‘So that’s what you do? Matching clients to investors?’

‘No, that’s the bank’s job. What I do is help with the emotional side of wealth.’

Marina looked bemused. ‘Emotional side? Does it have one?’

‘Actually, that’s the biggest side to it. I help my clients discover the non-financial assets of wealth.’

‘I still don’t get how being rich can be stressful?’ Marina asked sceptically. Close-up, Charlotte could see those angled cheekbones that photographed so well were amplified by the hollowness of her cheeks. She had known hunger, a battle to get enough food on the table – real problems, not the first-world stresses of an elite.

‘Okay, well you basically end up with money one of three ways, right?’ She counted off her fingers. ‘You earn it, inherit or gain it. And however you come by it, each way comes with its own particular sets of issues. Now unfortunately, because of how the rest of the world regards money – i.e. as something good and desirable – it’s a loaded subject. People who can’t afford to buy their kids new shoes have no sympathy for a rich person with depression for instance, and that perpetuates a sense of shame amongst these wealthy individuals for being privileged and yet still not happy. People who inherit fortunes, for example, can really struggle to accept that a lottery of birth has left them with so much and everyone else so little.’

‘But they could do something about that,’ Marina said dismissively. ‘Just give it away.’

‘Yes possibly. Philanthropy can be a saving grace when done wisely, but it still has its own complications – to whom do you give it and how much? And can you be sure the money’s going to be used properly, to get through to the people or causes you’re trying to help? There are people in need everywhere you turn and it can be a huge burden if my clients start to feel they are personally responsible for getting rid of these issues, solving all the problems. Money doesn’t resolve as much as people would like to think; very often, education is the better tool.’

‘They’re still in a position to choose, though.’

‘Absolutely. And it works both ways – giving feels good, plus philanthropy can really help give them a purpose, which is vital. Can you imagine waking up every day and not having a reason to get out of bed?’

Marina cracked a wry grin. ‘Ha. I’d like to try.’

‘I know it sounds tempting when you’re working shifts and struggling to pay the rent, but believe me, hard though it is, it actually gives you an advantage over the rich man: work forces you into a routine and that routine gives your days, weeks, months and years a shape. It gives you colleagues, another world outside your home. But when your life is stretching ahead of you with absolutely nothing on the horizon, when you don’t even need to leave the house because you have staff to buy the food, walk the dog, take the kids to school . . . it’s actually terrifying. What’s the point in that existence? Everyone needs to have a purpose, a passion; without it, people become depressed, reclusive; they start drinking or taking drugs – anything to shake up the days, change the landscape.’