Rory produced a tray bearing a chipped brown teapot, a couple of mugs, two tumblers and a bottle of whiskey. A packet of sugar, crumpled and tea-stained, and a carton of milk were fitted on somehow. He set this down on the little table in front of the sofa. ‘When you’ve a cup of tea in your hand I’ll show you the bathroom and you can choose a bedroom. Do you have milk and sugar?’

‘Just milk, please. Do you live here alone?’ she went on, when he’d handed her a mug.

‘Yup. There’s a wee girl who comes in and keeps the house in as much order as she can. Otherwise it’s just me. I live in the house and my studio’s up the hill. She doesn’t go in there, so it’s in a pretty desperate state.’

‘Will you let me see your work, or do you want to keep it private from me too?’

He opened the bottle of whiskey, poured generous measures into the tumblers and handed one to Thea. ‘I haven’t shown anyone my work for so long that perhaps it’s time I did. Slancha.’

‘What did you say?’

‘Slancha – it’s spelt s-l-a-i-n-t-e, believe it or not.’

‘Slancha.’ She shuddered as the neat spirit went down.

‘Oh, God, did you want water in that? I haven’t anything else except some red lemonade.’

‘Red lemonade?’

‘In Ireland it comes in two colours, red or white. You don’t want any in your whiskey?’ The idea seemed to horrify him.

She shook her head. ‘No, this is fine just as it is.’ She took a sip. ‘More than fine, actually.’

The whiskey began to relax her almost immediately and she realised it had been a long time since she’d last eaten. At this rate, what with the fire, the dog and the drink, she’d fall asleep where she sat. She thought she’d better make conversation in an attempt to keep herself awake. ‘Are there shops nearby?’

‘Westport is about five miles away, but there’s a little shop in the village which sells everything. Can you drive?’

‘Yes, but I’m not sure about the Land Rover. Why do you ask?’

‘Well, it’s just that I’m pretty unsociable during the day. It will be better if you can entertain yourself a bit. The Land Rover’s easy enough when you get used to it and there’s no traffic here to speak of.’

‘Do I have to drive to the shop?’

‘It’s three miles away. It would be your choice, but you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.’

She felt a sudden surge of warmth towards him, probably induced by hot tea and neat whiskey. ‘It was so kind of you to let me come at such short notice, when I said I wouldn’t.’

‘I like girls who can change their minds.’