As they made their way to the water, people said hello to Graeme, and Tilly worked out that he was a popular fixture here. He brought a buoyancy aid and put it on her, fastening it tight. He had to lean around her and put his arms round her waist. He smelled clean. He didn’t wear one himself and she guessed he’d been on the water all his life. After that, he went to collect two paddle boards from a rack, carrying both of them with ease, and put them into the water next to where she was standing.

‘Graeme!’ They looked round. Graeme waved. A teenager ran towards him and gabbled something about one of the wood sheds. Graeme gave him instructions and told him he was taking a student out for an hour or so. The kid ran off and Graeme returned his attention to his new pupil. He gave her a step-by-step account of what they were going to do, then waded into the water, which was flat and peaceful. Tilly reckoned it couldn’t be that hard to master.

‘It’s easier to kneel at first, and then, when we get past the river mouth over there, we’ll try and stand, OK?’

‘Right!’

They waded out as far as Tilly’s waist and he helped her onto the board. She knelt up carefully, and after a few minutes of feeling wobbly and out of control managed to take her first strokes. It involved a lot of hands-on instruction from Graeme, but his touch quickly felt normal.

‘Brilliant! Keep that up and follow me.’ He got onto his own board and paddled briskly towards lots of little boats moored up on the water. Tilly found her rhythm and tried to concentrate without staring too much at the scenery, which was breath-taking. On one side a serenely sloping mountainside bore down upon them; ahead, probably five miles away, a disappearing valley sat under cloud, and to the other side was a great untouched forest. She couldn’t quite remember seeing anything so perfect: the weather, the water, and the peace and tranquillity.

Graeme paddled towards her.

‘Do you want to try and stand?’

‘Of course!’

He held her board and told her to be bold and do it one leg at a time, steadying herself in between. She accomplished it the first time and watched as Graeme effortlessly stood up too. He showed her how to go forward and turn, and she was able to negotiate her board around the moored boats and closer to the middle of the lake. He took her around a tiny island, where she thought they might stop, but he continued paddling towards a beach.

As they drew closer, it was quite obvious that the beach was private: there were signs erected, and the shingle was deserted, but Graeme carried on confidently towards it. Tilly’s curiosity made her follow.

‘What’s this?’