Then I found myself agreeing to the same proposal, uneasily. By the next morning I’d more or less forgotten the attack, despite the bruises and the pang in my side if I turned sharply. Instead I was preoccupied with the conversation we’d had in the Pure Waterman. I could not rid myself of the idea that this might be a dangerous undertaking, although it looked straightforward enough on the surface. From one aspect I was doing my duty by my country. From another, I was storing up favours with powerful people, wasn’t I? And then, apart from the duty and the favours earned, there was the money. Ah, the money . . . I patted my pocket and felt the unusual bulk of my purse. As a token of his good faith, the gentleman in the Pure Waterman had given me three sovereigns, with the promise of more to follow. Three whole sovereigns. Count ’em – not one, not two, but three weighty circles. This was the equivalent of almost two months’ pay to me. Money is serious, it should be listened to.
