Nearer the top of the hill the houses were bigger, some quite grand, the sort that would once have needed a couple of maids to run them. They were pretty, too, with ornamental stonework around windows and doors.

The top end was a cul-de-sac, to his surprise, but there looked to be a narrow lane leading off it to the right. He had to step back quickly as a large silver car drove out of it, passing dangerously close without seeming to notice his presence because the two men inside it were arguing. He ventured along the lane, hoping he wasn’t trespassing.

A man striding up from the rear of the property towards a lovely old manor house changed course to come across to him just as he reached a sign saying Private Property that was half-hidden by foliage.

‘Can I help you?’

‘I didn’t see the sign when I entered the lane and I realise I’m trespassing. Sorry. I was just wandering round the town, exploring.’

‘Is that an Australian accent I detect?’

‘Yes. Though I come from this area originally. Not Sexton Bassett, but down the road in Swindon.’

‘My partner’s Australian, too. She’s from Perth.’

‘So am I.’ He took a step backwards. ‘Anyway, I won’t trespass further. Looks like you have a lovely old house here.’

A woman came out of it as they spoke and strolled across to join them, so he stayed to say hello to a fellow Aussie.

‘One of your compatriots, Nell, exploring the town,’ the man said.

She frowned slightly at Adam. ‘Actually, I think I’ve met you, or at least passed you regularly in the street. I used to work for a firm of lawyers in Subiaco.’

‘I used to have an office there till I went to work for the university.’

‘Small world.’ She looked at Angus questioningly and at his nod, she said, ‘Why don’t you come and have a coffee? You may enjoy our house. It’s very old, quite an architectural gem.’

‘If you’re sure you don’t mind, I’d love that.’

‘When I came back to England last year after emigrating as a child, I loved looking at historic houses. Now I live in one. I’m Nell and this is Angus Denning, by the way.’

‘Adam Torrington.’ He turned to walk with them, glad of a distraction to fill the waiting time today.

Angus shared a coffee break, then said, ‘Sorry. I’ll have to leave you to show our visitor round, Nell.’ He added for Adam’s sake, ‘I need to design a temporary security system for some houses I’m renovating at the rear of my land. ‘I’ve a feeling someone is targeting them for vandalism, hoping to persuade me to sell the land for redevelopment.’

Because he was missing his work, Adam said impulsively, ‘Could I help you in any way with that?’

His host looked at him in surprise.

As he explained that his job was lecturing in IT, with a specialisation in its uses for security, Angus beamed at him. ‘How lucky is this! You’re exactly the sort of person I need to bounce some ideas off. If you have time, that is.’