She gazed down the mountain, towards the darkening, cobalt sea, and watched occasional headlights snake up the road from the port. Delicious aromas drifted from the taverna kitchen, making her realise how hungry she was. To the sound of tinkling bouzouki music, they ate local food. Starting with a mezze, bite-size pieces of local sausage and a variety of cheeses, before lazily moving on to the main course. Shelly ordered lobster spaghetti, one of Kea’s most popular dishes, according to Harry. He had rooster in wine sauce. They fed each other forkfuls to try, both claiming they had the better dish.

‘Absolutely delicious,’ she said, placing her knife and fork together. ‘Who’d think there would be such a gastronomic delight at the top of a mountain on a tiny island?’

‘Tell me about the Lusitania. I’d have given my right arm.’

‘Ha, yes, I have a few extra qualifications and they got me onto the team.’

‘Like what?’

‘You’ll find this painfully boring. Zoology was part of my six-year veterinary degree. Once I’d qualified, I did a one-year Open University course in Marine Biology. I started to study for my Ship’s Safety Officer certificate because, sometimes, I found myself concerned by the relaxed attitude on dive boats. Afterwards, I completed a paramedic science course, which took a year. I’ve just finished the last stage of the follow-on, which qualifies me as a paramedic. It’s really fascinating and I love it. Plus, of course, I have a fair number of deep dives under my belt.’

‘What’s next, pilot’s licence?’ he said in a sarcastic tone.

Her head snapped up, ready for a rebuff but he was grinning, and she laughed. ‘I’m a bit sad, aren’t I? It’s just, well, it’s only a couple of hours study each evening, then I end up with a real qualification. I’ve done it since uni. Prefer a challenge to nights of monotonous TV and social media. I mean . . .’ She shrugged.

‘What was the Lusitania like?’ he asked again.

She hesitated.

‘It was the most dangerous dive I’ve done, and not that wonderful. So many missiles down there, and the visibility poor.’ She turned her mouth down. ‘How about you? What’s your favourite so far?’

‘I plan to show you one of my favourite dives tomorrow.’

‘Oh, my goodness, you’re spoiling me!’ She had wondered why he ordered water with the meal, now she understood.

‘I hoped to dive while I was here, so this is too good to be true, thank you, Harry.’

‘Well, it’s me that should thank you. You made me think when you said we end up working for the wrong reasons. I haven’t had a recreational dive for a long time. It’s always business, you know?’