‘If it’s not a criticism, what is it?’ said Richard, laughing angrily.

‘Not a criticism, just a value judgement,’ said Molly, triumphant.

‘Ah, hell,’ said Richard.

Tommy ignored them, and continued to address the part of the room in which his mother was sitting.

‘The thing is, for better or for worse, you’ve brought me up to believe in certain things, and now you say I might just as well go and take a job in Portmain’s. Why?’

‘You mean,’ said Molly, bitter with self-reproach, ‘why don’t I offer you something better?’

‘Perhaps there isn’t anything better. It’s not your fault — I’m not suggesting it is.’ This was said with a soft, deadly finality, so that Molly frankly and loudly sighed, shrugged and spread out her hands.

‘I wouldn’t mind being like your lot, it’s not that. I’ve been around listening to your friends for years and years now, you all of you seem to be in such a mess, or think you are even if you’re not,’ he said, knitting his brows, and bringing out every phrase after careful thought. ‘I don’t mind that, but it was an accident for you, you didn’t say to yourselves at some point: I am going to be a certain kind of person. I mean, I think that for both you and Anna there was a moment when you said, and you were even surprised, Oh, so I’m that kind of person, am I?’

Anna and Molly smiled at each other, and at him, acknowledging it was true.

‘Well then,’ said Richard jauntily. ‘That’s settled. If you don’t want to be like Anna and Molly, there’s the alternative.’

‘No,’ said Tommy. ‘I haven’t explained myself, if you can say that. No.’

‘But you’ve got to do something,’ cried Molly, not at all humorous, but sounding sharp and frightened.

‘You don’t,’ said Tommy, as if it were self-evident.

‘But you’ve just said you didn’t want to be like us,’ said Molly.

‘It’s not that I wouldn’t want to be, but I don’t think I could.’ Now he turned to his father, in patient explanation. ‘The thing about mother and Anna is this; one doesn’t say, Anna Wulf the writer, or Molly Jacobs the actress — or only if you don’t know them. They aren’t — what I mean is — they aren’t what they do; but if I start working with you, then I’ll be what I do. Don’t you see that?’

‘Frankly, no.’