Steph hadn’t heard anything from Harry since his earlier text and more than once her finger had hovered over her phone as she argued with herself whether it was a good idea to text him or not. In the end she had decided not to and to use the opportunity to sneak out to the boathouse, hopefully without being missed. She grabbed a quick bite to eat in the staff kitchen and then made herself scarce by staying in her room. She hoped that it would be a case of out of sight, out of mind where the rest of the staff were concerned.

Now it was dusk and the sun would soon be setting, Steph dressed in some dark clothing and a fleece. She tied the laces on her trainers and, armed with just her phone and a torch, hurried out of her room, making sure the door was locked. Fortunately, the front desk was unmanned, so no one witnessed her exit.

Deciding to make out she was going for an evening run, Steph jogged through the grounds and out beyond the last row of lodges. It was already dark amongst the trees and she was glad of the torch to light the way.

It wasn’t long before she came through the trees and out onto the track which ran alongside the lake. The sun had sunk behind the hills which surrounded the water, and with no lighting along the path it was particularly dark and, if Steph was honest, ever so slightly creepy. The water looked like a black hole in the ground, and the only indication it actually was water was the gentle slopping sound it made against the shoreline.

Instead of taking her usual route up to the bird hide, Steph jogged round in the opposite direction. It was too dark to see across the lake, and the cloud which had come in during evening was obscuring any light from the moon. Every so often she found herself startled by a rustle of the trees or bushes but reassured herself each time that it was only the wind and possibly some wildlife, like a fox or a badger.

Before long she was nearing the boathouse. The dark grey form of the weathered structure stood out in the dwindling light. Steph raised her torch beam and swept it across the building from side to side, before extending it in an arc around the boathouse to ensure there was no one about. She knew from her vantage point earlier that afternoon, the doors of the boathouse could not be seen from any other point around the lake, and she relaxed slightly at the thought.