‘Oh, come on, Leonie. That’s not fair.’ Leonie has taught her to stick up for herself, for the validity of her own experience. Well, time for her to see what a good job she has done.

Leonie, who has her head in her hands, looks at Vee from under her fringe, eyes tired, mouth a frown, and for a second it looks as though she is going to get up and leave. But instead she shakes her head – it looks as though she cut her hair using a bowl as a guide, and it doesn’t suit her – and says, ‘I need to get some bread of my own from somewhere. It’s not cool to live off my trust fund. If I can make a living I can give more money away, to the sisters who need it.’

‘What will you do?’

A sigh. ‘I might teach a night class. Kiki was asking me if I wanted to do it. I don’t, really, but beggars can’t be choosers.’

Vee nods. Leonie has no idea of how lucky she is, how her life is full of possibility. Every time she doesn’t get what she wants, she asks one of her posh friends for help – and she gets it. She has the trust fund, too, though Vee isn’t completely clear on what that is. She does know that Leonie has a degree in something called PPE, and might do a ‘doctorate’, which is nothing to do with medicine. And that she spends a lot of her time – when she isn’t writing – organising, volunteering, and helping women.

‘Sounds good.’