‘Look, like I say I don’t know all of the facts, but she ended up running a tinpot commercial dig in the middle of nowhere when she’d spent most of her career pulling in massive research grants and shaking hands with vice-chancellors. I bumped into Stuart Craig a few months back at a conference. He wouldn’t say exactly what had gone on, but he reckoned the way Beth had acted had made things very difficult for the department.’

‘I’ve heard of him. He’s a lecturer at Sheffield, isn’t he?’

He nodded. ‘He was. He was a junior lecturer when I was an undergrad. Good bloke. He seemed really cut up about what happened and I didn’t like to push him. But I can’t blame him. He was more than just Beth’s colleague. They’d been an item for years before she got the push. So it can’t have helped his career much. And Beth seemed to blame him for what happened – that’s why they split. But he’s done really well for himself since. They promoted him to reader after she left. And now he’s landed a job as head of department at Bristol.’

Clare said, ‘I know it’s a lot to ask, Neil, given how close you were to Beth, but is there any way you’d consider coming back and working for me here on the dig? I could really do with someone who knows the area – and the site. I’m not sure exactly what Beth was paying you, but we could offer you the going rate with a bit on top for fuel for the car journey.’

He grimaced. ‘I’d like to say yes.’

A sudden thought struck her. ‘If getting your car fixed is all that’s stopping you from saying yes, don’t let that stop you. I’ll sub you the money.’

‘I might not be able to pay it back all at once.’

‘Don’t worry, we’ll work something out. What do you say?’

He hesitated for a second before smiling and sticking out a hand. ‘You’ve got yourself a deal.’

Clare nearly shook his hand off. ‘Thank you so much, Neil. I really appreciate it.’

He laughed. ‘You don’t have to thank me. I could do with the money. And I figure the least I can do is finish the job I started.’ He looked her straight in the eye. ‘You know, Clare, I never met anyone who didn’t have time for Beth. She was so committed. Put her heart and soul into everything she did. But she was her own worst enemy. She made it very difficult for people sometimes. Towards the end it wasn’t commitment, it was obsession. She just wouldn’t let go.’

‘Thanks for coming over, Margaret, I really appreciate it.’ Clare handed Margaret a mug of tea.