‘Now, Stephie.’ David smiled at her. ‘I suggested a day-long boat trip on one of those barge things with the sails. That should get them out from under your feet.’

‘Let’s hope they fall overboard and drown!’

David looked at her in consternation. This wasn’t like her.

‘And why on earth you let them bring that bloody dog . . .!’ The list of his sins was growing.

He was about to answer crossly that it had actually been Steph who agreed to the dog, when he noticed the deep lines of tiredness under her eyes. ‘Hey,’ he said, his voice softening, ‘come out here on the terrace and look at the view.’

‘Really, David,’ she answered irritably. ‘I’ve got too much to do.’

He watched her anxiously. She was like this more and more at the moment. He never knew when he was going to get his head snapped off. Eventually, Steph realized she was being a cow and followed him, wiping her hands on the jokey apron he’d given her, proclaiming ‘I Kiss Better Than I Cook’.

Beyond their terrace the land slipped away, gentle, green and fertile, right down to the river. ‘Nice, huh?’ David ventured.

Steph smiled, looking suddenly pretty and years younger. ‘Very nice. Beautiful.’

‘It’s the reason we came, remember?’

‘I know, I’m sorry. It’s just that I get so tired and then I start to get grumpy. Sorry.’ To think she’d imagined running a B&B together would be good for their marriage! She tried to concentrate on Meredith and how silly she was being. It would actually be great fun to see her old friend after all this time. The realization made her feel instantly better.

‘Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is?’ David suddenly grinned.

‘What on earth are you talking about?’ she replied.

He pulled her against him and pointed to the slogan on her pinny.

‘That was just a silly joke.’ Steph eased herself out of his embrace.

‘So I’m beginning to learn,’ he observed, in a tone of weary irritation she hadn’t heard from him before.

‘Good morning, Miss Harding,’ the flight attendant prompted gently, offering her a glass of wake-up orange juice.