‘No, on the whole he seems to have been very cautious, and used initials for the women in his life. Most of the alphabet, too! But as far as I could see at least he cast them all in minor roles apart from me. I only had time for a quick look.’

I didn’t tell her about Grigor being Sergei’s son because she was a big gossip and would never manage to keep that nugget to herself.

‘Oh, I’m just so relieved for you,’ she said kindly. ‘I was worried he’d tell all the intimate things you wouldn’t want to share with the entire world, because he has no natural shame whatsoever, has he?’

And I agreed that modesty and decorum were not his middle names – which actually are something unpronounceable like Ivanovitch Tolstoyevski – but I was hoping Nathan Cedar would curb any tendency of Sergei’s to include anything actionable in his memoirs.

Then Linny said that she’d actually sneaked out to drop her manuscript off at Nathan’s, as arranged, though he’d just taken it from her on the doorstep because he’d had another writer with him, and wasn’t he gorgeous? She wasn’t surprised I’d used him in my novels. She could see I’d quite like to use him out of them, too, and Sergei had suspected the same from the way we’d been staring into each other’s eyes at Lemonia, so I’d better watch my step.

However, I did not need the warning: the minefield before me was perfectly clearly marked out already in both the Cyrillic and English alphabets.

NOVELTINA LITERARY AND CRITICAL AGENCY

Mudlark Cottage, The Harbour, Shrimphaven

Dear Angie Heartsease,

Thank you for the manuscript together with the delightful gossamer skirt.

On first glance your novel has a rather Alice Thomas Ellis look to it, but I will give you my critique once I have had time to study it more closely.

Yes, do tell Bob Woodelf that I would be prepared to take his children’s storybook (written on handmade paper with illustrations drawn in ink distilled from toadstools), in exchange for the matching top to go with the skirt, size twelve, same colour, although I do not generally deal with anything other than adult fiction.

I assume you barter among yourselves as well as with the general public to get the things you need. It seems a very practical way of going about business!

Yours sincerely,

Tina Devino

I received a ticket for the SFWWR (Society For Women Writing Romance) Awards Lunch at the Savoy, inviting me to sit on the Salubrious Press table, which came from Tim by way of Jinni, saying it was an oversight and it should have been delivered weeks ago, which it certainly was because the lunch was on Friday of that week.