‘Losing it?’ I ask as the confusion builds. Maybe he was supposed to inherit it or something … He speaks about Evergreene like a beloved grandfather, but there’s obviously a history between him and the son, so maybe something happened there and that’s the vague feeling I keep getting that there’s something he isn’t telling me.

Fergus gives me a look like I’m the one not making sense here.

‘In the auction, obviously,’ Fiona says with a giggle. ‘You’d expect someone who works with their hands to have much nimbler fingers, but you won fair and square, and he knows that. I think it says a lot about his character that he’s been so gracious about it. You must’ve been worried that he’d be a bit funny with you when you first met him.’

The gingerbread turns to stone in my mouth. R-five-hyphens-81. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. Those hyphens hide the letters ‘oscoe’. Everything that didn’t quite make sense suddenly adds up perfectly. ‘I must’ve been worried because I was moving in next door to the other bidder?’

They nod along, unaware that they’ve confirmed my greatest fear. They have absolutely no idea that I didn’t know. I sink back on my knees and look up at the unlit tree, and I feel like the whole market is falling down around my ears. Tears form in my eyes and I blink them furiously, trying to stop myself crying. I can’t let Fergus and Fiona know that they’ve just revealed a secret that Noel’s obviously been trying very hard to keep.

‘Nooo.’ I do an overexaggerated handwave and force the tightest smile in the history of the universe. ‘I wasn’t worried. He’s … well, he’s Noel, isn’t he? The friendly pumpkin farmer with a heart of gold. I knew he’d be a gentleman about it.’

‘Well, it doesn’t matter now you’re together, does it? What a lovely story to tell your grandkids one day.’

I almost laugh at the absurdity of that statement. Never mind grandkids because we are most definitely not together now I know that. Now it all makes sense.

No wonder he was so grouchy when I first arrived. No wonder he was irritated and incredulous and wanted to know how I’d won the auction with mere seconds left on the clock. And I was stupid enough to believe he was just making conversation.