To Joe’s surprise the two expected thugs made no appearance; the door was opened by one small female secretary.

‘This would seem to be as good a moment as any, Miss Thwaite,’ said the Brigadier with a nod. ‘If you will oblige?’

Miss Thwaite favoured them both with an understanding smile and disappeared.

‘Resume your seat and hear me out, Commander.’ Redmayne smiled and selected another card from his strong hand: ‘Perhaps I should have mentioned that I am seeing you with the knowledge and permission – encouragement even – of your Commissioner. From whom I continue to hear good things. Liaison between our departments, I’m sure you’ll agree, has . . .’ Into the slight pause, Joe knew he was meant to slide the thought: ‘until this moment’. ‘. . . been cordial and effective.’

Joe sat down again, eyeing Redmayne with what he hoped was an expression at once undaunted but unchallenging. The officer was, he reckoned, ten years older than himself, probably in his early forties, lean, active and professional. His title was as impressive as his appearance: ‘Imperial General Staff, i/c Directorate of Military Operations and Intelligence’. As baroque as the building, Joe reckoned. He’d always known it as ‘Mil Intel’. A survivor of the war, Redmayne had worked his way to his present eminence, it was said, thanks to more than his fair share of luck. But Joe would have added: intelligence and a speedily acquired understanding whilst under fire of the changing nature of warfare. And, if the stories were to be believed, a strong streak of ruthlessness had stiffened the blend.

‘Now, be so kind as to hear me out, old chap!’ said Redmayne into the silence, trying for a tone of bonhomie. ‘I’m perfectly aware of your travel arrangements.’ He poked at and then straightened a folder in front of him, a folder containing as the top sheet, Joe was sure, the outline of his holiday plans. ‘Nevil was kind enough to send over your file before he left for Exmoor.’

Out of courtesy and custom Joe had sketched out his itinerary beginning with departure early tomorrow morning from his sister’s house in Surrey where he would pick up a package and make for the Channel port, and going on at a speed dictated by the performance of his car and the state of the roads all the way down to the south of France. He’d even given estimated dates of arrival at hotels along his route. But his plans further than Antibes he had not confided for the simple reason that he had none. He was looking forward to a blissful two weeks of wandering around Provence before starting for home again.

‘I see you’ve elected to take the Dover crossing to Calais and then on down through the battlefields, fetching up at Reims.’ The Brigadier looked at him with speculation. ‘Many chaps would have gone Newhaven-Dieppe to Paris and avoided all that.’

‘Avoiding “all that” is not something I would ever want to do,’ said Joe quietly. ‘I have respects to pay. Memories to keep bright.’ In embarrassment he added, ‘And you have to admire what the French and the Belgians are doing by way of transforming all those hellish bone-yards into memorials and cemeteries. There are some quite splendid monuments designed by Lutyens I should like to take a look at . . .’

‘Good. Good. Well, I see I’m not sending you out of your way then. Not at all. You’ll be passing through Reims. Centre of the once glorious champagne trade. All I’m asking you to do is break your journey at this address instead of staying at a hotel. Here you are.’

He passed over the desk two small white cards. Joe looked first at the visiting card and read in curlicued, florid French lettering: Charles-Auguste Houdart, Château de Houdart, Reims, Champagne. The second card was a merchant’s copy of a wine label. A spare architectural sketch of a small château nestling between beech trees showed ordered lines of vines marching up a slope behind and disappearing into the distance. Across the top was printed the name of the champagne house, which appeared to be Houdart Veuve, Fils et Cie.

‘Your wine merchant, sir?’

‘Yes, that, but also my friend. Charles-Auguste. Splendid fellow. You’ll like him.’

‘And is your friend Charles-Auguste the son of this house?’ Joe asked, intrigued despite his unwillingness to show the least co-operation with this scheme to divert him from his plans.

‘No, he isn’t. I suppose you could say he’s billed as Cie – la Compagnie. He runs it after all. On behalf of the aforementioned Widow and Son. Ever heard of this brand, Sandilands? No. Can’t say I’m surprised. It’s a very small house . . . not one of the grandes marques like, oh, Moët et Chandon, Ayala, Bollinger, Veuve Clicquot. But to a connoisseur the name Houdart speaks volumes. Interesting history. Especially recent history. You’ll remember the two battles of the Marne damn nearly scoured this country out of existence? Some of the larger estates are only just beginning to get back to pre-war production levels but this little château managed to survive practically unscathed. And all in spite of losing the owner and moving force of the enterprise to the war. Clovis. His name was Clovis. He rode off to war, disappeared and was posted “missing, presumed dead” in 1917. He left a widow and a seven-year-old son behind. But quite a widow as it turned out! Gallant, in the tradition of Champagne widows. Nothing loath, she rolled up her sleeves, kicked off her sandals and trod the grapes, so to speak, alongside whoever she could get hold of to work the estate. And it paid off, it would seem. Nothing prospered, of course, in that dreadful four years but it survived. And now it’s prospering like anything!’

‘I’ve identified the Veuve, and the Fils – her son – must be about sixteen now? But where does your friend, who I see bears the family name, come into this?’ Joe’s interest was polite and professional but no more than that.

‘Charles-Auguste. He’s a cousin of the chap who disappeared on the battlefield. When it was clear that Clovis had been lost he came up from Provence where he had a small winery himself and took the reins from the doubtless weary hands of the widow. With huge success. But you shall judge for yourself! Thank you, Miss Thwaite!’ he shouted cheerily to his secretary who entered bearing a tray set with champagne glasses and a bottle in a silver ice bucket.

Joe’s mouth tightened. All this careful stage-setting boded ill for him. He scowled critically at the wine he was offered and listened to Redmayne’s hearty toast: ‘To the Widow!’

‘To all widows,’ Joe murmured in response. ‘God bless them.’

He sipped the wine and sipped again with pleasure. It was as good a champagne as he had ever tasted and he said as much. Redmayne appeared pleased. ‘This is the 1921 vintage,’ he said. ‘Only just been released. Reports are that last year’s will be even better. While you’re down there, Sandilands, I want you to be sure to register an order for a certain quantity to be shipped to me when the moment comes. Charles-Auguste will advise you. Very much to my taste. The bouquet is excellent – don’t you think so? People are so intrigued by the bubbles they often forget to appreciate it, you know. And the degree of dryness is spot on. They get it right. What do you make of the colour?’

Well, if this was the game, Joe could hold his end up. Hiding a smile, he raised his glass to the light and squinted at it. ‘Rather deeper than one is accustomed to – a brilliant intense gold.’ He swirled the wine gently, put his nose to the glass and sniffed briefly ‘And a bouquet to match. Spices, would you say? Vanilla certainly but . . . cardamom? Yes, a whisper of cardamom . . . and fruit . . . Something here from my childhood . . . got it – quinces! Quinces cooking with apples under a buttery pastry crust.’

Redmayne stared and blinked and Joe wondered if he’d overdone it but the only response was a dry: ‘Indeed? Mmm . . . And I detect a touch of Proust, I think.’