There was one person who was not involved in these feverish preparations. Rob spent all of his time on the roof, watching people come and go at the hotel.

He wondered exactly what was going on, and asked Celeste, but she said she didn’t know what was happening. A big event of some kind, obviously. But beyond that, she hadn’t a clue. It seemed that Elle was the only one who truly knew what was going to happen.

Celeste had tried to talk to him about Elle, telling him how great she thought she was. He didn’t need her singing Elle’s praises. She nagged him too, about how much he was working. She was right, he was close to breaking point. But it wasn’t for much longer. If he could just do what Elle wanted and get the roof done in time for whatever she was planning, then he wouldn’t have to be here every day, watching her come and go, listening to her laugh.

It made him work even harder, though he hadn’t thought it was possible.

He didn’t know what he would do next. Ask Celeste if she wanted to go away for a bit maybe. He had never wanted to leave the town before, but then, he had never felt this despairing before.

Something had to give, Rob knew that much.

‘Another one checked off!’ cheered Penny happily as she and Ned left the home of Paudie Kelly in County Tipperary, whose son Jack had been the owner of a first edition Abbey Road. Feeling eager to continue the search after their early success with Revolver, she and Ned had got straight back in the car the next day.

Colin had stayed behind at the hotel, correctly sensing that this more personal part of the search was something Penny and Ned needed to do together.

In the interim he was working on the list of contacts, phoning ahead and paving the way for their approach to collectors who lived within travelling distance.

‘Did you know that Abbey Road was the Beatles’ last album?’ Ned informed her, and she smiled at how animated he sounded. ‘They were really on the way out by then – John Lennon had been breaking away from the rest of them. But Paul was determined to make this album great – to go out on a high note, before they ended everything.’

Penny shook her head that, no, she didn’t know that.