Carl looked irritated. “What are you all talking about? What is all this?”

Flynn senior ignored his son for now and carried on. “I thought that if we moved somewhere new, things might improve and Astrid would be calmer. We visited Merry Wood and both fell in love with it.”

He turned to Lily beside him. “To this day, Merry Wood does still carry some unpleasant memories for me, I will admit. But then it also had so many more wonderful ones too.” He paused and smiled at her. “Thanks to this lady here, the special ones far outweigh the not so pleasant.”

Flynn senior stretched out one speckled hand and took a stunned Lily’s in his. Carl and Diana’s mouths dropped open. Carl’s shocked expression twisted into a glower at their entwined hands. “Hang on a second, what do you mean by unpleasant memories? Are you talking about Mum?” He didn’t allow Flynn senior enough time to reply. “Do I take it that these wonderful memories you’re talking about are connected to this woman?” As if to illustrate the point, Carl lifted a finger and jabbed it at Lily.

Lily shifted in her chair, a pink blush seeping into her cheeks and clashing with her lilac eyes.

“This woman,” said Flynn senior with emphasis, “is Lily Cruickshank. She was the love of my life.” Now it was Lily’s turn to stare wide-eyed at Flynn senior. “And she always will be.”

Carl let out a snorting noise that reminded me of a furious bull. “Jesus, Dad! Are you telling me you had an affair behind Mum’s back with this old tart?”

“Carl!” barked Flynn, glowering from under his brows at his father. “You don’t know the whole story. And please don’t talk about Lily like that.”

Carl Talbot let out an incredulous bark of laughter. “This just gets better and better. Are you telling me you knew all about this, son?”

“I only found out recently.”

“And you didn’t think to tell your own father about it?”

Diana glanced across at her son. “I really think you should have told us about this when you found out, darling. I mean, this impacts on your poor grandmother too.”

“Yes, well you might not be so sympathetic towards Grandmother when you hear what else Grandfather has to say.”

Carl folded his arms. “Oh, I can barely contain myself.”

Flynn senior swallowed, aware of the several pairs of eyes scanning him from around the long dining room table.

“Go on,” I encouraged him.

Now it was my turn to receive a stony look from Carl Talbot. “How many bloody people around this table know what’s going on?”

Flynn senior ignored his son’s bark of a question.