‘I should have thought you had the house surrounded.’
‘We do. We mean to keep it surrounded. You know, these people are heavily armed, they have sophisticated weapons. It might occur to them to take you hostages, you and the baby. Of course, they would be caught before they could get near you. But you might help us by issuing an invitation.’
‘It’s all a supposition,’ Harvey said. ‘I’m not convinced that this woman-terrorist is my wife, nor that my wife is a terrorist. As for Nathan Fox, he’s a mystery to me, but I wouldn’t have thought he’d draw attention to himself by going off and joining an armed band at the very moment when they were active.’
‘If your wife is a fascinating woman —’I hope,’ said Harvey, ‘that you’re taking special precautions to protect the baby.’
‘You admit that the baby might be in danger?’
‘With an armed gang around, any baby might be in danger.’
‘But you admit that your wife’s baby might be an object of special interest to your wife.’
‘She has taken no interest in the child.’
‘Then why are you suggesting that we specially protect this child?’
‘I hope you have made arrangements to do so,’ said Harvey.
‘We have your house and grounds surrounded.’
‘The baby,’ said Harvey, ‘must be sent back to England. My sister-in-law will take her.’
‘A good idea. We can arrange for them to leave, quietly, with every protection. But it would be advisable for you to keep the move as secret as possible. I mean the press. We don’t want this gang to know every move. I warn you to be careful what you say to the press. The examining magistrate —’The press! They’ve already —The man spread his hands helplessly. ‘This wasn’t my fault. These things leak out. After all, it’s a matter of national concern. But not a word about your plans to send the child away.
‘The maid will know. They talk —’
‘Anne-Marie is one of our people,’ said the inspector.
‘You don’t say! We rather liked her.’
‘She’d better stay on with you, then. And hang out baby clothes on the line, as you always want to do. I might look in again soon.’
‘Don’t stand on ceremony.
‘How is it possible,’ Ruth said, ‘that the police think the gang might turn up here, now that this story’s all over the papers, on the radio, the television? It’s the last place they would come to. Clara’s safer here than anywhere. How can they think —’
‘The police don’t think so, they only say they think so.’
‘Why?’
‘How do I know? They suspect me strongly. They want the baby out of France. Maybe it’s got something to do with their public image.’
‘I don’t want to go,’ said Ruth.
‘I don’t want you to go,’ said Harvey, ‘but I think you should. It’s only for a while. I think you must.’
‘Are you free to come, too? Harvey, let’s both get away. ‘On paper, I’m free to go. In fact, they might detain me. The truth is, I don’t want to leave just at this moment. Just bloody-mindedness on my part.’
‘I can be stubborn, too,’ said Ruth; but she spoke with a fluidity that implied she was giving way. ‘But, after all,’ she went on, ‘I suppose you didn’t ask me to come here in the first place.’
Harvey thought, I don’t love her, I’m not in the least in love with her. Much of the time I don’t even like her very much.
Anne-Marie had put some soup on the table. Harvey and Ruth were silent before her, now that she wasn’t a maid but a police auxiliary. When she had left, Ruth said, ‘I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep this down. I’m pregnant.’
‘How did that happen?’ Harvey said.
‘The same as it always happens.’
‘How long have you known?’
‘Three weeks.’
‘Nobody tells me anything,’ Harvey said.
‘You don’t want to know anything.’
Had Ruth stopped taking the pill? Was it his child or Nathan’s? She didn’t guess his first thought, but she did his second. ‘I never slept with Nathan, ever,’ she said. ‘His mind’s on Effie — That’s one thing I didn’t mention to the police.’
‘Take some bread with your soup. You’ll keep it down better.’
‘You know, I’d rather not go back to England. Now that Edward’s having this amazing success —
‘What success?’
‘He’s having an astonishing success on the West End. That play —’
‘Well, how long have you known about this?’
