Lauren pushes the ring over her finger but it slides off again. She props herself up against her pillow, relaxing. The woman puts the ring on Lauren’s thumb, gently closing her fist. Lauren’s body feels heavy and tired. The woman, with her gaunt mouth, sings a gentle, familiar song. Lauren lies back on the bed and rests her head on the pillow. The woman stops singing and pulls the duvet over Lauren. As she begins to fall asleep, Lauren sees the young woman looking down at her in the low light and realizes then that they share the same colour eyes.

12

After Lauren has left for school, Niall goes out to the work shed, taking a cheese sandwich with him and a small jug of milk. Clear flakes of sleet are falling softly, sticking to the cobwebbed window. He turns the heater on high and sands and varnishes cabinets for a few hours. They are for another local woman, older and widowed, who lives in a croft up the coast. Alternating jobs means he never gets bored. He’s not avoiding Catriona. At around three o’clock the sleet stops, and he hears a bird call outside. He stands tall, blinking at the sudden interruption, breathing out the sawdusty air, dry from the plug-in heater. He carries on varnishing, listening again for the bird call, but it doesn’t come. The shed door creaks open with a ‘Hello?’ It is Kirsty, Billy’s mum. She sounds out of breath. Her face looks washed-out without her usual make-up and her red-squirrel hair is wild.

‘You OK? How was your holiday? Sorry, been in here all morning. Take a seat. Mind that axe.’ He points to a new oak chair he has made.

‘Wow, this looks beautiful.’ Kirsty gazes at him for a brief moment, relieved. ‘Oh, the holiday was fine,’ she says. ‘Lovely. Really lovely. Craig and I haven’t been getting on so well recently, so I know the holiday was for Billy and Lewis really, but, you know, it gave us some time together and I think we needed that. The food was awful though. Never mind. I brought Lauren a little something.’ Niall notices now she is holding a bright plastic bag. ‘We … we got back late last night. There were delays from Manchester to Inverness. We didn’t get in until around three a.m., would you believe? And Billy had school this morning, you know. It’s an early night for him tonight.’

He feels sorry for her, looking so washed-out and a little haggard. ‘Are you wanting some tea as well?’

‘Oh. Yes, please. Thank you,’ says Kirsty.

‘I’ve got the full works here.’ He points to a scratched kettle in the corner and a box of Scottish Blend, next to the jug of milk.

‘No sugar for me, thanks. How’ve you been, then?’ Kirsty asks above the hot bubbling of the kettle.

‘Fine, aye.’

‘Are you sure?’