"Don't insult me. I'm worth more than that."

But she put the cheroot away then asked, "So, business is so bad you've shut up shop and decided to spend the rest of the day watching mucky videos?"

"Wrong, as usual. Matter of fact, I'm going home to do some research on the very important client I'll be lunching with at his club tomorrow."

"Oh yes? And I'm going to meet the Lord Chancellor to talk about becoming a High Court judge!"

This provoked Joe to telling her all about his encounter with the YFG.

She listened with interest. He tried to conceal his ignorance of what the case was all about by claiming client confidentiality but she saw through that straight away.

"You mean you haven't got the faintest idea, don't you? How many times do I have to tell you, Sixsmith? Always find out what you're getting into before you get into it. Interesting though that the sun doesn't shine all the time, not even on Golden Boy."

"You know Porphyry?"

"Not personally, but professionally I had occasion to do some research on the family three, four years back in connection with a compensation case."

"Shoot. And that was against Porphyry?" said Joe, feeling illogically dismayed.

"Against the Porphyry Estate, which makes it the same thing. One of their employees died. Coroner said accident, no one to blame, but that's what they appoint coroners for, isn't it? To make sure the Porphyrys of this world never get blamed. There was a widow and a son. I reckoned they deserved better."

"And did they get it?"

"Unhappily the mother didn't survive her husband long enough for things to run their course. If there is a God, he's a member at Royal Hoo and looks after His own."

"I thought Chris was OK," Joe protested.

"And you've got O-levels for character judgment, right? I'm sure he's a very likeable guy. In the class war, the ones that make you like them are the worst, Joe.