‘I’ve had a few in my time,’ said Sam, lifting the bar hatch to let them through.

I couldn’t help wondering if this was damage limitation on Sam’s part. If Joe was going to talk about selling the farm and changing the face of Wynmouth forever then the crowd might take against him, but at least with the width of the bar between them, Sam could quickly usher the pair out through the kitchen if it looked like a fight was about to break out.

‘What’s this all about?’ someone shouted from the back of the room.

‘Yeah,’ joined in another. ‘Get on with it, Upton. I’ve shut up shop to come and listen to you.’

Sam rang the bar bell to quieten everyone again as a low muttering broke out and then stepped aside.

‘Thanks, Sam,’ Joe swallowed, before looking around, ‘and thank you all for coming at such short notice. I know not everyone could make it, but I daresay those of you who are here will be able to fill the others in so, here goes . . .’

‘What have you done now, Joe?’ the voice from the back shouted again. ‘You always were bloody bad news and I’m guessing nothing’s changed just because you’re a few years older.’

Charlie shook his head and stepped forward before Sam had time to make the bell clang again.

‘No,’ he said, his voice booming out and commanding everyone’s attention, even the person intent on stirring up trouble at the back, ‘this has nothing to do with Joe.’

I was as quiet, and confused, as everyone else now. Joe and Charlie exchanged a look and then Joe stepped back so Charlie could carry on.

‘I know,’ he began, ‘that a few of you have found out that Home Farm and much of its prime land has been—’

‘Sold!’ someone couldn’t resist calling out. ‘To Sunny bloody Shores!’

Charlie then had to wait while everyone digested the news that I had started to spread. I stared at my feet wishing the floor would open up and swallow me and, given the way Hope shuffled from one foot to the other beside me, I would have bet good money that she was wishing she could disappear too.

‘I knew the farm was struggling,’ said George, his voice only just rising above the others, ‘but I had no idea it had come to this. Why didn’t you tell us, Charlie?’

Charlie shrugged and shook his head.

‘We might have been able to help, lad,’ said another voice.

‘We might have been able to find a way,’ added a third.

I was pleased to hear sympathetic voices rising above the angry few.

‘This is all your doing, is it, Joe?’ shouted someone else. ‘You thought it the best chance you had of getting rid of the place for good!’

‘No,’ said Charlie, his voice rising above the rest. ‘No,’ he said again, quieter this time.