He shook his head. ‘I was offered my expenses and a bit of a fee, so I came early and took the opportunity to do some painting.’

‘So you’re an artist?’

‘Yeah. What do you do?’

He obviously didn’t want to talk about being an artist. It was unfortunate that she didn’t much want to talk about being a landlady, or having been a photographer, either. ‘The good thing about being on a tour with retired people is that on the whole, no one asks you what you do, because they mostly don’t do anything.’

‘Is that a brush-off?’

‘Not at all. I just don’t want to bore you.’

‘I’m sure you couldn’t do that if you tried. I, on the other hand, can do it at the drop of a hat. I saw you nodding off during my talk.’

Thea laughed. ‘I’m dog tired. Molly snores like a grampus.’

‘And I’m shite at talking – we won’t go into that again. I’m a much better painter.’

‘I’m glad to hear it.’

He frowned. ‘To punish you for that unkind comment I will make you tell me what you do.’

‘OK, but here’s your lunch.’

‘Deux bieres, garçon, s’il vous plaît.’ He picked up his knife and fork. ‘Well?’

Thea sat back in her chair. ‘I have a house full of students and a part-time job in a photographer’s.’

He frowned. ‘You’re not your typical landlady, are you?’

‘What is a typical landlady? Nora Batty? Arms folded? Out of the house by nine and not in again until tea and rock cakes at five?’

‘Don’t get edgy. You know what I mean. You’re too young to be a landlady with a part-time job.’

‘No one fits into the stereotype, you know, and I like young people.’

‘And the part-time job in the photographer’s? That’s some camera you’ve got there. You should be taking photographs, not putting them in envelopes.’

She looked down at her Leica M4. She had bought it for fifteen hundred pounds, second-hand. She loved it. ‘Yes.’

‘You’re holding out on me.’

‘Why shouldn’t I? I don’t tell my story to just anyone, you know.’

I’ll tell you mine if you’ll tell me yours.’

He gave her the sort of smile which caused a reluctant awakening in the region of her libido. Thea had almost forgotten she still had a libido, it had been so long since she had allowed herself feelings like that. ‘OK,’ she said eventually, ‘you go first. But if it’s not very exciting, I reserve the right to pike it.’

He frowned. ‘Pike it?’

‘Back out, give up, go home. Or in my case, back to the hotel.’

‘I suppose you got that dreadful expression from one of your student lodgers.’

‘That’s right. Now – I’m listening.’

Chapter Three

Chapter Three