Chapter 10

The dogs were curled up by the Rayburn after going out to explore in the hard frost that had come down in the night. The temperature had dropped again suddenly over the last day or two after looking like spring might be on its way in. The March days were getting longer and the beech trees up the valley were taking on the glow of rising sap as he looked at them out of his bedroom window in the morning. The sun came up over the hill behind the house and touched the woodland with delicate spring fingers, but the nights still made him glad of the heavy quilt. The lino in the bathroom stung his bare feet and he was still glad to make the effort to put his slippers on, despite it being a chore to manage.

With no warning, the dogs started barking, giving tongue loudly and circling round and round in the way they did when something outside was urgent enough in their canine brains for them to need to go and patrol.