‘Anna! Today we’re going to follow the dolphins as far as they go to see exactly how many of them there are because Jamie and me still can’t decide and that meant we had to come right past Crovie because it looks as if they’re on their way out to Fraserburgh and so I said to Dad could we please stop and ask if you wanted to come with us. He said no because you’d already seen the dolphins now and would probably rather have a nice Sunday lie-in, but I said I don’t think you have seen them, not really properly, and anyway Uncle Fraser and Auntie Emma thought it was a good idea. So here we are and do you want to come with us? But you have to be quick because otherwise we might lose them.’

Young Robbie MacKenzie finally paused to draw breath and push his glasses up his nose. Anna opened her mouth, first in surprise and then in an attempt to give the boy an answer, but instead what came out was a question. ‘Auntie Emma?’

‘That’s my ma,’ Jamie supplied. ‘So you won’t be the only lady.’

‘Oh, right. I see.’

‘Come on!’ Robbie urged her. ‘I told you, we’ve got to be quick!’

‘Boys,’ said a woman’s voice, floating along the path mid-laugh, ‘we told you to ask Anna politely.’

‘We are being polite!’ Robbie said fervently, as the owner of the mystery voice came into view. ‘But we want her to hurry up, too!’

‘Ssh,’ said the woman, as she rested one hand on the boy’s head. ‘Hello, Anna – I’m Emma, Jamie’s mum. I’m sorry to disturb you on a Sunday morning.’

‘You’re not,’ Anna said, holding out a hand with a smile. Emma shook it in a warm, strong grip. ‘It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for stopping by and the offer. But I’m not feeling one hundred per cent this morning, so I think it might be better if I stayed here today.’

‘No!’ Robbie moaned. ‘But you’ll miss them all! Pleeeeeeease come!’

Emma smiled and glanced along the path towards the far end of the village. ‘Sure you don’t want to blow away a few cobwebs?’

Anna was about to say yes, she was sure, but then she remembered the mantra she’d adopted when she moved in. Say yes. Say yes to as many things as you can. Besides, now that she’d been standing in the fresh air for a few minutes, she was feeling better.

‘Well,’ she said, wavering, ‘I suppose it is a beautiful morning…’

‘Yes!’ crowed the boys in triumphant unison, followed by Young Robbie’s, ‘Hurry up!’

‘Can you give me five minutes?’ Anna asked Emma.