‘It’s a nice place and Folly can sit with us.’ Hugh smiled across at Matilda who looked at him anxiously. She made a tiny sideways gesture with her thumb. Behind his dark glasses Hugh let his eyes swivel without moving his head. A rather vacuous girl sat at a table with her parents who were stolidly eating their pudding. The girl had finished eating and was idly flipping through the Express.

‘It says the police have a line on the Matricide, Mummy, and they are charging the dog-eater.’

‘The what, dear?’

‘The Matricide, Mummy, he’s been seen in Paris on a barge on the Seine.’

‘Can’t think why they haven’t caught the fellow.’

‘Oh, Daddy, he’s clever, grown a beard, it says here, a red beard.’

‘Have they arrested him, dear?’

‘No, Mummy, it says here one of his best friends recognized him.’

‘Can’t be his best friend if he tells the police.’

‘Oh, Daddy, he’d have to! He did murder his mother after all.’

‘Bribed I expect.’

‘Who’s bribed?’

‘Someone’s bribed the police. What the hell do I pay my taxes for, I’d like to know, if they can’t catch a simple murderer. Waiter, my bill.’

‘I don’t think he’s so simple.’

‘Don’t contradict your father, dear.’

‘I wish you wouldn’t call me “dear”, Mummy, My name is Inez.’

‘I know, dear, we chose it for you.’

‘There you go again, dear! It’s common to say “dear” all the time. Why can’t you call me Inez or “darling”. “Darling” is all right.’

‘So you call your mother common do you? You’ll be murdering her next.’

‘Oh Daddy, I’d never.’

‘Call me Dad. Dad’s common. This is a bloody expensive lunch.’

‘Poor man, I expect he regrets it now. Such a large nose. Rather an attractive man from the photograph.’

‘Mummy! Your taste, really!’

‘Well, dear, you can be both, dear, attractive and a murderer. D’you want to powder your nose before we go to the car?’

‘I want to piss.’ The girl got up, dropping the paper.

‘Who’s being common now?’ Her father tipped the waiter and roared with laughter, his stomach joggling as though it had a life apart. Matilda let out a sigh as the party left. Hugh was choking with laughter.

‘How can you laugh?’ Then she joined him, enjoying the food and the wine, the pleasure of being taken out to lunch, sitting in the sun.

‘I’d never thought of you as attractive to stout matrons.’ Matilda looked across at Hugh. The sun had caught his nose, turning it red. ‘If you go on sitting in the sun your nose will peel.’

‘Mustn’t have that. Have you got any sun stuff? I can’t afford to draw attention to it.’

Matilda fished in her bag, found a tube of Ambre Solaire. ‘Try that.’