'It's a great party,' I whispered. 'Are you enjoying it?'

'Oh...yes. It's quite a success.' In the distance we could hear the gentle strains of a string quartet. 'That must be the other party,' she said. 'We could have had music, but we decided against it.'

'And what are you doing tomorrow?'

'Erm... I'm going microlighting.'

'Again?'

'Yes. You see, I loved it last week. I just...loved it.'

'But don't you want to do something with Nigel?'

She shrugged. 'Well, I would have done. But he's got to work. You know how it is with Nige.' I glanced at him. 'He never stops. Especially at the moment.'

'At least he's having a good time tonight.'

'That's true-but he's drinking too much.'

I looked at him. He did look slightly red in the face. 'Well...if he can't get a bit p.i.s.sed on his fortieth, when can he, Daisy...?'

'I'm going to keep quiet about the M question by the way,' she murmured.

'Are you?'

'Yes.'

'Why?'

She shrugged. 'I...don't know. I've just decided-que sera, sera.'

Suddenly, David reappeared. 'I think I've got everyone, Daisy. I'll e-mail them to Miranda and she can send them on to you. Are we allowed to wander round the zoo, by the way?'

'I don't think we can go very far. Alan said they want us to stay in this area because they don't want us unsettling the animals. Oh, I've just got to have a word with the waiter-will you excuse me?'

So David and I went for a short walk. And we were just looking at the sloth bears on Bear Mountain when we heard rapid footsteps behind us.

'Where's the b.l.o.o.d.y exit?' demanded a familiar voice. I turned and there was Lily, looking elegant but indignant. 'How the h.e.l.l do you get out of here?'

'Lily?'

'Miranda!'

'Hi. You're not at this party, are you?'

'No. I've just been to the one at the Lion Terrace-Nancy de n.o.briga's bash-and I got lost trying to find my way out.'

'Were the lions fun?'

'No-they were asleep-lazy b.u.g.g.e.rs-but we did spot the missing lynx.' Now she suddenly noticed David and did a double take. 'D.J. White? Good G.o.d!'

'h.e.l.lo, Lily.'

'What are you doing here?'

'Well, I'm here with...' He nodded at me, and Lily's elegantly plucked eyebrows rose half an inch up her high, domed forehead.

'I see,' she said with an insinuating smirk. 'So you're... "walking out together", are you?'

'You could say that,' David smiled.

'Well you're a sly one, Miranda,' Lily snorted. 'I had no idea. So did you know each other before...?'

'No,' I replied. 'We didn't.'

'We met through you, actually,' David said.

'You did?'

'Yes.' My pulse started to race. 'Because if you hadn't commissioned me to take Miranda's photograph, I would never have met her.'

'Of course. I remember that now,' said Lily.

I felt goose-b.u.mps suddenly stipple my arms.

'I don't know why you thought of me to do that particular job,' David went on. 'But I'm very glad you did.'

'Oh, but it wasn't my idea!' Lily exclaimed.

'What do you mean?'

'It was Miranda's.'

I felt as though I'd fallen down a mineshaft.

'Miranda's?' David repeated. He looked at me, dumbfounded.

'Yes,' said Lily. 'She suggested you-didn't you, Miranda?-and I must say it was a brilliant idea. Anyway, I can't stand here gossiping. I've got two other parties to get to, and my driver's waiting, so could you please tell me how to get out?' David pointed her in the right direction, then she blew us a kiss and was gone.

'You asked Lily to commission me?' David said. His brow was corrugated in puzzlement.

'Yes,' I said quietly. 'That's right.'

'But why? You didn't know anything about me, Miranda.' Oh yes I did. 'I don't understand.'

'Because... I saw that photo you did...the one on the front of the Guardian G2.' The lines on David's forehead began to clear. 'And... I thought it was...so good. And I was with Lily at the time and she was wondering who to get to take the pictures-and so,' I shrugged, 'I suggested you.'

David was shaking his head in bewilderment. Then he smiled. 'So you actually wanted to meet me?'

Oh yes. 'Yes. I did.'

'Because you liked my work?'

'That's...right.'

'So you engineered it all?' I nodded. He smiled, and then laughed. 'Well, you are a dark horse. But why didn't you tell me before?'

I looked away. 'I don't really know.'

'Well... I feel...quite flattered. So you specifically wanted me to take your photograph?'

I nodded. 'And... Lily thought it was a good idea, and so she called you, and you came to my house that day and took my picture.'

David held his breath for a moment, then exhaled with a sudden burst of laughter. 'You are funny, Miss Behaviour.' He had clearly believed me. My anxiety flooded away. 'Is that why you asked me to stay for a beer that evening?'

No, that's not the reason. 'Yes,' I replied quietly. 'That's right.'

'You are an intriguing woman, Miranda Sweet.' Yes, I am. I'm intriguing. It makes me feel awful. 'There are times when I just don't know what to make of you,' he said. 'I-Oh, what's happening now?'

Alan had clapped his hands. 'Ladies and gentlemen! Can I have your attention please...please, everyone?' The babble of voices dipped to silence, then, out of the gathering darkness, a waitress stepped forward, bearing a huge, flaming cake.

'Happy Birthday to you,' Alan sang.

'Happy Birthday to you,' we all joined in.

'Happy Birthday dear Nig-el.'

'Happy Birthday TO YOU!!!'

Everyone applauded as Nigel walked, or rather staggered, over to the cake and blew on it noisily.

'-Careful Nige!'

'-Do it in one!'

'-Someone stand by with a fire-blanket!'

'-Oh good man!' We all clapped.

'-Speech!'

'-Speeeeeech!'

'Come on, Nigel. Give us a few words.'

Nigel heaved a tipsy sigh, then ran his left hand through his hair.

'Well...' he began. Even in the semi-dark you could see that his face was quite red. 'What c'n I say? What c'n I say? 'Cept that I'm 's.l.u.tely 'verwhelmed.'

'And over the limit!' Jon called out.

'Yes,' Nigel giggled. He adjusted his gla.s.ses which were slightly awry. 'Prob'ly am. But then it's been...quite an evening. And...well,' he was blinking slowly, in the way people do when they've overdone it. 'I'd just like...t'thank... Alan 'n' Jon 'n' D'sy...f'ranging t'all. Quite 'mazing. And I'd like t'thank all 'f you...f'r'elping me cel'brate. I had no 'dea...be spending the evening like this,' he went on. 'No 'dea 't'all. I thought...'s going to a concert wi' D'sy f'lowed by...dinner. 'N to be honest...' He seemed to hesitate. His eyes raked the crowd. 'To be honest, I'd planned... L'il s'prise for her. D'sy-where are you?' He peered at us all now, as though he was having trouble focussing.

'She's over there, you moron!' said Jon.

'Oh. Y's. Thanks. There y'are.' He looked at Daisy, standing next to me, then heaved another drunken sigh. 'I wanted t'give you something, you see. Here.' He jabbed his left hand into his pocket, missing it twice; but at the third try he pulled out a small red box. 'I just wondered, D'sy, whether...' Nigel was swaying slightly now. 'Whether...y'd do me...honour...ver' great honour...'coming...wife?'

'What?' she whispered.

Nigel took a couple of steps towards her, then opened the box. He did it slightly too forcefully, and suddenly something gold and sparkling flew into the air, then fell to the ground with a quiet 'c.h.i.n.k'.

'Oh b.u.g.g.e.ration.'

Nigel dropped to one knee, groped for it with his left hand, then held it up to Daisy between thumb and forefinger, like a dainty t.i.tbit. It was a large sapphire, flanked by two baguette diamonds. Daisy gazed at it as though transfixed.

'...'d you do me...honour...wife?' Nigel mumbled again.

'You want me to marry you?' she said softly, as though she had never entertained the idea. She looked genuinely amazed-and at the same time, slightly appalled. I saw her glance at the a.s.sembled guests. We were all motionless. Then she looked at Nigel again.

'Y's,' Nigel replied. 'I do.'

'Oh, G.o.d,' said Daisy quietly. Nigel grabbed her hand-more to steady himself than anything else, it seemed to me-and pushed the ring onto her finger. Then someone started clapping, and someone else joined in, and now, suddenly, we were all applauding.

'He's done it!' Alan exclaimed, as Nigel got clumsily to his feet and brushed the dust off his knees. 'He's actually, finally done it! Let's raise our gla.s.ses, everyone-not just to Nigel's fortieth-but to his engagement to Daisy! I give you Nigel and Daisy.'

'Nigel and Daisy!'

I looked at her face. It was streaming with tears.

CHAPTER 11.

'I guess it was the shock,' I said to Daisy when she phoned me the next morning.

'Yes,' she croaked. 'It was the shock.'

'You didn't expect it, did you?'

'You can say that again! The weird thing is that I'd decided to wait a bit longer before confronting him about it-I told you. I was somehow...less bothered than I had been before.'

'But that's why it happened. When we want something very intensely, then we often don't get it, and it's only when we let up that we do.'