Tabs covers her mouth, peals of delighted giggles pouring forth in the most magical way. I drag my eyes away from my princess bed for long enough to see something akin to awe pass over Brendan’s face at the sound of it. He recovers quickly.

‘That’s because your mum needs her sleep, doesn’t she sweet pea? Though I should have bought her some snoring strips for her nose too, shouldn’t I?’

Okay, the snoring jokes are getting a little tedious now. I don’t snore.

I turn back to the bed and reverently stroke the heavenly sateen cotton of the duvet cover before pressing down to reveal that yes, there’s definitely some memory foam under there. I can say I’ve never, in my entire life, been so delirious at the sight of a bed.

Well, not since Tabs’s newborn days, anyway.

‘This is incredible,’ I say to Brendan. ‘Thank you, thank you. Honestly, I’ll sleep like a dream tonight. I feel like Sara Crewe after Ram Dass gives her garret a glow-up.’

Athena and Tabby both give ahhs of appreciation at my analogy. Brendan frowns in confusion.

‘In A Little Princess,’ Tabs tells him, ‘Sara is so poor and has no mummy or daddy. She sleeps in an attic with her pet rat. But one night the nice servant Ram Dass breaks into her room and leaves loads of hot food and fluffy pillows for her, and when she wakes up she’s all warm and cosy.’

Brendan’s frown intensifies. ‘Sounds very, very creepy to me,’ he says. ‘And do we think your mum’s being a bit overly dramatic, perchance?’

Tabby giggles again in delight. Oh, dear God. He’s winding me up to score points with her, and she’s already falling prey to his charms. Not that she can help it—she’s only human, and she hasn’t seen his arsehole side yet.

That said, I am very, very touched. I know Brendan admitted back in the hotel that he’d be supporting me in the only way he knew how, by throwing his money around, but this is another level of thoughtfulness.

‘You try sleeping in a plastic armchair for two nights and then see how dramatic you’re feeling,’ I retort, but then I smile at him. ‘That’s the best present I’ve ever, ever received. Thank you. And thanks for being his Girl Friday, Athena.’

‘It’s nothing,’ he says, then turns to Athena. He seems embarrassed by my gratitude. ‘Food all sorted?’

She stands and smooths down her lightweight sweater. ‘Yep. A local chef will deliver meals for both of you three times a day, starting in about—ooh, an hour. Tabby helped me choose the menu. It’s weirdly heavy on both watermelon and sweet potato fries, but there are ginger shots in there for you.’