‘You shuddered again. Dear Betsy, don’t. Don’t punish yourself night and day.’

‘Eeh, lass, you knaw me so well. I’m lucky to have you.’

‘Blame everything on Harold, like I told you. He is the evil force who brought down on everyone everything that happened.’

‘Aye, I knaw. But it’s a bit frightening to knaw what someone like that can bring out in us. I never thought in a million years that I would end up betraying you.’

‘And I never thought in a million years that I would happily deny Harold’s daughter, and the mother who was in dire straits, with no job and no prospects. But I did. I believed Harold when he said Sibbie wasn’t his. But I have a chance to make up for that now. We’ll give Sibbie a happy life, for her and for Susan.’

‘Poor lass.’

The countryside sped by and darkness fell. It seemed strange to go to bed on a train, but it was an adventure, too. The next morning brought lovely sunshine and a delicious breakfast of bacon and eggs on toast. Soon they were pulling into Glasgow station. The route was planned this way to give Mags a chance to buy a car. She and Montel were to share the four hours or so of driving to Portpatrick, with Betsy and the children sitting in the back. They had a small amount of luggage to take with them, enough to tide them over, and that would fit in the boot, and Mags arranged for the rest of their luggage to be taken into storage and delivered in a few days’ time.

Finally they were on the road leading to the sea. Although they were tired and very hungry, their spirits lifted to see the glistening water and the many boats bobbing up and down in the port. Everywhere was a hive of activity, as some men unloaded fishing boats and others mended nets.

‘It’s lovely.’

‘Oh, mon Dieu – an artist’s dream.’

‘Eeh, it’s grand.’

The road ended in a T-junction, with the sea straight ahead. To the left and the right there was a high cliff, giving the port the appearance of being in a valley. Little cottages lined the quayside and an inn snuggled between them.

Looking in the direction where she knew her house stood, Mags gasped, ‘Oh, look, I think that’s it. The two-storey white building.’

The house, though not terribly grand, had a charm that made Mags fall instantly in love with it. Its tired exterior didn’t detract from how inviting it looked, and the view was unbelievable. She wanted to go straight to it and check it over, but the children were fractious and needed attention and it wouldn’t be practical to do so.

Turning away, they made for the inn.

Six weeks later, as the nights began to draw in, they were all settled. The house had turned out to be much bigger than its front implied, as the building went quite a way back on the left side, leaving a sheltered garden on the right. This annexe was being turned into a home for Betsy and her girls, while the main body of the house would be for Mags, Montel and little Sibbie.