‘What about Mum’s family? Some of the Armstrongs must be rolling in it.’

‘Even if they were, Mum inherited all the land. The rest of them don’t feel especially inclined to help pay for its upkeep.’

‘They never did like her converting the ancestral home into a school.’

‘Her cousin Tildy offered us a cricket set and a chipped microscope.’

‘What about Dad’s family?’

‘What about it?’ I could hear Jed’s frown. ‘You know Nana Joy’s family had nothing.’

I hesitated for a moment. ‘But what about his dad?’

Jed was silent.

‘There’s a chance he could be somebody.’

‘There’s a far bigger chance that he’s not alive any more, even if he was.’

‘You never know. She always did love a younger man.’

Joy Papplewick had been associated with many a leading man in her time, the majority of them several years younger than her. She had always refused to name the father of her child, insistent that she wouldn’t drag him into the scandal of an illegitimate baby. This had led to wild paternity speculations ranging from Elvis to a seventeen-year-old theatre usher. While it was a forbidden topic of conversation whenever our parents or Nana Joy were around, Jed and I had debated every possibility from a doomed affair with a married man to her simply not knowing for sure. In all likelihood, our unknown grandfather was probably an actor or musical director who Joy hadn’t wanted to be tied down to.

‘Is it worth trying to find out? If Dad’s dad is a famous actor, then he might want to help. Especially as he’s never contributed a penny to his son’s upbringing.’

‘I don’t know, Bea.’ Jed sighed. ‘This isn’t our secret to uncover. There’s a reason Nana Joy never said who the father is. And if it does turn out to be someone with the means to help out, are we really prepared to turn an elderly man’s world upside down – along with whatever family he might have – to pay for a new roof?’

It was a fair point, but saving the school wasn’t the only reason to find out our grandfather’s identity. If Mum’s legacy was going to crumble, then Dad’s family could turn out to be something of an anchor in the ensuing storm. Dad had taken on the Armstrong name partly to escape the glare of the Papplewick limelight, but also as a commitment to Mum’s heritage. We’d been born and raised Armstrongs, but maybe it was time to find out who else we were, too.

‘Is it worth a try, though? An initial poke about?’

Jed hummed and hawed.

‘How will you feel when Charis House closes, if you didn’t even try?’