‘You—’ he said, and then stopped before trying again with a slight shake of his head. He slid his hands into his pockets. ‘You’ve already decided, then. To leave Crovie. The Fishergirl’s Luck.’

It was a statement, not a question. His tone made her heart thump.

‘Look at the place, Robert. Even before the storm hit, raising a child here would have been tough.’ She glanced down at the book in her hands, at Taymar Zetelli’s face smiling at her brilliantly from the cover. ‘I haven’t told any of you this yet, but…’ she held up the book. ‘This chef has offered me a job.’

Anna could feel Robert’s gaze fixed on her face, though she couldn’t bring herself to meet his eye.

‘She wants you to work for her?’

‘Yes. She’s opening a new place. She needs a head chef. She’s a good person to work for, she’s got a good reputation for being supportive of women with children. It’s a great opportunity for me. I mean, it would have been whatever the situation, but now…’ Anna trailed off.

‘Where?’ he asked. ‘Where’s the restaurant?’

Anna swallowed. ‘Newcastle.’ She tried for a slight laugh. ‘It’s not as far as London.’

He nodded, turning away again.

‘Pat says—’ Anna started, then had to stop and take a breath before trying again. ‘Pat says there’ll be room for us both at the Inn. Me and the baby, I mean. There’s no way I could live with Douglas McKean, not even temporarily, but if he could stay where he is until this place is renovated, and then move here – that would work.’

She watched him go very still. Slowly he turned towards her again. ‘What?’

Anna put the cookbook down on the table, light-headed, every nerve-ending jangling. The moment was coming crashing towards her, as powerful as a storm, and as inescapable. What are we? What am I to you, what are you to me?

‘I’ll live with Pat at the Inn. Even if Terry and Susan have to stay there for a while, there’ll still be more room. It’ll be easier with the baby – I can have a monitor with me in the kitchen, I’ll always be able to hear if I’m needed, and there’ll be other people around. It’s always better to live on-site, especially right at the beginning of a start-up, it makes everything far less complicated, cuts down on costs, and—’

Anna realized that her nerves had set her rambling. Robert had moved closer, his face no longer cloaked in shadows.

‘You’re going to stay?’

She let out a laugh, a tiny explosion, a release of pressure. ‘Of course I am. Of course I am! Did any of you really think I wouldn’t if there was any chance – just a chance – I could work out a way to stay?’