Flora tossed her head back and laughed. She flirted with the flowers, the clouds, the minister, everything and everyone. ‘Well, it all sounds a lot more fun than listening to Mhairi greet about the McKinnons’ curse!’

Jayne was sitting on the rocks just ahead, knitting away. She cut a solitary figure, the sea glinting behind her as the headland peeled back towards Boreray.

‘Jayne!’ Flora called as they approached. ‘I’ve been looking for you all over.’

The brown-haired woman looked up. Her face was plain and lined for one so young, but she had a ready smile, despite her many burdens.

‘Flora, you’re back,’ she said warmly as the girls veered from the grass, their tanned legs flashing as they gathered their skirts to see better while they climbed barefoot over the rocks. They settled themselves on some boulders either side of her, looking out to sea towards the Great Beyond. Effie often thought that living here, they were like the sailors with Christopher Columbus – believing there was something over the horizon, though they could not see it.

‘Aye. Mhairi saw the cuts and had me tear back here. She was worried about the McKinnon curse.’

Jayne gave a low chuckle. ‘She’s a vivid imagination, that one.’

‘Like you?’ Flora asked meaningfully.

‘It’s not imagination that I’ve got,’ Jayne murmured, immediately getting the gist of the visit. Flora was many things, but subtle wasn’t one of them. ‘What is it you want?’

Effie felt uncomfortable and looked away. Jayne wasn’t a clairvoyant; the visions couldn’t be summoned at will. What could this achieve?

‘I’m sorry, I know we shouldn’t ask,’ she said, asking anyway, ‘but I just need to know before I go back – is it done now?’

Jayne frowned, her gaze meeting Flora’s briefly. ‘Is what done?’

Effie watched, almost hypnotized, as Jayne’s needles flicked up and down as she talked; she never needed to watch the stitches as she went.

‘The bad spirit that led to Donald McKinnon’s accident today.’

A gleam of amusement came into Jayne’s eyes. ‘Who said bad spirits were at play? As I understand, he fell trying to catch a sheep.’

‘So you didn’t have any of your dreams about him?’

‘About Donald?’ Jayne smiled outright now. ‘No. There’s been no dreams about Donald.’

‘And no visions about him either?’ Flora clarified, determined not to be caught out on a technicality.

‘No visions either.’

Flora gave a loud sigh. ‘So then I can go back with good news and she’ll give me some peace.’

‘If it’s the McKinnon curse she’s so worried about, surely she should be more concerned about the McKinnons in her own family?’ Jayne enquired with her usual good sense.

‘Aye, of course,’ Flora said quickly. ‘. . . You’ve not had any dreams about them either, have you?’