A stone barn, Butler noted through the gap in the grill— everything in this countryside was in stone, and judging by the recurrent shape of the stones most of them had first seen the light of day under a Roman legionary’s chisel: the Wall, away on the skyline at his back, had been this land’s quarry for a thousand years or more. The rear doors swung smartly open from the outside and Butler looked down on his reception committee. “Ah, colonel!” Audley began formally. The Royal Signals subaltern at his side stiffened at the rank instinctively, and then relaxed as Audley ruined the effect with a casual gesture of welcome. “Come on down, Jack! We’ve only got about half an hour, and a lot of ground to cover. And you too, Peter. Everything according to plan?” Butler sniffed derisively. According to plan! It was a sad thing to see a man like Audley take pleasure in the shadow of events rather than their substance.
