‘Anyone would think you were my elderly uncle, the way you carry on,’ she scoffed, and attempted a skittish dance on the flagstones, holding out her skirt with one hand, but her bare feet on the stones traced meaningless, fuzzy patterns. ‘I’m not a bit tired. I’m going into town to rage, and if you were a bit older, I’d maybe take you with me. No, I don’t mean that! I wouldn’t ever take you where I’m going, it’s not a very refined place. Your aunty Thelma wouldn’t approve, for a start.’

‘She’s not my aunty, I keep telling you. I reckon you’re crazy to go out again. You’ll maybe get that flu thing back all over again. There’s going to be a big thunderstorm, you can feel it building up, just like yesterday. You’ll get soaking wet, Angie…’

‘Morris Carpenter would be pleased.’

‘…seeing you never wear that raincoat, what’s its name again?’

‘Agatha Christie,’ Angie said. ‘Wouldn’t be seen dead in that, but I can’t chuck it out, either, seeing my mum gave it to me only last Christmas. I’ll be fine, I can look after myself. You’d better go in now, buster. I’m glad you liked the races and the horses and one day when I’ve made a million you can come and live with me in my mansion in Gresham Avenue and we’ll go to the races every week. You can wear a white carnation in your buttonhole and we’ll turn up there in a big silver Rolls, how about that?’

‘Wow, only I’d better drive, seeing what happened to your other car,’ he said. ‘I don’t fancy getting tied up in power lines, I’d sooner dig mangel wurzels all day. Don’t stay out too late, Angie. See you tomorrow.’

She waved and turned to go away up the alley, and to Seymour, still watching from the gate, she seemed to be reeling with tiredness, each footstep a conscious effort. ‘Hey, Angie,’ he called anxiously. ‘Listen, I just thought of something. You know how you always see me home down the alleyway? Well, if you go out tonight and get home late—and this is a rough area, Thelma say so—well, who’s going to see you home safely down the alley in the dark?’

‘That’s not a problem, Seymour,’ Angie said lightly. ‘That’s never any problem.’

I won’t go round there and see him!

The baby hang on to that, getting a house with Jas hang on to that, my baby

I WON’T go round there and see him! I won’t go round there and