‘And stubborn,’ said Bea reaching for a thin cigar.

‘As an ox.’

‘And she knows, I may add, just exactly what she wants.’

‘But, I mean, did she have enough money? I didn’t have a great deal left to spread around.’

Bea dropped a spent match into an ashtray. ‘My dear Marcus: she had an Army Surplus bag which literally bulged with crumpled Deutschmark notes. Throwing them around like rice at a wedding. She wasn’t mean.’

‘Leni? Where the heck did all that come from?’

‘She rob a bank recently? We spent what seemed like a year in Crédit Lyonnais changing the damned stuff. She’s stubborn all right.’ She was about to take her glass when she stopped. ‘Listen!’ she said, a finger high in warning. ‘Hark! Is that singing I hear? Or frogs?’

There was a silence on the terrace. From far away, as if from some open window in the house above them, a small voice drifted into the still air.

‘Singing!’ said Desmond. ‘Oh! I know that song! What’s its name? From years ago?’

‘Well listen,’ said Bea. ‘Don’t chunter on.’

‘Got it,’ said Cuckoo after a few moments. ‘I know. Of course! It’s that song you and she sang together that first evening, remember, Archie dear? Lilian Harvey?’

‘“Congress Dances”! That’s it!’ said Desmond. Goodness me, yes. That takes me back; donkey’s years. Lilian Harvey! Went to see it five times, absolutely besotted by her. Glorious creature. “Just Once for All Time”. That’s it!’

The singing had stopped. Archie sat down slowly on the terrace steps. ‘We sang a little duet, didn’t we? She in German, me in English …’ He started to hum softly. ‘Dee de de dum dum, Dee de de dum dum, dum dum, dum dum … I think it goes:

“Just once for all time

Does good luck greet you

And lead you on

To paradise …”’

Desmond grinned at Marcus. ‘Exactly what I said just now, didn’t I? Same thing? Paradise, eh? Luck greeted you all right.’

Marcus looked directly across at Cuckoo. She was smiling, eyes wide, very clear.

‘Just once. For all time,’ she said, and looked away.

Bea fiddled among her several chains, found a small gold pocket watch and snapped it open. ‘Marcus dear? Seven-fifteen exactly.’

‘So?’

‘So it’s time you went to collect Leni. She said to. I was charged precisely. Seven-fifteen, not a second later.’

He placed his glass on the round table. ‘Now, why have I got to go and collect her? She knows the place like the back of her hand.’

‘I’m failing in my duty,’ said Bea. ‘We both are …’

He went out into the cool, shadowy hall, put one foot on the bottom step of the staircase. And stopped.

She was standing at the top: on the edge of darkness. Hair burnished, flat to her head, cropped close like a boy’s, a severe side-parting, the airplane slide.