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She’d had her period on the flight out. A week after they returned, she was late. Had she conceived an Australian baby? She was ready to dream that she had.

On their first Saturday back, Adam did circus school with both girls.

Coralie layered up with thermals, a jumper, a padded vest, and her biggest puffer to walk across the park and buy a pregnancy test. At Broadway Market, she wove through the crowds browsing Scotch eggs, Gujarati thalis, cheeses, flowers, and old black-and-white photos of Hackney.

As usual, there was a clear divide between locals (rushing, annoyed) and people who’d put on their fanciest outfits to travel in from somewhere else.

She didn’t feel like a coffee. That could be a good sign.

On her way out of the pharmacy, she spotted a familiar face. “Dan!” Her brother’s hair had grown very long since Coralie had last seen him. “How do you get your ponytail so sleek?”

“I don’t do anything.” He embraced her. “My hair’s just oilier than yours. I keep it back when I cook. I was using the thin elastics from Boots, but they kept breaking.”

“No, you’d need the thick ones. What are you doing now? Do you want a bagel with me?”

“I’ve literally come here for a bagel! I always have one before work.”

The bagel lady, who had inch-long acrylic nails, laid out the meat with care. “Gherkin and mustard?”

“Yes, please, for both of us,” Dan said. “I love your nails.” The lady smiled, delighted.

“I can never do this with Zora around,” Coralie said. “She makes sick noises about the salt beef.”

“That’s nice that she’s a vego. I hardly cook meat at home.”

“Florence doesn’t eat meat either. I’m thinking of not forcing her.”

“Do you remember the chops? When we were young?”

“Stop,” Coralie said. “Disgusting.”

“Dad made me finish them before I could get down from the table. Once he found where I’d left all the chewed-up bits. In the wooden bowl, hidden in the pine cones—do you remember?”

“I don’t. Was he angry?”

“No, he was really relaxed and easygoing, just the greatest, kindest dad ever.”

They both laughed.

“I put a bit of extra gherkin on for you,” the lady said. “Have a lovely day, yeah?”

They pushed through the crowds. “Would you want nails like that if you didn’t have to cook?”

“Nah,” Dan said. “I like them, though.”

“You know what else is cute about Zora? When she talks about being grown-up, she says ‘my husband or wife.’ Isn’t that nice?”

“That’s so nice. Lucky little kid. Be free.”

They left the main market to sit on a low wall. They were shivering. “Brr,” Dan said. “It’s frigid. What was Australia like?”

“Heaven on earth. How was your Christmas? What did you do?”

“I worked, of course, on Christmas Eve. But on the actual day, I…” He fluttered his eyelashes. “Went to my boyfriend’s house.”

“Your what?”

“Yes, I have a boyfriend.”

“No, I mean, of course you do, you’re a very eligible man, but your boyfriend—has a house?”

“Oh, very funny. I didn’t choose to live in poverty. We’re not all hobnobbing with Tories and centrist dads.”

“What’s his name, then?”

“I just want to keep it to myself for a bit. You can meet him soon. Or…at some point.”

“But is he wonderful?”

“Yeah!” Dan’s jacket started buzzing. He pulled his phone out. “Speak of the devil.”

The name on the screen, in all caps, was Big Man . Dan canceled him coyly and put the phone back in his pocket. They both paid attention to their bagels.

“Put me out of my misery,” Dan said after a bit. “How was Roger?”

Coralie swallowed her last mouthful. “Ugh!”

“I know. Did you do hotel Christmas with Jenny?”

“We weren’t invited!”

Dan gasped. “You went to Canberra to see them!”

“We had Boxing Day together, at Ruby Chinese Restaurant. In Dickson, remember?”

“I hardly remember Canberra.”

“Well, the food was really nice. We saw Edwin, Jenny’s son, who’s also nice . He works for Deloitte. They both speak Mandarin, so they ordered for us. I’ve met Jenny once before, but have you ever met her?”

Dan looked away. “Nope.”

“I was struck by how she managed Dad. She had a little more wriggle room. Mum wouldn’t have dreamed of taking liberties!”

“Liberties like what?”

“Jenny still works at Australia Post—she has a job. But mainly it was the fact that she laughed at him. Just a tiny bit. She rolled her eyes when he wiped his chopsticks down with a napkin.”

“I forgot he always did that.”

“And Florence was doing her best, but she was jet-lagged and exhausted, and squashed into a high chair, which she hates. Dad gritted his teeth—you could see his jaw actually clenching. He asked if I could ‘sort her out.’ Jenny gently put her hand on his arm. And after a second he shook it off, but he didn’t say anything else. ”

“Yeah, you better sort that baby out.” Dan made a face. “Did he ask you any questions?”

“Only why we didn’t visit more and why we weren’t staying any longer.”

“Hmm, I wonder why.”

“I guess we’ll never know!”

“Did he mention Mum?”

“He didn’t,” Coralie said.

“Did he mention me?”

She didn’t know which answer he’d like best, so she just told the truth. “No.”

“Well, as long as he doesn’t come here.” Dan stared off into the distance. “Everything should be fine.”

At home, she unwrapped the pregnancy test and placed it next to her on the sink.

But when she pulled down her underwear, she found it was stained with blood.