‘It’ll be a lot of work,’ I warn him, casting my eyes over the bushes, the unkempt lawn, the woods throwing dark shadows out across the bottom of the garden. I shiver slightly, as though someone has walked over my grave.

‘I’ll do it.’ Rav turns to me with pleading eyes. ‘It’s perfect, Allie. And look at the cottage – what’s not to love?’

I turn back to look at the house, Rav keeping an eye on Mina as she stumbles over the cracked slabs of the patio. She’s only just started walking and I want to tell him to scoop her up, that she’ll fall. The house is lovely, a four-hundred-year-old cottage, Grade II listed, with a solid oak front door and mullion windows. From the front, it is a perfect picture of country living – a Kent peg tiled roof sits above those beautiful windows, a slightly crooked chimney reaching up towards the sky. A tangle of pale pink roses – a symbol of friendship and love, or secrecy and confidentiality, depending on the occasion – with thorny green stems climb around the door, winding their way around the small, run-down porch. All secured behind an ancient-looking hedge, and a small, rickety, wrought-iron gate. The chimney needs re-pointing, the roses need pruning, and the porch needs to be knocked down completely, but Rav doesn’t see this. All he sees is the solid, old oak door, the beautiful windows, the chimney that means there is an open fire. I look up now at the back of the house, at the arched mullion window that looks out over the garden, sure that I saw movement there, but the window is dark, the only movement the reflection of the clouds that swoop briskly across the grey sky, and I tear my eyes away. I must have been mistaken.

Inside, the ceilings are low, crossed with sturdy dark oak beams, with a wide, open brick fireplace that Rav has already fallen head over heels for. The bedrooms are damp-free, thank goodness, but the time-worn wallpaper is peeling in soft, thick strips and despite being crammed full of original features, like the deep, claw-footed bathtub and the ancient butler sink, both the bathroom and kitchen have seen better days. The house hasn’t been lived in for a long time, and it shows. Everything needs a lick of paint, proper repairs to be done, and a good clean to scrub away the residual soot from the fireplace and the mould that creeps into the corners of the kitchen and bathroom. It’s liveable and with a bit of TLC it could be amazing. It is a beautiful house, there’s no doubt about it, but as I stand and stare at it, I can’t help but rub the tops of my arms as if cold.