'Has the house shrunk since we've been out or is it the thought of having two extra people here which is making me nervous?' Ruth asks Harry who is unloading the shopping, the bulk of which she is putting into the fridge. Domesticity having replaced Harry's sharp suit and tie but not his ability to know why she is feeling as she does, whilst searching for the best way to explain.

'Do you remember Clive Mc. Taggert and what you said to me on the day he was killed?' Is the best he can come up with especially as he knows she will remember as he does not only what they said but the way they had looked at each other.

'I asked you if you were alright and that if you needed to talk to someone that I didn't have any plans for later.'

'And when I said he considered himself to be married to the service you said that was alright then because you were worried that he had died alone and lonely and despite me turning you down which incidentally was the last thing I wanted to do, I assumed and now know that your response was directed at me?'

It had been but how it relates to their current situation Harry doesn't explain until she has made the customary pot of tea and they are sitting on the sofa in front of the fire, a reply which not only proves that Harry has moved on from saying the first thing that comes into his head but that he wants to put a positive spin on what indirectly still concerns them as he takes her hand and says, 'in answer to your question until we hear from Adam that Mace has been dealt with for want of a better expression, we are both tied by an emotional if not physical thread to our former lives. Which means that not only do I understand how you feel, but with just under a week before Malcolm and Martin arrive, rather than concern ourselves with something we have no control over I think we should continue to enjoy our Hobbit sized house and our daily walks.'

Relieved that Harry has not only explained but added some humour which is one of the many things that she loves about him and more importantly that rather than saying yours, he is now saying ours, 'have you even watched The Hobbit?' she asks him.

That other than to smile, is enough for her to know that he hasn't, but when after a few moments he suggests that they go out to dinner and nothing matters beyond that moment.

.

If Ruth loves Harry's sense of humour and the way he makes her feel safe as well as being loved, then it is the fact that she will never be one of those 'I don't have anything to wear' women, along with her body, mind and pretty much everything else about Ruth that he loves. A heady and intoxicating combination that sees them driving into the village and sitting down to dinner in the hotel where Malcolm and Martin are going to stay, although in their case with no constraints on their time.

That this is only the second time in all the years that they have known one another that they have been out to dinner, the assumption had anyone been watching them would have suggested that this is a regular occurrence such is the ease between them from the moment he pulls out her chair allowing her to sit down before he does, until beyond the moment and with very little discussion about the menu, he defers to her when it comes to ordering.

An atmosphere which continues while they wait, including a conversation which Harry instigates by saying, 'I think we should return the rental car and buy one as early as tomorrow, for the simple reason that neither of us are used to driving down winding roads with high hedges,' before moving on during given that this is a small hotel through what is a more than acceptable first course to the moment when he is pouring Ruth a second glass of wine while they are waiting for their desserts and he confirms what they have already agreed upon by saying, 'so we'll spend the Winter here and in March or April if that's what we still want to do we'll go somewhere else.'

A levity which given the openness of the conversation is reignited in the warmth of the car when they are driving home and Harry says, 'what about Fidget would you like Malcolm to bring him over?'

To which Ruth responds, 'he doesn't speak French,' and Harry who having had only one glass of wine is sober says, 'neither do I but I still get to share the bed.'

.

As they do the shower the next morning where Ruth is trying and failing to put Harry and buying a car into the same sentence, despite imagining them heading for the Atlantic coast or to Provence, at the same time as he is worshipping the trickle of water that is weaving its way towards her cleavage. Only for his ministrations to be brought to a sudden and unwelcome halt, when attempting to regain some coherent thought by upping the water temperature, she makes the mistake of turning the thermostat the wrong way and by doing so cold water pours all over them.

Step in Harry who having uttered an expletive usually reserved for politicians grabs the nearest towel and wraps it around a shivering Ruth. His reward coming once they are both dry and having made them both a cup of tea, he joins her in bed. Where the conversation from the previous evening is re-ignited but on a totally different track. Because somehow in amongst the decisions and promises they have made to each other, the fact that November will be followed by December to include Christmas, has slipped through the net. As has the not so small matter of Harry's resignation which as he wants to do it in the time-honoured way, will require a trip to London and a meeting with the Home Secretary.

'Yours or mine?' Ruth asks him, her feet still cold, which requires a manoeuvre of some significance to get the hot water bottle in the right place in the bed, meaning which house are they going to stay in, after he promises that the visit will be quiet and without any fuss. Which to Ruth means wandering along the embankment as a couple, standing in Trafalgar Square admiring the tree and saying goodbye to their colleagues for the final time.

That and the non-negotiable fact because Harry had said, 'I'm not prepared to leave you here on her own,' in such a way that had reminded her of the moment she had sailed away from him with no expectation that they would see him again and how different life would have been had Adam not insisted that he come with him to find her. Which knowing Harry as she does, sews the seed that quiet and not making a fuss probably means something entirely different to her version. But with the promise of Christmas here at home and because she loves him more than life itself, she will go along with whatever he suggests.

.

Minus the hot water bottle and fully dressed, their colleagues are sitting around the meeting room table, thanks to Zaf who within the space of a day has managed to find the required number of willing souls from the section who have signed up for the experience and nothing more. A detailed map of the cemetery pinned up on the wall and with the first of what will be two rehearsals taking place directly after the briefing, Adam brings the chatter to a halt and hands over to Zaf.

'Black indicates the mourners, not that we want you to wear black,' he tells them, pointing to the spot where the gravestone of Martin's wife is marked by a tiny red dot. Around which for the purpose of identification are some black pins. Before continuing, 'Adam will be stationed close to the gate and will be our eyes, and thanks to Malcolm will be able to communicate with myself and Jo, who will be standing in the left had corner which is the furthest from the entrance. Which leaves Ros who will be alongside the row of conifers there,' he says pointing, 'and will be the only one of us who is armed and as a last resort will shoot the target but not to kill.'

'And Harry there have been rumours?' asks someone unwisely.

'Is not your concern or your place to ask. Now I suggest we get going, unless someone else wants to waste what is precious time.'