They even looked festive, and David realized they had, in their own fashion, dressed up for the occasion, Constance in a bright red silk blouse which reflected on her intently lively face, trimly cut grey trousers with soft grey leather shoes to match. Diana wore over brown slacks a densely and darkly patterned long tunic which must have been made for her because it hung so becomingly over her ample body, giving her handsome authority. And even her brown shoes were not obviously orthopaedic.

‘You both look wonderful tonight,’ David said. ‘You should always wear red, Constance, and D, you look as if you might burst into song.’

‘Well, we decided we ought to clean up our act a bit for the occasion,’ Diana admitted.

‘I’ve even got on earrings,’ Constance said in a tone of surprise, one hand at her ear.

‘Shall I fix you another before I go into my act?’ David asked, holding up his own glass.

He returned in his apron, and both women laughed as easily as he had hoped they would. There had been too little silliness in their relations so far.

‘I’d think you were a professional if it weren’t so clean,’ Diana said.

‘Oh, traces of blood and old soup would be overdoing it,’ David said.

His last act after he brought the food to the table and lighted the candles was to take off his apron and throw it over the back of a kitchen chair.

‘This wine,’ David said, as he poured it first into Constance’s and then into his sister’s glass, ‘is made of plums by my son-in-law, Jack.’

‘Why, it’s very good,’ Constance said, ‘not sweet at all, and it doesn’t really taste of plums until after you’ve swallowed it.’

‘He’s very proud of his wine,’ David said, as he began to dish up the food. ‘Actually, the whole family is because Laura and the boys all help. They pick the fruit, bash it up, and, when it comes time to rack it off and bottle it, they’re on hand, too. Jack handles the chemicals and timing.’

‘It is good,’ Diana concurred. ‘You know, that’s always been something I wanted to learn to do. Is it difficult?’

‘I don’t really know,’ David said. ‘I’ve often been down in the wine room to admire one stage or another; so I have some idea of how it’s done, but I don’t know how hard it is to make it good.’

‘Ask him,’ Diana said.

‘This fish is marvellous,’ Constance said. ‘Who is this fine fellow? Did we hire him?’

‘I’m David, Diana’s brother,’ David said with the mock formality which he hoped conveyed his pleasure in introducing himself to Constance, as he did sometimes half a dozen times during an evening.