I wasn’t sure if Flynn senior had heard, but if he did, he didn’t react. He appraised each of us from the head of the table, like a dashing moustachioed lord of the manor. “Please eat first, everyone, and then I will explain.”

After everything that had taken place today, I was taken aback by how hungry I was. I was sure my run-in with Seth Gordon would have taken its toll on my appetite, but the smoky taste of the Cullen skink, together with the dash of potato and onion, was delicious.

There was a revered hush as soup spoons clinked against the sides of bowls and there were murmurs of appreciation.

When everyone had finished, Mrs Oates moved to gather up the empty soup bowls and I rose to assist her, but Flynn senior indicated for us to leave the clearing up for now and sit back down.

“I didn’t sell Merry Wood all those years ago,” announced Flynn senior, with an air of resigned calm.

Carl and Diana Talbot’s expressions were of stricken bemusement. Their spoons clattered in shock.

Flynn senior glanced down at the table, settling his attention on his son. “When your mother and I decided to divorce, she was desperate for me to sell it, but I just couldn’t.”

Carl Talbot snapped his head to his father. “Are you joking, Dad?”

“Nope.”

“But whyever not?” frowned Diana. “I don’t understand.”

“I couldn’t bear to part with the place,” replied Flynn senior.

He turned to Flynn and me. “Before Astrid and I moved into Merry Wood, we lived in Edinburgh. I didn’t mind it, but Astrid wasn’t keen. She said she kept getting pestered with autograph hunters after her modelling took off and she wanted to live somewhere a bit more rural.”

He looked thoughtful. “I believe she had other reasons for wanting to move to a more remote location and that this was just an excuse.”

Flynn shot me look of understanding. He looked across the table at his grandfather. “Like keeping you on a tight leash? I mean, she could do what she wanted there and you wouldn’t have had the same opportunities to seek help.”

“Exactly.”

I thought about the struggle I had experienced, trying to get background information on Merry Wood and who lived there. “Is that why I was having issues finding about the history of Merry Wood and who owned it?”

Flynn senior took a gulp of his white wine. “Astrid was paranoid about people finding out where she lived. On one hand she revelled in the publicity, but on the other she wanted her privacy.”

I nodded. “When it suited her.”

Flynn senior agreed. “She charmed the local authorities into keeping it quiet that we had moved to Merry Wood.”

A corner of his mouth flicked upwards in an ironic sort of way. “My ex-wife can be very charming and plausible when it suits her.”