‘You knew this day would come. We both did. I could see it coming a mile off. You held on too tight to her and she ran.’

‘I tried to keep her safe,’ I say. ‘That’s all I ever did. I need a plan, Dee. He’s too clever. I’ve been coming at this like an angry bull, and it’s not the way. He sees me coming.’

‘We need breakfast,’ says Dee. ‘This is too upsetting on an empty stomach.’

‘Isn’t it like 2 a.m. your time?’

‘So call it a late dinner then. But who cares about me. You need breakfast. I bet you haven’t eaten. I had to practically force food down you as a kid.’

‘You know I can’t eat when I’m upset.’

‘Listen, I know how distressing this is for you,’ says Dee. ‘I know you never wanted to revisit the past. You nearly lost your mind back then. Honestly, Michael was worse than cancer for you. I thought you weren’t going to make it. But things are different now. You have this Nick guy. Your own business. A nice home. Liberty will get this out of her system and you’ll all be better for it – you’ll see.’

‘How can you be so calm? He’ll be telling her all sorts of things about me. How unhinged I am. A desperate groupie. And … the rest. All the rest. And then she’ll hate me and never want to come home. And he has guns at that place—’

‘Come on.’ Dee puts an arm around my shoulder. ‘You need to eat. And even if you don’t, I need to eat.’

‘We can’t—’

‘You said we need a plan, right? So let’s go make a plan.’

In the first-class lounge, we’re served poached eggs, mushrooms, roasted basil tomatoes, fruit and Buck’s Fizz – or mimosa, to use the American.

If Nick were here, he’d be measuring grams of protein.

When the mimosas are placed on the table, I feel Dee’s eyes on me.

‘I don’t want alcohol,’ I tell the waiter. ‘Thank you.’

‘Are you sure?’ Dee asks. ‘It might calm you down.’

‘No. I need to stay sharp.’

I choose to eat instead of drink. The food tastes of nothing, but I force it down. Dee is right – I’ll be no good to Liberty if I’m fainting from hunger.

‘Well done,’ says Dee. ‘This is just like when we were little, do you remember? Me making sure you finished your plate. You were so cute, always licking your plate clean.’

‘You were the best big sister/mother in the world.’ I look up. ‘When I was with Michael, he said you resented me. That anyone in your position would.’

‘Resent you? For what?’