‘Fucking hell,’ Fiona said. Then, ‘Gus!’ Gus!’ as she thundered down the corridor.

Kate had barely had time to disentangle herself from her drowsy husband before Fiona returned, dragging her bleary-eyed brother behind her. ‘Look!’ she said.

‘I told you,’ he said calmly. ‘Why did you wake me up for this?’

But he didn’t retreat. They stood there, staring at their parents.

‘What?’ Kate asked.

‘What do you mean, “What?”’ Fiona’s expression was caught somewhere between jubilation and consternation as her teenage brain tried to process what this extraordinary sight represented. ‘You’re having sex again?’

Kate sat bolt upright, pulling the duvet up to her neck. Stuart did the same and they faced their children like unruly teenagers themselves, caught in the act, which Kate supposed wasn’t far from the truth.

‘Is someone going to say something?’ Fiona asked.

For once, both Kate and Stuart were lost for words.

‘Erm … not really,’ Kate said eventually.

‘Well, what are you doing? What does this mean? Are you back together?’

‘We’re just working things out.’

‘In bed?’

‘Well, yes. Clearly.’

‘So you are an item again?’

‘Erm. I don’t know. Like I said, we’re just trying to work it all out.’

Fiona didn’t seem to know whether to cry in exultation, fury or disgust, but with an expression that lay somewhere between the three, she said simply, ‘You might want to get up. The prime minister’s here. He’s waiting in his car because I wouldn’t let him into the house.’

Fiona pulled the door firmly shut. Kate rolled out of bed and hunted for her underwear. ‘They must be the first teenagers in history to be pleased to discover their parents in bed together.’

Stuart hopped clumsily into his jeans. ‘Christ,’ he said. ‘What are we … I mean, what are you going to say to the PM?’

Kate felt better with her clothes on. She slipped on her pumps, then stood. ‘This is what we’re going to do. I’ll go out and tell him I accept his offer. I’ll conduct his inquiry, but only in return for a legal undertaking that all potential charges against you are dropped and you’ll be allowed to live anywhere you like for the rest of your life. In the meantime, you’ll go back to Moscow and tell your handlers you’ve spoken to me and I’m interested. I want time to think about it, but I’m prepared to consider the possibility of some kind of working relationship.’

‘Kate—’

‘Tell them you think I’m going to need a few days, maybe a week, and that, if I decide to go ahead, I’ll meet them in a safe house somewhere in Western Europe. And let them know I’m going to want money. A lot of it.’

‘Are you sure?’ Not unlike his daughter, Stuart looked as if he couldn’t decide whether he’d been hugged or punched.

‘Yes.’

‘But—’

‘It’s all right, Stuart. I know what I’m doing.’ Kate took his brush, tidied her hair, straightened her dress and walked down the corridor. What choice did she have, except to play both sides against the middle?