Susan found herself near Lydia. She said:

‘It was a white monkey?’

Lydia looked at her, at first aggressively and then relaxing. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘It was white.’

‘An albino, I suppose.’

‘I didn’t get close enough,’ Lydia said, ‘to check if its eyes were pink.’ She gestured towards Marriott. ‘I can’t stand that little tick.’

Susan said: ‘I don’t care very much for him either.’

‘Well, you’re his number one target. That’s pretty obvious. But if you won’t play he’ll be quite happy to try Katey or me. Nasty little sod. He’ll probably wind up among the monkeys himself. And not fussy about the colour.’

‘Some men are a bit unsavoury, aren’t they?’

Lydia laughed angrily. ‘Some men!’

‘Not all.’

Lydia said indifferently: ‘I wouldn’t know. I haven’t met them all.’