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Gaia　was　watching　Gavin　through　a　chink　in　the　kitchen　door。　She　was　clutching　a　paper　cup　containing　several　fingers　of　the　vodka　that　Andrew　had　stolen　for　her。

‘He’s　such　a　bastard；’　she　said。　‘We’d　still　be　in　Hackney　if　he　hadn’t　led　Mum　on。　She’s　so　bloody　stupid。　I　could　have　told　her　he　wasn’t　that　interested。　He　never　took　her　out。　He　couldn’t　wait　to　leave　after　they’d　shagged。’

Andrew；　who　was　piling　additional　sandwiches　on　an　almost　empty　platter　behind　her；　could　hardly　believe　that　she　was　using　words　like　shagged。　The　chimeric　Gaia　who　filled　his　fantasies　was　a　sexually　inventive　and　adventurous　virgin。　He　did　not　know　what　the　real　Gaia　had　done；　or　not　done；　with　Marco　de　Luca。　Her　judgement　on　her　mother　made　it　sound　as　if　she　knew　how　men　behaved　after　sex；　if　they　were　interested　…

‘Drink　something；’　she　told　Andrew　as　he　approached　the　door　with　the　platter；　and　she　held　up　her　own　polystyrene　cup　to　his　lips；　and　he　drank　some　of　her　vodka。　Giggling　a　little；　she　backed　away　to　let　him　out　and　called　after　him：　‘Make　Sooks　e　in　here　and　get　some！’

The　hall　was　crowded　and　noisy。　Andrew　put　the　pile　of　fresh　sandwiches　on　the　table；　but　interest　in　the　food　seemed　to　have　waned；　Sukhvinder　was　struggling　to　keep　up　with　demand　at　the　drinks　table；　and　many　people　had　started　pouring　their　own。

‘Gaia　wants　you　in　the　kitchen；’　Andrew　told　Sukhvinder；　and　he　took　over　from　her。　There　was　no　point　acting　like　a　bartender；　instead；　he　filled　as　many　glasses　as　he　could　find；　and　left　them　on　the　table　for　people　to　help　themselves。

‘Hi；　Peanut！’　said　Lexie　Mollison。　‘Can　I　have　some　champagne？’

They　had　been　at　St　Thomas’s　together；　but　he　had　not　seen　her　for　a　long　time。　Her　accent　had　changed　since　she　had　been　at　St　Anne’s。　He　hated　being　called　Peanut。

‘It’s　there　in　front　of　you；’　he　said；　pointing。

‘Lexie；　you’re　not　drinking；’　snapped　Samantha；　appearing　out　of　the　crowd。　‘Absolutely　not。’

‘Grandad　said—’

‘I　don’t　care。’

‘Everyone　else—’

‘I　said　no！’

Lexie　stomped　away。　Andrew；　glad　to　see　her　go；　smiled　at　Samantha；　and　was　surprised　when　she　beamed　at　him。

‘Do　you　talk　back　to　your　parents？’

‘Yeah；’　he　said；　and　she　laughed。　Her　breasts　really　were　enormous。

‘Ladies　and　gentlemen！’　boomed　a　voice　through　the　microphone；　and　everyone　stopped　talking　to　listen　to　Howard。　‘Wanted　to　say　a　few　words　…　most　of　you　probably　know　by　now　that　my　son　Miles　has　just　been　elected　to　the　Parish　Council！’

There　was　a　smattering　of　applause　and　Miles　raised　his　drink　high　above　his　head　to　acknowledge　it。　Andrew　was　startled　to　hear　Samantha　say　quite　clearly　under　her　breath；　‘Hoo…fucking…ray。’

Nobody　was　ing　for　drinks　now。　Andrew　slipped　back　into　the　kitchen。　Gaia　and　Sukhvinder　were　alone　in　there；　drinking　and　laughing；　and　when　they　saw　Andrew　they　both　shouted；　‘Andy！’

He　laughed　too。

‘Are　you　both　pissed？’

‘Yes；’　said　Gaia；　and　‘no；’　said　Sukhvinder。　‘She　is；　though。’

‘I　don’t　care；’　said　Gaia。　‘Mollison　can　sack　me　if　he　wants。　No　point　saving　up　for　a　ticket　to　Hackney　any　more。’

‘He　won’t　sack　you；’　said　Andrew；　helping　himself　to　some　of　the　vodka。　‘You’re　his　favourite。’

‘Yeah；’　said　Gaia。　‘Creepy　old　bastard。’

And　the　three　of　them　laughed　again。

Through　the　glass　doors；　amplified　by　the　microphone；　came　Maureen’s　croaky　voice。

‘e　on；　then；　Howard！　e　on　–　a　duet　for　your　birthday！　Go　on　–　ladies　and　gentlemen　–　Howard’s　favourite　song！’

The　teenagers　gazed　at　each　other　in　tantalized　horror。　Gaia　tripped　forward；　giggling；　and　pushed　the　door　open。

The　first　few　bars　of　‘The　Green；　Green　Grass　of　Home’　blared　out；　and　then；　in　Howard’s　bass　and　Maureen’s　gravelly　alto：

The　old　home　town　looks　the　same；

As　I　step　down　from　the　train　…

Gavin　was　the　only　one　who　heard　the　giggles　and　snorts；　but　when　he　turned　around　all　he　saw　were　the　double　doors　to　the　kitchen；　swinging　a　little　on　their　hinges。

Miles　had　left　to　chat　with　Aubrey　and　Julia　Fawley；　who　had　arrived　late；　wreathed　in　polite　smiles。　Gavin　was　in　the　grip　of　a　familiar　mixture　of　dread　and　anxiety。　His　brief　sunlit　haze　of　freedom　and　happiness　had　been　overcast　by　the　twin　threats　of　Gaia　blabbing　what　he　had　said　to　her　mother；　and　of　Mary　leaving　Pagford　for　ever。　What　was　he　going　to　do？

Down　the　lane　I　walk；　with　my　sweet　Mary；

Hair　of　gold　and　lips　like　cherries　…

‘Kay　not　here？’

Samantha　had　arrived；　leaning　against　the　table　beside　him；　smirking。

‘You　already　asked　me　that；’　said　Gavin。　‘No。’

‘Everything　OK　with　you　two？’

‘Is　that　really　any　of　your　business？’

It　slipped　out　of　him　before　he　could　stop　it；　he　was　sick　of　her　constant　probing　and　jeering。　For　once；　it　was　just　the　two　of　them；　Miles　was　still　busy　with　the　Fawleys。

She　over…acted　being　taken　aback。　Her　eyes　were　bloodshot　and　her　speech　was　deliberate；　for　the　first　time；　Gavin　felt　more　dislike　than　intimidation。

‘I’m　sorry。　I　was　only—’

‘Asking。　Yeah；’　he　said；　as　Howard　and　Maureen　swayed；　arm　in　arm。

‘I’d　like　to　see　you　settled　down。　You　and　Kay　seemed　good　together。’

‘Yeah；　well；　I　like　my　freedom；’　said　Gavin。　‘I　don’t　know　many　happily　married　couples。’

Samantha　had　drunk　too　much　to　feel　the　full　force　of　the　dig；　but　she　had　the　impression　that　one　had　been　made。

‘Marriages　are　always　a　mystery　to　outsiders；’　she　said　carefully。　‘Nobody　can　ever　really　know　except　the　two　people　involved。　So　you　shouldn’t　judge；　Gavin。’

‘Thanks　for　the　insight；’　he　said；　and　irritated　past　endurance　he　set　down　his　empty　beer　can　and　headed　towards　the　cloakroom。

Samantha　watched　him　leave；　sure　that　she　had　had　the　best　of　the　encounter；　and　turned　her　attention　to　her　mother…in…law；　whom　she　could　see　through　a　gap　in　the　crowd；　watching　Howard　and　Maureen　sing。　Samantha　relished　Shirley’s　anger；　which　was　expressed　in　the　tightest；　coldest　smile　she　had　worn　all　evening。　Howard　and　Maureen　had　performed　together　many　a　time　over　the　years；　Howard　loved　to　sing；　and　Maureen　had　once　performed　backing　vocals　for　a　local　skiffle　band。　When　the　song　finished；　Shirley　clapped　her　hands　together　once；　she　might　have　been　summoning　a　flunkey；　and　Samantha　laughed　out　loud　and　moved　along　to　the　bar　end　of　the　table；　which　she　was　disappointed　to　find　unmanned　by　the　boy　in　the　bow　tie。

Andrew；　Gaia　and　Sukhvinder　were　still　convulsed　in　the　kitchen。　They　laughed　because　of　Howard　and　Maureen’s　duet；　and　because　they　had　finished　two…thirds　of　the　vodka；　but　mostly　they　laughed　because　they　laughed；　feeding　off　each　other　until　they　could　barely　stand。

The　little　window　over　the　sink；　propped　ajar　so　that　the　kitchen　did　not　bee　too　steamy；　rattled　and　clattered；　and　Fats’　head　appeared　through　it。

‘Evening；’　he　said。　Evidently　he　had　climbed　onto　something　outside；　because；　with　a　noise　of　scraping　and　a　heavy　object　falling　over；　more　and　more　of　him　emerged　through　the　window　until　he　landed　heavily　on　the　draining　board；　knocking　several　glasses　to　the　ground；　where　they　shattered。

Sukhvinder　walked　straight　out　of　the　kitchen。　Andrew　knew　immediately　that　he　did　not　want　Fats　there。　Only　Gaia　seemed　unperturbed。　Still　giggling；　she　said；　‘There’s　a　door；　you　know。’

‘No　shit？’　said　Fats。　‘Where’s　the　drink？’

‘This　is　ours；’　said　Gaia；　cradling　the　vodka　in　her　arms。　‘Andy　nicked　it。　You’ll　have　to　get　your　own。’

‘Not　a　problem；’　said　Fats　coolly；　and　he　walked　through　the　doors　into　the　hall。

‘Need　the　loo　…’　mumbled　Gaia；　and　she　stowed　the　vodka　bottle　back　under　the　sink；　and　left　the　kitchen　too。

Andrew　followed。　Sukhvinder　had　returned　to　the　bar　area；　Gaia　was　disappearing　into　the　bathroom；　and　Fats　was　leaning　against　the　trestle　table　with　a　beer　in　one　hand　and　a　sandwich　in　the　other。

‘Didn’t　think　you’d　want　to　e　to　this；’　said　Andrew。

‘I　was　invited；　mate；’　said　Fats。　‘It　was　on　the　invitation。　Whole　Wall　family。’

‘Does　Cubby　know　you’re　here？’

‘Dunno；’　said　Fats。　‘He’s　in　hiding。　Didn’t　get　ol’　Barry’s　seat　after　all。　The　whole　social　fabric’ll　collapse　now　Cubby’s　not　holding　it　together。　Fucking　hell；　that’s　horrible；’　he　added；　spitting　out　a　mouthful　of　sandwich。　‘Wanna　fag？’

The　hall　was　so　noisy；　and　the　guests　so　raucously　drunk；　that　nobody　seemed　to　care　where　Andrew　went　any　more。　When　they　got　outside；　they　found　Patricia　Mollison；　alone　beside　her　sports　car；　looking　up　at　the　clear　starry　sky；　smoking。

‘You　can　have　one　of　these；’　she　said；　offering　her　packet；　‘if　you　want。’

After　she　had　lit　their　cigarettes；　she　stood　at　her　ease　with　one　hand　balled　deep　in　her　pocket。　There　was　something　about　her　that　Andrew　found　intimidating；　he　could　not　even　bring　himself　to　glance　at　Fats；　to　gauge　his　reaction。

‘I’m　Pat；’　she　told　them；　after　a　little　while。　‘Howard　and　Shirley’s　daughter。’

‘Hi；’　said　Andrew。　‘’M　Andrew。’

‘Stuart；’　said　Fats。

She　did　not　seem　to　need　to　prolong　conversation。　Andrew　felt　it　as　a　kind　of　pliment　and　tried　to　emulate　her　indifference。　The　silence　was　broken　by　footsteps　and　the　sound　of　muffled　girls’　voices。

Gaia　was　dragging　Sukhvinder　outside　by　the　hand。　She　was　laughing；　and　Andrew　could　tell　that　the　full　effect　of　the　vodka　was　still　intensifying　inside　her。

‘You；’　said　Gaia；　to　Fats；　‘are　really　horrible　to　Sukhvinder。’

‘Stop　it；’　said　Sukhvinder；　tugging　against　Gaia’s　hand。　‘I’m　serious　–　let　me—’

‘He　is！’　said　Gaia　breathlessly。　‘You　are！　Do　you　put　stuff　on　her　Facebook？’

‘Stop　it！’　shouted　Sukhvinder。　She　wrenched　herself　free　and　plunged　back　inside　the　party。

‘You　are　horrible　to　her；’　said　Gaia；　grabbing　onto　the　railings　for　support。　‘Calling　her　a　lesbian　and　stuff　…’

‘Nothing　wrong　with　being　a　lesbian；’　said　Patricia；　her　eyes　narrowed　through　the　smoke　she　was　inhaling。　‘But　then；　I　would　say　that。’

Andrew　saw　Fats　look　at　Pat　sideways。

‘I　never　said　there　was　anything　wrong　with　it。　It’s　only　jokes；’　he　said。

Gaia　slid　down　the　rails　to　sit　on　the　chilly　pavement；　her　head　in　her　arms。

‘You　all　right？’　Andrew　asked。　If　Fats　had　not　been　there；　he　would　have　sat　down　too。

‘Pissed；’　she　muttered。

‘Might　do　better　to　stick　your　fingers　down　your　throat；’　suggested　Patricia；　looking　down　at　her　dispassionately。

‘Nice　car；’　Fats　said；　eyeing　the　BMW。

‘Yeah；’　said　Patricia。　‘New。　I　make　double　what　my　brother　makes；’　she　said；　‘but　Miles　is　the　Christ　Child。　Miles　the　Messiah　…　Parish　Councillor　Mollison　the　Second　…　of　Pagford。　Do　you　like　Pagford？’　she　asked　Fats；　while　Andrew　watched　Gaia　breathing　deeply；　her　head　between　her　knees。

‘No；’　said　Fats。　‘It’s　a　shithole。’

‘Yeah；　well　…　I　couldn’t　wait　to　leave；　personally。　Did　you　know　Barry　Fairbrother？’

‘A　bit；’　said　Fats。

Something　in　his　voice　made　Andrew　worried。

‘He　was　my　reading　mentor　at　St　Thomas’s；’　said　Patricia；　with　her　eyes　still　on　the　end　of　the　street。　‘Lovely　bloke。　I　would　have　e　back　for　the　funeral；　but　Melly　and　I　were　in　Zermatt。　What’s　all　this　stuff　my　mother’s　been　gloating　about　…　this　Barry’s　Ghost　stuff？’

‘Someone　putting　stuff　on　the　Parish　Council　website；’　said　Andrew　hastily；　afraid　of　what　Fats　might　say；　if　he　let　him。　‘Rumours　and　stuff。’

‘Yeah；　my　mother　would　love　that；’　said　Patricia。

‘Wonder　what　the　Ghost’ll　say　next？’　Fats　asked；　with　a　sidelong　glance　at　Andrew。

‘Probably　stop　now　the　election’s　over；’　muttered　Andrew。

‘Oh；　I　dunno；’　said　Fats。　‘If　there’s　stuff　old　Barry’s　Ghost　is　still　pissed　off　about　…’

He　knew　that　he　was　making　Andrew　anxious　and　he　was　glad　of　it。　Andrew　was　spending　all　his　time　at　his　poxy　job　these　days；　and　he　would　soon　be　moving。　Fats　did　not　owe　Andrew　anything。　True　authenticity　could　not　exist　alongside　guilt　and　obligation。

‘You　all　right　down　there？’　Patricia　asked　Gaia；　who　nodded；　with　her　face　still　hidden。　‘What　was　it；　the　drink　or　the　duet　that　made　you　feel　sick？’

Andrew　laughed　a　little　bit；　out　of　politeness　and　because