‘Yes there is. There’s wonderful art. It lasts much longer, although, admittedly, it’s much more expensive. What I needed, and what I’ve now found thanks to you, is a mission, a project. I want to make you famous. I want your work to hang in all the important museums. I want the world to see you, through me.’

‘You don’t need to do that, Thea. There’s a fella in America who’ll do all that for me, I’m sure. If I can just track him down.’

‘No, you’re not with me. I want to do it. Because I want England, the country that spurned you …’ Spurned was probably putting it a bit strongly, but the Irish liked poetry. ‘I want them to salute you as the talent you are. Surely you want that too? They slated your work, just because you got drunk. You must want them to acknowledge you for the major talent you are.’

He stood looking down at her, chewing at the inside of his cheeks, putting his head first on one side and then the other. ‘Well, I suppose I do.’ He sighed. ‘Thea, now you’ve made your pretty speech, what about making me some lunch?’

A few minutes later, while Thea was in the kitchen chopping up vegetables for soup, she uttered a silent prayer of thanks to the sea, the islands and the mountains beyond, for having managed to pull it off. Many women, women she would respect and like, would have happily enjoyed Rory with simple animal pleasure, without feeling guilty, or used, or anything except happy. But she couldn’t. Was it because she thought it would muddy the waters between them and it was his art she was really interested in? It seemed a sensible solution, but it didn’t quite ring true. You’re a funny woman, Thea, she told herself.

In the following days Thea was very busy. The slides arrived, and guiltily, she kept them to herself. They were wonderful, and if Rory saw them, he’d want to send them to America straight away. She kept a careful eye on the pups, especially the little one, who seemed hungry and active enough, but didn’t grow at the rate the others did. Having done that, she organised Rory.

First, they visited his friend who framed the animal pictures. He agreed to mount and frame the huge roll of drawings and sketches only if he was paid a deposit. ‘I’m sorry, Thea,’ he said with a sad twinkle, ‘but this fella, although he’s a lovely man, already owes me more money than you can shake a stick at.’