He made a horrified face. ‘I wasn’t on holiday. It was the hardest work I’ve ever done, trying to be exciting about Cézanne, watching them close their eyes and nod off, one by one.’ Then he gave her another kiss, this time definitely on her mouth, and although it was certainly pleasant, she did wonder if it meant he expected rather more than she was prepared to give on such brief acquaintance. Running away from home was one thing, but she didn’t want to leap into bed with Rory before she’d had time to get to know him. Her morals were a lot harder to leave behind than her lodgers.

Seeing her doubts, he laughed. ‘Is this all the baggage you’ve got with you? Never mind, you can borrow my clothes if you need to. The car’s this way.’

As she followed him to the car park, it occurred to Thea, somewhat belatedly, that the clothes she had thought suitable for a week in Provence were unlikely to be the right sort of gear for the west of Ireland. She snuggled into her fleece as he opened the door of a very battered Land Rover.

‘Climb in. It’s a mess, I’m afraid, but it’s a good workhorse. The track down to the house is quite steep and this can do it in most weathers.’

‘Do you get a lot of snow here?’ It felt to Thea as if snow were imminent, with grey clouds tossing across the sky and flurries of icy rain throwing themselves at her from time to time.

‘Not snow, hardly at all, we’re too far west, but plenty of rain.’ He slammed the door of the boot behind her luggage and walked round to the driver’s side. ‘It’s what gives us the forty shades of green, after all.’

The Land Rover, for all its noisiness, had a very efficient heater, which blew hot air at her like a hairdryer and as the scenery became pretty, she began to feel better. She only had to stay with Rory for a week or so for the sake of her grand gesture and in the meantime she could just enjoy herself. She had never been to Ireland before.

‘Mayo’s mostly famous for Clew Bay and Croagh Patrick. It’s a mountain which looks uncannily like a slag heap, but one day a year it’s a place of pilgrimage and people walk up it, some of them in bare feet.’ He smiled. ‘If you look down to the left as we reach the top of this hill you’ll see the bay.’