aJust ask her,a Rosa called.

Russell reached the foot of the stairs and she heard his feet crossing the hall and then the sound of the sitting-room door being firmly closed. She dropped her sheets on the landing and looked upwards. There was no sound from the top floor. She glanced at her watch. Eleven-fifteen. If Lazlo wasnat up he should be: he had a matinee at two-thirty.

She went firmly up the stairs and banged on Lazloas door.

There was a small silence and then he said, aYes?a Rosa opened the door. aOnly mea.

Lazlo was sitting in the small armchair, wearing jeans and a black shirt, with a book open on his lap. On the floor beside him was a bowl with a spoon in it and an empty mug.

Rosa gestured at the bowl.

aBreakfast?a Lazlo unfolded himself and stood up.

aI brought it up herea"a aWell,a Rosa said, ayouare absolutely alloweda.

aI thought Iad get myself out of the waya.

Rosa came further into the room and sat on the bed. She stretched her arms behind her, and leaned on her hands.

aYouare hardly in ita"a Lazlo looked away. He put the book head been reading down on the bedside table. It was the Beckett play Rosa had noticed on the chest of drawers.

He said, quite firmly, aI donat know about thata.

aWhat do you mean?a Lazlo wandered slowly round behind the armchair and leaned his shoulders against the wall. He put his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

aI think itas all too much for your mother. I think itas too much for all of you. I think Iam literally the last strawa.

aNo, youare nota"a aItas wearing your mother out,a Lazlo said. aShe should be keeping her energy for acting, not for worrying about whether sheas remembered to buy more milk. And I shouldnat be in your room. Itas your bedrooma.

Rosa looked at the ceiling.

aOh,a she said, athata.

Lazlo said nothing.

She turned her head, very slowly, to look at him. aWhy did you cover me up with a towel?a He shrugged.

He said, without returning her look, aI didnat know what else to do with youa.

Rosa gave a little shout of laughter.

She said, aI didnat come up here because I was missing my room. I came up here because it was trespassing. I came up for a bit of mischiefa.

Lazlo gave a quick smile.

aReally?a aReally. I was fed up with being alone in the house and I was just prowling abouta. She sat up straighter and put her hands in her lap. aYouare not displacing me. Promisea.

He said awkwardly, aItas not just that. Itas a" well, youare a familya"a aYes, we are, but weare all in transition, weare all in a rather temporary situation. Weare not going to stay like thisa. aI could easily go,a Lazlo said.

aWhere?a He shrugged.

aI can find a room. Iam always finding roomsa.

Rosa stood up.

aDonat go,a she said.

He turned his head to look at her.

aI donat want you to go,a Rosa said. aI like you being here. Donat goa.

From the landing below there was the sound of some disturbance and then Edieas voice came clearly up the stairwell.

aWho left these bloody sheets here? I nearly broke my neck. Rosa? Rosa!a Rosa put her finger to her lips. aYouad better go,a Lazlo whispered. She shook her head. aRosa!a Edie yelled.

aIam not going,a Rosa whispered, aand nor are you,a and then she stepped right up to him and kissed him on the mouth.

aI donat know why sheas coming,a Kate said irritably to Barney. aDo stop asking. I could hardly tell her not to, could I?a aI donat know hera"a aWell, I hardly do. But she sounded rather urgent, poor thing, and Ia"a aWhy poor thing?a aShe is poor thing. Because of Matthew. I expect in her mind she somehow thinks coming to see us and the babya"a aHeas called Georgea.

aIam not sure about that. Iam not sure about that at all. Heas just the baby to me because there is no other baby as far as Iam concerned so thereas no confusiona.

Barney pointed to the front of her T-shirt.

aYouare leakinga.

Kate looked down.

aSometimes you are so like your fathera"a aNo Iam not,a Barney said. aMy father would never have gone shopping for nipple pads and a breast pump like I did. He didnat come near us until we were house-trained. I only said you were leaking in case you wanted to change before Ruth camea.

aOr in case youare embarrassed by the contrast between my stained T-shirt and her business suita.

aNo,a Barney said patiently. aIn case you area.

The doorbell rang. Kate began to dab at her chest with a tea towel.

aIall go,a Barney said.

She heard him go down the wooden floor of their small hallway, and then the click of the door being opened.

aHello!a she heard Barney say, sounding just like his father. aYou must be Rutha.

They materialised together in the kitchen doorway, Ruth in a black trouser suit carrying a pale-blue gift bag frothing with ribbons. She put the bag on the kitchen table. aHello, Katea.

Kate put the tea towel down. aNice of you to comea"a aI just brought you and the baby somethinga"a aThank youa.

Barney moved behind her and laid the flat of his hand against the fridge door.

aDrink?a Ruth shook her head. Her hair, Kate observed, was as flawlessly cut as ever. aGo on,a Kate said.

aNo. Really no. Thank you. Iad just love a glimpse of the baby, if I could. Thatas alla"a aHeas called George,a Barney said, taking a bottle of white wine out of the fridge. aAfter my father and grandfathera.

Kate smiled at Ruth.

aHe isnat,a she said, abut that neednat trouble you. Come and see hima.

aGeorge,a Barney said comfortably, pouring wine. aGeorge Barnabas Maxwell Fergusona.

aAll his family do that,a Kate said. aThey all have these great strings of names. Mentala.

Ruth shot a glance at Barney. He looked perfectly composed.

He said happily, picking up his wine glass, aHeas brilliant. Youall seea.

Kate led Ruth across the hallway back towards the front door. The little room beside it was in darkness except for a nightlight lamp shaped like a crouched rabbit. The room smelled of something sweet and new and innocent.

aOha"a Ruth said.

Kate tiptoed across to a handsome cot that stood against the far wall. In it was a carrycot, and in the carrycot the baby slept on his side under a blue knitted blanket stitched with letters of the alphabet.

Ruth stooped forward.

aOh,a she said again.

aI know,a Kate said.

Ruth put her hands on to the rail of the cot and bent down towards the baby. aHeas perfecta"a aYes,a Kate said, ahe isa. She looked at Ruthas tailored dark shoulders dipping into the cot.

aMay I a" may I kiss him?a aOf course,a Kate said, surprised. aGo aheada"a Ruthas sleek dark head went down over the babyas for an instant, and then she raised it, but only a little. Kate looked at her hands on the cot rail. Even in the dimness of the room she could see that her knuckles were white with tension.

aRuth?a Ruthas head moved a little, as if she was trying to nod it.

aRuth, are you OK?a aYes,a Ruth said. Her voice sounded slightly strangled.

aYes, Iam finea.

She straightened up slowly, and then she put the back of one hand up against one cheekbone and then the other.

Kate peered.

aRuth, youare not OK, youare cryinga"a Ruth shook her head. aIam fine, reallya. Kate waited.

Ruth looked back into the cot. aHeas so lovelya"a aRutha"a Ruth turned and looked straight at Kate. A strand of hair had glued itself lightly to her cheek. She gave Kate a small and hopeless smile.

aIam pregnant,a she said.

Chapter Sixteen.

Vivien had decided that she would treat Edie to lunch. It would be on a Monday or a Friday so as to avoid her bookshop afternoons and Edieas theatre ones, and she would take her to the rather nice restaurant in the basement of an upmarket clothes shop in Bond Street where they could, for once, Vivien told Max, lunch together like civilised sisters ought to do. Max was reading a sports-car magazine.

aBond Street?a aYes,a Vivien said. aBond Streeta.

Max shook the magazine slightly. He was still, Vivien noticed, wearing a bracelet.

aI donat quite see our Edie in Bond Street. Charlotte Street maybe, or Frith Street. But Bond Streeta"a aI like Bond Street,a Vivien said.

Max eyed her. She was stretching across the sink to open the window behind it, and he could see every minute contour under her thin white trousers.

aWhatever you say, dolla.

When Vivien telephoned Edie later in the day, Edie said, aLunch?a as if shead never heard of it.

aWe ought to catch up,a Vivien said. aWe ought to have time together to catch up face to face instead of always talking on the telephonea.

aYouare lucky to get that,a Edie said. aIave hardly got time to brush my teeth at the momenta.

Vivien, admiring the pillar-box-red roses Max had brought her in their tall glass vase on the hall table, said she had booked a table in Bond Street.

aBond Street!a aYesa.

aI donat know where that isa.

aEdie,a Vivien said, athis is my treat so please donat behave like a childa.

aOo-er,a Edie said childishly, aI havenat got clothes for Bond Streeta.

Vivien leaned forward and tweaked a rose.

aTwelve-thirty Monday and no excusesa.

She put the telephone down and went back into the kitchen. Max was on his mobile when she came in and, when he saw her, he whipped it away from his ear and snapped it shut.

He grinned at her.

aCaught red-handeda"a She affected not to notice.

aOh yes?a aA quick call to my bookie,a Max said. aThought Iad get away with ita. He put an arm out and patted her bottom. aAnd I nearly dida.

Edie arrived for lunch dressed entirely in black. She touched one earlobe as she sat down.

aEven diamond studs. How Bond Street is that?a Vivien put her reading glasses on.

aDid Russell give you diamonds?a aNo. Cheryl lent them to me. And theyare zirconsa.