I didn’t tell her about the panic that had been gripping me during Brian’s absence and that it took an effort not to throw the damn papers on the fire. They hadn’t seemed important, as I sat waiting for my son to return home. Yet in Cordelia’s company they represented another piece of a puzzle and I was becoming as keen as she was to see what the finished picture would look like.

‘You thawed out?’ asked John, opening the door. Cordelia flashed him a look of annoyance and I found myself breathing a sigh of relief. I’d had it my head she was a little soft on him and there was no way I could stop him if he took a fancy to her. She had that quality – men just can’t do anything about it, or at least, that’s what it seems. Sometimes I wonder if they don’t just like pretending to be weak so we don’t expect more from them. Brian was like that when I asked him to mow the lawn. Did it dreadful just so I’d stop asking.

‘Heron’s got a long night ahead,’ said John, sitting down on the sofa and looking at Cordelia without showing the annoyance I knew him to be feeling about her presence in his chair.

‘Aye?’ I asked, refilling his mug.

‘Thon hunters that were in the paper. Reckons the moon’ll have them out in droves.’

Cordelia looked to me for explanation and I obliged.

‘Dead deers being left in the river. Nasty business. They reckon they’ve suffered plenty. Legs cut off before the poor beasts had died. Hearts and lungs taken too. Been in the papers, surprised you didn’t hear about it. Heron’s taken it awfully personal. He not tell you?’

She shook her head and water ran down her neck. I watched it disappear into the throat of her jumper.

‘I wouldn’t fancy being in their shoes if Heron does catch them. He says there were a stag he found up Crammel Linn had his antlers hacked off with a saw. Caught in a wire snare, see. Heron had to end its misery, poor sod. I reckon he’ll do worse to whoever done it.’

Cordelia sat back in the chair and looked up at the ceiling. I was conscious of Brian up there, just a few feet above. James too, though he’d no doubt be drawing or having one of his adventures in his head. He’d been the only one of us who looked a bit disappointed when his brother came home safe.