‘Ignore them,’ he says to me now, taking my hand. ‘We’re on our honeymoon. And we’re going to have a great time.’

‘Unless of course the island is haunted,’ I joke.

‘There’s no such thing as ghosts,’ he answers, taking a sip of his beer.

I sip my drink and say nothing. I’m not so sure about that.

Chapter Two

The island is visible now. It’s shrouded in fog though, wisps of cloud clinging to it.

Liam helps me into the small boat with an outboard motor that will carry us over to it, making sure the straps of my life jacket are done up tight. He knows I’m afraid of water; I have been ever since I almost drowned one time. It’s something I still have nightmares about.

Liam sees me eyeing the near-black surface of the water with uneasiness. ‘You’re all right,’ he tells me in the same tone he uses when I jolt awake screaming from a bad dream. ‘You won’t fall in, I promise. And if you do,’ he adds with a wink, ‘I’ll jump in and save you.’

I force a smile and take a seat at the front of the boat, my right hand gripping the side white-knuckled, despite Liam’s reassurances. He sits opposite me and holds my free hand, his fingers grazing the diamond ring and the simple gold band that was once my grandmother’s.

The boatman, wearing a bright yellow rain mac and galoshes, pulls the starting cord and the engine splutters damply to life. We set off, bouncing over the waves, and I fix my gaze on the island in the distance. My hood flies back and the wind whips my hair around my head. I close my eyes as the spray hits my face, relishing the cold scouring my skin. It’s awakening, as though it has the power to blast away my sadness.

‘Who owns the place?’ I hear Liam ask the boatman and I open my eyes to look in their direction.

The boatman shrugs. ‘Mystery. No one knows. Was on the market for a few years but no one wanted to touch it on account of its history. Then it was bought a few months back,’ he grunts.

‘What history?’ I ask.

‘Oh, just, you know … she’s got a dark history, Shura.’

‘You mean the Viking raids?’ I ask.

The boatman glances at me with something of a puzzled expression. ‘Aye,’ he says, ‘that’ll be it.’

I frown. It’s obvious that there’s something more to the island’s history, but no one wants to open up and say what it is. And I’m not sure I want to press and find out.

‘You’re the first ones to visit,’ the boatman adds, changing the subject.

‘Really?’ Liam asks.