Page 87 of Duplicity

She answers after a couple of rings. ‘Brendan.’

‘Does Marlowe have a kid?’ I blurt out.

She lets out a long, defeated sigh. ‘Yeah. My goddaughter, Tabby.’

‘Tabby.’ I whisper the name to myself, wondering why it sounds familiar. ‘And she’s ill?’ Pressure is building in my sinuses, and I pinch the bridge of my nose.

‘She is. She was. But?—’

‘Why the fuck are they in North Carolina?’

She sighs again, even longer and harder. ‘Tabs needed an operation to save her life. Duke is the best place on the planet to do it. Look, have you spoken to Marlowe, or…?’

Save her life save her life save her life.

‘I just called her, but this woman answered her phone. And I tried to talk to her, but this nurse said she was in the ICU, and she wouldn’t fucking tell me anything, and so—then I—but I don’t?—’

‘Brendan. Breathe for me, okay? It’s all okay.’ There’s some rushed, low-level mumbling as she presumably talks to Gabe.

‘I need to know,’ I say, because she’s being obtuse. I thought Athena was smart, but she’s too calm. I don’t understand why she’s—doesn’t she realise how bad this is? ‘I need to know how—what’s the—like, is there a fucking plan here?’

I’ve started shouting without realising it. I just want to make her understand the urgency here.

‘Brendan. Listen. Can you make it over here? Come over and we’ll have a proper chat, and I’ll tell you what I can, though the story is really Marlowe’s to tell.’

My mind is reeling, but the only thing I’m certain of is that I need answers. ‘Yeah. I’ll take the bike.’ I have a bespoke Falcon in the garage downstairs, and it’s going to be by far the quickest way of taking me across London and getting me some answers.

‘Okay.’ She sounds doubtful. ‘Don’t kill yourself. You’ll be no good to anyone if you come off your motorbike.’

‘I won’t. Athena?’

‘Yes?’

I can barely get out the words. ‘How old is—how old is her—Tabby?’

‘She’s eight. Nearly nine.’ Athena’s voice is soft when she says it in a way I haven’t heard before, except when she’s mooning over my brother.

My beautiful Marlowe is mother to a gravely ill eight-year-old little girl, and I didn’t know a damn thing about it.

Idon’t take the time to put on my leathers, which is probably really stupid, but I don’t care. Besides, it’s a warm night and I’d rather stay in my shorts and t-shirt. I get across the river quickly on my Falcon and then make my way to my brother’s house in Manchester Square as speedily as I can risk without getting pulled over.

Athena answers the door. She surveys me with a grim countenance. No doubt she thinks I’m having some kind of breakdown. She wouldn’t be far wrong. The entire way here, my brain has been downloading question after question. I don’t understand what’s going on here, and I need some answers before I lose the fucking plot.

I follow her through to the kitchen where my brother is putting the finishing touches to what smells like stir-fry. On the nearby table is a huge stack of Audacity Foundation brochures. They have a stall at the green summit tomorrow. He comes over, slaps me silently and heartily on the back once, and slides an open bottle of beer over to me. I take it with an equally silent salute and raise it gratefully to my lips. Jesus, that’s good.

While my mind was busy formulating questions on the bike ride over, it was also busy prioritising them, so I go ahead and blurt out what is by far the most important one. ‘Is Tabby going to be okay?’

Athena picks up her glass of white wine. ‘It seems so, yes.’

I blow out a breath. ‘Good. That’s good. What’s wrong with her?’

‘She has a rare congenital heart defect.’

Congenital… ‘She was born with it?’

‘Yes. Her pulmonary valve, which takes blood from her heart to her lungs, was too narrow when she was born. She had an operation at birth to replace it, and one aged three, but she’s been overdue another one for some time. She had the replacement done yesterday, and from what Marlowe tells me, it all went smoothly, thank God.’

She’s been speaking to Marlowe. Marlowe has shared this emergency with her. Of course she has—her little girl is Athena’s goddaughter.

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