Eliza had barely taken all that in, sat down and introduced herself in return, before she heard what sounded like a sob from down the aisle. It was an older woman, her dark hair flecked with grey, wearing a blue tracksuit. She looked like she’d been doing a lot of crying.

The flight attendant helped the woman stow her bag, then settled her in the aisle seat beside Eliza.

‘Now, we’ll be close by if you need us, Judith. You’ve nothing to be frightened of. We take these flights several times a week. We wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t safe, I promise. It’s statistically safer —’

‘Than driving a car,’ Judith said, stifling another sob. ‘I know. But I hate driving too.’

The flight attendant patted her on the shoulder, promised to be back soon, then moved down the aisle. Before Eliza had a chance to speak, Sullivan leaned across.

‘Hello, Judith, I’m Sullivan. Are you a nervous flyer? What a shame. This is Eliza, by the way.’

Judith gave them both a watery smile, then took a tissue from her sleeve. She began to pull it to pieces. ‘I’m not nervous. I’m completely terrified. I’ve never flown before. I have never wanted to fly. I want to get off this plane and never set foot in an airport again but I can’t, because in Manchester,’ she faltered then, ‘in Manchester my darling only daughter is waiting with her two little babies, twin boys, born a month ago. I want to see them so badly but they were born premature and it could be a long time before they can take a big flight. I can’t even take tablets to knock myself out. What if something happened and I slept through it? If we crashed into the sea? At least if I was conscious, I’d have a chance at swimming, like that Kate Winslet, hanging on to that piece of ship for hours.’ She finally stopped and drew a breath.

Sullivan had been listening intently. ‘I don’t think you’d survive if we did crash into the sea,’ he said. ‘The impact would be catastrophic. So in that instance it probably would be better to be asleep.’

Judith shuddered. ‘That’s what my husband said. He hasn’t been at all sympathetic. He said this trip has cost so much he hopes I don’t sleep a wink. That I have to get my money’s worth of movies and meals and drink. But I don’t hold my drink well. At Christmas I had a gin and tonic and I was crying by the time we had the pudding, thinking of Cathy on the other side of the world, about to have her babies. And I like her husband – he’s a nice Welsh boy – but why did she have to fall in love with a foreigner, rather than an Aussie? But the babies are so gorgeous. It will be worth it, won’t it, to hold them?’

For the next five minutes all Eliza had to do was nod and listen. Whenever there was a lull in Judith’s monologue, Sullivan jumped in with a question. Around them, other passengers filed in. Flight attendants began closing overhead compartments. Ground staff were asked to leave the aircraft.