‘Maybe you should run this past your dad,’ said Lucy cautiously, ‘but I think I’m detecting a hint of jealousy.’

‘Me? Jealous? What on earth makes you think that?’

‘Maybe my amygdala is too large,’ said Lucy.

‘That would explain it,’ said Olivia. ‘Or too small.’

‘The smaller the better, I suppose,’ said Lucy, ‘given that it’s a site for fear – oh, and happiness, anger and sexual arousal.’

‘And it has the most receptors of any part of the brain for testosterone,’ said Olivia.

‘Testosterone! The aggression hormone,’ said Lucy, horrified.

‘But also, aggression in the defence of status,’ said Olivia, picking up Lucy’s book and running her thumb through its familiar pages. ‘If someone acquires status from fighting to save the humpback whale, testosterone could be correlated with compassion. Maybe you haven’t got to that bit yet … Hang on, I think I can hear a car. Perhaps it’s Francis.’

Olivia walked down the curving path to the edge of the bamboo.

‘Oh, no, it’s Saul,’ she said, disappointed. ‘And he’s spotted me. Where is Francis?’

‘Planting trees,’ said Lucy soothingly.

‘As long as he’s not planting wild oats,’ said Olivia, resting her hands on her bulging belly, as if to reassure her baby of its uniqueness. She sat down next to Lucy.

‘Francis totally adores you,’ said Lucy. ‘Are you okay? I’ve never seen you like this. You two are so solid.’

‘I don’t know. It’s just …’

Before Olivia could finish, Saul appeared through the bamboo.

‘Hello, ladies,’ he said, ‘what are you doing in the feng shui chalet? I wasn’t sure I’d see you both before the Brainwaves launch in London. Are you looking forward to it? I’m telling you, Happy Helmets are going to be huge. Huge,’ he repeated, spreading his arms wide. ‘I smell money!’

‘Really?’ said Lucy. ‘What does it smell like?’

‘Freedom,’ said Saul.

‘And what does freedom smell like?’ asked Olivia.

‘Money,’ said Saul.

‘Okay, so total equivalence,’ said Lucy.

‘You’d better believe it!’ said Saul. ‘And you know what? I’m really happy that we’re all going to be getting rich together, as part of a team, a really great team.’

He raised both his clenched fists and shook them, smiling fanatically at Lucy and Olivia.

‘Wonderful,’ said Lucy, wondering what was wrong with Saul.

‘Ah, I think I hear another car,’ said Olivia, releasing herself from the awkwardness of Saul’s manic solidarity and getting up to see if Francis had finally returned.

18