"Long time." "I know." "Um... do you want to tell me what all this is about?" "I thought you said it was going to be just me." "Are you not going to even say hello to me?" "CAR DRAWS UP" "Is that... ?" "Look, please, come on." "Let's just give this a chance." "All right?" "This had better be good." "Hi." "Oh, you know." "It never stops." "No, of course I haven't forgotten." "Ok." "Yeah." "I'll see you in a bit." "Hello!" "Hiya." " All right, Katie?" " Hi." "Did you get it?" "Ta-da!" "What would we do without you?" "Happy birthday, Elsa!" "Happy birthday, my darling!" "Do you want to blow them out?" "Yes!" "You can all have one cupcake." "Here in the jungle, we've got the King of the Jungle, and he's asleep." "I can hear something..." "Nibble, nibble, nibble!" "I think it's a rat." "I'm here today in the jungle..." "Don't." "What?" "I know what you're doing." "What?" "He's just a photographer." "Somebody I work with." " Mm-hm." " He's my gift to Elsa." "And to you, if you like." "Ok, I won't mention it again." "So, any word from Daddy?" "Er, yeah, he should be in a cab about now." " What do you mean?" " Er, flying birthday visit." "Oh." "Well, then, no wonder." "No wonder what?" "No wonder Jeff fails to register even a tremor of desire." "Ah..." "The..." "Ugh!" "Do you really think Matthew Rees is going to snog you wearing this?" "!" "Well, at least Ben Patterson won't be able to put his hand up your skirt again." "Hey!" "Come on!" "Cathy, I will not have that kind of..." "Oh, God, give me strength!" "That, or a drink." "Is everything ok?" "You know, I have absolutely no idea what's acceptable or not." "Aw!" "And all this talk of boys and bras..." "I don't know if I should say more, or less, or be angry, or..." "I mean, I know she doesn't want it to be like this, but..." "I just wish, occasionally, their mother could be here to deal with this stuff." "I miss her, I suppose." "She hasn't gone anywhere, Richard." "Hasn't she?" "Sorry." "Speaking out of turn." "It's ok." "Nothing worse than a whingeing, unemployed accountant." "I promise never to moan in public again." "Oh..." "You won't tell Trudi about it, will you?" "No." "Of course I won't." "Ok, so you want five dozen cupcakes." "Right." "Oh!" "Er, look, I'm really sorry, the bank manager's come." "I've got to go, sorry." "Yeah, exactly." "Steph..." "I'll call you back, yeah?" "Yeah." "Steph, what is it you think I'm paying you for?" "Being gorgeous." "Never mind." "Um, the man ringing the doorbell wants to lend us money, so if you could see your way to letting him in and perhaps making him a cup of coffee..." "and bring him to my office." "Hello, is it Mr. Jenkins?" "Hi, come in." "Sorry about that, it's been mad on the phones this morning." "Mr. Jenkins, Trudi Malloy." "Thank you, Steph." "Mr. Jenkins." "A small inducement for our 200 grand." "Right, Siobhan, that's me done." " Oh, hang on." "Just let me, er..." " Oh, no, no, no." "It's, er, it's on the house." "You know she's hoping you'll ask me out?" " But I'd rather you didn't." " Oh, well, then, I won't." "Mmm." "But if you change your mind..." "You'll be the first person she tells." "Hey-hey!" "How was it?" "What, the party or Elsa?" "Hmm... both." "Well, the party was lovely, and Elsa was... absolutely perfect." "And you?" "Internet porn and Cash In The Attic?" "How dare you?" "!" "I've barely stopped all day." " You're a Trojan." " I know." "But now it's playtime." "You ok?" "Mmm." "Of course." "That's him." "Darling, I'm going to go out and say hello, ok?" " Hello." " Hello, you." "Where is she?" "Come on." "Where is she?" "There she is!" "Hello, my little beauty!" "Hello." "Aren't you beautiful?" "Aren't you beautiful?" "Oh, love." " Oh, Dom, she's only three." " Sorry." "She hardly ever sees you." "All right, Bonnie." "It's all right, sweet pea." " I'll put her to bed -." "Ok." "Come on, love, it's been a big day." "There's a good girl." "Wednesday, right?" "Two years of all this, and it comes down to me and Conor." "One hour, one meeting, one deal." "Baby, you've worked so hard." "I couldn't do it without you, Jess." "Aw..." " What you've done for me..." " Hey." "Still no word from Dan?" "How long's that?" "Three months and two weeks since I got back from Australia." "Long enough to know that he won't be changing his mind." "Then I'm sorry." "Hello!" " Hey!" " Hi." "I am so, so sorry." "The bank manager, and then another order came in, and..." "It's fine." " Hi." " Hi." " You ok?" " Yes." "I'm fine." "But really, I should be going, and let you two have your evening." " Oh, no." " Katie, don't be silly." "Look, I've got two hours of Cathy's geography to get through, in any case." " See?" "Abandoned." " No, really." "I'd like to get home." "Then at least let Richard drive you." " Yeah, sure." " Ok." "See you." "Dom, do you want a top-up?" "Oh, God!" " Jet lag." " It's ok." "Um, Dom, can I ask you something?" "Yeah." "Sure." "About Elsa." "Here's the thing." "You go away, but you call all the time." "But you come back and we don't know how long for." "It's... it's hard on her." "I know." "I know." "And it's not how I want things to be." "Well, how do you want things to be?" "Whenever, and in whatever way she'll let me..." "I want to be the best father I possibly can be." "Good." "Come on." "I've got your bed made up." "I'm sorry." "There's, um... so much more I... want to talk to you about." "It can wait." "How's Hari?" "Oh, he writes to her." "All seems well." "Good." "Well..." "I should go to bed." "Yeah." "Night." " Night." " Night." "Jess?" "What's going on?" "Oh..." "Hey, hey, hey, hey." "Oh, honey." "It's been 18 months, Mark. 18 months since the miscarriage, and that's a year of thermometers and tests and drugs that make me feel like some sort of hormonal maniac, and I am trying to be brave and buoyant and, you know, Jessica," "but I just can't do it any more, I just..." "I can't!" "Thank you." " Any time." " No, really." "I don't know what I'd have done without you guys." "It'll get better." "I promise." " Night." " Night." " See you." " Bye." "Well, I'm glad you didn't let that man fondle you all night." "Mother!" "You're supposed to be in Cape Town." "So where next, then?" "Mexico City?" "Kabul?" "Or have your gap years come to an end?" "Not to an end as such." "And I should apologise for descending on you like this." "It's just that things happened rather quicker than I'd imagined, and I really couldn't face going home." "What things, Mother?" "Would you mind very much if we left this till tomorrow?" "It's been a long journey, and I really am exhausted." "Well, the spare room's still in the same place." "Katherine... that man you were with just now..." "I'm assuming that means that Daniel isn't following you back home." "That man is Richard, Trudi's husband." "But yes, your assumption regarding Dan is correct, I'm afraid." "Then I'm sad it didn't go better for you both." "Good night, Mum." "Good night." "Right, that's me, I think." "You coming up?" "Um, yeah, in a minute." "Sure." "Oh, bloody hell!" "Sorry." " What time is it?" " Half-past two." " Trudi!" " I know." "I know." "Morning, Katherine." "Morning." "Did you sleep all right?" "Very well, thank you." " Looks nice." " It is." "Where is it?" "Cape Town... about an hour or so north." "Mmm." "And... what is it?" "It's the ranch I'm buying." " Who's that?" " That's Damian, from Humbolts." "Humbolts, the estate agency?" "Is there another Humbolts?" " What's he doing here?" " I'm taking him out to value the house." "Our house?" "That's right." "Good to see you." "Hey!" "Breakfast in bed." "Ah." "So listen, this is one of my three days in the office, and Elsa normally goes to the minder, but we thought that you might like to step in." "Daddy day-care?" "Whoa-ho!" "Ok, three lunches." "Amy... ok, put that in your bag, please." "Cathy..." "Amy!" "Make-up off." "You know the rules, Amy." "Yeah, all right, Nigella!" "Ok." "Come on, girls." "The bus leaves in five minutes." "Quickly." "Kiss." "Ok, let's go." "Come on, quickly." "Uh... check." "Have a good day." "It's just not feasible." "But it's the only thing we have that'll guarantee the bank loan." "I know that." "The loan that will allow the business to grow in the way it needs." "I know that too." "So?" "So... call me risk-averse, but if the bakery goes down, I'm not wildly keen on the idea of the family home going with it." "Richard, the bakery pays for the family home." " If it goes down, we go down." " That's hardly fair, is it?" "It's not like I don't support this family." " I didn't say that." " Maybe you didn't need to." "Now you're being unfair." "Look, I know what you do for this family, what you do for the girls, what you do for me... you keep us afloat, and I would never undervalue that, never." "But what about what I'm trying to do?" "I am working and juggling and I'm trying hard to fight to keep our lives, and... and it's bloody hard." "I never see the girls," "I never see you, and..." "I miss you." "But all I seem to get from you is some kind of... tight-lipped martyrdom." "What do you want me to do?" "I am trying to find a solution to this problem, and I cannot do that if I have to tiptoe around you and your feelings for ever." "Mobile." "Shit!" " Siobhan?" " Oh!" "Mobile." "Oh, right." "Um, listen, tonight..." "Yes?" " Could we..." " What?" "Have dinner, you and me?" "There's something I'd like to talk to you about." " Yeah, great." "Fine." " Ok." " How long on the Clomid now?" " Six months." "Which is the maximum allowance." "I know." " So what next?" " IVF." " Which means?" " Well... there are" " a number of options..." " We wait or we pay." " We should probably wait, though." " We should." "Just until we're properly back on our feet again." " Right." " Yeah." "You know, all my life, everyone, my parents, everyone, they've always tried to tell me that there was a time for prudence, for financial caution." "Obviously, I never believed them." "But even if there is such a time... this isn't it." "What are you saying, Mark?" "I'm saying... that I want to do this for you." "I want to make it happen." "You've supported me for two years now, and I want to give it back." "I'm going to close this deal and then it's going to be my time to look after you." "So unless Katie has any other suggestions, I think we should just get on with it." "Oh!" "I'll talk to some people and get things moving, ok?" "Jess, that's amazing." "That's great!" " And brave of you." " Yeah." "Both of you." "And look, I know things have been tricky financially, so if you guys need any help, I'm here, ok?" "Well, we won't." "I know." "I'm just saying, if you do." "Thanks." "It's not a problem." "Ok." "So, how's Dominic?" "Um..." "Siobhan?" "Oh, I..." "I found a ring in his stuff." "A diamond ring." "Oh, my God!" "He can't just show up and expect... that." "That's so..." " So romantic!" " No, it's insane!" "It's insane." "I mean... what does he think is going on here?" "I don't know, maybe he just thinks he's the man who's always been in love with you" " and now's the right time to make his move." " Oh, Siobhan, come on." "You know he's always been much more than a rummage in the stationery cupboard." "Who for, though?" "But... marriage?" " Well, what's wrong with marriage?" " You're asking me that?" "I know." "I can hardly believe it myself sometimes." "But you know... me and Mark and the life we're going to have together, it just means everything to me." "Anyway, what about little Elsa?" "What could be better for her than having her mum and dad actually being her mum and dad?" " Why aren't you at work?" " I wanted to have lunch with you." "Glass of wine?" "It's South African." "So... how was Damian from Humbolts?" "He thought we'd get enough on the house to cover the purchase price of the ranch." "Well, that is wonderful news, although I don't know why you're referring to "we"." "It's clearly got nothing to do with me." "I wasn't using it in relation to you." "Who were you using it in relation to, then?" "Dale." "Dale?" "My boyfriend." "Your..." "Mother, just so I'm clear." "Would this be a correct summation of the facts so far?" "You are selling our family home and emigrating to run a ranch in the Western Cape with an Afrikaner called Dale." "He's not an Afrikaner." " He's a widower from Leamington Spa." " Oh Mother, please!" "All right, yes, yes, that would be an accurate summation of the affairs, although I fail to see why you're so exercised by the news." "Because it's where I grew up, and you just blithely go and announce that it isn't going to be there any more." "When was the last time you went up there?" "Oh..." "last week?" "Last month?" "Last year?" "The place is mothballed." "It's been mothballed since your father died." " I know you're angry about this..." " Oh, God!" "... about lots of things." "But I just don't understand your sudden attachment to the place." "Would you like the two of us to move back in?" "No, of course not." "I just think these are things you might have chosen to tell me about, that's all." "What?" "In the way you chose to tell me about Dan, I imagine." "Do pass that salmon." "It looks delicious." "Right..." "More bills?" "Yup." "They're very demanding." "What's this, then?" "Um..." "It's an online network for introducing small businesses and investors to each other." ""Small bakery needs its buns iced."" "It's like internet dating." " You ever done internet dating, Trudi?" " Er... no, never." "Have you?" "Oh, yeah, loads." " Met my bloke online." " Great." "Yeah, well, it was, until I stopped signing on and got this job." "Yeah." "It's a lot easier to manage your relationship when you can lay about in bed all day." "I think I'm going to dump him, in any case, because I really want to concentrate on this, Trudi." "Being here with you, this opportunity... is the most important thing in my life right now." "No man can come close." "Oh, please don't break his heart on my account." "Oh, it's too late, Trudi." "My mind's made up." "No matter how much else I've learnt to do since your father died," "I'm still next to useless at this kind of thing." "Not Dale's strong point either?" "No." "But he has other ones." "Hello?" "Oh, Richard, hi." "Er... no." "No, that's no problem at all." "Actually, there might be something you can do in return." "No, it's not for me." "No, it's for my mother." "She's buying a house." "Yeah." "Ok." "Ok, thank you." "Thanks, Richard." "I'll see you later." "Bye." "That was Richard, who you saw the other night." "I said I'd pick Gina up from her piano lesson while he got the other two from school." "Doesn't she have a mother for that?" "And the quid pro quo?" "He said he would be delighted to help you with your accounts." "What's all that?" "Boy fight." "Katie, thank God you're here." "I..." " It's always your fault." " So?" "Shut up!" "He doesn't even fancy you, Amy!" " But I liked him first." " So?" "Katie, tell her!" "It's not the way it works." "He's a jock." "Jocks never like emos." " How do you know he'll like you instead?" " Cos he's a boy." " Such a slag, Cathy!" " Hey!" "Amy," " never say that to her." "Yeah, Amy." "And don't you get on your high horse, because if Amy did see him first," "I say she has every right to expect you to back off." "But, hey, look, girls." "Here's the thing." "There are going to be so many boys... armies of them... and not one of them is going to be worth this." "Men!" "God!" "They are annoying, mostly." "Occasionally, yes, they can be great." "But they're never going to be able to give you what you two already have, which is your friendship." "This." "Best friends." "Never jeopardise that for one of them." "Never." "Ok, go." "Thank you." "He told Melissa Gates he fancies me!" "And Melissa Gates is as much of a lying slut as you are!" " "That's true."" " Why are you sticking up for her?" "You're my sister!" "You're just jealous!" "God!" "Give me one of those." "What is it about girls?" "I don't ever remember being like that." " Evolutionary biology." " Right..." "No, seriously, men are biologically disposed to... spread their seed... reproduce with as many and as varied of the opposite sex as possible." "And women?" "Find the best specimen you can and try to hang on to him." "Don't let anyone else near." "Nothing we can do about it." "Makes us defensive." "You four manage, though." "Look at you. 15 years you've been friends." " It's 20 for me and Trudi." " Well, there you go." "Maybe you're the next evolutionary stage." "Or the missing link." "You're smoking." "Sorry." "Desperate measures." "What is going on?" "Boy trouble." "I gave them the "girls are better than boys" talk." "Didn't work." "Right." "Old-fashioned methods, I think." "Right, I've had enough!" "What is wrong?" "All afternoon..." "You'll never guess what landed on my doorstep last night." "Her Majesty." "Your mum?" "Herself." "Wow!" "Everything ok?" "Everything is perfect." "She's been bathed and read to." "All you need to do is go and say good night." "Ok." "Is that really so terrible?" "Seriously, she needs protecting from herself." "Really?" "I mean... she got married, had you, worked hard." "Maybe it's time she put herself first." "Maybe she deserves a bit of that." "I mean, think about it." "You know, actually, don't." "It sends you mad if you think about it too much." "Am I sensing a personal agenda here?" "Yes, you might be." "Hmm..." "I don't know," "I just think that whatever way you look at it, the whole thing is bloody rigged." "You can't win." "You work hard." "You try to do the best for your family, who you love and miss, and all I ever feel is that one way or another, I am letting them down." "You can't have it all." "No, it seems not." "Does Richard ever talk to you about this stuff?" "About me and him and... the business?" "I mean... you probably see more of him than I do at the moment." "No." "Really." "He's never said a word about it." "Ok." "This is lovely, Dom." "Thank you." "Elsa chose the fish." "She's been well trained." "So this, um... me coming back like this, um..." "Obviously, I wanted to see Elsa, and it's been great and everything, but... like I said, there is something that I want to, um..." "Oh..." "This is... harder than I thought it would be." "Oh..." "Are you... expecting anyone?" "No." "I'll, er..." "I'll be right back." "Hi." "Honey, I know it's only been a week, but I have missed you so much." "Me too." "Is she in here?" "Siobhan?" "Siobhan, Siobhan, Siobhan, I have heard so much about you." "This is Alice... my fiancée." "About the house... the loan." "You were right to say it's not worth it." "It isn't." "I'm..." "I'm glad you've said that." "And I..." "I think there might be a solution." "Right..." "I placed an ad on a website where small businesses get introduced to investors." "Sounds like internet dating." "That's what Steph said." "Anyway, someone came back... a guy called Webb." "He owns restaurants." "Nice ones." "We're meeting tomorrow afternoon." "Tomorrow afternoon?" "But what time?" "I've got to pick the girls up." "Oh, you don't have to come." "No, I think I should be there." "Er... honestly, Richard, it's just a preliminary meeting." "It..." "Right." "Ah, lovely." "Dip it in, sweetie." "Are you going to eat your egg, sweetie?" "Yeah?" "Daddy's cutting you some soldiers." " Morning." " Morning!" "Hey!" "She's like a princess." "She is, isn't she?" "I am going to go shower." "I'm sorry." "I was about to tell you." "She just..." "Beat you to it?" "Yeah." "Anyway... no idea why it was such a problem for you." "No, no." "Um... it was ridiculous of me." "But look, if it's at all inconvenient, we can find a hotel." "Don't be absurd." "Elsa's clearly delighted, aren't you?" "So am I." "She's beautiful." "Thank you." "So, um... have you named a date?" "Um... we have, actually." "It's in two Fridays' time." "Two..." "Siobhan, do you mind if I use your hair conditioner?" "Sure." "Thanks." "What time is it?" "Eight." "What have I done to deserve this?" "It's only tea." "You used to bring your father his tea." "Do you remember?" "I would have brought you yours, too, but you were always up and on duty." "You know, one of the great wonders of my life was watching the way you were together." "I don't think I've ever seen two people love each other more." "Katherine... you know, all I've ever wished for you is what you'd wish for yourself." "I'd better get ready if I'm going to get you to Richard's for 10.30." "I'm fine, really." "You don't have to worry about me." "I think I do." "Please, I want to get dressed." "You won't tell me what happened with Dan, which is your prerogative." "But I'm afraid I can't help but be curious about what has happened for you to be so... reduced." "Reduced?" "You're my mother." "How can you say that to me?" "Because you are my daughter, my beautiful, brilliant daughter, and I have to ask myself what has brought you to this... a trained oncologist wasting her life as a locum, an extremely attractive woman on her own again," "when she should be looking for someone to be happy with, have a family with." "You want to know what happened with Dan?" "Why he took me to Australia and then sent me away again?" "He sent me away because no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forgive me." "Because every time he looked at me, he saw a woman who thought so little of him, so little of herself... that she screwed his best friend." "So there you are." "I work where I do because it suits me, and I am on my own because, quite frankly, I don't know who'd have me any more." "Good luck." "You ok?" " Yeah, just a bit nervous, I guess." " Yeah, you and me both." "So I'll see you at the clinic later, yeah?" " See you there." " Ok." "Mark..." "Siobhan offered to lend us some money." "I told her we didn't need it." "Good." "Because we don't." "I know." "Hi." "Richard... my mother, Vivienne." "How do you do?" "Come in." "Hi, Conor." "Mark." " Hello." " Hello, I'm Mark." "He's just in there." "Trudi." " Hi." " Hello." "Chris Webb." "I'm afraid I've been doing my homework." "You delivered to your hundredth customer last May, and according to your auditors, your turnover reached six figures this year." "Impressive." "I imagine you started to go slightly crazy sometime around Easter, and that all the pleasure you took in building your business evaporated with the news that any further growth and the loans it required would risk entirely bankrupting you and your family." "Shall I tell you what I want, Trudi?" "Er... please." "I want to give you your pleasure back." "I've cleared the rest of the day so you can show me the factory unit." "Er... it's not a factory." "It's a kitchen." "Mrs. ..." "Hardy?" "Yeah." " Isn't your husband here?" " Um... not yet." "Mark..." "I'm sorry." "I don't think it's going to work." "No apologies." "If it's not for you, it's not for you." "Let us at least pick up the tab." "Absolutely not." "No." "I insist." " If you're sure?" " I'm sure." " All right." " Cheers, Conor." "See you." "Declined, right?" "I'm sorry, sir." "This one should work." "Ok?" "Yeah." "She just needs to get the paperwork to, um..." " Dale." " Dale." "All pretty straightforward." "Good." "Then she should be gone before I kill her." "Are you all right?" "Katie?" "Thank you for this, Katherine." "It was good of you and kind of him." "He's a kind man." "And fond of you, I think." "He's my friend." "No." "No, he's not." "He's the husband of your oldest friend." "You'll say I'm old-fashioned, that the world has changed, but I see things... and I see the pleasure he takes in you." "And I see that she's a woman who's away from home a great deal." "These things happen all the time, and... forgive me, darling, they have a habit of happening to you." "What did I do, hmm?" "Will you tell me, please, why I had to have a mother who is so cruel... who can only ever disagree or find fault, who can't help but ruin everything?" " Katherine, please..." " Stop calling me that." "I am not Katherine." "I never was." "Hi." "I'm so sorry I'm late." "Hello." "Mark Hardy." "Hello." "How did it go?" "Entirely according to plan." "Right..." "Having strawberry and vanilla." " They're so cute." " Oh, thank you." "I wonder if you know quite how much he talks about you." "Yeah, well, his daughter's here." "No... you." "How much he talks about you." "We've been together for seven months, and in all that time you know what scared me the most?" "I had absolutely no idea how I was ever supposed to live up to you." "I think this would suggest that as far as Dominic's concerned, you've no need to live up to anything." "It was his grandmother's, you know." "He went to get it, he had it re-sized, he told everybody about us." "Family, friends." "But he couldn't bring himself to tell you." "Hey, listen." "I know what you're worrying about, but you're to stop." "Of course Dominic and I have history, and a very real three-year-old between us." "If he's going to find it difficult to tell anyone that this... beautiful girl is stealing him away, it's going to be us." "That's what he keeps saying... that anything that was between you two is ancient history now." "Well, he's right." "I know." "And it's funny, you know, seeing the two of you together now, it is totally clear to me that I never had a thing to worry about." "Dom!" "Elsa!" "Hey!" "What are you doing?" "Having a picnic?" "Everything is specifically designed so that, wherever possible, we can replicate the home-made baking process." "Kitchens, not factories." "Precisely." " Can we talk somewhere a bit quieter?" " Er... yeah." "Um... my husband." "Hi." "Er..." "I was just on my way to pick up the girls and wanted to see how it had all gone." "Er, good." "I mean..." "Yes, good." "I'm sorry." "Chris." "Hi, Richard." "Er, so, we were just going to..." "Right." "Um... should I... ?" "Er... no, no." "No, stay." " Oh, ok." " Yes... what I have to say will obviously affect the pair of you." "Ok, so..." "I want to be straight with you, Trudi." "Investment is not something I'm particularly interested in..." "Oh, er..." " Right." "I..." " because it's not something I do." "So, er... why... ?" "What I am interested in, what I'm good at, is buying companies like yours." "What, outright?" "I'm not very good at sharing." "Only the ownership structure would be different." "You can be involved to whatever degree you wish." "You can take some time off, you can work your fingers to the bone." "Your choice." "Everyone is rewarded, and, as I say, you get your joy back." "Trudi, this is everything we've been waiting for." "What?" "Trudi, it is." " Richard, please." " Never mind borrowing against the house." "We can pay off the entire bloody mortgage." "We could take the kids to Disneyland." "Seriously, we could have our lives back." "Richard, enough!" "I should be getting to school." " Um, very nice to meet you." " Yeah, likewise." "Um..." "I'm sorry." "Don't be." "He's right." "All those things are true." "Can I talk to you, Siobhan?" "Well, yeah, of course, come on in." "I..." "I just had no idea how much it had been eating her up, and I just feel powerless, Siobhan, like I don't know how to help her... what to be ready for, what the costs are," "personally and financially." "Well, Hari and I only really went through the first stages of it all, but... even then, it was just as painful and expensive as everyone says." "But if it gets you what you want, then it's all worth it, surely?" "Well, absolutely." "Whatever it takes." "Mark, um..." "I hope Jess told you that, um... well, if it's a matter of money, I'm very happy to help." "What?" "No." "That's not why... really, I couldn't." "No, please." "She's my friend, I love her." "I'd..." "like to." "If you did, she must never know." "Hi." "Richard... um... what is it?" "Have you got a moment?" " Well, my mum's here." "We're just..." " We could go for a quick drink or something." "Well..." "I..." "I'm quite tired." "I don't know, it's late." "Um... it's just..." "I really need to speak to someone and... it suddenly struck me that you're the only person I can talk to about this." "Yeah." "Um..." "look, Richard," "I really don't think I'm the person you should be bringing your problems to." "I'm sorry, I'm just not." "Right." "Of course." "I'm sorry." "I'll, um..." "I'll go."