It had seemed too good to be true to find Christopher Piper at Glendrochatt just when she so badly wanted a new relationship, and she couldn’t help feeling that it must be fate that had brought this particular man back into her life at this particular moment. She was amazed at how quickly the whole writing group were getting to know each other despite such a short acquaintance. It reminded Louisa of her father’s propagating frame in his greenhouse at home – Glendrochatt was proving a sort of forcing house for relationships, she thought. The group discussions during each session, the shared emotions triggered by individual pieces of writing – these produced an intimacy that would have taken far longer to achieve through ordinary social intercourse. Since their conversation by the burn, she had found herself becoming increasingly intrigued by the American girl and liking her more and more – but she also liked Christopher more and more and was conscious of a little stab of dismay at the idea that Marnie and Christopher might be attracted to each other. It caused Louisa, who was normally blessed with the happy gift of self-confidence, an unusual moment of self-doubt. She saw that the socially diffident Marnie was clearly making a hit with batty old Lord Dunbarnock and, what is more, looking as if she was enjoying his company, which was even more surprising. Louisa recalled an expression from her native Yorkshire – “Nowt so queer as folk” – and there were certainly some rum folk in this place, she thought, looking across the table at the eccentric peer.

‘Marnie seems to be having a good time,’ she said jokingly to Christopher. ‘Americans are suckers for the aristocracy. Perhaps she’s on the lookout for a tame laird?’

‘Perhaps she is,’ said Christopher, amused but not reacting to the tease. ‘Good luck to her. But it certainly looks as if the aristocracy are equally beguiled by the Americans today.’

He was pleased to see Marnie chatting with such animation to the unusual-looking chairman of the Glendrochatt Arts Trust. What an interesting face Marnie had, he thought, looking at her with much closer attention than he had when they first met: a face that you would not get tired of looking at. Goodness, thought Christopher uneasily, what is happening? I hardly know her. How unexpected to find two such attractive young women on the course. He certainly had not come looking for romance. He had been conscious of the appeal of Louisa from the start, but was surprised to find himself increasingly drawn to Marnie. Is it just a reaction to the last two awful years? Am I going wild, like a horse let out to grass after being stabled all winter, he wondered – but he didn’t think so.