I close the notebook and slump forward on my hard plastic chair, creating a cradle with my arms so I can lay my weary head down and attempt to nap alongside my daughter.

BRENDAN

Our nine-hour flight proves an excellent opportunity to interrogate Athena on every aspect of Marlowe and Tabby. Having been Mr Boundaries for so long, the dam has burst and I’m insatiable in my thirst for details.

But there’s one area where she’s unyielding.

‘Talk to me about Tabby’s father,’ I demand, and she shakes her head.

‘No.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because that’s Marlowe’s story to tell. If you want to know more, you’ll have to ask her.’

Fair enough. Her intransigence makes me like her more, actually. It’s been clear to me since I met Athena that she’s ridiculously hot and ridiculously competent, but she strikes me as a bit of a cold fish. It’s made me question at times whether she’s the right person for my brother, who has the most golden heart you could wish for.

But the more I understand about her relationships with Marlowe and Tabby, the more I understand what a fiercely loyal protector she is, and I’m glad. Glad my brother has found happiness with her, and glad Marlowe has her in her corner.

‘Just tell me if he’s still around.’

She toys with a piece of mango on her fruit platter, spearing it elegantly, before locking eyes with me.

‘He hasn’t been around since Marlowe told him she was pregnant.’

‘Fuck.’

‘Yeah.’

‘What a loser. So he’s not in the picture at all—he has no relationship with Tabby?’

‘He’s never met her. And that, mister, is all you’re getting from me.’

My contempt for this guy grows even as some kind of sick relief hits me that I’m not competing with anyone else here. How the hell do you walk away from a woman like Marlowe, and how the hell do you make the decision to miss out on fathering her child? It’s fucked, that’s what it is.

‘So she got pregnant at uni?’

‘She completed a three-year degree in four years. What do you think?’

So she got knocked up at uni and then not only went ahead with the pregnancy but went back to finish her degree. Plus, she got herself an MBA afterwards. Seriously fucking impressive. But I realise that trying to push Athena for more is a fruitless task. She’s a vault. I change the subject.

‘So how do you two know each other?’

‘We became friends at school—Cheltenham Ladies. She doesn’t come from money—she was there on a full choral scholarship. She’s an incredible singer, you know.’

‘I know,’ I tell her. ‘I caught her singing Ave Maria at my place. It was unfuckingbelievable.’

Her face softens. ‘Yeah. She’s really something.’