She looked at him quizzically. And then suddenly she realised what he was driving at. ‘Ah, I see what you mean. No. Not on this one. This is a contract job. All of our diggers are professional archaeologists. It’s ahead of a housing development.’

‘But you are based at the university?’

She nodded. ‘That’s right. The unit I work for is based there but we take on contract jobs too, to complement our research work.’ Or to put it another way, she thought, to keep ourselves from going under.

He took a sip of his wine. ‘So does that mean you have to work away a lot?’

‘Not always – it depends. But for this one I’m away during the week and back home at the weekends.’

He nodded. ‘Seems funny to think of you calling Wiltshire home. You and Stephen were down here as undergrads, weren’t you? I seem to remember him telling me he couldn’t wait to get away from the place. I would have thought that life was a bit too quiet down here for you.’

It wasn’t something that she’d ever stopped to think about. She and Stephen had called the house they lived in home, but it could have been anywhere. What had made it home was that they’d shared it. And she may have ended up returning to Wiltshire because of a quirk of fate, but now that James had said it she realised she did think of it as home. There was nowhere else she would rather be.

She leant back to allow the waiter to clear her plate away. ‘Oh, life in the sticks can have its moments too, you know.’

He didn’t look convinced. ‘Well, whatever makes you happy, I suppose. And if you’re in charge of your own dig that must mean you’re pretty successful in your chosen career.’

She casually flicked a breadcrumb off the crisp linen table cloth. ‘Well, I’m certainly enjoying it. And you get to work with the most amazing people.’

‘I’m sure. Do you think you’ll stay down here?’

She nodded enthusiastically. ‘I’m buying a house – not that far from this place, as it happens. Up on the Downs.’

He smiled. ‘I’m pleased for you, Clare. You know I didn’t like to say anything at the time, but I was worried about you after Stephen’s accident. You two always seemed like such a close couple. I wasn’t sure how you’d cope without him. But it sounds like you’ve got it all planned out.’

She laughed. ‘Well, I wouldn’t go quite as far as that. I’ve no idea how I’m going to direct a site in Gloucestershire and organise a house move.’

‘Well, at least that flat of yours didn’t look too big. You shouldn’t have too much trouble packing it all up.’