‘From the therapists who use the facility. When they join, they sign a contract agreeing to pay a percentage of their fees – I don’t know, say ten per cent – into a communal pot which pays for the premises.’

Jude grimaced wryly. ‘But how do you start? All right, you find your premises … and I assume you’re talking about renting, not buying … and at that point you have no therapists signed up … or maybe one or two … So, where do you find the first month’s rent? Or, come to that, the second month’s rent? Or—’

‘Yes, all right. I take your point. I’d be prepared to fund the start-up. For a few months.’

‘Oh? Do you have a secret supply of money?’

‘Why does it have to be a secret supply?’

‘Come on, Jeremiah. You’re a healer. Very few healers make enough to trouble HM Revenue and Customs.’

‘All right.’ He coloured. ‘I don’t have a lot of money, no, but I would be prepared to invest what I do have into a project I believe in.’ He looked at her expectantly.

‘I don’t have much money either, Jeremiah,’ she said, and paused before continuing, ‘but I’m afraid, if I did, I wouldn’t be investing it in your therapy centre … if that’s what you were asking me to do?’

‘Well, not exactly … I mean, obviously, I would have been delighted if you had wanted to contribute, but I wanted to see you more to use you as a sounding board, to see if you think the project is a good idea.’

Jude twisted her lips. ‘It may be a good idea, Jeremiah. That I don’t know. But it’s not a good idea for me.’

‘Oh?’

‘For me, healing is a very private interaction between me and the client. I need privacy to build up the required concentration. Though I am sure that working in a place where there were lots of other therapists with whom to exchange ideas would be very pleasant socially, I don’t think it would help me to do my job. I think it might actually make it more difficult.’

‘Oh well.’ Jeremiah grinned, a reassuring grin. ‘Fair enough. I thought it was worth asking.’

‘Always worth asking anything.’

‘Yes.’

‘So how long have you been in the area, since you came back from Australia?’

‘Getting on for six months now.’

‘In Fethering?’ If so, Jude was surprised she hadn’t seen him around.

‘No Fedborough.’ He referred to the larger town, some six miles upstream on the River Fether.

‘And are you liking it here?’

‘Yes, very pleasant area. I should think it’s nicer in the summer.’

‘Certainly is.’

‘We just caught the end of the last one, then a rather wet autumn.’

‘Tell me about it.’ Jude had registered the ‘we’. Suggested he had a partner, a wife maybe. She felt the smallest of pangs.