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frowned, she added reproachfully, 'You surely haven't forgotten Aunty Griz who was so kind to you when you were a peedie bairn, after we lost your poor dear father... ?'
    'Of course, of course,' lied Faro. 'Aunty Griz.'
    'And she's so reliable. She loves them and they dote on her. I thought my place was with Mrs Balfray and Dr Francis, when they were relying on me and now that he's alone I can't leave the poor doctor in the lurch,' she added, her eyes welling with tears.
    'You did the right thing, Mother,' said Faro, patting her hand. 'A sad time for all of you. Vince tells me Mrs Balfray was greatly loved and that a lot of people helped to take care of her.'
    Mrs Faro sniffed. 'Hardly a great lot.' And, enumerating on her fingers, she continued, 'Beside myself there was Miss Balfray, who is just heart-broken too. Reverend Erlandson, our nice minister she's engaged to, is a great comfort to her and to us all. And, of course, our Inga, as always the first to offer help to anyone.'
    'I met her on the way in.'
    'You did?' Mary Faro looked pleased. 'Well, well. She's such a sweet girl. So sad that she's never married. She'd have made a marvellous wife for someone.'
    Again in that quick sideways glance he thought he detected a hint of reproach. Did his mother still think that someone should have been himself?
    The years have been very good to her, I thought'
    'Indeed they have.' Mrs Faro beamed. 'She's a lovely girl, always was, and it goes all the way through, despite the nastiness of some folk here.'
    'How's that, Mother?'
    'Oh you know, Jeremy. Even when you were a lad there was all this talk about her being a selkie. And her doing nothing but good. Always ready with her herbs and the like and I've seen her with my own eyes breathe life into a dying bairn. But some folk can never be satisfied. Just be a peedie bit different...'
    She shrugged, pausing to refill his cup. "There were rumours that she'd brought other sick people back to life. And you know what folk said? What kind of life was that if it cost them their immortal souls. They thought that was what she did, stole their souls for the devil.'
    'What brought her to Balfray?'
    'She came years back. When Saul Hoy's mother died. Saul's the smithy and they were distantly related to your poor dear father by marriage. Anyway, Saul was left with this simple brother, they call him Troller Jack, and Inga came to look after him when he was ill. The laddie just doted on her, she could do anything with him and she just stayed on.'
    She gave him a hesitant look. There was talk about her marrying Saul. But it never came to anything. There's plenty that snigger about that, too, and would like to say that she's a bad woman.'
    Faro smiled. His mother would have been the first to make comments on anyone but Inga living in the same house as a bachelor, both of them of marriageable years. 'You know how island folk gossip. What can you expect them to say?'
    'I would say that's her own business,' snorted Mary Faro. 'But I'll tell you because she's kin. She told me once that she might have married him but she learned from her mother before she died that he was her half-brother. Isn't that awful?'
    Faro smiled. It was not an unknown occurrence.
    'Wasn't that a terrible thing to find out?' asked Mary Faro in shocked tones.
    'Better found out before than after marriage.'
    Mrs Faro hesitated a moment then went on. 'If there have been any sweethearts in her life, past or present, then this is Inga's biggest secret of all. Luckily her reputation keeps the men hereabouts at bay. You can see them eyeing her, especially when it's harvest time and they've had a few drams, but none of them would harm her. In fact, they're too scared to lay a hand on her.' Mary Faro chuckled. They know all about what crossing a witch can do to a man, their wives have made sure of that.'
    And suddenly confidential, she leaned forward and touched his arm. 'You know what I think? I think she's still sweet on you. You were her