It’s been a damp grey morning and the wide bowl of the estuary reflects the clouds, brimming over with silver light. The boatyard is busy – people are putting their boats to bed for the winter – and it feels strange to Al to see the car park full of boats instead of cars. The town is quiet, no tourists, just a few locals shopping in Cranch’s and The Bake House, and he walks on past Whitestrand, looking for the flight of steps that leads down to the pub. And here they are. He hurries down, goes into the bar, and looks around: low beams, a fire alight in the wood-burning stove. It’s not very busy yet so he buys a pint, takes a menu and goes to sit by one of the big windows.

Al stares out, distracted by the view even on such a gloomy day: golden beaches, rocky inlets, a few boats still on their moorings, sails furled loosely on their yards. He takes a pull at his pint and studies the menu. A group of people comes in, talking, laughing, greeting the bar staff; clearly locals. Briefly, Al envies them. It must be good, he thinks, to belong to a small town like this, where you are part of its life, involved with its survival, but on reflection he wonders if perhaps the anonymity of a big city is preferable to the suffocation of a small community. He wonders how his parents will enjoy it here, how long it will take for them to be accepted, although they have already joined the Sailing Club. Certainly Cosmo seems to be falling in love with it all, and not just with Salcombe and its magical surroundings. He was in a very odd mood – jokey, brittle – turning the subject away from Becks or this girl Amy. Instead he talked about his photography, asked Al how things were back in town, at the bank. Oddly, this was more disturbing than if Cosmo had been prepared to discuss how he was feeling and the real reason for preventing Becks from coming here to visit him. After all, it’s no secret that he’s still not absolutely committed to Becks; that he has reservations about taking that last step and giving up his small flat finally to move in with her. Even so, Al feels uncomfortable with this new situation. He doesn’t much like Becks but he admires her intelligence and commitment to her work, and he’s hoping that when Cosmo sees her again this romantic dream will fade in the face of reality.