‘Hazel, would you like to finish telling us what your plans for the medal had been?’ said Cass. She had recovered her composure. She and Adam had clearly been conferring in the kitchen and decided that calm was a better strategy than shouting. ‘I’m imagining that the three of us may want to talk privately about it, afterwards. But at least if you’ve outlined your idea we’ll have something to go on, when we talk to a lawyer.’

The look Dawn fixed her with was one of undisguised contempt.

‘It’s a very odd situation, this,’ said Adam. ‘I think we’d have to come to some kind of consensus.’

‘Seems pretty simple to me,’ said Hazel. ‘I’ve got it. It’s been in my family’s possession for the past forty years. Unless you’ve got documentation to prove otherwise, there’s not a lot of discussion needs to take place. Quite honestly, I’m only telling you what I propose to do with it just as a formality, because William Gale is your blood relative too. I thought you might’ve welcomed the chance to honour his memory. But my mind is made up. And I should let you know at this point that I can be a pretty determined individual.’

At this Dawn’s face broke into a smile. Hazel had spoken without raising her voice. Georgie could see that she must have been a good teacher. She certainly wouldn’t have been in any danger of losing command of her class.

Adam and Cass looked pained. They’d searched through Celia’s will in their earlier hunt for the medal – and Celia’s mother’s – for mention of the Victoria Cross, in case the legal documents might uncover some information, some clue as to where it might be, and there was none. They knew there wasn’t any paperwork. No evidence of their ever having owned it.

They also knew, as did Georgie, that an act of spontaneous generosity would have been most out of character for Celia. She had given hospitality, when it had amused her to do so, but she had guarded her possessions jealously. It had been one of the paradoxes of Celia’s nature that she had affected not to be interested in possessions, while never attempting to divest herself of any.

Hazel spoke.