At a crossroads where the lanes intersect and a small stone bridge crosses a tiny stream, Sam pauses in the sunshine, absorbing the sounds and smells of the surrounding countryside. He leans over the bridge, looking down into the peaty brown water, watching a wagtail hopping between the rocks, and unexpectedly he remembers another bridge in Shanghai. He thinks of its modern design compared with this ramshackle stone, and of the neat cultured landscape contrasted with this, his native countryside. He remembers days of heat and humidity, and of Ying-Yue’s hand in his, and then shakes his head irritably as if to dispel the memory. Yet it has reminded him of the other idea, the other path that might be open to him. He recalls again the school in Shanghai, the ordered, well-disciplined classes of children. The chorus of: ‘Good morning, Mr Sam.’

Why was he so happy then? Was it the teaching? The lure of being needed, of feeling welcome? Or was it Ying-Yue?

At Durham University he’d read Modern Languages, specializing in Mandarin. It was a four-year course and he spent the third year at the Shanghai Normal University. It was the most formative and exciting year of his life. He was good at languages, good at teaching: should he be contemplating abandoning something that made him so happy for a career in the navy?

A tractor rumbles by. The driver raises a hand and Sam returns his salute, then walks on. He can remember the shock when he returned to England from China, gazing out of the window of the train on its way to Devon, marvelling at the greenness of his homeland. He isn’t sure why he feels this need to head for Salcombe, except that he’s always felt close to Max and he needs to be away from The Keep just for the moment in case he betrays his fears, expresses his doubts. He loves Fliss and Hal and he doesn’t want to worry them or hurt them.

As he reaches the Totnes road at Dartington, and waits to cross it, Sam feels irritated that Max’s sister will be there. It would have been good to be alone with his godfather; to try to discover more about Mole from an outsider’s point of view. Max and his father worked together in the navy and were good friends, which was one of the reasons Hal asked Max to be Sam’s godfather. He knows from Hal that Max was one of the few people that Mole liked and trusted, and Sam’s hoping that Max might help to clarify the past so that he feels less disturbed and more confident about the future. The bus arrives minutes after Sam reaches the bus stop. He swings himself aboard and settles down for the journey.

‘What sort of boy is he?’ Cara is asking Max.