St. Martin’s summer

St. Martin’s summer is a passing seasonal warmth whose absence frames the final departure from Combe Island. By the time Kate Miskin leaves, the brief spell has ended, placing the island’s last appearance under a low cloud base rather than in summer’s temporary brightness.

Seasonal Reference

The text identifies St. Martin’s summer as brief and already past, without giving it a date or describing its onset. Its significance here lies in that contrast: a fleeting period of warmth has vanished by the moment of departure, as the helicopter lifts reluctantly from the island.

Role in the Closing Scene

The season’s passing belongs to a larger scene of endings. The helicopter makes a final circuit above familiar buildings, while the figures below become indistinct and turn away. Kate knows that Combe Island has changed her, though she cannot yet say how, and that she will never see it again. As the helicopter rises through cloud into shining air, the vanished summer marks the close of her island experience; for Dalgliesh and Emma, the same departure opens a new beginning.