It was church later and I would not be persuaded to stay behind, so we trailed up through the damp to arrange ourselves on the unforgiving pews. Paterson was there in a new coat, nipped at the waist. When his wife wasn’t looking he gave me a lazy smile, but I did not care. Even with the boom of song and the smell of so many living people, I was conscious of only two, not tethered even to Iskar, but who had found us from beyond death. They could come and go when called and there was no door on earth that could keep them out. If they meant harm, they would surely succeed.

Beside me, I became aware of Mary and I turned to her. Her cheekbones were too sharp, her eyes too distant and troubled. It was not me alone who was haunted, and a headache began to pulse at my temple and a wave of nausea rose. The urge to vomit became urgent and I leapt from my knees and fled the church to the curiosity of the congregation. I only just made it to a patch of undergrowth before I emptied my stomach.

I leaned against the wall for support, and when the sickness had passed I realized that for the first time I was alone on the land of Skelthsea – all else were inside the chapel.

It was dusk. A grey and dusty light squatted in the shadows and the sea was an endless black. While the congregation intoned the prayers, a strange silence fell over the valley. My eyes found the ridge where the bitten rock of the Fiaclach lay, seeming older than the island itself, and a hollow boom sounded as an ocean squall found the cave entrances. I had never felt so isolated.

Behind me, from the church came the noise of feet and the rousing swell of song and then the chatter as they spilled out of the door. I stayed where I was, half hidden behind the chapel. Miss Gillies and Mary left first, then the staff. Mary looked around for me and I was struck once again by the inflexibility of her looks – as if her features had been stamped upon the skin, not giving allowance for a smile or a frown.

Miss Gillies chatted to the villagers and Mrs Lenister and Greer talked, although Mrs Lenister plucked constantly at her coat, adjusting its weight. Her cheeks were red with cold. When I looked again, Greer stood by herself, her headscarf tugged by the wind. As I watched, a lantern swung, capturing her expression, and there was something that stilled me, something new in her eyes that I had not seen before. She was a woman transfigured. For those moments, she was almost beautiful. I was mesmerized and followed her gaze.