Tight-lipped, Thea observed how picturesque was his use of language and wrote a large cheque. For the first time she regretted putting all her money into her house and not having a mortgage. But maybe she could suggest to Molly that she might like to invest in a fine artist, otherwise she would have to put the rent up quick-smart and put a lodger in her darkroom.

When she was sure that Rory’s cheaper works of art would be framed well and made certain that he had a painting on the go, which would take up all his attention and not allow him to think about researching his American contacts (thank goodness there was no computer in the house and Rory had barely heard of the Internet), and when she was certain that Susan knew about Lara needing four times as much food as usual, she decided it was time to leave.

She and Rory took a last trip out to see the seals, a last walk up the hill behind the house and she made sure there was plenty of nourishing food in his cupboards. She would be very sad to leave the cottage. It was an idyllic spot, but real life went on elsewhere, for her at least.

She handed Rory the book she had bought about rearing puppies. ‘It tells you when to put them on to solids. In fact, it tells you everything. In eight weeks, which is a month less than the time I’ve got to get my gallery up and running’ – she said this to rub in how unreasonable he was being – ‘I’ll be back to collect my puppy. The little one.’

‘Sure, he’ll die, won’t he?’

‘If he dies, Rory, I’ll … just don’t let him die.’

She’d asked Susan to take her to the airport, giving her money she didn’t have to do so. She looked out of the window as they drove, partly excited but mostly terrified.

These are my last moments as a carefree, hand-to-mouth, solvent woman, she thought. When I get back home I’ve got to join the real world, arrange loans, find premises, do things that grown-up people do. She sighed so deeply that Susan noticed and looked at her. Thea smiled quickly. ‘Had a bit of a late night last night.’

‘Oh. Had you?’

‘Susan, you may not care about this one way or the other, but I might as well tell you. Rory and I haven’t slept together. I’m only interested in his work.’

‘You hadn’t seen his work before you came here, but you came anyway.’

‘I know. I was suffering from delusions. I thought I wanted a fling with a beautiful young man. What I wanted was a proper job.’

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten