‘Is it me,’ Penny whispered, ‘or are we in the middle one of those mass Moonie weddings?’ They stopped to let about fifty Chinese brides and bridegrooms pass them, all of them grinning wildly.

Finally they reached the spot everyone seemed to be heading for: a special platform put there by some enterprising wedding planner, where brides and grooms could stand with the perfect view behind them.

‘Instagrammer heaven,’ one of the camp followers kindly informed them. ‘Everyone wants that for their wedding photo.’

They turned down a left-handed alley. Almost at the bottom of the next hill, where the houses were less white and even a bit shabby, they glimpsed a sign that read in both Greek and English GARDEN ORNAMENTS & STATUES.

The place seemed to be entirely unoccupied, but the gate was open, so they walked in and started to wander around. There was certainly a diverse selection of objects, from twee little statues of girls in what looked like nighties to life-size copies of the Three Graces, plus an extensive selection of nymphs and satyrs with the odd Pan to vary the flavour. There was a larger than life-size representation of Ares, the god of war; a wide selection of Venuses ranging from the coy to the overtly sexual; large and small urns, some filled with red geraniums; and a magnificently enormous fountain that wouldn’t have been out of place in Rome.

But there was no sign of the couch upon which their own goddess disported herself.

‘May I help you ladies?’ A young man appeared, wearing a white t-shirt and faded blue jeans. He was deeply tanned, with shoulder-length curling blond hair.

‘Adonis to the very life,’ Moira commented to Penny in a low voice. ‘Thank you. We are looking for some garden furniture.’

‘Ah, then you are in the wrong area. This is only statues, furniture is down here.’ He led them down two more sections, to an area full of candy-striped awnings and smart off-white canvas sofas.

‘I was thinking of something a little more solid,’ Moira remarked, looking round. ‘A stone bench, perhaps.’

‘Ah!’ The young man brightened and offered them a dazzling smile. ‘We do have one of those.’

Moira and Penny exchanged excited glances as they followed him to yet another area.

‘Is this the kind of thing you’d be interested in?’ He pointed to a simple stone bench with an attractive carved pedestal at either end.

‘Very nice.’ Moira tried to hide her disappointment. ‘But not quite what I was looking for.’ She wondered whether to show him the drawing, but that might be dangerous if he revealed it to his sunglasses-wearing employer. ‘Would you mind if we had a little wander on our own?’

‘Of course, take your time. Could I get you a cold drink? Coca-Cola? Water?’