"Have you brought me a present?" she whispered.
Relieved that this blatant example of cupboard love was inaudible to anyone but me I whispered, "Might have done."
"Where is it?"
"In my bag."
"Shall we go and get it?"
"Oh, isn't that sweet?" I heard Rebecca coo and looked up to see her and Mark watching as Constance took me by the hand and led me into the cool of the house.
Was quite pleased with Constance's present actually, a packet of Minstrels and a pink Barbie tutu with a gold and pink net sticking-out skirt, which had had to trawl two branches of Woolworth's to find. She liked it very much and naturally - as would any woman - wished to put it on immediately.
"Constance," I said when we had admired it from every angle, "were you pleased to see me because of me or because of the present?"
She looked at me under lowered brows. "The present."
"Right," I said.
"Bridget?"
"Yes."
"You know in Your house?"
"Yes."
"Why haven't you got any toys?,
"Well, because I don't really play with that sort of toy."
"Oh. Why haven't you got a playroom?"
"Because I don't do that sort of playing."
"Why haven't you got a man?"
Couldn't believe it. Had only just walked into the party and was being Smug Marrieded by someone who was three.
Had long quite serious conversation then, sitting on the stairs, about everyone being different and some people being Singletons, then heard a noise and looked up to see Mark Darcy looking down at us.
"Just, er. The loo is upstairs, I assume?" he said uninterestedly. "Hello, Constance. How's Pingu?"
"He isn't real," she said, glowering at him.
"Right, right," he said. "Sorry. Stupid of me to be so" he looked straight into my eyes - "gullible. Happy birthday, anyway." Then he made his way past us without even giving me a kiss hello or anything. 'Gullible'. Did he still think I was unfaithful with Gary the Builder and the dry-cleaning man? Anyway, I thought, I don't care. it doesn't matter. Everything's fine and I'm completely over him.
"You look sad," said Constance. She thought for a moment, then took a half-sucked Minstrel out of her mouth and put it in mine. We decided to go back outside to show off the tutu, and Constance was immediately swept up by a maniacal Rebecca.
"Ooh, look, it's a fairy. Are you a fairy? What kind of fairy are you? Where's your wand?" she gabbled.
"Great present, Bridge," said Magda. "Let me get you a drink. You know Cosmo, don't you?"
"Yes," I said, heart sinking, taking in the quivering jowls of the enormous merchant banker.
"So! Bridget, great to see you!" bellowed Cosmo, eyeing me up and down leerily. "How's work?"
"Oh, great actually " I lied, relieved that he wasn't launching straight into my love life. How things had moved on! "I'm working in TV now."