I glanced through the page to see what it was I was looking for. According to the tasting notes, the drink I’d got in my hand was an elegant dry sparkling wine, a pale straw colour characterized by a steady stream of minute bubbles. It claimed to have an aroma of biscuit and nougat. I smelled it and was delighted to get a whiff of toasted oats. I read on: a creamy mousse on the palate with hints of baked apple and frangipane. The finish was crisp, fresh and moreish.

‘What do you think of it, Lottie?’ Jensen was studying me closely.

‘I get the creamy mousse part and I can taste fruit, but nothing more accurate than that,’ I admitted. ‘Sorry. I’m not a big drinker. I’m willing to learn, though.’

‘And a quick learner too, according to Roger.’ Betsy nodded regally. ‘He said the timetable you’ve done for next week is as good as anything Ted produced.’

‘High praise indeed from Mr Bossy,’ Marjorie chuckled, brushing spilled wine from her bosom.

I raised my glass to my mouth to cover my proud smile.

‘Thank you. How much does it retail for?’ I took another gulp and I swirled it round my mouth as delicately as I could.

‘Thirty quid a pop,’ said Marjorie.

I coughed and choked. ‘Gosh! I’ve never drunk anything so expensive in my life.’

‘Ted’s wines are award-winning,’ Betsy said. She slurped at it. ‘This is very good. Do we have much stock of it?’

‘An awful lot,’ I told her. ‘And Matt says it’s ready to leave the winery.’

Betsy sniffed. ‘Ah, yes, I suppose it would be. Ted always dealt with the orders. I … I’m afraid I’ve rather let things slide.’

Jensen caught my eye.

‘Gran, I’m sorry to have to mention this …’ He reached for her hand. ‘Granddad sent me some cash flow reports for my advice a few months ago, but I got side-tracked with work and by the time I got round to reading them and realized how precarious the business’s finances were, he was ill and I decided it wasn’t the right time to bring it up.’

‘How precarious?’ said Marjorie, sitting forward.

‘Those new tanks he bought last year?’ said Jensen.

Betsy’s face looked pinched. ‘He had big plans for expansion; he reckoned this year’s harvest was going to be huge and he’d need more capacity. I wanted him to slow down, do less, but he wouldn’t listen.’