‘Well, she wasn’t entirely celibate, you know.’ Hugh had a twinkle in his eye as he spoke and, even though he dropped his voice, Posy could tell that the whole table were straining to hear him. ‘You’ve heard about her relationship with Fitz Humphries, right?’

‘The hardboiled detective author?’ Felicity nodded. ‘But they always denied it.’

Hugh lifted one shoulder in an artless shrug. ‘Who am I to say. But I do still have his autograph on several of my copies of his books from when he came to stay one summer.’

Juliette sat back in her seat, scallop untouched, apparently uninterested in her great-great-aunt’s romantic affairs. ‘I promised Oliver I’d call him this evening, but this is going to go on forever. He’s going to think I bailed on him.’

‘Boyfriend?’ Posy asked.

‘Was. Wants to be again,’ Juliette replied, with a smirk.

Across the table, Kit leant forward, his elbows perilously close to the silverware. ‘What about the stories of a romance with her editor?’

Hugh’s eyebrows rose. ‘You have been doing your research. Yes, there was talk of that, too. But if she did, I think it must have been over and done with before she moved to Aldermere permanently. I don’t remember any stories of him ever visiting her here.’

‘Such a shame she never married,’ Heather said from beside Kit. ‘No little Lettices to carry on the legacy.’

‘My husband and I strive to carry on her legacy in every way we can,’ Isobel said, obviously bristling. ‘The name Lettice Davenport won’t be forgotten while we have breath.’

After three movies, a thirteen-year TV series, a new film – not to mention nearly eighty books and stories – Posy was pretty sure that Hugh’s Aunt Lettice was in no fear of being forgotten. But Isobel clearly felt responsible for her legacy, despite only being related by marriage.

‘I heard there was only ever one man she really loved,’ Marcus pronounced, from the head of the table. ‘He broke her heart and she never recovered. That’s the real reason she moved back to Aldermere during the war.’

‘And I thought it was the bomb that landed on her building that brought her back here,’ Hugh said, lightly. ‘I think we can all agree that Aldermere House is a far nicer place to sit out a war than London at the height of the Blitz!’

That drew some laughter from around the table, but not much.

‘And then after the war she bought the place from your father? Is that right?’ Felicity asked.

Hugh stiffened beside her. ‘Not exactly. A place like Aldermere costs an awful lot to run, of course, and since she was living and writing here, Aunt Letty contributed to the family finances. But the house has always belonged to the family, first and foremost. Now, what do you think of these scallops?’