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and I'll bet you're a perfectionist.'
    'I like to be thorough,' Sophie admitted.
    'And organised,' Pagan added. 'You've probably got your future all planned out and shaping up exactly how you want it.'
    Sophie's intrigue with the potential clairvoyance of her patient evaporated. She might be right about having her future planned out but as for shaping up... Sophie didn't need the reminder of the plug she had just pulled out in that direction.
    'I wouldn't say that exactly.' Sophie's tone was cooler. More professional. 'Now, about you, Pagan. What brings you—?'
    'Oh, I'm an Aquarius,' Pagan interrupted. 'Pretty obvious, eh?'
    'Ah...'
    'Did you know we're actually in the age of Aquarius?'
    'No,' Sophie said slowly. She took a furtive glance at her watch and succeeded only in catching sight of her engagement ring.
    'Uranus dropped into the sign in 1995,' Pagan confirmed happily. 'It won't leave until 2004. Did you know that the Internet started in 1995 and that WWW is also the logo for Aquarius?'
    'No,' Sophie said more firmly. 'And I don't think—'
    'That was how I found him,' Pagan said brightly. 'On the Internet. Couldn't be more appropriate really, could it?'
    'I really couldn't—'
    'I mean, our signs were perfectly matched. I knew he was going to be the father of my baby.' Pagan smiled blissfully. 'It was wonderful. We met up in Hawaii and made love on the beach to the sound of the waves. Conceived in Pisces—that's a water sign, of course. And it's due in Scorpio. Another water sign.' Pagan sighed rapturously.
    'Ah...so you're pregnant?' Sophie reached for a pen. 'Is that why you've come to see me?'
    'Of course.'
    Sophie nodded. Finally, they were getting somewhere. 'What was the date of the first day of your last period?'
    'That would have been the sixth of February. Conception was February the twentieth. Really the cusp of Pisces and Aquarius. That's my sign, you know.'
    'So you said.' Sophie nodded a little wearily.
    'You're about eleven weeks pregnant, then. Have you been to a doctor since you missed your first period?'
    'No. I had to find just the right person.' Pagan smiled warmly at Sophie. 'I've been to see a few but nobody had the right aura.' She gazed at Sophie intently. 'You do. I want you to deliver my child.'
    'We don't do deliveries, exactly,' Sophie said apologetically. 'It's more shared care with a midwife and an obstetrician. We do a lot of the routine antenatal checks and—'
    'I've got a midwife,' Pagan interrupted. 'She's great. It was her idea that we find the right doctor. Just in case.'
    Sophie's gaze had slipped to the computer printout. 'You're thirty-seven, is that right?'
    Pagan nodded.
    'And this is your first baby?'
    'My only baby.'
    'We'll need to book you in for a scan. Have you considered amniocentesis at all?'
    'What's that?' Pagan's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
    'It's a test that can detect a range of birth defects, including spina bifida and Down's syndrome.' Sophie pulled a book down from her shelf and flicked the pages rapidly. 'Down's syndrome is the result of a chromosomal abnormality in the baby. Maternal age is an important factor and if you look at this graph here you can see that the risk rises sharply after the age of thirty-five.' Sophie turned the book to face her patient. 'The test involves removing a small amount of the amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby in the womb. It's usually done at around fourteen to sixteen weeks when there is more fluid available.'
    Pagan Ellis gave the textbook ho more than a dismissive glance. 'Don't fancy that. I don't want any interventions. This pregnancy is going to be totally natural.' She shrugged. 'Theoretically, I suppose I should have gone for a test tube baby. I mean the age of Aquarius is all about technology but some things are meant to be natural.' Pagan grinned, 'More fun that way.'
    Sophie was not going to be sidetracked. 'Do you have any family history of genetic problems?'
    'No.'
    'What about the father's family