Ben Jackson appeared to be made of Teflon. The rebuke slipped over him without a hint of recognition. ‘Oh, fabulous. That makes life so much easier. We won’t take up too much of your time. We’re just going to film Mr Crabbs here performing his ceremony. We’ll be out of your hair in no time.’

Clare glared at the Druid. ‘Crabby!’

‘It’s like I said, Clare, I just wanted to perform a ceremony for the old souls. I got chatting with Ben and Sophie when they were up at the Rollrights filming the solstice this morning. When I mentioned I was coming up here later to say a blessing over the babies they said they’d be interested in filming it.’

Clare said simply, ‘I bet they did.’

She was gobsmacked. She looked at Crabby. He appeared to be entirely without guile. Could anyone be that naive? If anyone could, Crabby could.

Crabby turned to Ben Jackson. ‘I’m sorry, Ben, we’re too late. They’ve already dug them up.’

All of a sudden Sophie let out a squeal and pointed. ‘No, they haven’t. Look, Ben!’

Ben Jackson turned to look and made as if to step into the trench.

Before he could get any further Jo stepped forward and placed a hand firmly on his chest. ‘No, you don’t, Ben.’

From the look of total incomprehension on Ben Jackson’s face he clearly wasn’t used to hearing the word ‘no’. And, Clare suspected, most particularly not from a woman.

Clare said, ‘I’m afraid we can’t have just anyone careering about in the trench, Mr Jackson. This is an archaeological excavation, not a circus. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave.’

Ben Jackson gave no indication of having heard a word she’d said, and instead, standing on tiptoes to see over Jo’s shoulder, he began gesticulating wildly. ‘But I can see it. You’ve still got one down there.’

Crabby intervened. ‘Isn’t that where you found that piece of horse harness yesterday?’

Clare looked at Jo, who just shrugged. There was no point in denying it. ‘Yes. Yes, it is.’

Crabby murmured to himself, ‘Three of them.’ Then, his voice gentle, he said, ‘I’d count it as a personal kindness if you’d let me say a solstice blessing, Clare. To settle the souls of the old ones.’ He glanced up towards the stand of beeches crowning the top of the hill. ‘There’s been enough death at this place.’