‘Plans! What plans? As you can see, I am yesterday’s news. I have been cast aside in favour of the delights of tea with Lady Marshall and lunch with Father’s solicitor. You’d be doing me a huge favour if you’d spend a couple of hours with me. I’m damned rotten company for myself.’

‘I’m not sure …’ Surely, she should be making this harder for him.

‘What if I promise to give you the full tour, not just the highlights? You seem like a woman who likes to explore places others fear to tread.’

Captain Mandeville strode out into the hall. Not wanting to be left behind, Lou followed and almost crashed into him when he stopped suddenly in the centre of the hall.

‘Take a look around you,’ he said, spreading his arms wide, his voice echoing all the way up to the glass dome high in the ceiling. ‘This is the very epicentre of Hill House. From here you can see all of the clues as to why my great-great-grandfather, Thomas Mandeville, came to build Hill House.’ He lowered his voice and moved in closer, as though taking Lou into his confidence. ‘My family has never been particularly original when it comes to naming sons. Although, there was an Algonquin somewhere along the line, so I suppose Edward and I should be thankful for small mercies.’ He grimaced, and almost in spite of herself, Lou laughed.

‘Where were we? Ah yes, great-great-grandfather Tom. He was a clergyman, which, back in the 1700s, was quite a lucrative profession, providing you had a good parish. And St Mary’s, although rural, was a very good parish. Plenty of wealthy landowners with very deep pockets.’ He tapped the side of his nose. ‘Old Tom was from relatively humble beginnings, so you might assume that he would be perfectly content with his elevated position to the gentry and his comfortable income, but you’d be wrong. Every morning, over his toast and kippers, he had to look out of the window of his small vicarage in the village, to see a sweeping landscape of virgin hills and woods. He was an ambitious man, and he coveted that land. To possess it became something of an obsession. Old Tom was nothing if not shrewd, he knew that the only way to get his hands on this land was to marry into the family who owned it, the family of the Earl of Caxton who lived on the other side of the valley. So, what do you think clever Old Tom did next?’

Lou shrugged, keen for Captain Mandeville to continue the story without any interruption from her.

‘He did what any right-minded young chap would do and set his sights on the most beautiful of Lord Caxton’s daughters, Miss Sarah Caxton. By all accounts, Tom was a charismatic character, and soon had Miss Caxton and her family eating out of the palm of his hand. After a short engagement, they married, and to Old Tom’s delight, Lord Caxton presented his new son-in-law with this land as a wedding gift. Not a bad gift eh?’ He winked, making Lou laugh again.