Hal shakes his head. ‘Too long ago to remember,’ he says ruefully. ‘Probably. Not submarines. That was never my idea of fun. But yes, I suppose it was the only thing I wanted to do back then. Sam must have been pretty convincing, too, or the Board would never have passed him. You’ve really got to want it. It’s a pity he couldn’t go straight in. I think he’s feeling a sense of anticlimax after the excitement of passing so it’s good that he’s able to be of use to you with your house-hunting.’

Cara begins to talk about some of the properties she and Sam have looked at on Max’s laptop.

‘So are you going to be looking at any today?’ Hal asks, reaching to pour some coffee as Sam comes in and drops some letters on to the table.

‘Postman’s been,’ he says. ‘No. We won’t be viewing anything today because there hasn’t been time to make appointments.’ He sits down and takes his mug. ‘Thanks. Though we might do a few external recces. But I do think it’s an opportunity to show Cara some of the area. We might go back through Dartmouth and along to Torcross.’

Cara smiles at Fliss and shrugs. ‘He’s the boss.’

‘I envy you,’ Fliss answers. ‘How wonderful to be seeing the South Hams for the very first time.’

‘And are you a town mouse or a country mouse?’ asks Hal.

Cara laughs, remembering the Beatrix Potter book. ‘Sam asked me that question and I know it sounds crazy but I really don’t know. I suppose it all depends on the town and on the type of country. We stayed with Max and Judith in Salcombe on the occasions when our leaves matched up, which wasn’t often, but it seems odd to imagine myself living there. But then it’s odd to imagine myself living anywhere for any length of time.’

‘Service life syndrome,’ observes Hal. ‘I know lots of friends who still feel that they should move house every two years.’

‘Apart from which,’ adds Sam, ‘Salcombe has some of the most expensive real estate in the country.’

‘Yes, Max did well to buy when he did,’ agrees Hal. ‘It’s been a great investment.’

‘We need to get moving,’ says Sam, finishing his coffee. ‘We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.’

‘And if you need a change from Salcombe,’ Fliss says, as they all walk out across the courtyard, ‘you would be welcome to come and stay with us. The important thing is that you don’t rush into buying something that doesn’t suit you.’

Cara climbs into Sam’s blue Mini feeling warmed by Fliss’s kindness.

‘How sweet they are,’ she says to Sam as they drive away through winding lanes towards the main road. ‘And what an amazing house. It’s like a little castle.’