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S ue finally said that the documentary was as complete as it would ever be and promotion was about to start.

Simon took Rose to visit the pack, but Jon said they’d moved some distance away and he was too busy to track them through the forest just so they could bother the wolves.

The young female seemed healthier than she ever had and when last seen was gambolling like a cub with some of the other youths.

‘Jon doesn’t like you much,’ observed Rose.

‘He likes Andrew even less,’ said Simon.

Simon’s book now out of the way, Rose returned to the one she was planning about David’s photography and Simon continued planning for another project, though Jon’s co-operation on one about the wolves now seemed unlikely.

He started work on the talk for the Guild and wondered aloud if he should test it on Sam.

‘Sam’s not a Guild member,’ said Rose.

‘All the better, she won’t have to hear it twice. But she strikes me that she’d have good judgment.’

‘You’ve met her once over several beers and a steak dinner. But you’re right, she’d have excellent judgment and she’s straight as a die. She’d tell you exactly what she thought. Are you up to that?’

Simon shrugged, standing in the kitchen as Rose prepared lunch, balancing his laptop on his palm and tapping away at it one-fingered.

‘I’m still toying with the idea of coming clean.’

‘About what?’ Rose, wondering if she could pretend the onions were meant to be black.

‘The werewolf thing.’

‘No!’

‘But look, Andrew thinks his cure is coming along. Perhaps we need more openness about this. ’

Rose switched the gas off and turned. ‘This is the wrong time and the wrong audience.’

Simon snapped the laptop shut. ‘I prefer being upfront.’

Rose bit her lip.

‘Talking to someone you trust,’ she said slowly, ‘that’s one thing. Telling the whole town and in particular those women, that’s another thing entirely.’

Simon waggled his hand as if to say it might just work out.

‘Remember when Emmeline and Hester turned up out of the blue? Remember how they made you feel?’

‘They just made me feel annoyed. You were the one throwing up. But OK, I admit, maybe they’re not ready for this just yet. Maybe I’m not… By the way, what did you tell Rob about the cage in the end? You seem to have got over your little tiff.’

‘We didn’t have a little tiff.’

‘Right, so he storms out, then he slopes off to Ireland and you suddenly take it in your head to visit the in-laws. Next thing I know, you’re playing footsie with each other under the table in the hotel.’

‘We were not playing footsie.’

Simon put the laptop down and came over to the cooker. ‘What’s that supposed to be?’

‘French onion soup.’

‘Crispy French onion soup?’

‘New recipe.’

Simon put his back against the worktop and crossed his arms. ‘David was my best friend.’

‘He was my best friend too.’

‘OK I get that, but the point is, I knew him really well. Contrary to your opinion, I’m not oblivious all the time.’

He pushed the saucepan away with a grimace and put his arm round her. ‘The thing is, that David wouldn’t have wanted you pining away for him.’

‘You’re probably right,’ said Rose. ‘But it’s only been a year and I still miss him and I was not playing footsie.’

‘Well if you weren’t, you wanted to, because you’re human. And you haven’t answered my question. What did you tell Rob about the cage? I’m going to make us some cheese on toast. Save the burnt onions to sprinkle on a curry.’

Rose stepped aside and chewed her lip. ‘I told him the truth.’

Simon was silent.

‘I know I’ve told you not to tell anyone. I don’t know why I felt I could trust Rob, but I did. I’d like to tell Sam but I can’t. Not yet. I might talk to Alicia first.’

‘Who the hell’s Alicia?’

‘The vicar.’

‘The vicar? You don’t want me to tell the matrons of the town, but you want to tell the vicar?’

‘Stop thinking in stereotypes. You seem very calm about the fact I told Rob. I’m sorry. I should have let you know, should have asked you first.’

‘Meh,’ said Simon. ‘I guessed you would, guessed you had. See I told you I wasn’t oblivious. Suppose there’s only so much music you can talk about. What did he say? Why not Sam? Why the vicar?’

‘I showed Rob the film. He said he’d grown up here all his life with a lot of weird legends and sort of was prepared to believe anything. Alicia’s a local too. Sam’s different. She would think it was nonsense.’

‘And you think the Guild would think it was nonsense too.’

‘No, that’s the whole point. I think they’d believe every word. It’s what they’d do afterwards that worries me.’

‘But you want to tell Sam?’

‘She’s straight as a die, like I said. If I could get her to believe me, she’d be surprised but keep her mouth shut.’

‘You could show her the film.’

‘Mmm. I’m going to chat with Alicia first. General principles, not the whole story. Do you mind?’

‘I won’t need to tell the world at this rate. You’ll have done it for me.’

The following day, Simon went back to the studio to run through the final edits and start work on the voice overs. He would be gone for a week.