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I eye him with affection. I’m always stunned that the snarky, kind man I know had such a terrible upbringing.

He offers me a wry smile. “But I know what you mean. Those jerky movements are terrifying.” He puts his hand to his mouth in a silent scream.

I raise my middle finger at him. “Oh, shut up.”

He laughs. “So, I can’t help but notice that we’re renting a cottage from a member of the aristocracy. How very bougie of us.”

“That’s us. Bougie.”

He steps back to look up at the house. “How big is this place do you reckon?”

“The estate’s roughly eight hundred and ninety acres.”

He whistles, his pale blue eyes busy and interested. “Not bad. What’s that?” he asks, pointing to a small glass alcove by the door.

I peer through the glass at a brass object with a long spout. “I’m not sure. It looks like a sort of lantern.”

“You’re sort of right,” a voice says. “It’s actually a smuggler’s signal lamp.” The owner of the voice steps out of the hall’s shadows and smiles at us. “The smugglers on land would watch to see which beach was safe from the revenue men and then signal to their friends on the ship. They needed something where the light wouldn’t show to anyone on land on dark nights. Hence the long spout.” He looks at the lantern. “I’m not entirely sure how we ended up with it in the family, but it’s a nice talking point.”

He grimaces. “Starting off with a history lesson. Where are my manners? Let me start again. Hello. I think my godson opened the door. Luckily, my reputation for hospitability won’t suffer, as he’s only visiting for the day. I’m Edward St Claire. Are you Levi Black and Blue Billings, by any chance?”

I wonder when we’ll resolve the issue of our surnames. Not today. “We never mind a history lesson, and we are Levi and Blue.” I step forward and shake his outstretched hand. “We came to pick up the keys for Gorse Cottage.”

He’s tall and thin, but his wavy hair is grey, so he’s not the man I saw in the window. I wonder idly who that was and then dismiss it as not my business. Probably a member of the family or staff.

“Ah yes.” He reaches into the pocket of his cords and produces a set of keys on a metal key chain shaped like the Kernow flag. He hands them over. “Now, you’ll need to go back the way you came, and then through the village and down the hill. You’ll come to the bay. There’s a little cafe there. Go past it, and you’ll find the cottage on your first left. It’s a lovely little place.”

I drop the keys into my pocket. “I was surprised to find it free at such short notice. I presumed it would be booked all year round.”

His eyes tighten. “Hmm. Yes, of course.”

I wait for him to expand on this statement, but when he doesn’t, I rock back on my heels. “Well, thanks very much.”

“Not at all. The housekeeper has been in, and she left you a basket of food and supplies for your first night. I understand this is your honeymoon?”

I search his face for any bad feeling, and Blue inches close, but the man’s eyes are kind and friendly. “It is.”

“Congratulations to the both of you,” he says, shaking my hand again and Blue’s as well. “I hope you have a wonderful honeymoon. There’s nowhere better than Cornwall, and it’s particularly beautiful at the end of the season. Now, have I missed anything? Let me think.” He snaps his fingers. “We never like to think of the end of a holiday, but all you have to do before leaving is strip the beds, please, and hand the keys back. My housekeeper will do the rest.”

“Of course. Thank you.” I look at Blue, who’s been uncharacteristically quiet.

He jolts. “Yes, thanks,” he offers.

As we walk back towards the car, Lord St Claire suddenly calls my name. “Yes?” I say, turning.

He quickly approaches us and pauses. “Please do let me know if you have any problems.” He coughs awkwardly. “Any problems at all.”

I raise an eyebrow. “What sort of problems?”

He waves a hand. “Well, you know.”

Not really, but I don’t say anything. I realise with a shock that he’s nervous. I look over at Blue, who, unseen by Lord St Claire, is bugging out his eyes.

I suppress a laugh. “Well, thank you. We will.”

We climb back into the car and take our leave, making our way down the winding drive. For a few seconds there’s silence, and then I stir. “Problems?”

“No.”