Lulu was not at dinner; it was the evening for a Party caucus to be held in her room and with two or three other comrades she had set the right tone by having a...

‘What are you going to have? There’s no gin left. Sherry or rum?’ Olivia said: ‘Sherry. I can’t stand rum.’ I looked back more directly at Britton. He waved a stubby hand nervously in front...

Britton had recovered his composure; his awkward, irritating smugness. He produced his packet of Chesterfields again and passed cigarettes to us. Olivia took hers, looking at it curiously before tapping it against the back of...

Olivia said: ‘And what do you propose to do over here, Mr. Britton? Write poetry?’ Her voice had a flat, uninterested contempt. Strangely enough, it irritated me, as though her scornful lack of interest put...

I walked across to the french windows and opened them. The air came in chill and damp with the very flavour of this desolate summer but the windows opposite mirrored striped fires from the briefly...

He said: ‘That’s rather nice. What is it?’ I managed the development as well as I could, but that was not very well. ‘Brahms,’ I said. ‘Wasn’t there scope for living in New York?’ He...

‘Presley?’ I said. ‘I think I’ve been through it. Near Liverpool?’ He nodded. ‘You might have done. The main Manchester road runs through it. We lived on that road until I was twelve – over...

‘This is for profit, Tenn. You are in publishing to make a profit, aren’t you? And I know very well that for the last six months you’ve gone steadily deeper into the red. Well, I’m...

Howard stepped away from the piano and stood in front of Piers looking down at him. He was like a small boy in front of a garden god of his own creation, part bullying, more...

Howard turned, half sitting on the piano keys. ‘I like to hear about impromptu arrangements,’ he said, ‘especially when I’m left out of them. Tell me all about it.’ I heard the door open and...