Her voice hardened. ‘Yes, well, you’ll have to, Luke, because everyone knows they don’t take married officers in the Time Police and you’re going to have to provide for me somehow.’

Jane tried to inch a little closer.

‘Don’t look like that. You didn’t think you could treat me in the same way as that blonde slag from Logistics, did you? That I’d sit around and wait for whatever time and attention you thought you could spare? That once you’d got what you wanted, you’d just sail on to your next victim? I’ll tell you now, Luke Parrish, you’ll see me right. In fact, you’ll see me more than right. You’ll keep me for the rest of my life.’

Now Jane could hear him. ‘I don’t think so.’

‘Oh, I think you will.’

‘Wrong again, Smith. You know, your staff work is really shoddy. No wonder no one ever wants you on their team. Have you never heard the word “research”? Did you never think to read up on a person before trying to blackmail him?’

She laughed. ‘You don’t weasel your way out of this situation.’

His voice was very calm. Very quiet. Very level. Very controlled. By now Jane knew him well enough to know how furiously angry he was. ‘There is no situation, Sarah. You’re not pregnant by me.’

‘I think you’ll find there’s a very serious situation, Luke. And much though you may deny it, you’ve put yourself about to such an extent while you’ve been here that no one’s ever going to believe a word you say. You can deny it until you’re blue in the face but . . .’

‘I intend to. Listen, Sarah – I’m not stupid. And my dad’s definitely not stupid. He sent his legal people round when I was about fifteen. Because they said this sort of situation would arise. That there would always be some girl greedy enough and stupid enough to think she could blackmail me into keeping her for the rest of her life. Their words, not mine, but, for once, I listened to what they had to say, and I won’t get any girl pregnant until both she and I are ready.’

‘But I’m pregnant now, Luke.’

‘For God’s sake, Smith, have you thought this through at all? Contraception is compulsory in the Time Police. Are you seriously going to tell people you deliberately contravened the regulations so you could get pregnant?’

‘But I did it for you.’

‘I don’t think so.’

‘You begged me.’

‘I did no such thing.’