‘Just left me a voicemail saying he needed time away. Happened to be right before he was due to start work on a new commission.’ His eyes flickered with anger briefly. ‘The business can cope, just. It’s more him I’m worried about, we all are.’

I stood up and walked to my bag. ‘Sounds like he just needs the space.’

‘Yeah, that’s what I told Mum,’ Cole said as he followed me. ‘But you know the way she is, stubborn as hell.’

‘You’ve had a wasted trip then,’ I said as I rifled through my bag for my toothbrush and toothpaste.

He looked around him, smiling. ‘Not so wasted. This place is amazing, Gwyneth.’

‘Yep, welcome to the world of seals,’ I said, gesturing towards Duchess, who was awake now, watching her son trying to wobble over an iceberg. ‘And there’s our queen.’

‘She’s magnificent.’

‘She certainly is.’

He examined my face. ‘How have you been?’ he asked gently.

I shrugged. ‘Busy.’

‘Funny,’ Cole said with a slight laugh. ‘Same thing Dylan said whenever I asked him how he was. He did a good job of keeping busy after you left.’

‘Coffee?’ I asked, gesturing towards a new pot bubbling on a small stove.

‘Yeah, that’d be good.’

We were silent for a few moments as I poured us both some coffee.

‘Is Heather okay?’ I asked as I handed a plastic mug to him.

His eyes flitted away from mine then back again. ‘She’s fine. She has her issues but on the whole she’s good. So what do you do for fun here?’ he asked, seeming keen to change the subject. ‘My flight back is in a couple of days so I feel like I should make the most of it.’

‘Two days, hey?’ I got the feeling Cole’s visit went beyond just searching for Dylan. ‘Well, our version of fun is watching seals giving birth.’

‘Hmmm, not sure I fancy that. I didn’t much enjoy Rhonda’s screams of pain. Fancy coming for a drive with me?’ he asked, gesturing to his four by four. ‘I hired this beast for three days as well, wouldn’t want to waste it.’

Hired a car too? I examined his face. He did look exhausted. Maybe he just wanted to escape, like his brother?

‘I can’t, I need to be here,’ I said.

‘No, you don’t,’ Julia said, walking over. ‘Take the day off, spend it with your friend.’

‘I can’t! What if Duchess leaves today?’

‘She won’t, the sea’s too rough.’

I looked out towards the icy ocean and the splash of waves.