Just family. He was directed to the smallest room of the registry office, with the names Mansfield/Campbell on a printed-out sheet, pinned to the door. There were eight people in the two rows at the front on the right, two small children ducking and weaving in and out of the chairs. Mansfield and a young man who could only be his brother were laughing by a table at the top. On the left, only one head, barely visible over the chair back. Black hair gleaming blue in the afternoon sun, a bright pink feathery growth over half her head. Well, they were outnumbered, but at least she was here.

Mansfield caught his eye and strode towards the door, hands outstretched.

‘Ah, Donald! Great you could make it. Clio will be along shortly, I hope.’ He paused for a laugh, pulled a face, crossed his fingers, and Donald, who was never a violent man, wanted to punch him. ‘So if you want to stand outside, she’ll meet you there.’

Eileen had turned her plumaged head around with some difficulty to follow her future son-in-law. Her lips were painted the same colour as the hat thing, a visual shock in the motley brown room. She gave him a tiny smile and he raised a hand. She looked very close to tears. He pointed to the door and mouthed ‘later’, stashed his fiddle two rows back as he left.

He’d expected she’d keep them all waiting, but Cliodhna was not late. She bounded up the stairs and threw herself into his arms before he’d quite realized what was happening.

‘Oh, thank you for this. Thank you thank you. Shall we do it, then?’

‘Just a second there, lass! Let me look at you first, eh?’

Donald didn’t know anything about women’s clothes; he registered that she was wearing something creamy, the colour of her own skin, with almost bare shoulders and a flower in her hair, but she was lovely, and he told her so, because Malcolm should have been there to say that.

‘Is it just you, Clio-girl? You don’t have a whatjamacallum – bridesmaid or anything?’

It seemed to be the first time it had occurred to her. ‘No. I suppose I don’t.’ She laughed. ‘I could pop in there and borrow one of Danny’s many sisters, I guess. Ach, let’s just get this done. Bring on the marriaging.’

‘Cliodhna, you know your mother’s in there, do you?’

The grin dipped and she froze.

‘She came?’

‘Aye, she came. She’s by herself.’

‘OK. OK. Well, that’s good to know. I’m glad you told me that before I went in there. She didn’t say – we didn’t hear from her. So I’d just assumed—’

He gave her a hug, a small one. She was too delicate and he didn’t want to crush her; and he was all too aware that he’d started to sweat.