‘Dear girl,’ the countess exclaimed, regarding her with a look of open astonishment. ‘Now I understand what my husband has been trying to tell me. That was extraordinary. You’re extraordinary.’

‘Oh, no,’ Effie demurred, but her eyes were bright from the adventure. ‘It was nothing, really. We just wanted to get her down quickly before the light went. It seemed the easiest solution.’

She kept her gaze upon the countess but she was keenly aware of Sholto’s attention.

‘Easy?’ the countess laughed. ‘I don’t know how to thank you.’

‘There’s no need, my lady. It was my pleasure.’ It was no word of a lie; it really had been. For the first time in weeks, she felt herself again. The Effie of old. Effie Gillies of St Kilda.

The countess took her hand and gripped it for a moment, looking at her intently. ‘You are a remarkable young woman,’ she reiterated. ‘Quite unlike anyone I’ve met. Don’t let life over here dim your light, will you?’

Effie swallowed. ‘I’ll try my best.’

‘Good. And thank heavens you were wearing trousers!’ the countess smiled. She dropped Effie’s hand and brought the cat up to her face, enjoying the feel of her luxuriant fur. ‘Now Miss Petunia, we must get you warm,’ she said, drifting back towards the house and sending the footmen scrabbling to open the door.

‘Just what is it with you and drama, lass?’ Mrs McLennan muttered, smiling, as she and the housekeeper turned to go back in too.

‘That was amazing!’ Fanny hissed, her eyes bright as she and Jenny followed the senior servants until only Sholto was left.

Effie turned away from him, giving the ropes the two sharp tugs she had promised. ‘You can pull the ropes up now, Billy,’ she called for good measure, hoping Sholto would take her distraction with the ropes as the cue to leave. She watched the ropes being hoisted back up the building’s facade, but when she turned back again, he was still standing there.

He’d said not a word throughout, but his eyes burned with something that looked like pride. ‘Well, you’ll have a friend for life in my mother now,’ he said eventually, leaning into the silence.

‘Oh?’ she asked coolly.

‘Yes. Sometimes I think she loves that cat more than she loves me.’

Effie didn’t reply and she let another silence swell, seeing the uncertainty grow in his eyes as he took in her new distance. She wouldn’t forgive him for how lightly he had toyed with her job here, her home. She wouldn’t beg for his friendship again. She didn’t want his kindness or company. She was here by his father’s authority, not his. Her future was uncertain enough without his caprices.

He shifted his weight. ‘At least now she will understand what my father’s talking about when he regales their friends about your climbing exhibition.’