‘I have had one or two ideas,’ I said, sitting in the chair which Jensen pulled out for me. ‘How would you feel about a party?’

‘A party?’ Betsy gasped.

I could have kicked myself for my choice of words. It was insensitive of me to suggest something so frivolous so soon after losing her husband.

‘I mean an open day,’ I said quickly. ‘We could offer tours, tastings and perhaps give some bottling demos in the winery. The main aim would be sales, of course, and we could have special offers on bulk purchase of our wines. It would be a great way of generating some instant cash flow.’

Jensen and Betsy said nothing, just stared. I began to doubt myself; perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea after all.

‘Have some pudding, Lottie. Trifle or just strawberries?’ said Marjorie, her hand hovering over the two serving dishes.

I chose strawberries without cream; they were home-grown and looked refreshing and luscious. I bit into one and tried to guess what the others were thinking. After another few seconds of silence I felt obliged to fill it.

‘Ted has a big mailing list with lots of wine societies on it. And there have been loads of messages and emails from people wanting to buy from us. This would give us a chance to reduce stocks and save ourselves the hassle of arranging deliveries in one fell swoop. And,’ I looked directly at Jensen, ‘if the vineyard were to come up for sale in the next year or so, an event like this will help raise the business’s profile.’

He raised his eyebrows. ‘It’s a thought.’

‘A party would cheer me up no end,’ said Betsy, her eyes sparkling. ‘And if it will help get us out of a financial hole, even better. I think it’s a splendid idea.’

‘Agreed,’ said Marjorie, looking rather pink-cheeked. She drained her glass and lifted it up. ‘I’ll be in charge of the bar.’

‘We could get one of those gazebos and put it just down there in the space between the wall and the start of the vines. Matt’s good at that sort of thing,’ said Betsy, pointing southwards towards the vineyard.

‘I’m so glad.’ I breathed a sigh of relief. ‘I couldn’t see any reference to previous events so I wasn’t sure if it was something you’d consider.’

‘There weren’t any,’ said Marjorie. ‘He was a private man, was Ted.’

‘Wine societies were always making enquiries to visit but Ted never wanted the public here,’ Betsy explained. ‘In his words, he didn’t want to turn the place into a circus. Occasionally wine merchants were allowed in, strictly by appointment, but apart from that, all his sales were done by phone or email.’

‘But needs must,’ said Jensen. ‘And whatever happens in the future, tackling the high stock levels is a priority. I’m all for it.’