He‘s had to go for one of his little lie-downs at the hotel. The heat, and his sandals were 

chafing. You know what your father‘s like, he‘s so Welsh.‘

So what have you been doing?‘

Just wandering around  the Forum. I thought it was beautiful, but Stephen was bored out 

of his skull. All that mess, columns just left lying around all over the place. I think he thinks 

they should bulldoze it all, put up a nice conservatory or something.‘

You should visit the Palatine. It‘s at the top of that hill . . .‘

I know where the Palatine is, Dexter, I was visiting Rome before you were born.‘

Yes, who was emperor back then?‘ 

Ha. Here, help me with this wine, don‘t let me drink the whole bottle.‘ She already had, 

pretty  much,  but  he  poured  the  last  inch  into  a  water  glass  and  reached  for  her  cigarettes. 

Alison tutted. “”You know sometimes I think we took the whole liberal-parent thing a bit too 

far.‘

I quite agree. You ruined me. Pass the matches.‘

It‘s  not  clever,  you  know.  I  know  you  think  it  makes  you  look  like  a  film  star,  but  it 

doesn‘t, it looks awful.‘

So why do you do it then?‘