‘Oh gosh, I forgot all about Oscar,’ cries Fliss, coming to kiss Cara. ‘You could have brought him with you.’

‘I wasn’t sure how it might go with Honey,’ says Sam, taking Fliss’s shopping from her car. ‘It’s early days for her and it’s a pity to cause any unnecessary stress.’

‘We thought we’d all take Honey for her first walk on the moor,’ says Fliss, as they go into the kitchen. ‘What a shame. It would have been such fun.’

‘Well, that might be a bit much for poor Oscar,’ says Cara. ‘He’s already had a good walk and he’s an old boy now.’

‘So am I,’ says Hal, getting up from the rocking chair by the Aga, ‘but nobody seems to care much about me.’

Sam grins, filled with affection for him, gives him a friendly buffet on the shoulder and bends to greet Honey.

‘Here she is,’ he says to Cara. ‘Isn’t she a Honey?’ and laughs at his foolish joke.

Whilst Fliss unpacks her shopping, Hal makes coffee and then suggests that he shows Cara some of the garden. Taking their coffee with them, Honey at their heels, they wander out, and Sam looks at Fliss to check that she’s OK about the sudden lunch invitation.

‘Max went off rather unexpectedly,’ he tells her, ‘and I thought it would be good to bring Cara over. Anything I can do?’

‘It’s fine,’ she assures him. ‘Of course it is. No, sit and drink your coffee. How are things in Oxford?’

He shrugs, sits at the table, picks up his mug. ‘I think everything is going to plan. Judith will be back soon so I shall come home then, anyway.’

‘You don’t think it’s a bit rude to leave so quickly?’

‘I don’t think so. After all, with Cara staying there it’s a bit of a crush and Judith’ll probably be tired after these last few weeks.’

Fliss hesitates as she sets food out on the table, takes a quick sip at her coffee, and glances at him.

‘You’ve told Cara she can come here if she’d like to, haven’t you? There’s loads of space. She needn’t feel like she’s in the way.’

He nods. ‘I’ve told her and I think she’s considering it. That’s one of the reasons I brought her over today, so as to get her used to the idea of it. I’m not sure she and Judith get on terribly well.’