Lily dragged her stunned attention away from Flynn senior as she noticed us hovering a few feet away. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. The washed-out winter sun swept across her garden. “You?” she faltered at me. “You arranged this?”

“It’s a long story,” I admitted. “Flynn would like the opportunity to explain.”

But Lily suddenly shook her head, sending her hair flying over her face like a protective veil. The blossoming hope in Flynn senior’s face withered and died.

“No. I don’t want this. It’s all so long ago now.”

She fixed Flynn senior with a wounded gaze that seemed to burn down into her soul. “You never came back. I waited for you.” Her fingers gripped the edge of the door for support. “I heard you had gone for a year.” She swallowed threatening tears. “I spent years hoping I’d see you again. I thought that since you didn’t sell Merry Wood, you intended to come back.”

“But I did come back,” insisted Flynn senior. “I wanted to be with you and Carl and live in Merry Wood, just the three of us… Bernard…” Flynn senior threw me a wild look and carried on. “The letter I wrote to you explaining…”

Lily raised her chin. Pain shone in her eyes. “What letter? You made so many promises to me and broke them all.” She swallowed the hurt. “I can’t believe you have the audacity to show up again after all these years. I can’t do this. I won’t.”

She shook her head as if to dislodge the emotions swirling around in it. “I want you to leave now, Flynn. And don’t bother coming back.”

Then she slammed the door.

Chapter Thirty

“Mr Talbot,” I called to his hunched back. “Are you alright ? Maybe we should leave.”

He remained turned away from both of us, like a ghost struggling to decide where its spirit belonged.

“Grandfather,” called Flynn. “Maybe you should accept what Lily said…”

Flynn senior didn’t reply. He reached his hand to the door and knocked again, more forcefully than before. “Lily! Lily. I need to speak to you. Please!” He banged again. “You don’t know the whole story. Please let me explain.”

His pleas went unanswered.

I turned to Flynn beside me. “I think we should take him home now. This isn’t doing either of them any good.”

“I think we should too,” agreed Flynn, “but he’s an obstinate old man at the best of times.”

We looked back to see Flynn senior thumping again on Lily’s closed front door. “You have to listen to me. All right, I’m sorry. You don’t have to listen to me. But please Lily.”

Still the silence continued, apart from a faint rustle in the trees.

Flynn senior steeled himself.