He had phoned Rufus shortly after arriving at the hospital to let him know that Halley had gone into labour. Obviously Rufus was keen to hear how everything had progressed. “Well?” Rufus asked without preamble. “It’s a girl,” Alec announced proudly as though he alone had been responsible for the baby’s presence in the world. “Congratulations Dad,” Rufus replied. Alec could hear Leonora asking questions in the background then after the sounds of a struggle her voice came on the line. “How’s Halley doing?” she asked. “Halley’s great,” he said. “She did really well.” After a short conversation Leonora enthusiastically told him that she and Rufus would bring the children to meet their new sister in the morning. Alec glanced up at the clock as he returned the phone to his pocket and was amazed to see that the time was only a few minutes past ten.
