She planned a special meal for Jim that night. When he came in, he did not ask her why she was not home at lunchtime. He presumed that Agnes had asked her to stay at Sandwick. She was excited because of the conversation with Sandy and Agnes. It did not occur to her that he might be upset to hear that his sister had been murdered. She could not take it seriously. It was still a game to her.

“Agnes thinks that Mary was murdered,” she said.

“Poor mother,” Jim said, “I thought she was taking it very calmly. She must be hysterical.”

“No,” Sarah said. “ George thinks that she’s probably right. It’s something to do with the green scarf Mary was wearing not being found on the body.”

“He shouldn’t encourage Mother,” Jim said. “He’ll make her ill.”

He was not upset to think that Mary had been murdered. Quite simply he did not believe it. He began talking about the rabbits and the damage that they had done on the island. Mary was not mentioned again.

“Perhaps I’ll go out with a gun later,” he said.

“It’ll soon be dark,” she said. Then, because she wanted to finish the preparation for the meal and to get changed: “ Go now then, before it’s too late and I can finish the supper.”

When he came back it was nearly dark, but she had not switched on the electric light. She had put a tablecloth—a wedding present—on the kitchen table, and a candle in the middle of it. He stood just inside the door and she was afraid that he would laugh at the effort she had made. But he did not laugh. He went into the bedroom and fetched a bottle of wine, brought from the mainland. She lit the candle and he opened the wine.

“I met Robert today,” she said. “ He gave me tea. He’s very interesting.”

“He’s a simple-minded fool. What was he telling you?”

“He was talking about the big storm.”

“Was he?”

“Why hadn’t you told me about it?”

“It didn’t come up. Perhaps I thought that you wouldn’t understand.”

“I don’t think I would have done, away from Kinness. Did you know that Elspeth was named after Ellie, who went mad and drowned herself?”

“Of course. I was brought up with it.”