‘Well,’ admitted Thomas. ‘I was a bit of a cad. I shagged a producer for some BBC series shooting there. I mean, not the weekend I was a guest – obviously, I’m not a complete arsehole, only a partial arsehole – but yes, she didn’t quite understand that when I said I don’t do monogamy that what I meant was with anybody. Ever. Not even with her. I suppose on some level I thought I’d explained my situation enough, but I knew I hadn’t really.’

Penny screwed the lid to her water bottle back on and handed it to him. She stood and brushed off her bum. ‘And where do you stand on monogamy now?’ she asked.

‘Are you ready to carry on?’ he said, ignoring her question. ‘Because this is nothing compared to the views we’ll get further along.’

‘And there’s a pub? With chips and mayonnaise?’

‘You don’t eat like a chef, you know.’

‘I bloody do. I hardly think cod roe and whipped foam of watercress is going to cut it after a walk like this though, is it? All chefs love pie, and sandwiches, and cake. We muck about enough for our customers.’

‘Fair point,’ said Thomas. ‘Well made. Yes, there are chips.’

‘Then I am ready,’ Penny declared. ‘Onwards!’

They climbed over a gate that wouldn’t open properly, walking through several fields where the only sound was of the wind whipping through the trees and their own conversation.

‘I just,’ Thomas said, finally addressing the question. ‘I don’t think monogamy is truly very realistic. I mean, for some people, maybe it is. And I respect that. If two people want to commit their lives to each other exclusively, and it makes both of them happy, it’s not my place to judge that. But also, it’s nobody’s place to judge if that isn’t for me.’

‘Uh-huh, okay. I get that. Love is an individual choice.’

‘Or maybe not even a choice. Maybe I am built to love more than one person.’

They descended a hill towards a gravel path that wound down into a picturesque village.

‘Civilization? Pub?’ Penny said, hopefully.

Thomas shook his head. ‘We’ve got about the same distance to go again,’ he said. ‘Do you want another snack break?’

‘Maybe just some more water?’

They found part of a dry stone wall to lean against and Thomas rummaged through his backpack again.

‘So, lay it all out for me then,’ Penny said. ‘A woman who dates you – what can she expect?’ In another life she would have felt bold asking that, but there was something about the dynamic with Thomas that meant she didn’t feel as shy as normal. It was expiration-dating: it came with an end-point already established, so the rules felt different. She didn’t have to play games when the match was so short.