‘Do you know Switzerland well?’ she asked.

‘No.’

She said complacently: ‘It is a most beautiful country. And the life here can be so good – skiing in winter, boating or climbing in summer. Are you a skier?’

‘I’m afraid not.’

She surveyed him critically. ‘If the muscle tone is good, one can learn to ski at almost any age. And you are still young.’

‘I’ll think about it,’ he said. ‘Thank you for those kind words, anyway.’

‘Geneva, of course, is not well placed for skiing. One must travel to St Cergue – nearly forty kilometres.’

‘Are you Genevoise?’

She shook her head. ‘I have lived here since a girl, but my childhood was in the mountains. That is where home is for me. Home is always the place of one’s childhood memories, do you not agree?’

‘Yes,’ he said, ‘you may be right.’