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was staring politely at his friend and seemed determined not to meet her eye. As children they used to torment each other with ‘the look’ at the Sunday lunches their parents gave for elderly relatives. These were awesome occasions worthy of the ancient silver service; the venerable great-uncles and aunts and grandparents were Victorians, from their mother’s side of the family, a baffled and severe folk, a lost tribe who arrived at the house in black cloaks having wandered peevishly for two decades in an alien, frivolous century. They terrified theten-year-old Cecilia and her twelve-year-old brother, and a giggling fit was always just a breath away. The one who caught the look was helpless, the one who bestowed it, immune. Mostly, the power was with Leon whose look was mock-solemn, and consisted of drawing the corners of his mouth downwards while rolling his eyes. He might ask Cecilia in the most innocent voice for the salt to be passed, and though she averted her gaze as she handed it to him, though she turned her head and inhaled deeply, it could be enough simply to know that he was doing his look to consign her to ninety minutes of quaking torture. Meanwhile, Leon would be free, needing only to top her up occasionally if he thought she was beginning to recover. Only rarely had she reduced him with an expression of haughty pouting. Since the children were sometimes seated between adults, giving the look had its dangers – making faces at table could bring down disgrace and an early bedtime. The trick was to make the attempt while passing between, say, licking one’s lips and smiling broadly, and at the same time catch the other’s eye. On one occasion they had looked up and delivered their looks simultaneously, causing Leon to spray soup from his nostrils onto the wrist of a great-aunt. Both children were banished to their rooms for the rest of the day.
    Cecilia longed to take her brother aside and tell him that Mr Marshall had pubic hair growing from his ears. He was describing the boardroom confrontation with the man who called him a warmonger. She half raised her arm as though to smooth her hair. Automatically, Leon’s attention was drawn by the motion, and in that instant she delivered the look he had not seen in more than ten years. He pursed his lips and turned away, and found something of interest to stare at near his shoe. As Marshall turned to Cecilia, Leon raised a cupped hand to shield his face, but could not disguise from his sister the tremor along his shoulders. Fortunately for him, Marshall was reaching his conclusion.
    â€˜â€¦where one can, as it were, catch one’s breath.’
    Immediately, Leon was on his feet. He walked to the edge of the pool and contemplated a sodden red towel left near the diving board. Then he strolled back to them, hands in pockets, quite recovered.
    He said to Cecilia, ‘Guess who we met on the way in.’
    â€˜Robbie.’
    â€˜I told him to join us tonight.’
    â€˜Leon! You didn’t!’
    He was in a teasing mood. Revenge perhaps. He said to his friend, ‘So the cleaning lady’s son gets a scholarship to the local grammar, gets a scholarship to Cambridge, goes up the same time as Cee – and she hardly speaks to him in three years! She wouldn’t let him near her Roedean chums.’
    â€˜You should have asked me first.’
    She was genuinely annoyed, and observing this, Marshall said placatingly, ‘I knew some grammar school types at Oxford and some of them were damned clever. But they could be resentful, which was a bit rich, I thought.’
    She said, ‘Have you got a cigarette?’
    He offered her one from a silver case, threw one to Leon and took one for himself. They were all standing now, and as Cecilia leaned towards Marshall’s lighter, Leon said, ‘He’s got a first-rate mind, so I don’t know what the hell he’s doing, messing about in the flower