‘OK, then.’ He gave her a brief salute and headed down the track to the beach. She was struck by a sudden thought. He and Fergus must have gone that way yesterday.

‘Conor!’ she called.

‘What?’

‘The fence over the path. It’s been bothering me. You said it was rickety.’

He frowned as if wondering why on earth she was asking and, for a moment, she thought he might think she was deliberately trying to keep him. Then he shrugged. ‘Seems Moss Murphy decided to update it. Daft aul fool. Everyone knows it’s our land. I don’t know why he’s wasting good money but that’s his problem. Why?’

‘Don’t you think it’s odd?’

‘No. Moss Murphy is a law unto himself.’ He suddenly grinned. ‘Murphy’s Law. And he takes great delight in causing trouble. That manure by the wall was no accident.’

‘Could it have been him looking in the window?’

Conor shook his head. ‘No, not his style. He tends to be bloody-minded and difficult rather than creep about. Putting up another fence to be difficult is him all over. It’s nothing for you to worry about.’

‘But it is. By putting a fence up he’s claiming that land.’ She knew in law that after a period of time, if a land grab went unchallenged, the claimant could keep it. What was it, eleven or twelve years? She couldn’t remember the exact details and maybe it was different in Ireland. Maybe that’s why Conor seemed so unconcerned.

‘Have you seen the size of it? A pocket handkerchief. Why would he want to do that? It’s of no use to man nor beast, I promise you.’

Hannah shook her head. It might not make sense but the principle of it niggled. It wasn’t right. But as Conor had so clearly indicated, it wasn’t her problem.

When she knocked at the door of a tidy Georgian terrace an hour later, it was thrown open with an almighty crash and a red-haired bearded bear of a man appeared, as if he’d been lurking behind it waiting for her. He threw open his arms and snatched her into a hug.

‘Mother of God, Aidan, put the poor girl down,’ said a small blonde girl, wriggling and working her way into the hug as Hannah found her nose buried in a tweedy jacket and the soft silk of Sorcha’s blouse across her neck.

Sudden tears pricked at Hannah’s eyes at their enthusiastic welcome. Aidan and Sorcha had been two of her best friends, and she hadn’t realised until now how much she’d missed them.