‘It went well enough,’ she sighed, ‘but he was in quite a lot of pain after the travelling. This new leg is going to make all the difference to him.’

‘In what way?’

‘It’s going to be a better fit, for a start,’ she said, ‘and that will mean he can come and walk on the beach without worrying about how far he can get before he has to turn back.’

I hadn’t thought about that before, but now I realized I’d never seen Sam all that far from the pub.

‘So why is this current one so uncomfortable?’ I frowned. ‘Surely, they have to be carefully measured up, otherwise they wouldn’t fit at all?’

‘It was fine to begin with,’ Hope confided, ‘but now it’s worn out and so he’s invested in a hi-tech new model through a private company. He took some persuading though, believe me, and it’s costing a fortune.’

‘Yes,’ I said, ‘he did mention the cost before. I got the impression that he was worried about diverting funds from the pub.’

‘He never puts himself first,’ Hope tutted.

‘But why?’ I asked. ‘We all need to look after ourselves and when we’re talking about something as vital as a limb . . .’

‘Why do you think?’ Hope cut in.

‘Oh,’ I said, the penny dropping, ‘I see. It’s survivor guilt, isn’t it?’

‘Exactly,’ she confirmed. ‘As far as he’s concerned, he deserves to suffer.’

‘But that’s . . .’

‘Ridiculous,’ she said. ‘I know, but getting him to accept that it’s ridiculous is impossible. I’ve been trying for years.’

I knew Sam would never forgive himself for what had happened, but he needed to move his life forward. Joe and I might not have discussed the situation at length but I could tell that he was in a very different place to his old friend and that was probably because he had moved away and carved out a life that didn’t involve constant reminders of the past. Mental scars were tormenting enough, but Sam had physical ones too.

‘I had hoped this new leg and being pain free might alter his mindset a bit,’ Hope sighed, ‘but there’s no chance of that now.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because Joe’s back, of course,’ she said, sounding resigned. ‘And if local gossip is to be believed, then he could be here for a while, for good even, and Sam’s spirit has dropped through the floor as a result.’

‘And I don’t suppose I’ve helped, have I?’ I swallowed. ‘I daresay because I’ve been out with Joe a couple of times, Sam thinks I’ve picked a side.’

‘No,’ Hope said quickly. ‘I’m sure he doesn’t think that.’