“Yes. I thought it was a great idea. Vagabonds is a terrific company. They make brilliant clothes.” He smiled excitedly at his father. “What’s the story, then?”

“The company has already been sold,” Dan replied quietly.

Josh sighed. “Oh, what a bummer.”

Jackie spluttered in disbelief. “You two are as bad as each other. You’re just two bloody wasters, ruining your lives and ruining everybody else’s at the same time.”

Josh held up his hands defensively. “Wait on, now! That’s a bit heavy. I don’t like being called a waster, and I certainly am not involved with anybody else’s life other than my own.”

The tension in the room was broken by the sound of the telephone ringing. Jackie walked over and picked it up. She turned and held the receiver out to Dan. “It’s for you,” she said curtly.

“Hullo . . . Who? . . . Oh, hullo, Patrick, how are you?” Dan held up his hand to stop either Jackie or Josh from leaving the room. “Yes, thanks, it was a good journey. I managed to get a compartment to myself, thanks to Katie’s advice. . . . Sure, go ahead.” He held up his hand once more to reaffirm his request for them to stay put, and then turned and stared out into the garden as he listened.

“Dan, I can’t wait any longer,” Jackie said as Dan put down the receiver five minutes later. “I have to get to work.”

“Please—if you could just wait a minute.” He walked back to the table and pulled out two chairs for Jackie and Josh. “Sit down, would you?”

“Dan, I can’t—”

“Please.”

Jackie let out a loud sigh as both she and Josh sat down at the table. “So? What is it?”

“I’ve been offered a job . . . for four months.”

Jackie raised her eyebrows. “Well, I suppose that’s better than nothing. After all, it’s a foot in the door and if it all goes well, you might be kept on for longer.”

“No. It’s only for four months.”

“Right. Where is it? In the City?”

Dan shook his head and looked directly at Jackie, anticipating already her reaction to his answer. “Scotland.”

Jackie placed her elbows on the table and slowly keeled her head forward into her hands. “Who has offered you a job in Scotland? Not this . . . mail order company?”

“No. It’s another one, but it does belong to the husband of the woman who has just sold that company.” He paused. “Listen, please don’t say anything until I’ve explained it all to you.”

Over the next ten minutes, Dan told them everything that he knew about the Trenchards. Josh sat staring at Dan throughout, enthralled and captivated by the story, whilst Jackie never lifted her head from her hands.

“What an amazing guy,” Josh said when Dan had eventually finished.

“Yes, he is.”