Caroline Jackson.

‘I don’t traffic in kids.’

Carol raised her eyebrows. ‘I had no idea you had such a sentimental streak.’

‘It’s not out of sentimentality or squeamishness,’ he said. ‘Kids are harder to control. They’re noisy. They cry. And they provoke stupid heroics from the parents. It’s better to avoid them. So, if we do make a deal, you can rest assured you won’t be getting any kids from me.’