‘Yes,’ said Evelyn. ‘Your father was always afraid that if anything happened to him Lorna would get up to her old tricks again and try to make life difficult for you and he wanted someone else to know what he’d agreed with her. It’s very sad, because Lorna has got so much, if only she’d let herself enjoy it: talent and looks and now a child and a rich second husband. But nothing is ever enough for her. She was always a deeply jealous little girl – her own worst enemy – and she’s grown up into a jealous woman who’s capable of being extremely vindictive. Over the years I think your father’s managed to act as a brake on some of her more exaggerated behaviour, because she was always a bit afraid of him, but the tragedy is that she makes herself as unhappy as she makes other people. She certainly told your parents that the baby was probably Giles’s and made no secret of the fact that she intended to cause the maximum disruption for you both. But Lorna’s always been extremely acquisitive and your father struck a deal with her. If she withdrew from Scotland and promised not to press any claim on Giles he would guarantee to support her and the baby and would leave her the property in France, which I gather was originally to have been shared between you, and which she coveted so much. But he also told her that if she caused any more upsets he would cut her out of his will entirely.’

‘I have to admit I was secretly a bit hurt to discover that Le Colombier was left entirely to Lorna – not just for myself but because the children always adored going there so much. We all did. Giles pointed out to me that Lorna and I could never have shared it successfully – but why didn’t Pa tell me any of this?’ asked Isobel. ‘I’d have understood if he’d explained.’