I stood up and went to Dylan, taking his hand. I expected him to smile. But instead his handsome face was expressionless. He looked at Asher and Hekla. ‘Thanks for breakfast, it was great.’ Then he turned to me. ‘Right, shall I give you a lift back then?’

‘You mean to get my stuff?’

He shrugged. ‘Sure.’

We said our goodbyes then got into the truck. Dylan still seemed deep in thought throughout the journey. I hoped he might tell me what had been burdening him all this time. I put my hand on his leg, to show him I was ready to listen. He turned to look at me, searching my face with an urgency that surprised me. Then he turned away again.

‘Is everything okay?’ I asked.

‘Just tired.’

‘If you need to talk …’

He hesitated a moment then smiled. ‘Fine, honestly. I’m just tired.’ He gazed into the distance. ‘See that building?’ I nodded. ‘That’s Asher’s farmland where I’ve been doing my woodwork.’

‘I’d love to see it! Can we go look?’

‘Now?’

‘Of course!’

He shrugged. ‘Okay.’

A few moments later, we were driving towards a barren stretch of icy land. There were several dilapidated buildings scattered around, some with their roofs caved in by heavy snow. In the distance stood a small forest with views of a tiny frozen lake.

‘This was once a working farm,’ Dylan explained as we turned down a bumpy old lane. ‘Asher’s been talking about building some offices here.’

‘It’s gorgeous,’ I said. ‘It would be such a shame to build offices on it.’

Dylan nodded fiercely. ‘That’s exactly what I said to Asher. Cole hates me for it: he thinks I’ve ruined the company’s chances of getting another contract. But it seems such a waste to build workspaces here. This needs to be a family home.’

He stopped the truck and we got out, pulling on our coats and gloves. I grabbed my camera and followed him through a labyrinth of buildings, peering into the broken and dusty windows. At the end of the estate was a large barn. Dylan led me to it and opened the door to reveal a large area with sawdust all over the floor, a circular saw in the middle of it. A small mattress lay on the ground covered in fur throws and blankets, and a wooden table topped with books and a bottle of water was next to it. Plugged in nearby was a small heater and leaning against one of the beams were beautiful wooden sculptures, some of them of animals.

‘You did these?’ I asked. Dylan nodded. I walked over to one, a majestic seal, and placed my hands on the smooth wood.

‘Your Duchess,’ he said.

I turned to look over my shoulder at him. ‘How could you have done this so quickly?’

‘I saw her when I visited you on set. It’s taken me two months.’