‘He was taken up with Laura,’ said Brian. ‘Can I pay next week, Mavis dear?’

‘Certainly not,’ said Mavis, snatching Brian’s glass and clunking it onto her tray. ‘Only Laura has a special arrangement, you know that.’

‘Oh, all right, you great bully.’ Brian reached for his coat, handed Susie hers. ‘This should cover it.’ He gave Mavis a ten pound note. ‘Keep the change.’

‘I’m not proud,’ said Mavis, laughing. ‘I won’t be a minute,’ she said to Claud, ‘if you care to wait.’

‘I’ll wait,’ said Claud, ‘thanks.’ My goodness, he thought, she is pretty; how could I not have noticed?

Brian was buttoning Susie into her jacket as though she was a small child. ‘Where’s your woolly hat?’ he asked.

Claud watched them, amused. He felt elated at meeting these new people, Laura’s friends.

‘In your pocket.’ Susie let herself be dressed by Brian, who now put a wool cap on her head. ‘Laura wouldn’t let you do this to her,’ she remarked, sitting doll-like.

‘Laura would not let me get a leg over her, either,’ said Brian.

‘I wouldn’t let you try,’ said Susie amiably. ‘Not over anyone and particularly not over Laura.’

‘All the same, one wonders what motivates her.’ Brian gently pushed tendrils of Susie’s hair up under her cap with a large forefinger, then leaned forward and kissed her mouth.

‘Sex?’ suggested Susie, returning the kiss.

‘Who with?’ asked Claud, watching them.

‘One doesn’t know,’ said Brian.

‘There are lots of stories,’ said Susie.

‘Nothing you can pin down,’ said Brian.

‘Is she married?’ asked Claud. ‘Or was she, ever?’

‘That’s one thing that is known: she’s not nor ever was.’

‘Does one know why not?’ Claud persisted. He felt a need to know, was there some sadness? ‘Did some bloke betray her?’

‘That’s a mystery, but any betraying to be done would have been done by Laura.’ Susie surprised him by her cattiness.

Claud felt angry with Susie. Laura had left them so suddenly, she had made herself defenceless. Unequal to the task on such short acquaintance, he was grateful to Mavis who, rejoining them, had overheard Susie’s remarks.

‘You may be wrong there,’ said Mavis. ‘My mum has a theory that Laura wouldn’t hurt a fly.’

Claud recollected his own parent the evening before suggesting a heart of nougat.

Brian said, ‘An older woman, out of the race, would be a better judge than you, Susie.’

‘Perhaps she is just self-sufficient,’ suggested Mavis. ‘It’s not absolutely necessary, as you men seem to think, for every girl to have a man,’ she added tartly.

‘Just nicer,’ said Susie, getting to her feet.

‘See you in the market when you’ve got your stall,’ said Susie, now ready to leave. ‘Brian and I will show you anything Laura forgets to tell you. Bye.’

‘Goodbye, see yer,’ said Brian. ‘Come on, sugar.’ He pushed Susie out ahead of him.

‘Brrr,’ exclaimed Susie, gasping in the frosty air. ‘Icicles!’