“No trouble at all. The more the merrier around our table. It can get a bit quiet with just Sean and me these days. Besides, I should imagine you’d be needing a decent feed. Euan and Flynn are lovely men but their cooking skills are fairly basic.” Anna looked at her closely. “You’d better come in and sit down. It’s not that long ago I had my appendix out. I know you say you’re better but you’ve had an operation and you look a bit pale. You’ve probably lost condition.”

Keely stepped further into the warm house. Her body ached in a pleasant kind of way from the more active day she’d had. She had been pleased to repay Euan’s hospitality by making lunch and organising the house. The two men had worked all day on the various jobs Flynn had listed. She had pitched in with errands and making lunch. Now she felt tired but not unwell.

Anna was right about losing condition. Keely had worn her trackpants or drawstring shorts since her operation. Tonight, after her shower, she’d put on her jeans and they were loose. She’d looked in the mirror in amazement.

For as long as she could remember she’d struggled with her weight. Both of her younger brothers were beanpoles and her father referred to her as his ‘cuddly kid’. Her mother was always telling her to be careful about what she ate, but Keely’s downfall was the sweet stuff. When things got tough she reached for the chocolate and the cakes. They made life bearable.

Whatever the reason for her trimmer appearance, she felt better as well. It was almost as if she’d given herself a makeover to go with her new life.

She smiled and gave Anna the parcel she’d brought with her. “This is a small thank-you gift.”

“You didn’t need to bring anything—”

“Open it, Anna,” Euan interrupted. “Keely made it for you.”

Anna stopped her protest and opened the tissue paper to reveal one of Keely’s wine-bottle decorations.

“Oh, it’s very pretty,” she said. The beads sparkled in the light as she spread it over her fingers and jiggled her hand.

“Here’s the wine to go with it.” Euan handed over a bottle. “Now come on, don’t keep us hanging about out here in the cold, I can smell something good.”

“Thank you, Keely,” Anna said, “but you didn’t need to bother.” She dispatched the beads into her apron pocket. “Come and meet the others.”

Keely followed Anna through the house to the big kitchen. Cheery voices spilled out into the passage and, Euan was right, there was also the delicious aroma of roasting meat. A large table dominated the room and several people were already seated around it.

“Everyone.” Anna clapped her hands. “This is Euan’s mystery guest, Keely, who’s staying at Levallier Dell for a while.”