‘I’m sorry, Mr Soper. Mrs Carmichael’s was the last reservation, and now she’s here we’re fully booked.’

‘But you can’t be! What about one of the staff rooms, then? I could sleep there if there’s a free bed.’ The barman shook his head, and Johnny turned to Violet. ‘I haven’t done this deliberately, Vi. You’ve got to believe me.’

‘Of course I believe you,’ she said, glad now to have told her mother that they were going straight to the island. ‘Anyway, it’s not the end of the world. You’ll just have to sleep on the floor.’

‘It’s a twin room, Miss.’

‘Well then, that’s all right. Sign us in, Johnny.’

He hesitated, then carefully wrote ‘Mr and Mrs Jonathan Soper’ into the register. She watched, feeling suddenly superstitious; it was silly, but she wished desperately that Johnny had filled in their real names rather than tempting fate with a marriage that hadn’t actually happened yet. ‘You won’t tell—’ he began.

The barman cut him off. ‘Don’t worry. It’s our mistake and I won’t mention a thing.’ He repeated the offer of food made 133to Mrs Carmichael, and they accepted gratefully. ‘I’ll have it served in the bar for you in ten minutes, when you’ve had a chance to take your things upstairs. Follow me.’

He led them up the first flight of steps and down a long corridor with creaking floorboards. It was a decent sized room on the seaward side of the hotel, and a welcome fire was already burning in the grate. Their host put some more coal on and left them to unpack, apologising once again for the confusion over the rooms. Johnny hovered awkwardly between the beds, blushing and scarcely able to meet her eye. ‘Which one would you like?’ he asked, looking at his shoes.

‘This one,’ she said, choosing the bed nearer the door. ‘You can have the view and the draughts.’ She smiled and walked over to the window, pulling him with her. ‘And will you please stop worrying? I’m glad we’ll be together tonight. It’s not very friendly out there.’

The curtains had been drawn to prevent the cold night air from penetrating the room, and she threw them back to prove her point. Johnny grinned and put his arm round her, and together they stared out into the blackness. The sea was higher than she had ever seen it, a rolling mass of white horses, and the dark bulk of the Mount – just visible beneath a grudging moon – was the only thing standing in the way of the sweeping blizzards. There were pinpricks of light from the castle, appearing and disappearing amid the pattern of swirling snowflakes, as if someone were switching them on and off, signalling to the mainland. A pair of binoculars stood on the windowsill, and Johnny picked them up and trained them on the island. ‘Can you see your mum’s house?’ Violet asked. 134

‘Just about, but she must have gone to bed early. I can’t see any lights on, and she normally has them blazing away. I hope she’s not ill.’