Who was she really, this woman who, he suspected, had set out to seduce him. Not that he was complaining. It was just that she was even more of a mystery to him now than she had been on that first wild weekend they’d spent together in London.

They had made love under a full moon last night, and he hadn’t asked her who she really was. Maya or Joanne or how many other personas? Last night he didn’t care. Not about that, nor what else she might be keeping from him.

Neither did he want to be asked what he was keeping from her.

Quietly closing the bedroom door behind him, he made himself some breakfast and rang Colin. Colin had watched the stramash in the pub last night, but had wisely kept his head down. A few brief words with him afterwards had alerted Greg to how worried Colin was about his job.

Greg felt exactly the same, but hadn’t said that; rather, he’d tried to reassure Colin that all would be well. He could only hope that was true.

Also, if he were to leave, he would rather it was on his own terms. He’d left Blackrig before when things were bad, but then found he couldn’t stay away. Whether he lost his job or not, he wouldn’t be leaving his home village again.

Stepping outside, he noted the midges were already out in force, clouds of them. He wondered if Stratton would change his mind about going out considering how bad it would likely be on the hill. And what about the women he’d indicated would be coming along?

Somehow Greg couldn’t imagine the females he’d seen sunbathing by the green loch being keen on slathering themselves in midge cream and putting head nets on, except perhaps Naomi.

Reaching the gates of Ard Choille, he found Colin waiting for him there, his face a picture of misery.

Choosing to avoid the subject Colin was obviously worrying about, Greg said instead, ‘How’d it go with Karla?’

Colin’s ability to switch from distress to joy was one of the reasons Greg liked him so much.

‘Are we talking about her stovies or her company?’ he said, his eyes lighting up.

‘Both,’ Greg said.

‘In a word, perfect,’ Colin said in the tone of a smitten man.

‘So you two are a thing, then?’

‘I wish.’ Colin looked slightly crestfallen. ‘There’s a lot of competition. On that topic, how the hell did you manage to score with the lovely Joanne? She’s bound to have plenty admirers in London. Why come up here to stay with you?’ he asked in obvious disbelief.

Greg wasn’t sure of that himself, so he just smiled in what he hoped was a mysterious way.

Jokes over, he said, ‘Okay. Are we ready?’