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hundred quid short. Did you let Mary Spencer-Graham off paying again?"
    Celia's mouth thinned. "If I did it's my affair."
    "No it's not, Ma," said Maggie with a sigh. "We can't afford to be charitable. If Mary doesn't pay, then we can't look after her horse. It's as simple as that. I wouldn't mind so much if we weren't already charging her the absolute minimum, but the fees barely cover Moondust's fodder. You really must be a bit tougher with her."
    "How can I? She's almost as badly off as we are, and it's our fault."
    Maggie shook her head. "That's not true. She lost ten thousand pounds, peanuts compared with what we lost, but she knows she only has to turn on the waterworks for half a second and you fall for it every time." She gestured impatiently toward the hall and the drawing room beyond. "We can't pay the bills if we don't collect the money, which means we either decide to hand everything over now to Matthew and go and live in a council flat, or you go to him, cap in hand, and beg for some kind of allowance." She gave a helpless shrug at the thought of her brother. "If I believed there was any point in my trying, I would, but we both know he'd slam the door in my face."
    Celia gave a mirthless laugh. "What makes you think it would be any different if I tried? That wife of his can't stand me. She'd never agree to keeping her mother-in-law and sister-in-law in what she chooses to call the lap of luxury when her real pleasure in life would be to see us destitute."
    "I know," said Maggie guiltily, "and it serves us right. We should never have been rude about her wedding dress."
    "It was difficult not to be," said Celia tartly. "The vicar nearly had a heart attack when he saw her."
    Her daughter's eyes filled with humor. "It was the greenfly that did it. If there hadn't been a plague of the blasted things the year they got married, and if her wretched veil hadn't collected every single one in a twenty-mile radius while she walked from the church to the reception ... What was it you called her? Something to do with camouflage."
    "I didn't call her anything," said Celia with dignity. "I congratulated her for blending so well into her surroundings."
    Maggie laughed. "That's right, I remember now. God, you were rude."
    "You found it funny at the time," her mother pointed out, easing her bad hip on the chair. "I'll talk to Mary," she promised. "I can probably bear the humiliation of dunning my friends rather better than I can bear the humiliation of begging off Matthew and Ava."
 

*4*

    Physical/psychological assessment of unidentified toddler: "Baby Smith"
    Physical: The child's general health is excellent. She is well nourished and well cared for, and is not suffering from any disease or ailment. Blood test indicates minute traces of benzodiazepine (possibly Mogadon) and stronger traces of paracetamol in her system. There is no evidence of past or recent abuse, sexual or physical, although there is some evidence (see below) that she has suffered past, continuing, or recent psychological trauma. The physical evidence suggests that she was separated from her parent/guardian within 3-4 hours of being found-most notably in terms of her overall cleanliness and the fact that she hadn't soiled herself. In addition she showed no signs of dehydration, hypothermia, hunger, or exhaustion, which would have been expected in a child who had been abandoned for any length of time.
    Psychological: The child's behavior and social skills are typical of a two-year-old; however, her size and weight suggest she is older. She presents evidence of mild autism, although knowledge of her history is needed to confirm a diagnosis. She is uninterested in other people/children and reacts aggressively when approached by them. She is overly passive, preferring to sit and observe rather than explore her environment. She is unnaturally withdrawn and makes no attempt to communicate verbally, although will use sign language to achieve what she wants. Her