Having ordered a second cup of coffee, because neither of them are overly worried as to whether or not Allan has agreed to let Malcolm access the records, because either way he'll do it, or are they in a hurry to get back, Adam and Ros are watching the world go by in the same café where only two days ago, Harry and Ruth had been enjoying some time on their own. The milk which Harry had suggested they needed as a means to get them out of the house, along with some lamb chops and some fresh veg - their choice because they want to give him a Ruth a break from doing the cooking, they've already bought. Which means that apart from a brief discussion as to where the outcome of Malcom's investigation might lead, the conversation up until now has been of little consequence.

Until with a darkening sky and the threat of more snow overnight Ros says, 'it's so easy to get caught up in the rumour mill isn't it, to the point where you don't question what other people say or do.'

Not wanting to answer her before he's had time to think, Adam excuses himself and heads into the gents. Ros's reference to there being a rumour mill, which can only mean that she's heard chatter over at Six he can deal with. As opposed to what he assumes is a backdoor way of resurrecting the subject of Harry and Ruth, which he'd thought he'd put to bed. Both of which are making him doubt the wisdom of his own decision, which is that as soon as they get back to London, he wants to take Ros out to dinner. Almost entirely driven by his desire to be close to someone again and is at odds with the face in the mirror while he's washing his hands, which is telling him that he should feel guilty that he also wants to sleep with Ros, when only a few days ago they'd been talking about Fiona. The polar opposite of this need he has to defend Harry and Ruth's privacy, which is as simple as putting one foot in front of the other and in the absence of there being a trap door to fall through, he has to deal with.

'Whatever you might have heard Ros and based my own experiences at Six, will almost certainly have been motivated by someone who wants to get back at Harry. Either that or distract his or her audience from something that they themselves are involved in. And yes, Harry can be his own worst enemy at times, but when it comes to defending those of us who work for him, there are no ends to which he won't go. I wasn't with the section when Ruth first arrived, but what I do know, is that right from the off, Harry realised he could rely on her discretion. He told me so himself. The journey from her being his senior analyst to where they are now wasn't obvious, well not at first anyway, but eventually he asked her out. Unfortunately, within days of that happening, Ruth was in the kitchen making herself a cup of coffee, when she overheard two people talking about them. Harry the boss, her his analyst. Just wait until you go up to the roof terrace. The railings are covered in their fingerprints and well I don't need to explain what else, sort of comments.'

'And she told Harry this?'

'God no, she ran a mile, but she told Malcolm. Him being the obvious choice in that they spend a lot of time together and he's the soul of discretion. In the same way that he and Harry have known each other years, so if Harry was going to talk to anyone it would have been him.'

'And Malcolm used what she'd told him to persuade her to come here?'

'In a roundabout way yes. Hoping rather than knowing, that once they found themselves away from the grid and together under one roof, or rooves as things have turned out, that they and Ruth in particular would find the courage to move things on.'

'And your point is?'

'That there's a difference between gossiping and passing on information Ros. Which given where we are and for how long none of us know, I'd like to think that what I've told you, won't side track either of us into believing that we're out of the woods yet.'

Ros's response of a nod rather than saying anything, was not only predictable but he accepted for what it was.

.

The walk back to the house was not dissimilar to the one across the hills, although mercifully it was a lot shorter. In the same way that when they open the front door and kick off their boots before hanging up the coats, there is not only the sound of music playing, but the contrast in temperature is striking. Almost as though there should be a 'Welcome Home' sign hanging up somewhere. In the same way that when they head into the kitchen, the table is already laid for dinner and there are a couple of bottles of wine on the counter waiting to be opened.

'I'll make a start by peeling the veg. You go and see if there's any news,' says Adam,' trusting that Ros will use the time wisely. To engage with Harry in a way that makes him believe that he and Ruth haven't been one of the subjects they've been discussing. Before adding, 'contrary to what you might be thinking, I actually enjoy cooking, so go, be nice.'

'Just as well one of us does,' says Ros, which suggests that all along she's known what he's been thinking. That and how easy it is for women to read men's minds and almost impossible in reverse.

'Is it my imagination or is it much colder that it was yesterday?' asks Harry who had been gazing out of the window until Ros had walked into the room. Turning on his heel and heading towards the sofa where Ruth is curled up at one end reading a book.

'Much,' she says, wondering if he even realises how he gravitates towards Ruth as if he's being pulled by some invisible force, in what is already a scene of domesticity. Where not only does he seem to be able to transform himself physically, from the boss who by reputation has been known to make bigger men than him crumble under his gaze, but in sock clad feet, looks every bit the man Adam had described him to be. Fiercely protective of those who work for him and in Ruth's case loves. To the extent that despite her curiosity and dare she admit envy, she feels as though she's intruding so says, 'I only popped in to say that Adam and I are cooking dinner and ask if you like a drink?'

With a message from Malcolm in response to Harry's request that he hack into the Foreign Office records, saying that he'll go in early the following morning when he can guarantee he won't be disturbed, dinner and what remains of the evening passes quietly. They talk about holidays that they've had and how Harry loves Christmas. How boring working at GCHQ had been in Ruth's case and how Wes is settling in at his new school from Adam. When Ros is pressed into joining in, she says as long as it's somewhere warm, she doesn't care where it is, which takes them nicely on to bedtime.

.

Malcolm's version of early is in line with Harry's and always has been, so it's no surprise that having made himself a cup of coffee, he shuts himself in his room at a time when the night shift is still there.

When he rings Harry an hour later, both he and Ruth are awake and have been for some while.

Malcolm's, 'you all need to hear this' and Adam and Ros join them.

'It hasn't officially been recorded yet, but I've spoken to those who have been working at the site and there is no evidence to suggest that the avalanche was anything more than a coincidence.'

And the bad news, Harry is thinking, because Malcolm has paused.

'Confirm again if you would Harry, the name of your friend who was killed.'

'Andrew Sutton.'

'The late father of Martin Sutton, who if the records are correct and I've got no reason to think otherwise, is Allan's personal private secretary and the man who arranged not only the timing of the conference, but the location for the second week. So, you need to be careful Harry for both your sakes,' is nothing short of an understatement.

'I'll make us some more hot drinks,' says Ros, because Ruth has started to shiver. Prompting Adam to add another log to the fire.

'Ruth?' asks Harry, reaching for the rug which is draped over the back of the settee and wrapping it around her.

'I thought he was looking at me, but he wasn't, he was looking at you,' she tells him, recounting what had made her feel uncomfortable as far back as when they'd been in Geneva.

Looking for answers or seizing the opportunity to apportion blame, is what Harry is thinking but doesn't voice. What he knows though, is that before they go home, he has to meet up with Martin Sutton.

Arranging to do so an hour later and having eaten something and with Adam and Ros having left the room, Ruth is sitting next to him, her hand gripping his as though their future depends on it.

With Malcolm's words of warning still ringing in his ears, he rings the hotel and gets put through to Martin. That he insists he wants to see the exact spot where his father fell and that Harry has to come on his own, Harry agrees to. Vowing it will be the last lie that he tells anyone.