They were soon ensconced on the couch’s swamp of throws and blankets, glasses in hands, with Chloe’s laptop on the coffee table beside them. Ben faked familiarity with its music; some instrumental metal band whose distorted riff had been on a loop for the past five minutes. The briquettes were ablaze, and the landlady’s cabinet was slowly catching up, cracking away as cheap wood always does. Now and again, one would catch the other glancing towards the curtains and they would each pose a smile.

‘What a day,’ Chloe sighed, her legs curled into the couch’s corner.

‘What a day?’ Ben scoffed. ‘This whole week has been insane.’

‘It wasn’t exactly what we signed up for, was it, Mr French?’

‘Never a truer word spoken, Ms Coogan. To think that I believed him. I thought this was the beginning of my brilliant new career as an historian-slash-adventurer.’

‘That’s not even a thing,’ Chloe said. ‘Historians don’t go on adventures. But to be fair, it was pretty convincing. I know I called shenanigans on his untouched for two centuries theory, but I kind of hoped we’d find something. I guess that’s the archaeologist’s dream – to discover a lost piece of our past before anybody else.’

She never seemed overly interested in the money. Not like Ben.

‘What are you going to spend your financial reward on?’ he asked. ‘Bearing in mind now, we’re getting thrice what we thought we were.’

‘People still say thrice?’ Chloe replied, savouring a sip. ‘I reckon a holiday is overdue. There are a few sites that every archaeologist worth their salt should see. And sure, I’ll bring you along. You can drive me around and spy on me whenever I’m taking my pants off.’

‘I’ll drink to a holiday.’ Ben laughed, raising his glass. ‘And that was an accident, just so you know.’

‘Any holiday would do,’ she replied, toasting him back. ‘Maybe I need a break for a while. I’ve not taken any time off since…’ She seemed to lose her train of thought. ‘What about you?’

‘I don’t know,’ he replied, frowning down at his wine. ‘I need to see more of Aoife. She’s three years old and I feel like she hardly knows me. It’s my own fault. I’ve not been the best dad in the world.’

‘You’ll be great, don’t worry. You’re already doing a better job than my dad ever did.’

‘Really?’ he asked, looking for the truth in her eyes.

‘Absolutely,’ she replied. ‘Look, your whole world changed and that’s not easy, Benny Boy. Maybe for a while you didn’t want to change with it. But look at you now. You want to be a dad.’

‘You don’t think I’m a lost cause?’ Ben asked.

‘No way. You’re going to be amazing.’