'Then someone should point out the cost of not engaging fully in this war,' observed Marlborough tartly. 'Do they actually want a Frenchman on the Spanish throne? Are they content to stand by while Louis XIV annexes Spain before threatening every country on their respective boundaries? It's madness!' he argued, smacking the table with a palm for emphasis. 'Politicians must be made to confront the enormity of the danger we face,'

'I'm a politician, John.'

Marlborough grinned. 'No, Sidney,' he said with affection, 'you're that contradiction in terms — a wise politician.'

Sidney, Earl of Godolphin, acknowledged the compliment with a smile. As Lord Treasurer, he was effectively Queen Anne's leading minister, and he brought acuity, experience and a tireless energy to the role. Five years older than his host, he was now well into his fifties and time had etched deep lines into his face. Though he kept it well-hidden, Godolphin harboured a secret sorrow, still mourning the death of his wife, Margaret, who had died in childbirth within a year of the marriage. Their baby son, Francis, had survived and grown up to wed Marlborough's daughter, Henrietta, thus bringing the two fathers even closer together.

It was a friendship that excited great envy and spite. Cynics always claimed that Godolphin's advancement was entirely due to his connection with the Marlborough family. Not only was the Duke much admired by the Queen, but his wife, Sarah, was her unrivalled favourite and thus able to exert immense influence at Court. Those who claimed that Godolphin owed his position to the triumvirate of Duke, Duchess and Queen ignored the fact that he had held high office under three successive kings and, over the years, acquired all the attributes of a statesman.