Jordan blanched slightly. ‘I think I’ve just developed a peanut allergy!’ He rapidly changed the subject. ‘And of course you can set up your phones to operate anything in this house remotely – just a simple app – from wherever you are in the country, or indeed the world! You can even be lying on a beach in Greece and check the contents of your fridge if you like!’

Emily opened the integral door to the double garage and utility room and went in, followed by her husband and the agent. The lights flickered on automatically. ‘I could make this into my catering kitchen. It would work, don’t you think, darling?’

Jason nodded. ‘It could.’

‘It really could!’ she insisted. ‘I could get all the fridges, freezers and ovens I need into here.’

‘Of course,’ Jordan said, ‘some people – especially an artist of your calibre, Mr Danes – might prefer something old, quaint, historic. Rustic, perhaps? If you would rather view an Edwardian property, or Victorian or even Georgian – I do have some very attractive houses within your price range I could show you. But of course, along with their beauty, old and historic properties come with a raft of maintenance issues. Here, with a totally new build, you get the builder’s ten-year guarantee. Ten years maintenance-free! You don’t have to worry about draughts or leaks or doors sticking. When you buy new, you are buying worry-free.’

‘And germ-free,’ Jason Danes added.

‘Absolutely, quite right! Germ-free. Ah, yes, indeed, germs are of course not included in the purchase price – they are extra!’ Jordan chuckled, but his clients stared blankly at him.

‘It’s an important consideration,’ Emily Danes said. ‘Germs.’

‘Ah, of course, indeed. In the catering business, you cannot be too careful, I’m sure. Old buildings can be full of bugs and all kind of things. Yechh! All of them lying beneath the floorboards and in crevices for years, decades, centuries even, waiting to pounce! Here, in addition to hygienic switch activation, we have the very latest in state-of-the-art insulation. I tell you what, if I found a cockroach in here, I’d name it Houdini.’ Behind him, he heard the sound of running water.

‘It’s actually more for my husband,’ she said. ‘He doesn’t do germs, bugs, dirt.’

‘Quite right, who does, eh?’ Jordan turned to see his client running his hands under a tap in one of the twin sinks and washing them with liquid soap from an electronic dispenser. ‘Germs, eh, Mr Danes – nasty little buggers.’

Absorbed in the ritual of cleaning his hands, Jason did not appear to notice the comment.

Jordan frowned. There was something different about the man, something that was pushing him, just a little, out of his comfort zone. But at the same time, he genuinely did love that painting of the old man with the dog. Every time he looked at it, he wondered what the man was thinking, what his life was – and had been. Clearly Mr Danes was a genius, and weren’t all geniuses just a bit eccentric? But would an artistic genius really want to live in a sterile, new-build house?