She gave him a sidelong glance. ‘Only competent?’ she queried, needled by his choice of words. ‘Don’t be so bloody condescending!’ and she put her foot down hard and passed the two cars ahead of them extremely fast, judging the distance perfectly but cutting it much too close for the comfort of her passenger, sliding in front of them with just enough room to spare and getting flashed at by an oncoming lorry. Christopher involuntarily stamped on the floorboards with both feet, sending an electric shock of pain up his bad leg.

‘Bloody hell! What do you think you’re doing?’ he demanded furiously, mortified to find himself shaking. ‘There’s no need to show off – d’you want to kill us both? Serve you right if there’s a speed camera operating.’

‘There isn’t,’ she said tersely. ‘I’ve got the Road Angel on. I’m not completely stupid.’

The needle of the car’s speedometer leaped up sharply and the countryside whirled past them for a couple of miles before she slowed down again.

There was silence in the car. Christopher, reliving another moment of speed and fighting panic, was tight-lipped with anger.

Then Marnie slowed right down and said in a very small voice: ‘Oh, God, I’m sorry, Christopher. Truly, truly sorry. I should never have done that. I feel real bad – I don’t know what got into me.’

‘I do,’ he said, after a long pause and an inward struggle. ‘I was being a pompous, unappreciative ass and it got up your nose. And you’re right – but it isn’t that I hate being driven, so much as not being able to drive – and I hate myself for making such heavy weather about something so minor, so unimportant, when I think of the bloke I killed. But I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on you.’ He added honestly: ‘And I’m probably jealous too, because you drive so very, very well – except for that monstrous overtaking just then! There – I’m sorry too. Forgiven?’

‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘Of course forgiven. You had every right to be mad but please don’t go crazy with me again. I guess we’re both pretty quick on the draw. Perhaps that’s something it’s as well for us both to know? Oh, look – only a few miles to Inverness. We’re getting on. No more shocks now, I swear! I’ll drive like a perfect lady!’

As they approached the road bridge between the Moray Firth and the Beauly Firth, Christopher said: ‘I’ll keep an eye out for dolphins down below. If I see any sign of them we’ll stop the other side at North Kessock, so that you can have a chance to look too.’

But dolphins did not seem to be on display that day and they left the A9 at the Tore roundabout and took the Ullapool road.