Concentrating on her breathing, she fought the sobs into submission and was able to lift her head to find him studying her with a bemused frown.

‘Come on, let’s get you up.’ He rose and gently pulled her up, leading her into the sitting room to sit on the sofa where he tugged one of the throws loose and tucked it around her, coming back to sit down next to her. She breathed in the subtle scent of his lemony aftershave, the smell of him familiar and comforting. Instinctively her body relaxed.

‘Want to tell me what’s wrong?’

‘What are you doing here?’ she asked, still trying to gather her scrambled thoughts.

‘Leaking tap.’ He paused. ‘And an apology.’

She jerked her head up to look at him.

‘Mam told me that you had no idea who I was. With great satisfaction, I might add. And Granny Bridget did the same. And then my sister joined in. They all think it’s hilarious, although they don’t know what a dick I was.’

Hannah nodded, taking it all in.

‘I know who you are now. No wonder you were so pleased with yourself.’

‘I’m not so pleased with myself now. When you knew my name I just assumed…’

‘I told you, the barman called you Conor. To be honest, you’re not going to like this, but I’ve never even heard of you.’

‘To be honest, I do quite like that. You slept with me. Not Conor Byrne.’

‘I’m pretty sure I slept with Conor Byrne.’

‘So why did you run out on me?’

She creased her face. ‘Did you have to ask that, right now?’

‘Hmm, sorry. So what’s happened? You looked terrified when you came running up the hill. I saw you from the window upstairs.’

‘Your neighbour.’ She sighed, still not quite believing it had turned so nasty. She’d heard of farmers shooting dogs that attacked their sheep but pointing a shotgun and prodding someone with it seemed excessive.

‘Moss Murphy. What’s he been doing now? He’s a mad aul coot but harmless.’

‘Harmless! He threatened me with a shotgun because I was trespassing.’

‘Trespassing? Where were you?’

‘On the path down to the sea but I climbed a fence. I knew I shouldn’t – stupid really – but the path went straight through and I couldn’t see any reason not to.’