‘He has gone, hasn’t he?’ There was a tinge of hysteria in her voice which she hated but which she allowed. Being out at sea with a huge, unpredictable, wild animal was as risky as it got. Her teeth began to chatter and her chin tucked down into her chest. She wanted to go back. Back to the cottage. Back to sit in front of the fire, safe and warm.

His face gentled with concern as he paddled alongside her. ‘Hannah, honest to God, he’s as safe as houses. I promise you I wouldn’t have brought you otherwise. There’s nothing to be frightened of.’

Nothing to be frightened of! Hannah shrieked inside her head. Apart from capsize them, what if he didn’t like them? Dolphins had teeth, didn’t they?

Suddenly the dolphin surfaced right beside them and she jumped before going rigid with tension as the sleek, shiny body glided by, one intent eye watching her before the dolphin sank below the surface again. He was so close she could have reached out and touched him. She watched warily, grateful that Conor had brought his kayak alongside hers. Then, with a shower of water like an elaborate waterfall, Fungie burst high out of the water in a twisting jump, followed in quick succession by two more similar leaps. A moment later he jumped again, completing several flips, then diving below before resurfacing for a third time.

Fascinated in spite of her fear, Hannah marvelled at the strength in the supple body as it spun in the sunshine, its distinctive tailfin silhouetted by the sun. For the next few minutes, he put on quite a show, swimming and leaping in front of the kayaks at a safe distance as if he knew how precarious they were in the little boats.

‘He knows we’re here,’ she said at last.

‘Yes. It’s difficult to believe, but he loves an audience.’

‘And he’s never capsized anyone?’

He leaned over again and touched her arm. ‘Never. I swear on my mother’s life. Granny Bridget’s too.’

‘Incredible,’ she said as the dolphin resurfaced and executed another three leaps and then another two and another three. ‘He’s amazing.’ She laughed as the spray drifted over them carried by the wind. It was impossible to believe that he was putting on such a display just for them and quite the most extraordinary thing she’d ever seen.

After a little while he disappeared and they waited for a moment to see if he’d emerge again.

‘Show’s over, I think,’ said Conor. ‘Will we head back? I don’t know about you but I’m starting to get cold.’

They began to paddle back across the bay.