‘You’d think I would, wouldn’t you?’ He really did have a killer smile, even when he just let a glimmer of it show as he did now. ‘Now, what do you feel like eating? Brighid has got fish pie on the menu tonight that I can tell you from experience is hard to beat. Good, home-cooked comfort food – just what you need.’

I pulled a face.

‘You don’t like fish pie?’

‘No, I do. But I hate prawns. Bad experience many years ago. Do you know if there are prawns in it?’

‘Nope. Prawns in fish pie is plain wrong anyway. It’s supposed to be fish pie, not seafood pie. Two entirely different things.’

‘Exactly!’ I said, flinging my hand out, glad that someone else clearly understood this important distinction.

‘So fish pie it is, then?’

‘Sounds great,’ I said, wincing as another sear of pain raced up my leg. ‘Thank you. And thank you for everything today. I really am grateful, although you might not believe it.’

The soft smile lasted for a moment before Lorcan stood from where he’d sat next to me on the bed. ‘Come on, rest back a bit now while I go and sort it out.’ Lorcan moved and leant behind me, fluffing the downy pillows before straightening the blanket and laying it gently back over me. The faintest hint of woody aftershave drifted around me, lingering briefly before dissipating as he moved back. It had been a very long time since anyone had fluffed my pillows and something deep in my heart tightened painfully. I closed my eyes against the memory.

‘It’ll get better soon,’ he soothed, the words as soft as the touch of his hand momentarily on my cheek. ‘Just rest now.’

Keeping my eyes closed, I nodded and it wasn’t until I heard the door close behind him that I let the tears trickle down onto the soft Irish linen of the pillow.

* * *

‘Up you come.’ Lorcan’s arms wrapped around me and helped me into the sitting position I’d been flailing about trying to get into for the last ten seconds. Suddenly his face was close to mine and I studied it as he faffed about behind me with the pillows.

‘You’re very handsome, you know. Like classically. You have the whole strong jaw thing going on and gre-e-e-eat cheekbones. And then there’s your eyes.’

‘That’s kind of you to say so. I see the painkillers have kicked in.’

I automatically looked down at my leg and headbutted him. ‘Oops. Sorry.’ I patted his head, safe in the knowledge that this would make it better. He pulled away, rubbing his forehead.

‘Now. Here’s your food. You all right with it there? You comfy?’ he asked, placing a bed table across my legs.