Think. Think! Something she could research while she was at home with the baby. Something new, which the magazine didn’t already cover. Something that Eva would go for. Most importantly, something she could come up with right this minute.

‘How about a column for mothers?’ Jenny blurted out.

Eva looked at her as if she’d gone soft in the head. ‘Mothers? Hardly our demographic. Our readers want glamour and gossip – not dummies and diapers. Are those hormones doing something to your brain? Maybe you should be thinking about starting your maternity leave sooner rather than later.’ She glanced at her paperwork – Eva’s usual sign that you should leave.

But Jenny wasn’t about to give up. ‘No, no, wait, listen. I don’t mean a boring, mumsy column – quite the opposite. More a kind of “Englishman in New York” slant – what it’s like to find yourself in the world of babies when you are the least maternal person on earth.’ Jenny’s mind whirred and her mouth followed. ‘Think “Lost in Mothercare”. And, of course, I’d be the perfect person to write it. I mean, who is less prepared for motherhood than me? Can you imagine some of the messes I’m going to get into? Some of the crazy women I’m likely to meet in the next couple of months? It’ll be hilarious!’ Jenny laughed, to illustrate her point. Must not slip into hysteria.

Eva looked up. ‘I’m not sure…’

Jenny leaned forward, getting into her pitch. ‘What do you think has happened to all of those women who started reading “Girl About Town” ten years ago, when I first started writing it? Lots of them have met someone, settled down – might even be pregnant as we speak. Do you want to lose those readers, or give them something that speaks to them where they are now?’

Eva had her head on one side, listening. Keep talking.

‘I could be the intrepid explorer, taking them into new territory, showing them the way.’ Jenny held out her arm as if she were about to lead an expedition to Planet Baby.

Eva nodded slowly. Then shook her head. ‘And how are you going to find time to write this column? I’ve heard that women at home with children find getting things done a bit tricky. Let’s face it, Jen, you have hardly been the most organised writer, even when you’ve only had yourself to look after.’

Jenny made a mocking ‘pfff’ sound through her teeth. ‘I’m going to be at home all day, every day!’ According to her sister, it was impossible to do anything for yourself when you were at home with a baby, but Jenny wasn’t intending to turn into Claire.

Eva tapped her mouth with the end of her pen. ‘Just say I let you have a go at this… what will you write about? What kind of things do new mums do all day? Will you actually have any material?’

Material? Where could she get material? Think. THINK! ‘I’m starting an antenatal class next week,’ Jenny lied. ‘I’ll have a whole list of topics for you after that.’ She would have given Eva a couple of examples at this point, but she didn’t have a clue what they might be. ‘Look, while I’m on maternity leave, I’ll write a blog, test out a few ideas, see what kind of response I get. I won’t use my name, so there’ll be no connection to Flair to begin with… I’ll be an undercover reporter. That’s it! I’ll call it, “The Undercover Mother”! Just promise me you’ll look at it and consider turning it into a column?’

Eva stood up. ‘Okay.