‘Thanks to you, I was able to add the much-prized sooty tern egg to my collection.’

‘Were you, sir?’ She was surprised. She didn’t remember that.

‘Ah yes. It was when there was the emergency on Boreray and you two had run down the mountain to raise the alarm.’

‘Heavens, how dramatic! Running down a mountain? The only way I can get down them is by skiing,’ Sibyl drawled.

‘I was making my way down when I saw it circling about,’ the earl continued, seemingly oblivious to his house guest’s remark. ‘You’d mentioned you’d seen them but you thought they were migrating.’

‘Aye, they don’t usually land in the Hebrides. There must have been a storm that blew them off course.’

‘Well, lucky for me they had nested there after all and I nabbed the egg! I got a nasty twisted ankle for my trouble and it took me nigh on eight hours to get down again.’

‘Honestly,’ the countess tutted. ‘Risking life and limb for an egg.’

The earl just grinned at Effie, as though she understood his obsession. ‘It was a small price to pay, my dear, given I had thought I might have to sail up to the Faroes to get one. I’ve not got the stomach for that kind of swell anymore.’

‘Nor me, sir. I’ve only crossed open water one time, during the evacuation, but I don’t think I should like to make a habit of it.’

‘You shan’t be going back, then?’

She thought of what would await her there if she should, and shook her head quickly. ‘Sadly not.’

‘Well, then it’s just as well we’ve got plenty here to keep you distracted. I understand you’ve made a start on cataloguing already?’

‘I hope that’s all right, sir? It seemed like a good way to become acquainted with the collection.’

‘An excellent idea. It’s a daunting proposition, I know. The collection’s second only to Charles Rothschild’s library, but once we’ve got it in proper order, I daresay it could be of interest to the public.’

‘It’s very exciting, sir.’

The earl frowned. ‘Talking of libraries . . .’ He twisted slightly, looking for the butler. ‘Have they managed to get that jackdaw out of there yet, Graves?’

Mr Graves stepped forward from the shadows. ‘I believe there was some difficulty, sir. The bird was rather aggressive.’

‘But I’ve left my reading spectacles in there and I’m as blind as a mole without them.’

‘I’d be happy to retrieve them for you, sir,’ Effie said quickly, catching Sholto’s gaze, though he didn’t know she knew what he’d asked the housekeeper to do.

‘My dear girl, you can’t possibly approach an aggressive bird,’ the countess protested.