I met people for coffee, I did Pilates, took classes in things that interested me and met friends for dinner but there wasn’t anyone I’d call especially close. No one with whom I could totally be myself. Not for a long time. That was until last night with Lorcan – but admittedly that had probably been due to the painkillers.

This morning though, at breakfast, chatting to Brighid had felt natural and easy, and now Calum, although rather than the cliché of the laid-back Irish persona he was the very opposite of that. Calum was like a jack-in-the-box who’d been stored too long and was now dancing about on his spring with abandon – and thoroughly enjoying it, trailing that joy like a train of glitter as he went.

‘You seem to be getting on well with Calum.’

‘He’s wonderful!’ I said, laughing as Lorcan placed a footstool in front of the sofa where we’d settled for a rest. Calum was still off rustling up refreshments.

‘He is. Perfect for the manager’s job here. Everybody loves him and I’m sure a lot of the bookings are purely down to him and his blarney.’

‘So long as it’s followed up by great service and everything the couple want, that seems like an ideal combination.’

‘It is. There, that comfy?’

‘Yes, thank you. I’m fine though. You really do need to stop fussing.’

‘Ah, shush, woman.’

‘Did you just tell me to shush?’

‘I did. And I’ll tell you again if you don’t.’ A sparkle of mischief danced in his eyes. I met them levelly and did my best to keep any hint of smile off my face, which, oddly, was proving harder than it once had.

‘Ha. Well, don’t expect me to take any notice.’

‘I don’t. I was just living in hope.’

‘Very funny.’ I leant out over the arm of the sofa in the direction Calum had gone and, seeing no sign of him, turned to Lorcan. ‘What was that he was saying about everyone talking about me?’

Lorcan took a seat next to me on the dusty pink, squashy, overfilled and delightfully comfy sofa. The windows in this room were dressed with thick, padded velvet curtains in a pale, cloudy blue and, beyond them, deep green fields stretched down and away as far as you could see, broken only by dry-stone walls and magnificent trees, their leaves just beginning to turn and dot the view with gold and yellow. In amongst this, sheep stood about, munching at the lush grass, seemingly content with their simple lives.

‘Nothing.’

‘It must be something.’

‘Nothing for you to worry about. You’re a new face in a small village so people talk,’ Lorcan replied, shrugging his shoulders.

‘I’m not keen on people talking about me,’ I said, pulling back as my plait caught behind me.