He laughs properly, head back, delighted with her sudden thrust of Geordie. She does her best to hide the accent but he’s right – it creeps back when she’s angry or drunk or in love, and she’s one or all three most of the time. She can’t help thinking that she’ll make a rather ridiculous spy. She likes people. Feels awful if she hurts somebody’s feelings. Thinks the government is both too big and too small and sees nothing about capitalism to suggest that it’s any better than the alternative. She’s doing this because she’s been given the chance and because she doesn’t like to waste an opportunity.

‘I’m Walt,’ he says, with a twirl of his hand and an exaggerated bow. ‘You can dig around and ask the questions and see if I’m somebody you’d like to get to know. I have no romantic interests in you, before you worry – quite the eunuch below the waist. Never had much interest in any of that silly sticky business. Incidentally, I have to fill in a rather inane report stating when and where you saw me following you and how you responded to my knowledge of your record, so if there’s anything you’d like it to say, just tell me and I’ll fit it in to my conclusions.’

‘How long have you been watching me?’ she asks, and behind him she sees the thick block of clouds reassemble themselves like shifting tectonic plates.

‘Don’t trouble yourself,’ he shrugs. ‘I think you’re rather marvellous. My opinion counts for quite a lot, as it happens, and this little chat has only served to reassure me that you are exactly what I’m looking for. I have a few ideas, you see. Here and there, bits and bobs – put your hand in the bran tub and pull out the cliché of your choice. Suffice to say, there may come a time when I need to know who’s on the side of the angels, and who … well, let’s just say, those who aren’t.’

‘I’m a bit confused,’ says Cordelia. ‘I don’t even know if this is right for me. I don’t agree with half of what we seem to do. It’s not exactly glamorous, is it? And look at the mistakes we’ve made. Nobody ever seems to answer a question properly. I mean, is there any point to any of it? Intelligence, counter-intelligence, stealing secrets, selling secrets, finding out who’s selling to who and whether what they’re selling is worth the price. It’s just, I don’t know, I suppose that I had it in my mind that the people who knew these things, who made the big decisions – I thought they’d be a bit more …’