When she emerged from the bathroom in her nightie, hair all clean and coiled in a towel, she felt revived. Arthur came in as she sat applying her cream before the mirror at her dressing table. He unbuttoned his shirt and drew its tails from his trousers. ‘You smell fresh,’ he said. ‘It’s nice to catch you for a change, before you’ve made it into bed.’ He smelled of brandy and stale perspiration, but she didn’t tell him so. She watched his quiet reflection as he loosened all the straps of his prosthetic arm. It was in his hand as he came over to her, stooping down to kiss her neck. ‘Did you manage it?’ he asked. ‘Dear God, you smell nice.’

She hummed. ‘It’s done.’

‘So that’s the glint I’m seeing in your eyes, is it? You’re demob happy.’

‘You could say that, yes. The next time it breaks down, you’re fixing it.’

‘Come on, have some faith in your own handiwork, my love. That tractor will outlast us all.’ He stroked her shoulder.

On his way into the bathroom, he stopped to drape his limp prostethic on the towel rail.

‘I meant to tell you,’ she called in to him. ‘There was a funny thing that happened when I got home earlier, with the parts.’ The taps went on and she could hear the gentle thunder of the basin being filled.

‘Oh really?’ he called back.

‘Somebody was walking in the copse. A man. Only a few feet or so inside the gate. I saw the bushes moving. Anyway, it turned out he was trying to spend a penny, but I don’t know – I didn’t like the look of him.’

After a moment, he appeared back in the doorway, rubbing a white flannel on his face. ‘I hope you told him to clear off,’ he said. ‘But nicely.’

‘Of course.’ She began to towel the damp out of her hair. ‘And he did. But I just got a funny feeling from him.’

‘Did he threaten you?’

‘No. Nothing like that. He seemed quite embarrassed by it all.’

Arthur’s skin was shining wetly now and mottled underneath the eyes. ‘What did he look like?’

‘He was, well, quite fat. And tall. With a beard.’

‘Hang on.’ Arthur threw the flannel and she heard it splash into the basin. ‘I think I know him. Well, I’ve met him. He just came along the drive, about a month or two ago. Hollis saw him, too. Baldy fella with a clump of hair here in the middle. Patchy sort of beard up to his eyes, like this.’

‘Yes. Yes. That’s him. Who is he?’

‘I don’t know. He’s odd, though.’

‘Well, I mentioned the police and he came out of the bushes in a hurry.’

‘Did he now?’

‘I thought I was a bit abrupt with him. But now I think I handled it quite well.’

‘Sounds as if you did.’ And Arthur came across to grip her fingers lightly. ‘Has this been on your mind all day?’