“I want to marry you.” I paused, thinking of everything that stood in the way. I looked at Norah; she was smiling now. The smile unaffected, untroubled, triumphant, settled it. “I want to marry you,” I repeated. “I can’t live without you. It won’t be easy—”

“That’s enough.” She opened the door. “We’d better be going. There’ll just be time for a drink if you want one.”

I followed her, slightly puzzled.

“D’you mind if I drive?” she asked.

“If it gives you any pleasure.”

“I’m going to buy a car when I go to London. It’s some­thing I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. I could have bought one before, but I wanted to wait until I could buy it in London.”

She turned the ignition key; the car jerked forward convul­sively, then stopped.

“Put it in neutral first,” I said. “Don’t you want to marry me?”

“Of course I do.”

“It won’t be easy. I shan’t be able to join you straight away.”

She turned the ignition key again.

“You won’t be long,” she said. The car moved away smoothly into Harp Lane. “You’ve nearly made up your mind now.”

“I’ll have to get myself a job first,” I said.

“You won’t have any trouble,” she said. “Wouldn’t Tiffield do anything for you?”

“I doubt it,” I said.

“You told me he was very much impressed with you.”

“That was the effect of a good lunch. I haven’t heard from him since.” As I spoke the words I wondered whether it was a proper caution or a weak-kneed fear that prompted me to lie; I decided unhappily that there wasn’t much difference between the two. “There’s the children too,” I said. “I’d leave Susan tomor­row but for them.”

“I know how you feel, darling, particularly about Barbara. But you’ve forgotten something.”

“What?”

She smiled. “I’ll give you children.”

20

20

“I want to see you,” Brown said. “Now.”

There was a peremptory tone about his voice which I didn’t like.

“I cleared up that trouble at Bradford,” I said. “Do you need to look at the file again?”

“It’s your report I want to see you about. The report. The master­piece.”

“I’ll be over,” I said, and hung up before he could hang up on me.

“You don’t seem very pleased,” Hilda said.

“I’ve waited too long.” I lugged at the drawer where the report had lain undisturbed for nearly three months; suddenly it came free and shot out on to the floor. I picked up the report from a pile of catalogues and newspaper cuttings.

“I’ll put them away,” Hilda said. “That drawer’s overdue for tidying, anyway.”

I opened the report. She frowned, and pointed at the door. I grinned.