She glanced sideways at him. Real estate, he’d said, and she’d thought of selling houses. Selling a chain of hotels sounded like major league stuff to her. And he certainly didn’t look like any salesman she’d ever seen. But she didn’t like to pursue the matter. It’d sound as if she was nosing into his finances and she didn’t want him to think she was mercenary. But it was great that he’d found a way round the problem with her car.

‘I’m so glad we didn’t have to give up our day out!’ she said, beaming at him.

‘So am I. I’m sure the weather will clear up later.’ As if to give him the lie, rain suddenly pounded against the windscreen.

She chuckled. ‘Oh, yes?’

‘You wait and see,’ he insisted.

There wasn’t much traffic on the road and the rain made it feel as if they were in their own little world. She couldn’t help glancing at him. Nice, dark hair, very well cut and gleaming as if newly washed. And she could smell a faint tang of after-shave, too.

She’d never seen the point in talking for talking’s sake, so simply sat and enjoyed the scenery, which was beautiful even in the rain, commenting occasionally on a particularly lovely vista.

He seemed equally happy to travel peacefully.

‘That’s the coast road to Edinburgh,’ he said as they came to a junction. ‘How about we go that way? It’s longer, but more picturesque than the inland route.’

‘Sounds good to me.’

The road was beautiful. It twisted and turned along a mainly unspoiled coastline to reveal little bays with sandy beaches and villages with tiny fishing harbours, interspersed with jutting headlands. A ruined castle graced one of these, seen briefly in the distance during a break in the rain. Small islands lay in misty outline across the grey heaving seas.

‘That’s Lindisfarne.’ Ben pointed. ‘But it’s high tide, so we can’t drive across.’

‘Really?’ Holy Island, she thought dreamily. Saint Aidan building his monastery and converting the heathens of Northumbria. She’d read about it.

‘Oh, stop!’ she cried suddenly.

The car screeched to a halt. ‘What’s wrong?’

She could feel herself flushing. ‘Sorry. There’s nothing wrong. It was that.’ She pointed to the castle towering on top of a cliff ahead of them. ‘It’s absolutely magnificent. What is it?’

‘Bamburgh Castle.’

‘It looks like something out of a medieval fairy tale. Could we stop and look round it, do you think?’

‘Not if we’re to reach Edinburgh in time for lunch.’

‘Oh.’ She couldn’t hide her disappointment.

‘But we could come back tomorrow morning. I don’t have to leave until later in the day.’

‘I’d love that!’ She beamed up at the castle as they drove past.

‘You look like a child promised a treat,’ he teased.