‘Get away from me.’ She was half shouting, half sobbing, shaking him off. ‘You let that happen to Lieselotte. Will you roll me in the canal too?’ He was a weak man, she saw that now. Weak and cowardly.

‘Betty, please, please. This is serious.’

‘You’re lying. A liar. That wouldn’t have happened, you and your Russian. I was there, remember, in Berlin? I know it. I just know it.’ She faced him, her thoughts careering round her head. ‘Nothing makes sense.’ He was taking her for a fool. A rage began to forage, to feast on her pain and she had a sudden, unstoppable urge to hurt him.

‘I was pregnant too,’ she said. She hadn’t meant to tell him. ‘Your baby. I got rid of it.’

He let go of her arm, his mouth open, his eyes skimming her face. ‘Tell me that’s not true.’

‘Why?’ she said. ‘It’s as true as I’m standing here.’

‘But why did you do it?’ She saw him clench and unclench his fist. ‘I don’t understand.’ He reached out, fingers poised.

‘Don’t touch me.’

His arm fell to his side, a dead weight.

‘Are you all right?’ He slapped his hand to his forehead. ‘Tell me it wasn’t some backstreet abortionist. You could have died. Was it safe? Who did it? Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘Why do you think? You made it clear you wanted nothing more to do with me.’ Her breath was coming in sharp, angry bursts, barbs into her lungs. ‘I never want to see you again. Ever.’

She ran towards Great Turnstile, away, out of reach, glad that she had tried to hurt him as lethally as he had hurt her.

She’d always felt that Lieselotte was dead, and in some ways it was a relief to know. But the murder haunted her, needled at the memory of her sister, what had happened that evening. Had Vasily followed her to the bridge? Or had she planned to meet him there too? Before John? For what purpose? Had he promised her food, like Boris in the old days? John had said there were two Russians. Could the other one have been Boris? Now she’d seen Vasily in the flesh, she felt as if a boa constrictor had lashed itself around her body, was crushing the life out of her.

She’d have to see John again, though now she doubted he’d want anything more to do with her.

§

They were due to take the homeosaurus on its maiden journey the first Saturday in October, and Betty had promised the boys they could help.

‘You can’t let them down,’ Dee said. ‘It might do you good and all. Bit of fun. Take you out of yourself. And Ally Pally. They’ll like that.’

Nick had insisted they went to Alexandra Palace. ‘Iconic,’ he’d said. ‘The People’s Palace and all that.’