‘Perhaps she thinks she does, because, like the rest of us in our different ways, she’s come to Scotland searching for something or someone, and I happened to be there, like the classic reason for climbing a mountain. I don’t flatter myself that it has much to do with me as a person.’ He cocked an eyebrow at her. ‘If Stanley or the Colonel had been more her type it might just as well have been either of them.’

She stood up and he was relieved to see the tormented look had gone. ‘And you don’t think Stanley might have tempted me if only he’d stayed on a bit longer?’ she asked, laughing and holding out a hand to pull him up.

‘God help you if he had! Now that would be something to be scared about!’ He took her in his arms. ‘We’ll take things as they come – no demands or promises,’ he said, ‘and meanwhile we’ve got all of this lovely week ahead of us. Let’s enjoy it together. Let’s go searching for your house. Let’s be light-hearted.’

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Like you said – we’ll travel hopefully.’ She gave him one of her sudden, transforming smiles. ‘That’ll be a new departure for me!’

He took her in his arms and they exchanged a long and highly satisfactory kiss before setting out down the steep and slippery path back to the car park – with wings on their feet.

And despite his words of caution, they both felt that a commitment to the future had been touched on.

Chapter Twenty-one

Drinks were served in the drawing room before dinner on Sunday evening and Giles opened a couple of bottles of champagne to celebrate the start of the visitors’ second week at Glendrochatt. On the surface all was convivial but the atmosphere was charged with some very varied emotions.

The Colonel and Morwenna radiated a quiet contentment that spoke of a happy day and a gently ripening relationship, though there was nothing about either of them that demanded particular attention. It was as though a pair of functioning but slightly rusty hinges had been given a lubricating spray with WD40 and were beginning to loosen up.