Discreetly Hester looked around at their faces, which had so much in common and which circumstance and character had stamped so differently. The only ones not born Farraline were Deirdra and Mary. Where they were slender and fair and well above average height, she was small and dark and inclined to stockiness. Yet there was a fierce inner concentration in her face, a sense of controlled excitement, which gave her a warmth the others lacked. She answered when civility required it, but she did not generate any remarks. Her own thoughts apparently consumed her.

Eilish spoke sporadically, as if prompted by good manners, and in between her thoughts also filled her mind. Hester found herself looking at Eilish repeatedly, possibly because she was so beautiful it was natural to stare, but also because of a sadness she thought she could see through the thin mask of courtesy and interest.

It was left to Oonagh and Mary to raise one agreeable, uncontentious subject after another.

“How long does your journey take, Mother-in-law?” Deirdra asked, turning to Mary as soon as the main course was served.

“About twelve hours,” Mary replied. “Although most of it I shall spend asleep, so it will feel much shorter. I think it is an excellent way to travel, don’t you, Miss Latterly?”

“Indeed,” Hester agreed. “Although the little I saw of Scotland on my way here, I should imagine it is very beau- tiful to look at, especially at this time of the year.”

“You will have to go back during the day on your return next time,” Mary suggested. ‘Then you can look out of the window all the way. If it doesn’t rain, it should be really very nice.”

“I don’t know why you’re going,” Hector Farraline said, speaking for the first time. He had an excellent voice, rich in timbre, and even though a few of his words were slurred, one could tell that when he was completely sober his diction would have been beautiful-and with the faint lilt of the northern Scots, not the flatter Edinburgh accent of Mary’s speech.