‘It’s a game,’ Jemima continues smoothly. ‘You know that. It has to be clear that she’s the supreme leader, or else every correspondent will go round her. But she’s probably given you a pass on that, hasn’t she? What with your super-duper inside source?’

‘Not exactly,’ he replies, frowning directly at her this time. I fall back a step. ‘It’s about Nine beating everyone else, like it always is. She wants us ahead of the pack, and I’m halfway there. Simple as that, really.’137

‘Nice,’ she says, nodding her head. ‘I remember when working for Nine was enough to get you laughed out of press conferences. Look who’s laughing now.’

‘Oh, don’t demean yourself, Jonas,’ Thomas says, quickening his step. ‘All this fishing’s beneath you, isn’t it? You’ve got plenty of your own leads to go on, from what I hear.’

‘Easy tiger,’ she says. ‘Who’s fishing? I’m as chuffed as you are if Nine’s out front. That’s all I want too. I just don’t want to knock on doors if you’re already halfway inside, do I? It makes us both look like tits.’

‘Nice try,’ he says, peeling away as we reach the edge of the news desk, frowning at me hovering just behind her. ‘Hey – Marie, is it? Give me a second, OK?’

‘If you haven’t already got an assignment for me, I thought I could work with Jemima,’ I say before she can. ‘We’ve been working together for a while.’

‘Don’t I know it,’ he drawls, rolling his eyes. ‘What sort of help do you need?’ He tosses his hair towards Jemima as he asks. ‘I assume it’s more than just an intern? Even if she’s flavour of the month.’

‘A couple of politicos, if you can,’ Jemima says, without skipping a beat. ‘We know where we’re going but could do with a researcher who also knows their way around Westminster. And Marie’s an assistant producer, by the way.’

‘Westminster, eh?’ His eyebrows arch.

‘Well, presumably that doesn’t step on your toes?’

I hold my breath as they stare at each other.

‘It’s fine,’ Thomas says after a moment, picking up the receiver on his desk. ‘It’s home affairs’ back yard after all. You can toss balls around in there all you like.’

‘Well, I’ll be sure to let you know if anyone strays into our lane,’ she replies. ‘And if you can give politics a shove for me, that’d be great.’

I don’t get a proper look at him as she turns, sweeping me with 138her into the sudden silence of an empty edit suite behind the desk. Eerie quiet descends as the door closes.