“Does the telly work?” Josh asked, pointing to an enormous television set that dwarfed the three-legged table on which it rested in the corner of the sitting area. Judging from its antiquity, Dan thought it highly unlikely that it had been switched on since Muffin the Mule graced the screen.

“I think so,” Katie replied. “I seem to remember that it’s quite like viewing through a snowstorm, though.” She walked across to a door at the back of the room. “I hardly dare look in here,” she said, pushing it open. She shuddered as she entered the bathroom, built into the flat-roofed block at the back of the house. “Well, it’s freezing, but it’s clean enough.”

Dan and Josh peered through the doorway. There was an old cast-iron bath with sticky-out feet and peculiarly bulbous taps, a basin with a mirrored cupboard above it, and a lavatory with a wooden seat.

“How is the water heated?” Dan asked.

Katie smiled as she walked past them into the main room. “Ah, well, now that’s another thing. The stove does it all. The water, the radiators in the bathroom and the bedrooms, and, of course, the cooking too.”

Dan was pleasantly impressed. “That sounds quite efficient.”

“Quite,” said Katie, biting at her bottom lip. “The trouble is that the stove burns solid fuel.”

“Oh yes,” Dan chuckled. “I remember now. It takes whole forests to feed it.”

“Actually, it’s not that bad. It’s a bit of a pig to get started, but once it’s going well, you can close it right down and it just burns slowly.”

“What about getting the wood?”

“I’m sure there’ll be some logs in the lean-to at the back of the cottage, but if not, I can get Patrick to order you up a load.”

She threaded her way through the three-piece suite and opened up a door at the east end of the cottage. “That’s one of the bedrooms. It’s got a double bed.” She opened the door next to it. “And there’s a single bed in there.” She turned to Dan and Josh. “That’s it, I’m afraid. Not quite the Ritz, but it’s all we have. What do you think?”

Dan blew out a breath that was visible in the cold of the room. “Well, it’s the right size for us both.”

Katie took that as a noncommitment. “I’m sorry. It’s not brilliant, is it? I suppose we could try and find some lodgings for you, but it’s just the dogs that—”

“I think it’s great!” cut in Josh. He turned to his father. “Come on, Dad, it’ll do us all right.”

“No, I wasn’t meaning . . .” He paused to get his words right. “Yes, it’s absolutely fine for us. We’ll get it cleaned up and heated in no time. It’s . . . perfect.”