“Don’t you ever just want to be alone?” he replied with a languid lift of one shoulder. “I’m used to working by myself, and I enjoy it. Having this space here means I can have a quiet break without going all the way back to my cottage, or up to the house. I do go to the house sometimes, if I fancy some company. But then sometimes it can be hard to get away, so what I intended to be a ten-minute tea break turns out to be half an hour with Betty on the finer points of cake making, or James on the world’s best golf courses. Neither of which I’m interested in. I’m all for eating cake, obviously,” he patted his perfectly-flat stomach, “but beyond that, nothing. And the only sort of golf I like has the word ‘crazy’ in front of it.” Just then, the kettle clicked off and Thomas turned and set abou
