‘I do.’ Maxie took out her phone and scrolled through her emails. ‘The alumni and fundraising manager at the school was in touch with me last month. About a new drama wing they’re opening.’

‘And you didn’t tell me?’

‘There’s been a fair bit going on, Liv.’ She called out a name and the phone number. ‘Can you please ring them? You’re better at these kinds of things than I am.’

Olivia began to say something, then changed her mind. ‘The office would be shut.’

‘You could leave a message. Tell them what we’re looking for. Say we’ll ring back tomorrow.’

Olivia called and left a message. She’d just hung up when her phone rang again. It was Alex.

‘Yes?’ she said.

‘No need to sound quite so delighted to hear from me, Olivia.’

‘Sorry, I’m in the middle of something.’

‘Yes, sending poor Eliza out into the cold streets of Edinburgh.’

‘You saw her?’

‘She was standing like a waif in the foyer, lost and with nowhere to go —’

‘Where is she now?’

‘In the hostel. In my last spare room. And now surely I’ve atoned for my sins of fourteen years ago —’

‘Thank you, Alex.’ She hung up and turned to Maxie. ‘She’s at Alex’s hostel.’

‘Let’s go over there. Talk to her.’

‘No. She needs to be on her own. To cool down.’ She sat down. ‘What have we done, Maxie? Have we wrecked everything?’

Maxie’s eyes filled with tears again. ‘I think we have.’

Sullivan was waiting on the front steps with his backpack when Eliza arrived in a taxi. He was excited to see her. She helped him with his pack. It was surprisingly heavy.

By the time they reached Edinburgh Zoo, her anger had subsided to a low glow. Her mind kept turning over all she’d learned, even as she tried to listen to Sullivan, chattering beside her.

At the entrance, Sullivan undid his pack and arranged the contents on the ground. Two apples, two sandwiches, two juices, a novel and what looked like several hundred pounds in cash.

Eliza was taken aback. ‘Sullivan, where did you get that?’

‘It’s my allowance from Dad. I’ve been saving it. You can’t be expected to pay all the time, Eliza. You’ve already given up your leisure time. And got me out from under Sophie’s feet, as she put it.’

‘This is my treat. I’m shouting you.’

‘Next time’s on me, then,’ he said, as he tucked everything away safely again.

They joined the queue. Two school groups were ahead of them. Eliza tried to push her own complicated thoughts away and focus on Sullivan instead.

‘Is it okay at home for you, Sullivan? When your dad’s at work?’