'I'm not responsible for what you think - only for what I say. And I told you that one day I'd be leaving and going alone.'

'G.o.d, Wilson, you're hard.'

'You've known that since you've known me.'

'I think I'm going to have to sit down.'

'Help yourself,' Wilson said.

She took the chair at G.o.ddard's old writing desk, next to his lathe and workbench, lit a cigarette, exhaled a stream of smoke, and squinted through it at Wilson. He was a tall man, as thin as his smile, and his blue gaze was steady.

'Okay,' she said, 'so you always told me you'd leave someday. But I still didn't think you'd go this way- deliberately sending me out where I'm not wanted and then sneaking away.'

'I told you: I didn't want any arguments.'

'It's human to argue.'

'To be human is to err.'

'We were lovers, Wilson. That must count for something.'

But he merely shook his head, arguing an academic point. 'No,' he said, 'I'm afraid it doesn't. At least, not for me. The only thing that matters to me is my work - as I've told you repeatedly.'

'Yes, Wilson, you've told me repeatedly. I just happened to think you didn't mean it.'

'I always mean what I say.'

Gladys's heart was racing and she felt desolated, but when she saw the icy glint in his eyes, she knew her grief wouldn't mean much to him. He would leave her as some people disown their pets and he would never look back.

Accepting this fact, she was able to protect herself by turning professional.

'You're an odd bird, Wilson.'

'You're free to think so.'

'I'm not the only one who thinks so. G.o.ddard's men all think you're strange.'

Wilson smiled mockingly. 'What can I say to that? I'm not responsible for the thoughts of petty minds. What they think is irrelevant.'

'They think you're the genius behind G.o.ddard.'

'They're wrong: I was learning from him.'

'They think you know more about rockets than you let on and that only G.o.ddard is privy to exactly how much you know.'

Wilson simply smiled again. 'I have to go now, Gladys.'

'Does G.o.ddard know you're going?'

'No.'

'Is this how you say goodbye to him? To a genius with whom you've worked for six months? Is this how you thank him?'

'I thanked him by working for him for free. Now that I've learned what I need to know, I've no reason for staying here.' Shocked again at how truly cold Wilson was, Gladys blew another cloud of smoke and watched it spiralling in front of her. 'So what did you need to know?' she asked him.

'What G.o.ddard could teach me.'

'About rockets?'

'Yes.'

'And why did you need to know about rockets?'

'That's not your concern,' he said.