Having seen very few people during the previous eighteen months, except when he’d ventured to the village shop or encountered locals out for a walk in the woods or the hills, he now found himself intrigued by the faces of the people sharing the carriage with him.

Especially the women.

Colin Aitken, his assistant ghillie, had warned him that would happen. ‘You’ve been sex-deprived for yonks. Make sure you find someone quick. You’ve got a lot of time to make up and you’re only there for a few days.’ He’d looked so wistful as he’d said it that Greg had almost offered to let Colin go to London in his place.

Now, seated between two brightly dressed attractive women, Greg was glad he hadn’t, although he wasn’t sure if he could deal with making the moves that might take him further than just chat with any woman he met at the event.

Walking the hills or lying in bed alone, he’d fantasized plenty about sex during lockdown, but fantasies were just that – fantasies – and not real life.

Reaching the hotel, he checked in and made his way up to his room, pleased to find it sufficiently air-conditioned to make him think he was back in Scotland. The event material had been delivered, along with a bottle of whisky to welcome him. Had it not been so early he would have poured himself a dram.

His mobile buzzed shortly after that, suggesting Colin had been tailing him.

‘You’re there?’

‘I am,’ Greg assured him.

‘What’s it like?’ Colin sounded eager.

‘It’s London. Hot and crowded.’

‘Women?’

‘Thousands if not millions of them,’ Greg told him.

‘Lucky bastard. Remember, they’ll all have been in lockdown too.’

‘Sadly, it’ll be mostly hunting and shooting men that I’ll be meeting with. All well up there?’

There was a moment’s hesitation before Colin said, ‘Caroline says there’s a rumour going round that we’re planning to open up the Party House again soon.’

It wasn’t a rumour. In fact, it was one of the reasons he was here. There was alternative accommodation for small weekend shooting parties on the estate, and he was planning to focus on that. Mostly because he wasn’t happy himself about the thought of the Party House being used.

‘They’ll have to do it sometime,’ he reminded Colin. ‘It makes a lot of money for the estate owners.’

‘There’ll be trouble if they do,’ Colin said darkly.

There was no answer to that, so Greg didn’t attempt one. ‘I’ll be back in a couple of days. Don’t mess up before then,’ he ordered.

Colin was young and keen, but he had his daft moments. Which was partly the reason he hadn’t sent him down here in his place.