Mairi shook her head. ‘I had to find out for myself first. See for myself. He’s been … fragile.’ Her eyes glazed over with worry as she looked out into the rain. ‘I couldn’t just throw this news at him without being absolutely sure.’

‘I don’t know what to say,’ I said.

She nodded. ‘Good. You’re not going to try to deny your girl is Dylan’s.’

I shook my head. ‘I found out after Dylan left.’

‘And you chose not to tell him you were pregnant with his child.’

‘I thought I was doing the right thing. He—’

‘Dumped you?’

I clenched my jaw and nodded. ‘Yes. Combined with the fact that he said he didn’t want children, I thought it best I just get on with things without him. I couldn’t risk the rejection,’ I added in a whisper.

‘Rejection? You’re not as clever as I thought,’ Mairi said with a shake of the head. ‘He was clearly in love with you. Probably still is.’

‘No,’ I said. ‘He left. Actually, leave is the wrong word. There was nothing to leave, according to him. Just a casual fling.’ As I said it, I heard the bitterness in my voice. After all these years, it still smarted: the humiliation, the heartbreak.

Mairi laughed. ‘I have no idea why he let you slip through his fingers. But I’ll tell you now, my son was in love with you. He returned from Iceland a changed man.’

I shook my head. ‘You’re got it all wrong.’ I didn’t want her to be right. If she was, what did that mean for the secret I’d kept from Dylan all these years? From Lumin?

‘I know my own son, Gwyneth,’ Mairi said, voice hard. ‘I know when he’s suffering from a broken heart.’

‘But I don’t understand! He told me he didn’t want a relationship.’

‘He would have had his reasons,’ she said, nodding to herself. ‘Good reasons, if I know him. But falling out of love with you wouldn’t be one of them. Now, on to my granddaughter. Shall we start with her name?’

I swallowed, throat dry. ‘Lumin.’

‘Oh,’ Mairi said. She put her hand to her chest, her eyes filling with tears. ‘Beautiful name. Beautiful girl too.’

‘She is.’ I felt tears start to well up. ‘I’m so sorry, Mairi.’

‘We mothers must do what we feel is best and you clearly felt it was the best thing at the time.’ She clutched my hand. ‘The past doesn’t matter. It’s what we do next that matters.’

‘Dylan will hate me.’