‘Hi, Dad, you in? It’s me, Nick,’ he called out, but there was no answer.

Walking into the chapel, Jane was astounded by the interior. Decorative stone carved arches and pillars acted as room dividers alongside the original timber panelling, stained-glass windows and vaulted ceilings. The light and airy open-plan sitting-dining room had a stone fireplace with a wood-burning stove, and the dining area led to a luxuriously fitted kitchen.

‘This is absolutely stunning. I’ve never seen a place like it. It’s like stepping back in time yet being in the future,’ Jane said.

Nick showed her round the rest of the house and the more she saw the more she fell in love with it.

‘Did you design this as well?’

‘I’d like to say yes, but I’d be lying. The layout was the original architect’s idea, but I redesigned the interior about six years ago.’

‘How do you come up with such wonderful and creative ideas?

He shrugged. ‘I like to think big and bold. It’s always been about a sense of scale for me. There’s no particular “Nick Durham” look. Every house and interior design is different and individual to the client paying for it. Satisfying them is what it’s all about, regardless of what it takes. If you care about your dream enough, you’ll find a solution.’

‘Well, this would certainly be my dream home,’ she said. She noticed the painting of an attractive, smiling, blonde woman in her late fifties above the fireplace. ‘Is that your mother?’

He nodded. ‘I had a painter do it from one of the last photographs of her.’

‘She’s beautiful. And you have her blue eyes.’

He looked away. ‘Would you like to see the cellar?’

Jane nodded. She could tell he still found it difficult to talk about the loss of his mother.

‘Be careful on the spiral stairs. The stonework can get quite slippy this time of year, so use the rope rail,’ he said, flicking on the light switch.

As she stepped carefully down into to the dank stone chamber, Jane was glad she’d worn her brown knee-length winter boots, as the rubber soles had a good grip on them. Nick was wearing soft leather-soled shoes and would have gone flying halfway down if he hadn’t grabbed the handrail.

‘It’s a lot bigger down here than I imagined,’ Jane said.

He nodded. ‘There are some old empty stone crypts right at the back. My dad told me they used to use it as a cool storage place for nuns’ bodies before their funeral.’