‘Okay. How are you? I mean, after …’

‘You mean what should you read into our night of passion?’

‘Yes. Something like that.’

‘That we had very nice sex, for old times’ sake.’ That came out much harsher than she’d intended and she heard the hushed intake of breath at the other end of the line.

‘I see,’ he said.

‘No, I’m sorry, that didn’t come out quite right. I’ve just been sitting here trying to work out how much I want the reunion for my sake and how much for the children’s.’

‘And what answer have you come to?’

‘I haven’t. But in the end, maybe it doesn’t matter. I don’t think either of us can afford to let the children down again, so we have to go through with this now and make it work. That’s what I think I’ve concluded.’

There was another long silence. ‘Thank you, Kate,’ he said. ‘I mean, really, thank you.’

‘See you in Paris.’ She rang off and walked back to her room, aware that, when it came to Stuart, she really had absolutely no idea what she was doing. But she was learning that there were worse things to do in life than travel on instinct.

Kate changed, went to the gym and pounded the running machine for what felt like a very long half-hour. She liked running, but not on a conveyor-belt. It was the definition of pointless. She had only just got out of the shower when she had a message from Natasha Demidova. Can’t wait until tomorrow. Need to meet urgently. Same place. One hour.

Kate tripped into her clothes and almost ran to the tennis court when she got an answer from neither Julie nor Callum. ‘You need to pay attention to your bloody phones,’ she said. ‘We have to go now. And change, for God’s sake.’

Kate drove. Fast. She and Julie left Callum in the car and made it to the rendezvous only three minutes beyond the appointed hour. The café was fuller than it had been earlier, mostly with old men smoking hookah pipes and chatting. Julie ordered apple tea, Kate Turkish coffee. The caffeine was starting to make her feel light-headed.

They waited. ‘Christ, we really are sitting ducks,’ Julie said. Kate was scanning the crowds thronging past from both directions. ‘You think we should move further away from the door?’ Julie asked.

‘No.’

Kate spotted the man approaching from the right. He was young and dark, with a beard and round glasses. He had a hasty, uneven gait, accentuated by his attempt to conceal it. He was sweating.

Kate got to her feet. She looked around her for anything she could use as a weapon. ‘What are you doing?’ Julie asked.

‘Incoming.’

Now Julie saw him too. ‘This is fucking it,’ she whispered. Kate expected the man to reach into his pocket, take out a gun and shoot them. There was nowhere to run, or hide, nothing she could do to protect herself, so she stood her ground and Julie did the same beside her. ‘Follow me,’ the young man blurted out, when he was almost upon them.