‘Will we be seeing you over Christmas? We’ve still got spaces if you want to come for lunch tomorrow, and we’re laying on a special Boxing Day buffet.’

Robert shrugged. ‘I’ll have to speak to Mary. She’s got loads in. My daughter Charlotte and her boyfriend Neil are staying with us. But if they’re up for it, I am.’

‘Well, pass on my best wishes if you all decide to stay at the farm.’

‘I will. Now before I go, can you give me two bottles of your house white wine and a bottle of sherry?’

‘Coming right up,’ she said, and moments later passed them to him in a plastic carrier bag.

He paid her in cash and she handed over the change along with a receipt.

Outside, the temperature had plummeted and the snow that had fallen earlier lay like a blanket across the village. Once Robert was behind the wheel of his Land Rover he switched on the heater.

As he pulled out of the car park, he tried to force his mind away from his mounting problems so that he could concentrate on driving. Home was nine miles from the village and the ice and uncleared snow made the roads treacherous.

The journey along the winding country lanes was slow and thankfully uneventful, and he finally arrived home just before seven.

Oaktree Farm was situated off the beaten track between two of Cumbria’s many spectacular fells. It gave off the only light for miles around.

Robert pulled up in the large front yard between the two-storey house and the old barn. He switched off the ignition, then the lights.

He told himself that he wouldn’t burden Mary with their money worries until after Boxing Day when their lawyer came to the farm for the meeting he had arranged. Instead, he would try his best to make this an enjoyable family Christmas. After all, the last time he saw Charlotte was when they got together to celebrate Mary’s fifty-fifth birthday three weeks ago. Their daughter had moved into Neil’s flat in Kendal back in June and since then had only visited the farm a handful of times.

He was looking forward to finding out how the pair were getting on and if Charlotte was enjoying her new job as a shop assistant in the town.

As he stepped out of the Land Rover with the bag of drinks, he glanced up at the brightly lit windows and felt a tremor of anxiety. It suddenly occurred to him just how hard it was going to be to put on a brave face and enter into the spirit of Christmas. In fact, he was pretty sure that he wouldn’t be able to make it work without plenty of booze inside him. So, getting tipsy as soon as possible was a priority. The thought actually made him smile as he headed towards the house.