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starched midwife's uniform like armour. Her hair was parted in the centre and drawn severely back by a black plastic clip, while her moon face was free of make-up. Ben was faintly shocked to notice that her skin was dear and young-looking. He wondered if the absence of make-up was a denial of vanity, or because of it. I'm going to work in ten minutes,' she said without preamble, and stood back to let him in.
    He went through the short hal way and into the lounge.
    It was uncluttered and almost clinical y clean. There was a neat three-piece suite, only one chair of which looked used, and a laminated cabinet that contained a hi-fi unit and a few books. Other than that the room was bare. There wasn't a single plant.
    He didn't sit down, and when Jessica fol owed him in she made no attempt to offer him a seat. She stood in front of the unlit gas fire, arms folded. Wel ? You said you wanted to talk to me.' They had barely acknowledged each other at the funeral, and she had been openly unwelcoming when he had phoned.
    He'd had to insist that it was important, but now he was there he didn't know where to start. 'It's about Sarah.' She looked at him, waiting.
    'Look, I know we've never hit it off, but you were Sarah's best friend,' he went on. "You knew her before I did.' Jessica gave no sign of unbending. She stared at him, as hard and ungiving as stone. Ben couldn't imagine how someone so cold and unsympathetic could be a midwife, and not for the first time wondered about her motives for choosing it as her career.
    But this wasn't the time to think about that.
    'I wanted to ask about when the two of you shared a flat When she was pregnant Sarah told me some things, but not in any detail.'
    'And?'
    'It's a part of her life I don't know very much about' Jessica was almost smiling, although there was nothing pretty about it 'So now you want to take that from me as wel ?', Ben hadn't expected her animosity to be so naked. 'I don't want to take anything from you. I never did.' Her expression said she didn't believe him. He felt more uncomfortable than ever. 'This is a bad time. Perhaps we ought to leave it for a while.'
    'There isn't a good time as far as you're concerned/ she said, and there was no mistaking the hate now. 'I said I'd see you because of Sarah. But after this I don't want to set eyes on you again. Ask what you came for and then go.'
    'Al right The real reason I came was to ask you about Jacob.' He was watching for some reaction, but couldn't see any.
    'What about him?'
    'You delivered him. I just want to know what happened.' What do you mean, "what happened"? She went into labour and I attended. That's it'
    'Why didn't she go to hospital?' Jessica's mouth was a thin line. 'Didn't she tel you any of this herself?'
    "Yes, but I wanted to ask you.' She glared at him, then gave a terse shrug. 'It was the niddle of the night There wasn't time. She started suddenly, Bid by the time we realised what was happening the baby
    was on its way.' She lifted her chin fractional y, staring him down. 'Besides, there was no need for her to go to hospital.
    I was there.'
    "You were only a student, though. What if there'd been any problems?'
    "Then I'd have sent for help. But there weren't.'
    'Didn't you send for a doctor?'
    'I told you, there was no point. We cal ed for one the next morning, he came and made sure they were both okay, and then went. I knew more about childbirth than any GP would have.
    Or her mother, though you wouldn't have thought it to hear her.' She gave an angry shake of her head. 'She insisted her little daughter had to go back home with them. As if I couldn't have given her everything she needed.' She was no longer looking at him, lost in the anger of six years ago, and Ben felt sorry for her. And sorry he had come. He felt more and more that he was wasting his time.
    There was only one thing left he had to ask.
    'Sarah's father told me Jacob was a big baby. Over six pounds.'
    'Six pounds three ounces.'

    The figure