I traipse along two steps behind him and when he comes to a halt, I lean forward to swing open the door, then follow him inside.

‘You’ve been busy, I see.’ Glancing at the canvas he’s been working on, I marvel at the difference as some blossoms I hardly noticed before are now jumping out at me. I’m surprised he was in the mood to paint after our walk in the forest. ‘Beautiful shading, Nico. I wish I had your level of skill.’

He reappears from the workroom, leaning against the door jamb to look at me.

‘It all comes with practice, Fern. Patience is everything. Pierce seems to be winning you around, I’m glad to see. I noticed that he stopped to glance over your feedback sheet the minute you handed it to him.’

I admit that my first impression was that Pierce is rather overpowering, but I accept that I might have been wrong.

‘Maybe I was a little quick to judge him. I realise there’s a serious business side to the changes being made and perhaps we needed reminding of that. But I think today was a turning point for several of us, when it comes to understanding some of the techniques he uses. The whole team is committed to making this work, Nico, on every level.’

He nods, appreciatively. ‘It’s about time we began generating enough income to guarantee a long-term future here for everyone. That means offering something more than a basic salary and the ability to cover the running costs. If we can’t achieve that target, the fear is that either I’ll run out of money or we’ll lose good people who can earn more elsewhere. It all began in a very low-key way, which has been fine until now. But volunteers are few and far between these days, and those who regard this as their home deserve to be recompensed accordingly for their skills. It’s only fair and to do that we need to get serious. Pierce doesn’t just bring his expertise, but he also has that sound business acumen which could be the difference between success and failure. It will allow me to step back from a role I was never really very good at, anyway.’

It’s heartening to hear Nico sounding so delighted about delegating some of the workload; maybe this means he will be able to spend more time in his studio in future. I hope he’s proud of what he’s achieved here, though.

‘You were good enough, Nico, to set this up and bring together a group of like-minded people. Without that start, The Haven would be nothing more than a dream. Don’t underestimate your abilities.’

His smile is lopsided; I’ve embarrassed him a little, but I can see he’s pleased by my words.