Holly lifted her sunglasses, pushing them up on her head because the clouds were denser now; they were approaching the border and she felt like things were about to change. Opposite her Eva had her eyes closed and her head was bobbing down and up as the train rocked. She looked peaceful. Piotr, though – as she watched Piotr she couldn’t help smiling. She was convinced that he was only pretending to sleep. He was staying perfectly still, so Eva could sleep beside him. And sure enough, as the train rounded a bend, her head slipped down to his shoulder, and there it stayed. No smile flitted across Piotr’s face, but Holly thought she saw his eyelids flutter, just for a second.

As she watched them, neither aware they were in Scotland now, Holly was fairly certain that Piotr was in love with Eva. What she didn’t know yet was if Eva was in love with Piotr. Though she hoped – because she had come to rather like him after all – she hoped that Eva loved him back. Love could be such a kind thing, when reciprocated, and such a cruelty when not.

Freida was delighted for her and Will, at first. Holly had bounded into her office during her final year at university, so sure of what she wanted. She wasn’t just going to donate some eggs for the research – she and Will had decided they wanted to be the parents. And they wanted to do it now. It was going to be beautiful!

‘Oh, Holly,’ Freida said, pulling her in for a hug then stepping back to look into her eyes. ‘Are you quite sure? It’s a big decision …’ She spoke quietly, thoughtfully, under the murmur of excitement that was spreading through the room. Two of her colleagues were there, doctors that Holly recognised. They’d been working on the pouch with the primates, and were leading the team for human trials. She nodded at them both, smiled – and then turned her gaze to the final woman in the room.

‘I’m Sylvia. I founded the company,’ the woman told Holly as she introduced herself – Holly realised that her eyebrows had been raised, and she lowered them again. ‘I mean, Freida and I founded the company,’ she smiled at Freida reassuringly. ‘FullLife. With the university, of course, and backing from the government. We’ll be working alongside the NHS. Sort of in parallel,’ she laughed. ‘I won’t bore you with the jargon.’

Holly shook her hand.

‘You couldn’t possibly bore me,’ she said with her most charming smile.