‘Sorry,’ he goes on. ‘It’s a fair point. Saint Cynog’s might not have been built until the twelfth century, but there was a monastery here before that. So yes, you’re right, it is strange the poor person was planted out here on the boggy side of the lake all on their own.’

‘I remember the site of an old monastery being marked on your uncle’s map,’ Tilda says, pleased to be able to offer some intelligent comment. They stand and watch the diggers for a little longer. ‘Nothing seems to be happening,’ she points out at last.

‘The ground may be too frozen. They could damage the skeleton if they force it from the icy earth. There was some talk of warm water but that just opened up a whole debate about what evidence might or might not be corrupted. Academics, eh?’ he adds with a shrug, and then nods in the direction of the grave where Tilda can now see Professor Williams. He notices her and hurries over.

‘What a moment you have chosen to arrive! Such an exciting find. The skeleton appears complete. When Dylan told me what was planned for today I had to come and witness it for myself.’ The old man pushes his hat a little farther back on his head. His eyes are bright, his cheeks and nose flushed in reaction to both the cold and the excitement.

Dylan smiles at him. ‘Only you could get so worked up over a few bones in the mud,’ he teases.

‘A few bones in the…!’ The professor is aghast. ‘This is the most momentous discovery since the crannog itself. The body has lain for centuries in an unmarked grave. We can only begin to imagine what insights might be revealed upon examination of the remains,’ he explains, waving his walking stick to emphasize his point. He beams at them, shaking his head. ‘Can’t you feel the coming together of past and present in a moment like this? Another mystery of the lake about to reveal itself to us. Fascinating!’

Tilda experiences a sudden moment of dizziness. She closes her eyes for a second.

Steady. Should have found something to eat before I left the cottage.

She takes a breath and forces her attention to what the professor is gabbling on about. Somewhere in the flood of information and theories he is putting forward could lie the answers she has been seeking.

‘But why has it taken this long for anyone to find the grave?’ she asks. ‘I mean, people have known about the crannog and the settlements here for ages. How did this body stay hidden for so long? And why has it been found now?’