Jess stays up all night caring for Ed, who is very ill. She washes his clothes and finds him collapsed on the shower floor, too weak to stand. She helps him into bed and sleeps on the sofa. The next morning, Jess lets Ed rest while she makes the children breakfast.

When Ed wakes, Jess gives him a rehydration drink and toast. He recovers enough to drive, and the group resumes their journey. As she dozes, Jess reflects on her difficult relationship with her mother, strengthening her resolve to raise her children with unconditional love. When Ed gets hungry, he asks for one of Jess’s tuna sandwiches.

After driving for eight hours, the group checks into a run-down bed and breakfast that accepts dogs. While Jess is taking a walk with the children and Norman, Ed receives a call from his lawyer, Paul, who informs him that the case against him has escalated, as police have discovered the £5,000 check Ed gave to Deanna. This creates a financial link to her family’s illegal trading.

Haunted by his father’s past disappointment of him, Ed decides to ask his lawyer to postpone the trial as much as possible. He is worried that a guilty verdict would bringing shame on his family. He also decides not to attend an upcoming birthday lunch for his terminally ill father, believing that he is doing his family a favor by staying away.

Anxious about the Math Olympiad, Tanzie refuses supper to study. Jess later finds a distraught Ed in the garden, where he confesses the extent of his legal troubles and reveals it is his 34th birthday. To lift his spirits, Jess arranges a surprise outdoor dinner with the help of the landlady, and she and Ed pretend to be a married couple for the landlady’s benefit.

After dinner, they talk for hours about their families and past relationships. Ed confesses that Lara still asks him for money, and Jess says that when Marty gets over his depression, she will ensure that he contributes to the family. Later, they go inside to sleep and discover that Norman has fallen asleep, blocking the children’s door, and Jess can’t enter the room. Ed offers to share his room with Jess. She changes into his T-shirt and tries to sleep in an armchair. However, she suddenly decides to get into bed with him and suggests they have sex. Though Ed is attracted to her, he gently refuses, explaining that their situation is too complicated. He lets her have the bed and insists on sleeping in the armchair.

The next morning, Ed wakes with a hangover, and Jess avoids looking at him. The group departs for Aberdeen; the Math Olympiad will be held later that same day. They are forced to stop when a herd of cows surrounds their car. Norman gets excited and lunges toward the window on Tanzie’s side to bark at the cows. He lands on Tanzie, breaking her glasses. Tanzie is in a panic since she can’t see without her glasses and doesn’t know how she will take the test.

Ed speeds the rest of the way, and though this makes Tanzie carsick, he sees no other way for them to make the test on time. They arrive at the university just before the test begins. He drops the family off and races to buy glasses for Tanzie. Since he doesn’t know exactly what kind she needs, he ends up buying every pair he can find. When he returns with a bag full of glasses, the test has already started. An official initially refuses him entry, but Ed makes an impassioned plea and is allowed to send the bag of glasses to Tanzie.

Afterward, he awkwardly says goodbye as Jess and Nicky retrieve their bags from his car. Ed gives Nicky his spare mobile phone and drives away feeling empty. He stops at a café where he reads a newspaper article about his case, which says that the police will soon make an arrest. He calls his sister, Gemma, telling her he won’t be making it to his father’s birthday lunch. She rebukes him sharply, and he accepts her words without defense. Just then, Nicky calls from the spare phone, telling Ed they desperately need his help.

The chapter flashes back to when the family arrives at the Math Olympiad. Nicky finds it overwhelming and understands that Tanzie must feel the same. Two boys who are about to take the test bully Tanzie about her clothes and claim that she smells of vomit. Tanzie rushes off crying, and Nicky threatens the boys before going to console her. When Tanzie goes inside to begin the test, she is upset by this encounter and nervous because she can’t see without her glasses. After the test, Tanzie emerges sobbing, convinced she failed after losing time on the test without her glasses. She says that she couldn’t even solve the first question on the test.

Jess’s attempts to console her are useless. Desperate, she has Nicky call Ed, who returns quickly. Jess asks him to drive them to see Tanzie’s father, Marty, believing a visit will cheer her up. Nicky strongly objects, insisting it is a terrible idea, but Jess is adamant. Ed agrees, and as they set off, Nicky is filled with dread.