Evander stood on stage, dressed in a dinner suit, looking dapper and confident. The hands that clutched the microphone were wearing black silk gloves.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the woman they call The Living Legend, the woman who can sing like an angel, and the woman I have respected, deeply and sincerely, for far more years than either of us cares to remember!’

He swept out his arm in a dramatic gesture: ‘Miss Kerry Cavanagh.’

The place went wild.

Kerry walked out on to the stage, a tall slim figure dressed in a silver evening dress cut high on the hip to expose a long shapely leg, her black hair piled high on her head, her stage make-up making her look younger, softer, than she really was.

There was an audible gasp from the audience. Kerry took the microphone from Evander and as he made to leave the stage, grabbed his arm, holding him there with her.

‘First, I would like to thank you for your welcome. New York has been very kind to me.’ She smiled as she waited for the cheering and the cat calling to die down. ‘Secondly, I would like to thank this big handsome man standing beside me. He gave me something precious, something that has made my life complete. He gave me the gift of a child, our child, Liselle.’

She looked to the side of the stage and gestured for Liselle to join them both on stage.

She walked out into the bright lights, her eyes misting over, her heart full to bursting. She stood between her mother and father as the audience clapped, and the band played the first few bars of Kerry’s opening number.

Then Evander kissed her gently on the lips and, taking Liselle’s hand, walked proudly from the stage.

Kerry laughed, that deep, husky laugh so like Briony’s, and said, ‘Now for some singin’! This is a song I have loved for many years and I sing it tonight for all my family, both here in the States and at home in England.’

The band played louder, the lights were dimmed and her voice was husky as she began to sing the first number of her set.

Liselle and Evander stood watching Kerry. She took the audience and held them in her hands. Then she gave them everything she had, and a little bit more.

As Evander watched her, he realised the quality of the woman who had borne his child, whom he had taken down, and whom he now watched with a mixture of love and deep respect.

She was indeed a living legend, and he felt deeply honoured to be allowed once more to be a part of her life.

Briony lay in the dark, Tommy’s breathing beside her regular and even. She envied him his capacity to sleep. She put a hand to her heart, reassured by the regular beating that seemed to be keeping time with Tommy’s breathing.