‘I always have been a sucker for fast cars. But you’re right. I’ve been extremely lucky. After what happened to Stephen, I guess I decided it was time to take stock of my life. I’d always thought about going it alone, but somehow I’d never gotten round to it. Stephen’s death made me realise you need to get on with your life before it passes you by. You can never tell what’s round the next corner.’ He hesitated, dabbing his mouth with his napkin. ‘I’m sorry, Clare, that was in rather poor taste. But you know what I mean.’

She raised her hand, waving his apology away. ‘Don’t worry, James, it’s fine. Stephen’s crash made me reassess my life too. It’s funny, isn’t it – if it hadn’t been for the accident, in all likelihood Stephen and I would still be happily married and the two of you would probably still be spending your Sundays together out on the golf course.’

Even as she uttered the words she doubted the truth of them. After all, Stephen would still have lost every penny they’d possessed without even bothering to mention it to her. And she wasn’t sure that even the strongest marriage was capable of surviving that level of deception.

But whatever he might be thinking, James was clearly too much of a gentleman to say anything. He nodded. ‘Only goes to show you can never predict the future. I’d never have guessed that you’d end up working in archaeology. It must be a fascinating life.’

She’d lost count of the times people had said that to her over the last couple of years. And in truth it was a fascinating life, if not quite as glamorous as most people pictured it. She couldn’t remember the last time a colleague had swooped into site on a helicopter bearing instantaneously produced survey data on a top-of-the-range laptop. They were more likely to arrive in a rust bucket of a van, clutching a bag of nails and a couple of balls of string.

But that was one of the things that appealed to her about it – it was real. So much of her life with Stephen had turned out to be a sham. At least now she’d learnt to recognise things for what they were, and she’d come to realise what she wanted out of life. To follow her passions, and forge a life as her own woman – however difficult that might prove to be at times.

James said, ‘So I know you’re based at the university in Salisbury, and this may sound like a bit of a daft question, but what exactly is it you do?’

Clare said, ‘Not daft at all. At the moment I’m directing an excavation up in the Cotswolds.’

‘So does that mean you’re in charge of all the students, then?’