Even so, the sight of the simple, dark coffin being carried through the house was startling. Somehow it seemed so much bigger than the small body that had lain on the bed. Mairi curled forward and wept sorely. Cal ran his hand across her shoulders in a feeble attempt at comfort. He followed her to the window to watch the hearse carry Mary away. Mairi turned to him for solace and he held her until her tears subsided.

‘If you want to get any rest at all today, you’d be better checking into the hotel now,’ Mairi advised as she pulled herself together. ‘Word will have got round already and people will be calling all day into the evening. It’s a lot to deal with.’

‘Would you mind being here to help? I don’t know most of them.’

‘Of course,’ she said. ‘I’ll need to check on things at home, but I’ll come back this afternoon. I’ll also let people know that there will be nobody here until later.’

‘I’m grateful for everything you’ve done,’ said Cal, suddenly feeling very weary.

The two of them walked through to the bedroom. The sheets had been pulled back on the bed, revealing a shallow imprint on the mattress where Mary had lain. Cal tugged them back into place and drew the curtains, returning the room to shadow. Then they worked their way round the ground floor, closing drapes and checking that everything was switched off.

Finally, they left the house, but Cal struggled with the lock. Mairi took the key from him and clicked it round, jerking the door handle with familiar ease.

‘Can I give you a lift?’ he offered.

Mairi pointed to a modern house just two hundred yards away. ‘You could, but I’d be quicker walking,’ she smiled.

They confirmed a rendezvous time and Mairi went off down the road. Cal slumped into the car. He had harboured a small hope of making it back to the city today and possibly salvaging the property deal, but he had to accept that as chief mourner he would be required to play that role over the next couple of days, not just at the funeral. He would phone Lisa to find out the state of play.

His priority, though, was to get some sleep. The hotel was two miles away and he covered the distance quickly, wincing when he heard loose stones chipping against the bodywork of the car. The sporting lines of the Audi looked at odds with the rustic landscape.

He pulled into the car park and walked into reception, watched steadily all the way by the receptionist, a middle-aged woman who looked as if she suffered no nonsense.

‘I’m sorry to hear about your aunt,’ she said when he went over to book in. ‘She was a lovely lady.’

Cal showed his surprise.

‘Word gets around quickly in small places,’ she said in explanation.

‘Thank you.’

‘When will the funeral be?’

‘I don’t know. Hopefully that’ll be sorted out soon. Do you have a room for a few days?’ Cal was not in any mood to talk.

A few minutes later he was in his comfortable but anonymous room. Its principal appeal was the view it offered, out over a loch, moorland hills rising beyond.

Cal kicked off his shoes and collapsed onto the bed. The mattress was firm and the stiffness in his back muscles began to ease. He flicked open his phone, found Lisa’s name in the directory and pressed dial.

‘What’s the point in calling me now?’ she asked instantly, her phone identifying who was calling.

‘It’s too late then?’ sighed Cal.

‘Of course it’s too late. They’ve been in and it’s all going through the agency now. It was too late the moment you took off. You haven’t a hope of getting it now, not at a good price anyway. What did you expect?’

‘I was hoping there might have been a delay or that you’d manage to stall them for a while.’

‘Stall them!’ Lisa was speaking in an angry whisper.