'No, I have b.l.o.o.d.y not,' snapped Ricky. 'Now beat it.'

'Perdita worked for you and had a crush on you.' Under Ricky's ferocious glare Beattie started backing towards the door. 'She says all she wants to do is find her real father and experience some real love and understanding.'

'Bulls.h.i.t,' thundered Ricky. 'She's had a b.l.o.o.d.y sight too much love and understanding. Perdita is basically a good child who's fallen among thieves. Do I have to throw you out?'

'You wouldn't dare,' said Beanie in excitement, then screamed as Ricky opened the window, gathered her up and threw her out kicking and struggling into a flowerbed.

'Sorry about your wallflowers,' he added to Daisy as, two seconds later, the photographer and his expensive camera followed suit.

'You b.a.s.t.a.r.d,' yelled Beattie, picking herself out of a rose bush. 'These tights are Dior and new on. I'll get you for a.s.sault.'

But as Ricky went out of the front door in pursuit they jumped into their BMW and drove furiously away. Ricky turned back to Daisy. Her eyes were huge and staring. She was still shaking uncontrollably.

'I never knew Perdita hated me that much,' she whispered through white lips. 'And what am I going to do about Violet and Eddie?'

Ricky went to the cupboard and, finding an inch of vodka in a half-bottle, tipped it into a gla.s.s and topped it up with orange juice.

'Get that down you, then I'll drive you over to tell them.'

'But it's the beginning of the season. You've got so much on. It isn't fair you should be dragged in.'

'I'm in already. Don't imagine Beattie'll forget her hurt pride and her laddered tights in a hurry.'

They didn't talk much as they drove through the emergent spring thirty miles to Violet's school and then another twenty miles on to Eddie's. In her numbed state Daisy wondered if Ricky was working out polo plays. When he met Violet's headmistress his coolness and detachment seemed to diffuse her disapproval. She was obviously captivated by his looks.

Violet went scarlet when Daisy stumbled out with the truth, then she put her arms round her mother. 'Perdita's a b.i.t.c.h, but she's so off the wall at the moment and she'd probably just had a row with Red. You were younger than her when it happened. We'll look after you.'

Eddie's headmaster, a breezy, bearded h.o.m.os.e.xual, couldn't look Daisy in the eye, but his voice becamemuch warmer when he spoke to Ricky. Eddie seemed outwardly unfazed.

Perdita's father might be a pop star then. Can I come home with you? We've got a history exam tomorrow and I haven't revised.'

'Come home at the weekend,' said Ricky. 'We'll shoot clays. I'll lend you a rod and you can fish in the lake.'

Drew rang up when they got back to Ricky's house. He was forced to be very matter of fact, but Daisy could tell he was worried sick.

'I'll come over and see Ricky tomorrow,' then with an endearing stab of jealousy, 'it's a good idea for you to stay there tonight. He'll protect you from the press. But don't fall in love with him.'

'Of course I won't,' stammered Daisy.

Never had she missed Drew more. But Ricky was angelic. He gave her two sleeping pills left over from the ones prescribed for him when Will died and had left orders, despite the warmth of the evening, for one of the grooms to light a fire in the spare room.

'You said one very important thing to me about Will's death,' he told her, 'that night we had dinner together, that I'd got to learn to forgive myself. You've got to do the same.'

But, however angelic Ricky was, nothing prepared Daisy for the horror of The Scorpion The Scorpion next day. next day.

'Gang, bang, thank you, Mum,' said huge front-page headlines. Then beneath a ravishing, tremulously tearful picture of Perdita, a caption: said huge front-page headlines. Then beneath a ravishing, tremulously tearful picture of Perdita, a caption: 'Please find my real Dad,' 'Please find my real Dad,' pleads Perdita, pleads Perdita, 'everyone had Mum that night.' 'everyone had Mum that night.'

Inside under a headline: 'Red's Raver tells all,' 'Red's Raver tells all,' they had printed the full interview with Perdita, saying how much she detested her mother for cheating her out of a father. Even worse, they had somehow got hold of a ravishing photograph of a seventeen-year-old Daisy, with a sixties fringe, long, straight hair and huge eyes, and superimposed it on an incredibly voluptuous, naked, Page Three body. they had printed the full interview with Perdita, saying how much she detested her mother for cheating her out of a father. Even worse, they had somehow got hold of a ravishing photograph of a seventeen-year-old Daisy, with a sixties fringe, long, straight hair and huge eyes, and superimposed it on an incredibly voluptuous, naked, Page Three body.

'If you recognize this girl, you may be Perdita's Dad,' said the caption. said the caption.

Over the page under another headline: 'Caring Ricky in 'Caring Ricky in Mercy Dash,' the copy began: the copy began: 'Fun-loving Daisy was hiding out yesterday with her landlord, ace polo player Ricky France-Lynch (Family Motto: Never Surrender). Caring Ricky left his ten-bedroom Georgian home and galloped through his 400-acre estate on a polo pony to stand by his lovely tenant. Known as 'Fun-loving Daisy was hiding out yesterday with her landlord, ace polo player Ricky France-Lynch (Family Motto: Never Surrender). Caring Ricky left his ten-bedroom Georgian home and galloped through his 400-acre estate on a polo pony to stand by his lovely tenant. Known as El Orgulloso El Orgulloso for his snooty manner, Ricky once employed Perdita as his groom. "Perdita has got into bad company," claims Ricky, "Daisy has been a very supportive mother."' for his snooty manner, Ricky once employed Perdita as his groom. "Perdita has got into bad company," claims Ricky, "Daisy has been a very supportive mother."'

'Poor old Daisy,' said Bas Baddingham to Rupert. 'Gosh, she was pretty in those days.'

Taking The Scorpion The Scorpion from him, Rupert examined the photographs. 'Pretty now. Christ, Beattie's excelled herself this time. At least it might make Ricky finally get his act together where Daisy is concerned.' from him, Rupert examined the photographs. 'Pretty now. Christ, Beattie's excelled herself this time. At least it might make Ricky finally get his act together where Daisy is concerned.'

'Didn't we used to know a creep called Cosgrave?' asked Bas. Bas. 'Used to give wild parties in the sixties?' 'Used to give wild parties in the sixties?'

'Everyone gave wild parties in the sixties,' said Rupert.

Jackie Cosgrave hadn't prospered in later life. Teaching art bored him, his waist had thickened, his yellow hair turned white, his white teeth yellow, his mouth petulant. Women were no longer so keen to buy his paintings, nor girl students to sleep with him.

'Oh, Mr Cosgrave, it's all about you in The Scorpion,' The Scorpion,' said the art college cleaner as she swept up charcoal, paint-stained rags, old tubes of paint and sc.r.a.ps of newspaper. said the art college cleaner as she swept up charcoal, paint-stained rags, old tubes of paint and sc.r.a.ps of newspaper.

Picking up The Scorpion The Scorpion Jackie looked long and hard at Daisy. He remembered her and, after wracking his brains, he remembered the party. In those days when he had beauty and could get drugs, the world was his friend. Returning to his flat, he took down his diary for 1966 and turned to February which he'd been wise enough to ill.u.s.trate with photographs. The central heating had been turned up to tropical that night, he'd taken a lot of photographs and written down the names of all the people who'd been at the orgy. Studying Perdita's face, the answer was cut and dried. Picking up the telephone he rang Jackie looked long and hard at Daisy. He remembered her and, after wracking his brains, he remembered the party. In those days when he had beauty and could get drugs, the world was his friend. Returning to his flat, he took down his diary for 1966 and turned to February which he'd been wise enough to ill.u.s.trate with photographs. The central heating had been turned up to tropical that night, he'd taken a lot of photographs and written down the names of all the people who'd been at the orgy. Studying Perdita's face, the answer was cut and dried. Picking up the telephone he rang The The Scorpion Scorpion News Desk. News Desk.

'I'll tell you who Perdita's father is, but it's going to cost you.'60 Rupert Campbell-Black was so much in love with his wife that he most uncharacteristically agreed to undergo a solo grilling on whether he was a suitable person to adopt a baby.

Mrs Paget, who interviewed him, had already been charmed by Taggie last week. In her thirties with a 'brood', as she called it, of her own, Mrs Paget had the kindly but patronizing air of one who works for nothing for those less fortunate. She reminded Rupert of a more rounded, prettier Sukey Benedict. In the old days for the h.e.l.l of it he would have made a pa.s.s at her, but now he had no need of the divide of the gleaming mahogany table, nor the chaperonage of hundreds of babies who had been successfully adopted into loving homes whose photographs gazed down from the dark red wallpaper. Tabitha, his daughter, was the only baby Rupert had ever liked, but he would have been happy to adopt a chimpanzee for Taggie's sake, and was trying not to lose his temper with this earnest, probing woman.

'When you first saw Mrs Campbell-Black, was it love at first sight?'

'No, l.u.s.t,' drawled Rupert, then added hastily, 'but it would have been the reaction of any man. She's very pretty but I was involved with someone else at the time.'

'And you lead a full s.e.x life?'

Full of Taggie, thought Rupert. 'I'm afraid I'm not prepared to discuss our s.e.x life with anyone,' he said coldly. 'The reason she can't have children has nothing to do with s.e.x.'

Mrs Paget fingered her pearls. 'You've only been married seventeen months, hardly long enough for us to place one of our very special babies with you. With the pill, the abortion law and girls keeping their babies, children to adopt are like gold dust today. And you are in a catch 22.' She brought out the expression to show she read. 'You're forty at the end of this year, which makes you too old to adopt.'

Rupert gritted his teeth. 'I know that.'

'And we have couples who've been on our waiting-list for years. You wouldn't consider an older child, handicapped perhaps, or coloured? I'm sure Mrs Campbell-Black has the necessary patience and understanding.'

'Well, I don't,' said Rupert truthfully. 'We want a baby.'

'Beggars can't be choosers,' said Mrs Paget almost archly.

The stupid b.i.t.c.h is trying to rile me, thought Rupert. If I lose my temper she'll mark me down as a baby-basher. 'Hardly a beggar,' he snapped.

It was all a ghastly game. In his inside pocket was a cheque for a quarter of a million pounds, which would buy a house in Battersea for the society to house their unmarried mothers. The donation would be anonymous - so the press would never find out - and Rupert and Taggie would jump the queue.

'Are you sure you personally want to adopt, and it wouldn't be better for Mrs Campbell-Black to concentrate on being a mother to your own children? I'm sure they need a stable background.'

'Plenty of stables already at Pens...o...b..,' said Rupert idly.

'There's no need to be flippant. Couples who lose a baby often try to adopt one immediately to fill the aching void, but it's the wrong motive.'

'Works perfectly well with puppies,' said Rupert.

'Mr Campbell-Black,' Mrs Paget's midnight-blue cashmere bosom swelled, 'I don't like your att.i.tude. We have to ensure you'd make a suitable father. Your track record isn't exactly '

'Oh, for Christ's sake, ask my own children!' Getting to his feet, Rupert walked over to the window. Outside, under a colonnade of burgeoning plane trees, a slim girl in jeans was pushing a pram and gabbling happy nonsense to the baby inside. He'd be reduced to kidnapping soon.

'You're supposed to be a Christian organization,' he went on. 'Isn't there something in the Bible about more rejoicing in heaven over one lost sheep?'

'Calm down,' said Mrs Paget, thinking how frightfully attractive he was. She wanted the money for the unmarried mothers' house very badly. The committee would regardit as a tremendous coup and had already earmarked an adorable Irish baby for Rupert and Taggie, but she felt he ought to be made to sweat a little longer.

'I understand,' she went on soothingly. 'You must be feeling very threatened. It happens to lots of middle-aged men who marry very young wives and worry not only about satisfying them s.e.xually, but keeping them amused. A baby seems the perfect answer.'

Rupert's jaw dropped. There was an imperious knock on the door.

'I'm interviewing, Miss Roach,' cried Mrs Paget.

'I think you should see this,' said Miss Roach who looked more like a cod. Barging in, she thrust a copy of The Evening Scorpion The Evening Scorpion in front of Mrs Paget, whose pale pink wild-rose complexion slowly turned the dark crimson of an Ena Harkness as she read. in front of Mrs Paget, whose pale pink wild-rose complexion slowly turned the dark crimson of an Ena Harkness as she read.

'I'm afraid there's not an adoption society in the country who'll touch you now,' she said, handing Rupert the paper.

On the front page were two huge photographs of Perdita and Rupert at eighteen. Both in profile, they were incriminatingly identical. 'Snap!' 'Snap!' said the huge headline. said the huge headline.

Rupert was as pale as the lilies-of-the-valley on the table as he turned to the centre pages where Jackie Cosgrave's statement was quoted in full: 'There were seven men at the Sidney Street Orgy. They included rock star Bob Riley and his lead guitarist Harry Nelson, actor Johnny Friedlander, the Hon Basil Baddingham, a polo player, show-jumpers Rupert Campbell-Black and Billy Lloyd-Foxe and myself. At eighteen, Rupert was an officer in an exclusive cavalry regiment, the Blues, and was home on leave from Cyprus. He was very brown and so beautiful no-one could take their eyes off him. Being in the forces, he was also the only one with short hair. Rupert was very much taken with Daisy, and being very fit, made love to her most of the night. We all had bets how long he could keep going. The rest of us were too stoned to do very much, though we all had a go at her, I remember, because she was so tasty.'

Jackie Cosgrave had always been disgusting, thought Rupert irrationally. Like Daisy two days before, he couldn't read any more. Inside were fuzzy blown-up snapshots, including one of Daisy and Rupert both naked. In one he was smiling down at her and stroking her left breast. In another he was kissing her pa.s.sionately and his left hand had disappeared below the cropping of the photograph. There were also pictures of everyone else at the orgy, and, even more horrible, on the next page of Eddie, Violet, Marcus and Tabitha, with a caption: 'You're half-brothers 'You're half-brothers and sisters now.' and sisters now.'

'Jesus,' exploded Rupert, crumpling up the paper and throwing it in the corner. Then, turning to Mrs Paget, 'And you believe this junk?'

'It seems conclusive,' she stammered. 'You could be twins.'

'I'm going to get the highest damages in history. Can I use your telephone?'

Mrs Paget nodded. After the initial rage, she told Miss Roach later, he was terrifying in his calmness.

It was a good thing the helicopter knew its own way back to Pens...o...b.. because Rupert was totally unaware of flying it. As towns, motorways and the winding Thames gave way to acid-green woods, emerald fields and tawny villages, he churned with rage. Perdita was responsible for Taggie losing their own child, and now an adopted baby. And G.o.d knows what lasting damage she'd done to his children, just as they were getting over the devastating revelations of his memoirs eighteen months ago.

He couldn't see the gravel outside his house for reporters and cameramen, and took a savage pleasure in sending them scurrying for their lives. As he leapt out, they all swarmed back.

'h.e.l.lo, Rupe, talk about gaining a daughter,' said the Sun. Sun.

'She's a chip off the old block where horses are concerned,' said the Mirror. Mirror. 'You going to teach her to show-jump?' 'You going to teach her to show-jump?'

'We heard you were trying to adopt a baby. What chances of that now?' asked The Scorpion. The Scorpion.

'Are you going to recognize paternity?' asked ITN.

As they ringed him, ravenous for information, there was something of the cornered, maddened bull about Rupert. Then, with his phenomenal strength, he shoved them out of the way and, sending The Scorpion The Scorpion and the and the Star Starflying, charged the front door, which opened like a trap door to admit him, then slammed against their frenzied hammering fists.

Frantically Taggie and Rupert clung to each other. She tried to smile, but she was deathly pale and her eyes were red-rimmed. 'You poor, poor thing, it's so horrible for you.'

'I'm so desperately sorry.' As he held her, Rupert felt comfort flowing back into his body like a transfusion after a ma.s.sive loss of blood. 'Please don't leave me. I can face anything as long as I've got you.'

'I'd never leave you,' said Taggie, appalled. 'I love you. Anyway, it all happened years ago, long before I met you.'

'It could have been any of the other guys at the party. They can make anyone look like anyone in photographs.'

'Course they can. What did they say at the adoption society?' She was trying to control her longing.

Rupert shook his head. Since they married there had only been truth between them. 'I'm afraid they're not going to give us a baby, but we'll get one from somewhere.'

'It's OK. We've still got Tabitha and Marcus and the dogs,' her voice faltered. 'And Perdita,' she was about to say. Rupert's ability to have children seemed so at odds with her own recently enforced infertility. The reporters stepped up the hammering on the door.

'How could Perdita have done it?' she said in bewilderment. 'To poor Daisy as well.'

'I don't give a f.u.c.k about Daisy. You're the only thing I care about.'

Mrs Bodkin, Rupert's ancient housekeeper, who'd seen endless dramas in her time, came into the hall. Thank G.o.d he had Miss Taggie. Seeing them in each other's arms, she coughed.

'It's Tabitha on the private line, Mr Campbell-Black.' Rupert picked up the telephone. 'I was just going to ring you, darling. I'm terribly sorry. D'you want to come over?'

'Yes, please,' said Tabitha. 'Your new intermediate daughter won't take all our money, will she?' Her shrill voice suddenly broke. 'You won't love her more than me, will you?'

'I'm b.l.o.o.d.y well going to have it out with Daisy,' snarled Rupert as he came off the telephone.

Ten minutes later his helicopter landed on Ricky's front lawn, and this time the press fell back, scalded by the white heat of his rage. He found Daisy in Ricky's kitchen, mindlessly making a shepherd's pie for supper, not because Ricky wanted it, but to give herself something to do. A smell of frying onion, garlic, peppers and minced lamb drifted through the house. Ricky had pulled down the blue and white striped blinds so the hovering press couldn't see in. For a second Rupert and Daisy stared at each other, both unable not to think of the night they had spent together. How could I? thought Rupert. Daisy looked utterly wretched, her red eyes vanished beneath red swollen lids as though they'd been stung by ants, her face blotchy from crying. An old grey sweater of Ricky's couldn't disguise the weight that had dropped off her.

'Oh, Rupert, I'm so sorry.' All Daisy could think of was how incredible that such an attractive man should once have screwed her all those years ago.

'So you f.u.c.king should be!' Rupert hurled his fury like acid in her face. 'Why the h.e.l.l didn't you have an abortion?'

'I didn't have the money.'

'You can't prove Perdita's my child. Bas has got black eyes just like hers. She could have inherited her riding skills from him or Billy. Bob Riley was almost an albino.'

'I'm not going to say she's yours,' whispered Daisy. 'I just said I was drunk, and can't remember anyone there. It's so awful. You and Taggie have been so sweet to me.'

'Perdita's completely f.u.c.ked up Taggie's chances of having or adopting a baby, and what about the effect on Tab and Marcus? G.o.d, I'm going to sue her into the next world. I'll ruin her if it kills me.'

Daisy started to cry and throw whole carrots into the frantically spitting onions and mince.

'It's burning, lovie.' Ricky crossed the room and turned off the gas. 'Let's leave it and have a drink.'

As Daisy collapsed on to a kitchen chair with her face in her hands, the twins bounded in.

'h.e.l.lo, Daddy,' said Dommie, grinning at Rupert.

'Orgy, porgy, pudding and pie, kissed the girls and made them pregnant,' said Seb. 'Christ, I'm starving.' Grabbing a spoon, he started eating the mince out of the frying pan. 'What I feel most sorry for you about, Rupert, is having that frightful little s.h.i.t, Red Alderton, as a son-in-law.'

'It's not funny,' shouted Rupert.