‘I could… but I wanted to do it myself, for Rupert. Caro kept a nice garden apparently, so I thought he might be missing it.’ I toe one of the patches of dead grass, reminding myself that I need to see to it. ‘I was thinking maybe we could put a pool in? Not a huge one, but somewhere here…’ I wave my arms in a vague circle, ‘it’s not too far from the orangery, and I thought it would be relaxing for Rupe, especially in the summer when he’s cooped up in the office all day. What do you think?’

‘Well, if that’s what you want.’ Sadie shrugs. The idea of a swimming pool is clearly not a big deal to her. ‘If you can handle them digging up the garden when you’ve just planted all this… but yes, I suppose Rupert does love using our pool. And you have the space.’ She shivers dramatically in her thin jumpsuit and scrubs her hands over her arms.

‘Do you want to go in and put the kettle on? I just need to seed these bits where the grass doesn’t seem to grow properly and then I’ll be in.’

Sadie looks relieved to have a reason to get inside, and she scurries in through the orangery door with only the slightest of pauses. I sprinkle the seeds and then stand back to survey my work. Not bad for a first day, I think, a tug of pride nudging a smile onto my face. I can’t wait to see Rupert’s face when he gets home.

Warmth hits my face as I enter the kitchen and I let out a sigh of satisfaction. I hadn’t realized how cold it was out there. I strip off my gloves and take the coffee mug Sadie holds out to me, sinking my aching bones gratefully into the kitchen chair.

‘I can’t believe you’re going to redo that garden all on your own. You must be mad,’ Sadie says, as she eyes me over her coffee cup.

‘It’s not that bad. Once I’ve cleared the overgrown stuff and planted in the gaps it’ll take care of itself. You didn’t used to help Caro with the garden then?’

‘Ha. No, definitely not. And Caro didn’t do that much. She had a gardener who did most of it, up until Rupert started the extension, and then after that… well, you know what happened after that. Rupert left the garden to go wild. It might be a good idea to put a pool in. Change it up a bit out there.’