I hesitated a moment. Of course I trusted him, but it was a big thing. And yet he was her father. ‘Sure. I’ll see what she thinks.’

‘Of course. And then after …’ He sighed. ‘I have a big job on in Germany soon. I don’t want to miss out on seeing Lumin though. But I have to go. The business needs the money.’ That dark look on his face again. ‘I don’t know if my mum mentioned that Dad had another stroke?’

‘Oh no, I’m so sorry.’

He nodded sadly. ‘It means work’s even more busy than usual. Before what happened with Dad, I could have easily got out of the Germany trip but now … last thing he needs is the business he spent his life setting up falling apart. I don’t think his heart would take the strain.’

‘It’s fine, really. You can talk to Lumin on the phone, write letters,’ I said.

And that was what we did. Each week, father and daughter talked on the phone and sent drawings and paintings to each other in the post. Lumin rushed in from school each afternoon to see if a letter had arrived from Dylan and waited patiently by the phone after dinner each Monday for his phone call. With the letters were cheques, upkeep for her. There wasn’t much interaction between Dylan and me. I understood, it was fine. This wasn’t about us. It was about father and daughter. But I still couldn’t help recalling what Mairi had said about him being in love with me. Had she just said it to bring her granddaughter back, fearful I wouldn’t allow contact if I thought Dylan didn’t love me?

One day in December, I received a call from Dylan. ‘Oh, hi,’ I said when I answered it. ‘Lumin’s at school, I’m afraid. She doesn’t break up for Christmas for another two weeks.’

‘I know. In fact, it’s Christmas I’m calling about. Do you think Lumin’s ready to meet my family?’

I went silent. I knew the day would come eventually. I was surprised Mairi hadn’t stuck around after coming to find Lumin all those weeks before. Dylan had been livid with her for not telling him first. I got the feeling she was being patient and not interfering, at the behest of her son.

‘I mean, they’re desperate to meet her,’ he continued. ‘I think she’ll love it.’

‘Okay. But how? Will they come here to visit?’

‘Well, I thought you might both like to come to Scotland for Christmas?’

I thought of the last Christmas I’d spent with the McCluskys: in many ways, idyllic. In others, not so much. I twirled the phone cable around my fingers. ‘I don’t know.’

‘It’ll be good for her,’ Dylan said. ‘To meet her cousins, her grandparents, uncles and aunts.’

‘Cousins?’