It was a really cold day. I mean, the air was frigid. Thank god there was no wind or I'd have frozen solid. Thankfully I was nearly home and I had no doubt in the world that Melanie would have had the heating on. With a bit of luck she'd also have turned on the artificial fire in the living room. It ran off gas but it was set up to look as though it was a natural fire burning wood. Very clever the way it had been made.

Finally home I welcomed the warmth, but I wanted some more personal heat so I headed towards the living room. If...