Harry gave a slight nod. ‘The most difficult thing I’ve ever had to deal with in my life.’ He closed his eyes to regain some control of his emotions as the memory of those last few days of Elizabeth’s life stung like a scab picked from a healing wound.

‘Do you know how she came to be in the water?’

‘You’ve read the reports, no doubt. You should know.’ He suddenly felt suspicious of Steph and all her questions.

Her eyes looked wary. ‘I thought there was a suggestion that she was trying to rescue her dog, but I didn’t know if that’s what was concluded. Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.’

He weighed her up for a moment. She certainly looked sincere. Maybe he was overreacting, but Dominic’s caution whispered in his ear. He had learnt a long time ago not to pay attention to Dominic, the hothead of the brothers, but to trust his own instinct, which oddly enough was sending out ambiguous signals. ‘She’d taken my mum’s dogs for a walk. They were all on the bank when my mum came along, but one of the dogs was wet, so it was assumed that’s what happened. That Daisy – that’s the dog – went into the water first, and Elizabeth went in after her and got into difficulties.’

‘I can only imagine how awful that was for you and, no doubt, continues to be,’ said Steph.

Harry didn’t want to talk about it any more. He could feel his mood sliding and if he dwelled on it for too long it would be a struggle to come back from it. He was relieved when she took out her camera without asking any more questions about Elizabeth.

‘Shall we go around to the north side?’ asked Steph after she had spent ten minutes taking some photos of the lake and the surrounding area. ‘I think the light will be really effective over there.’

‘Sure.’

Harry led the way along a narrow footpath that cut through brushes and undergrowth, gradually inclining as it curved its way around to the north side. Underfoot the path became more stony.

‘Mind how you go,’ said Harry as they passed a particularly uneven patch of ground. He looked back over his shoulder, hoping he would see Steph struggling, which would give him the excuse to insist they turn back, but she was right behind him, barely out of breath. The trek was clearly not a challenge for her.

‘Don’t worry about me,’ she said, as if able to read his thoughts. ‘I’m a lot tougher than I look.’

He didn’t doubt that, but he got the distinct impression she was tough on the inside by necessity rather than desire.