He poured a couple of drams and handed her one.

‘Sláinte,’ he toasted her.

She drank hers down, enjoying the warmth of its descent.

‘It’s also a refuge from the rain and the midges.’ He pointed to where a fire had been. ‘It’s a natural chimney in the rock, so all mod cons.’

When they emerged later, he surprised her by taking her hand on the way back down the path to the Bothy. His hand encompassing hers felt more intimate than all the couplings that had gone before.

‘And now the best place of all,’ he promised as, picking up the Land Rover again, they drove downwards.

Ten minutes later, she caught sight of where he was undoubtedly taking her.

‘An Lochan Uaine,’ he told her. ‘The green lochan.’

The closer they got, the more magical the clear green water became.

‘I thought this was the loch near the Party House,’ she said.

His face darkened. ‘It is, but we’re approaching from the far side. You won’t see that damn place from where we’re heading. When the estate was sold, Global Investment Holdings stopped locals from accessing the swimming spot near the house. All of us kids learned to swim from the beach. It’s where families came in the summer,’ he said. ‘Folk were angry. People have right of way in Scotland. You should be able to walk anywhere. The new owners didn’t care about that. They cut off access and built a sauna and a hot tub right beside the lochan for their guests.’ He pulled up at the water’s edge. ‘So, I come to this end of the loch instead, where you can’t see the house at all.’

They got out of the vehicle and stood gazing across the clear emerald water.

‘Why is it this colour?’ she said, intrigued.

‘Scientists say it’s because of minerals in the water – or alternatively,’ he said with an endearing smile, ‘it’s because the fairies wash their clothes in it.’

‘With Fairy Liquid?’ she teased.

‘Exactly.’

He began to strip.

‘You’re not going in?’ she said, a little horrified.

‘Of course I am. Come on,’ he urged, running down the beach and throwing himself into the water.

She didn’t know why she obeyed. Maybe it was the second nip of whisky they’d had in the cave, or because the whole day seemed unreal.

Her heart almost stopped as she met the frighteningly cold water.

‘Exhilarating, isn’t it?’ he shouted at her.

‘More like fucking freezing,’ she said, thrashing about, hoping to start her heart again.

Taking pity on her, he swept her up in his arms and carried her out.

‘You’re a southern softie,’ he pronounced, rubbing her briskly in a blanket-sized towel until the blood began to flow through her limbs again. ‘First up, hot coffee laced with whisky to get you warm again, then we eat.’