Barnaby had to give the front door a good shove to get it to open and it creaked alarmingly as he pushed it wider for them to enter. They stepped into a good-sized hallway with black-and-white tiles on the floor and panelled walls. A staircase with beautifully carved bannisters led up from one side of it and Amber could hardly wait to explore the upstairs, but first she would concentrate on the ground floor.

The first door leading off the hallway led into the kitchen, which, although furnished, was under such thick layers of dust that it was impossible to see if any of it would be salvageable. A large range cooker stood against one wall and next to that was an inglenook fireplace with a bread oven set into the wall on one side of it. There was a deep stone sink with a pump attached, which told them there must be a well somewhere, and a long wooden draining board. Cobwebs hung like festoons of delicate lace from the rafters and the moths had been feasting on the curtains. But as Amber looked about, she didn’t see the work that needed doing. In her mind’s eye she could see it as it could be and she smiled before tripping away to examine the rooms that led off it while Barnaby looked after Charlotte.

Across the hallway another door led into a sizable parlour with a deep fireplace and she could picture it at Christmas with a tree to the side of it and a lovely log fire roaring up the chimney. This room, too, was furnished but again it was impossible to see what sort of state the furniture was in. Back in the kitchen, the next door she opened led into what she supposed was the laundry room-cum-dairy. There was a big copper for heating water in one corner next to another large stone sink. There was also a mangle and a dolly tub and a big tin bath hanging on the wall, so she guessed that this must also have been where the previous tenants had bathed. A door to the far side of it led out into the back garden, which was very sizable indeed. This too was overgrown but she knew it could be lovely with some hard work. An outside toilet was attached to the house and across the yard was a large wooden outbuilding, which, she judged could easily house a horse and carriage should Barnaby wish to keep one. They also located the well and after hoisting a bucket of water up from it they were delighted to see that it was crystal clear.

Back inside she climbed the sturdy wooden staircase to find herself on a landing with three good-sized bedrooms leading off it, the largest of which overlooked the sea. Again, each room was fully furnished but it remained to be seen if any of it was useable.