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small to bathe inside, so Gemma had built a separate room across a series of stepping-stones that crossed the lawn at the side of the cottage. The little shed had its own fireplace, with a huge bath that sat up on a raised, wooden area in the middle of the room. The bath was splendid, but the shower was a work of art, with the entire recess made of different coloured glass, which had been skilfully framed and glued together. Marie stood beneath the shower's strong caress and watched the light change in the room as the morning sunlight sparkled through the rainbow panes. The scalding water cascaded down her body and she stood there for ages, transfixed by the prickly massage and the warmth that it instilled in her cold frame.
    By the time she got out, her fingers were all prune-like and she needed to sit down for a few moments to recover from a sudden rush of blood to her head. As she looked around the room, her gaze fell on a hanger of clothes on the back of the door. Marie fell in love with the dark-green, embroidered jacket as soon as she put it on. The material felt like silk, but had the warmth of cashmere and was clearly much loved. By the time she left the room and had made her way across the stepping-stones towards the kitchen, she was feeling a lot lighter and had decided to keep the jacket on forever, or at least for as long as Gemma let her. As she went in the door, Gemma was pouring some boiling water into a coffee plunger.
    "Perfect timing, everything's ready," she said, spinning round.
    "Good. By the way, thank you for the loan of this outfit, it's beautiful," said Marie, closing the door
    "It's not a loan, it's a gift," said Gemma.
    "But I can't possibly take it. It's obviously very precious and I would never."
    "Shhh, I want you to have it. Yes, it has been very precious to me and I have worn it in pretty much every country in the world. But now it's yours and knowing you're wearing it will give me as much pleasure as any of those memories. Besides, I've shrunk in my old age and it's far too big for me now."
    "Okay, if you're absolutely certain. Thank you, thank you for everything," said Marie, giving Gemma a hug.
    "Now, come on. I've prepared a rather beautiful breakfast for us, if I do say so myself, and I'm starving. I've been up for hours."
    The table was covered with enough food for ten people. There were scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and wilted spinach, drizzled with hollandaise sauce. Mangoes and paw paws that had been dissected into bite-size pieces in a glass bowl that was sculpted in the shape of a swan and four or five different handmade cereals.
    "How many people are you expecting for breakfast?" asked Marie, surveying the feast before her.
    "Well, I only eat two meals a day, so I always make the morning meal a good one," said Gemma, sitting down and stabbing a big piece of mango with her fork. Marie grabbed herself a bowl and it was some time later, as Gemma rocked back in her chair nursing a second cup of coffee, before anything more was said.
    "Yum, that was good. Now, I've been thinking," said Gemma.
    "That sounds dangerous," said Marie, smiling wickedly.
    "Yes, well be that as it may you cheeky thing, it would be a good idea for us to get away from the nursery for the weekend. If we stay around here, I'll get constantly interrupted and you'll get upset by being here. I want to spend some special time together, while we have a chance. I thought we could spend tonight in a small cottage I own fairly near here. What do you think? If it's a nice night, we could even camp out under the stars."
    "That sounds great, but will I need anything from home?" asked Marie.
    "No, I think I've got everything we need, but if we're going to make it to Halsey cottage before dark, we'd better get a move on."
    "Where is this Halsey cottage? I haven't heard you talk about it before."
    "The cottage is on a large property I bought some time ago to keep as a remnant from the past. A time that saw this region prosper