Ollie looked down at the belt, while raising his arms above his head, so as to better display his handiwork.

‘Fair enough,’ said Kerry, with the air of a woman who knew how to pick her battles. ‘Nice knotting, Ollie. Now, off to the loo, you two.’

She looked at me as the boys disappeared back into the hallway. ‘His mother’ll go mental if I can’t talk him out of that little lot before I take him home. He turned up here yesterday looking like Prince George at a polo match, and this morning he’s a walking jumble sale.’

I laughed and put down my mug. ‘I should probably let you go and sort things out,’ I said, standing up.

Kerry heaved herself to her feet. ‘Yeah, I’d love to chat, but the chances of either of them coming down with matching shoes on the right feet is practically nil. Now,’ she continued, pointing to the hallway, ‘I’ve already put Anthony’s bowls and his squeaky duck thing in a bag for you. It’s all out there. You just need to grab his bed, while I put him on the lead.’

A minute or two later, Kerry was holding the front door open as I squeezed through it, slightly damp dog bed and a Tesco carrier bag in one hand, and a lead, with Anthony on the end of it, in the other.

‘Great to finally meet you,’ she said, as I stepped out onto the path. ‘Giles mentions you a lot. Just sorry we couldn’t chat for longer.’

‘Hopefully another day,’ I said, feeling like I meant it.

‘Yeah,’ she smiled. ‘Next time you’re with Giles at the weekend, the pair of you should pop in for a drink. I’d really like to hear more about your job. A friend of mine is an architect and I think that creative, mathsy mix is really interesting.’

‘I love my job, and the people I work with. Mostly,’ I added, after a slight pause.

‘Ooh,’ she laughed. ‘I like the sound of that mostly you stuck on the end there. Nothing I love more than a bit of workplace beef.’

I pulled a face. ‘I’m just hoping it’s not all about to go downhill fast,’ I began, before turning as Anthony started to tug. ‘He’s telling me to quit talking and move,’ I said, beginning to walk away down the path. ‘You enjoy those dinosaurs.’

‘Nah, it’s gonna be hell, Edie,’ she said, raising a hand in farewell, ‘but at least I’m ready for it.’

Chapter 4

Feeling both relaxed and refreshed after a long soak in Giles’s enormous claw-foot bath, I made my way downstairs to the living room. Once there, I switched on a lamp, further illuminating a room impeccably furnished with the antique bookcase, occasional table, piano and reupholstered sofa and armchairs which had once graced the drawing room of Giles’s childhood home.