‘Which would mean they could still let themselves in.’

She was more scared than she cared to admit. What if the person decided to come back? Would they take such a risk? It was impossible to answer with any certainty. ‘I suppose if I dead bolt the door, that should help.’ She spoke with rather more confidence than she felt as her imagination got the better of her.

‘Do you want to move lodges? Go into staff accommodation? Or … I can stay here with you.’

It was a tempting offer, there was no denying that, but she felt on edge – was it such a coincidence that Harry had turned up just after the intruder had fled? She needed time to process her thoughts and that meant space from Harry.

‘I’ll feel safer in the staff accommodation in the main house, if I’m honest,’ she said.

Harry gave her one of his thoughtful looks, one that she couldn’t quite read, before offering a small smile. ‘Sure. I understand. Let me know if you change your mind.’

‘Thanks.’ And then, wanting to take her mind off what had happened, she asked, ‘Shall we look at those pictures now?’

‘I’d love to.’

They spent the next hour poring over the laptop, Steph calling up the best of the shots she had taken. Even though she was no longer on her own and Harry was there, the photos had an unsettling effect on her. The water from the south side looked so tranquil and peaceful, it was certainly a place where you wanted to spend time, just to sit and appreciate the hills behind it. But on the north side the water took on a totally different character. It was dark and moody, the water unwelcoming, and the shadows from the hills behind it cast themselves across the water like a cloak.

Harry hadn’t said anything as they’d looked through her shots, and when she took a look out of the corner of her eye to gauge his reaction she saw an expression as dark as the water in her photo cross his face. He was lost in his own thoughts, somewhere far away from where they were now.

He must have felt her gaze, as he blinked a couple of times and looked at Steph, then back to the laptop screen. He gave what sounded like a fake cough. ‘They’re all great in their own way,’ he said, clearly trying to recover his composure. ‘I love how natural they are. No filter.’

‘No smoke and lights,’ said Steph. ‘Everything in plain sight. That’s just how I like it.’