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hopefully by Edward Lethbridge, he told himself.
    After a perfunctory shake of a crippled hand, he took his leave and Lucas let him out into the street, which felt light and warm after the gloomy interior of the old house.
    He drove home through Blakeney and Lydney and arrived at Garth House about twelve thirty. Deciding he could face no more corned beef or egg-and-bacon for lunch, he recklessly invited Angela out for a meal.
    â€˜It’s Friday, so let’s celebrate having survived our first week!’ he said gaily. Angela was already beginning to recognize his swings of mood and today he was obviously upbeat, so she went along with it.
    Sian always brought sandwiches, to which she added an apple and a bottle of Tizer, so leaving her to man the telephone, Richard ushered his colleague into the Humber and drove off down the valley towards Chepstow. None of the local pubs offered anything but drink and crisps, apart from the large hotel opposite the abbey, so he was aiming for a small café-cum-restaurant he knew of in the main street of the ancient town near the mouth of the Wye.
    â€˜What’s brought this on, partner?’ asked Angela, reclining in the passenger seat, which was much more comfortable than her little Renault.
    â€˜We’ve got to talk about organizing the house better than at present,’ said Richard. ‘So look on this as a business lunch and charge it against expenses.’
    â€˜Expenses! We haven’t got any income yet to charge it against,’ she said scornfully, but secretly she was pleased to be pampered a little, even if it was probably only for a plaice and chips.
    They parked in the town, the ruins of the huge brooding castle above them on the edge of its cliff over the swirling river. The restaurant was little more than a large shop, with a dozen tables and a counter with a huge hissing coffee machine alongside a glass case displaying an assortment of cakes. However, to Angela’s surprise, they were presented with a typed menu card which offered fresh salmon, steak and kidney pie, gammon or cold ham, all with either chips or three vegetables.
    â€˜I still can’t get used to so much food becoming available,’ she said. ‘You were out of it for years, gorging in Malaya with your fried rice and prawn curries. It’s hardly any time since we finished with ration books here!’
    She settled for salmon and new potatoes, while Richard went for the steak and kidney. The place had no licence, so they drank water until it was time for a coffee.
    â€˜Now then, madam, we’ve got a lot to discuss,’ said Richard firmly, after they had finished apple tart and custard and were on a second cup of coffee.
    â€˜Domestic or professional?’ she asked.
    â€˜Both, because one affects the other,’ he replied.
    â€˜We can’t go on pigging it in Garth House, we’d be better off camping in a tent in the garden. We need a decent meal at least once a day and someone to keep the place clean and generally look after us.’
    The scientist nodded. ‘I don’t disagree with you, Richard. But how are we going to pay for it?’
    â€˜I’ve still got a few quid left from my golden handshake and I’m sure we’ll soon be picking up some more work. If it comes to the crunch, we can take out a small mortgage on the house.’
    In spite of her resolution, Angela took her Kensitas from her handbag and lit up. ‘First and last today,’ she declared. ‘But what are you thinking of doing?’
    She recognized that one of his intense moods was coming on, which she applauded, except she knew it tended to fade away fairly quickly, unless she badgered him.
    â€˜We need some sort of housekeeper, who can clean the place up and do a bit of cooking. Somebody local, who can come in each day, not a live-in servant like that old biddy has in Newnham.’
    He had described his morning’s activities to her during the