“As experienced instructors, we’d suggest time away from other worldly distractions,” Elise said. “Like a yoga retreat.”

Daisy’s doubts must have been writ clearly across her face, because Elise leaned forward then, her expression as gentle and persuasive as her voice. “Remember, Daisy, the world will turn without you. Sometimes we need to walk away from our responsibilities to truly discover what matters.”

“You want to commit, Daisy? Then commit. If you don’t want to . . .” Jasper splayed his hands open, and Daisy watched her last shreds of hope evaporate into thin air. “Maybe your path leads elsewhere.”

Susan needed a break. There was only so much time she could spend reading up on vascular supply to the stomach before the words swam together and she started playing vertical word searches within the text. Daisy’s door was shut, and when Susan knocked, there was no response. Again.

Susan hadn’t seen her after she’d gone to yoga the night before, and today, despite Daisy’s insistence that they all breakfast together, there had been no sign of her.

How healthy was it to spend all your time with your body in someone else’s basement and your mind on another plane?

Susan could hear the music even before she opened Esther’s door.

“Ah.” Susan stared at the scene before her.

Opening the door had pushed an arc of clear space on a floor covered with clothes. Esther was sitting on the bed wearing a camisole, her long white limbs and chest giving the impression of an albatross hunting above a sea of black silk. Treading carefully, Susan made it the short distance from door to desk without anything coming at her from within the depths. Since the chair was otherwise occupied as a display rack for an assortment of tights, Susan nudged the laptop over and shimmied up onto the desktop.

“And what prompted this?” she asked, eyeing the empty hangers dangling forlornly in the wardrobe and wondering how Esther had ever managed to fit everything in there.

“I’m trying to work out what to wear.”

“To what?”

“Vectra’s gig. Tomorrow.”

Susan’s face contorted in confusion with such force that she pulled a muscle. “What? You’re actually going to that?”

“Of course! I’m someone who supports my friends.”

“Undeniably true. You are relentlessly supportive. Like a sexy bra that surprises you by actually being functional.” Susan paused. “But Vectra. Does she really fall into the friend category? Isn’t she more of a . . .” Susan wanted to say “noxious arsehole,” but if Esther really was delusional about Vectra being her friend, that might not go down so well. “. . . course buddy? You know, like—”

“You and Kully?” Esther said brightly.

“No!” Susan was faintly insulted on Kully’s behalf. “Like, umm . . . I don’t know, me and someone I’ve never spoken to who sits in the same lecture as me sometimes.”