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more about the Kent and Sussex Agency,’ Mark says, pressing.
    ‘The Kent and East Sussex Regional Development Agency,’ Harry corrects him. ‘Well, the KESRDA is a government-sponsored public body which helps aid economic development and regeneration, develop business competitiveness and improve skills. That sort of thing.’ He has a swig of water.
    ‘How can we help you then?’
    ‘Since we were set up nine years ago we’ve built up quite a surplus of public money, as it were, and we’ve decided that we should invest it rather than just letting it sit in the bank. Hopefully that’s where you’ll be able to help us.’
    ‘And what’s your job?’
    ‘I’m the financial director.’
    Mark gulps a large mouthful of wine. ‘Whether we can help you or not depends on the amount of money we’re talking about.’
    Harry takes a pen out of his shirt pocket, writes a figure on a fresh serviette and pushes it across the table.
    ‘FIFTY MILLION!’ Mark shouts.
    Conversations stop at the surrounding tables and diners turn to stare at them.
    ‘No,’ Harry says, pausing as the chatter resumes, ‘you’ve added an extra naught. It’s five million. Please keep your voice down.’
    ‘I’m definitely the man to talk to,’ Mark says, composing himself.
    The waitress asks if they are ready to order. After much consideration , Harry plumps for a fifteen-inch American hot pizza, a side order of garlic dough balls and a Caesar salad. She reads back the order and turns to Mark.
    ‘I’ll have a green salad,’ he says. ‘I’m on a diet.’
    ‘You don’t need to diet,’ Harry says, as the waitress darts back to the kitchen. ‘But that’s beside the point. Mark, this is obviously a substantial amount of money. We can’t afford to take risks. I don’t know how much experience you’ve got in dealing with sums of this size-’
    ‘Lots,’ Mark interjects. ‘I’ve got lots of experience.’
    ‘What we’re looking for is really quite simple. We want our money to be safe, and to make decent returns. Nothing astronomical. Just better than we’d get with a bank. We don’t want any undue risks.’
    ‘Harry, we never take undue risks. We’re Europe’s leading wealth management company. We have decades of experience of managing enormous quantities of money. My department alone looks after over ten billion pounds of investments. You don’t build up a reputation like ours without a solid track record.’
    ‘I realise that. It was one of the reasons we approached you.’ Harry drinks and licks his lips. ‘How long have you worked for MenDax, Mark? You seem quite young, if you don’t mind me saying. Not that that’s a bad thing.’
    ‘Four years. I joined straight from university.’
    ‘Which university were you at?’
    Mark stalls. ‘Cambridge,’ he says finally.
    ‘Cambridge? I thought you seemed like a bright lad. What did you study?’
    ‘Business. And economics. Business and economics.’
    ‘My son was at university in Cambridge as well, but not real Cambridge . He was at UEEC - the University of Eastern England Cambridge . Have you heard of it?’
    ‘Um, yes. What does he do now?’
    ‘He’s unemployed at the moment.’
    Mark grunts and drinks a whole glass of water. There is a long silence.
    ‘If we did choose to invest with you,’ Harry says, ‘what would you do with the money?’
    ‘Invest it in Scandinavia – it’s MenDax’s specialist area.’
    ‘And what’s your role? Are you just the first contact or would you be managing our account?’
    ‘Oh, I’d be personally managing your account. We don’t send out salesmen to rope you in like some companies do. You deal with the decision makers from day one.’
    ‘Good.’
    ‘I’m an executive investment fund manager for Scandinavian markets, which means I only manage a small number of specialist accounts. Most investment companies have people managing up to a hundred accounts each. At MenDax, we manage no more than five so we can give