TPR and I were very pleased with our recent house purchase. Conveniently located not far from our old flat, the size of its reception rooms was its best feature.

Something that was unclear to me, however, was the status of the formal drawing room and dining room, neither of which we had seen before completion. I asked the seller if he could show me round.

He first took me through to the drawing room, stopping for a short while in the small ‘gap’ room that linked it with the morning room. The drawing room itself was beautifully decorated in red and gold, and crammed with antiques. A treasure trove of fine art hung from its walls. I couldn’t believe that this was all mine – and that the dining room next door was just as grand.

My only questions now related to the haughty woman perched on the sofa in the drawing room. She appeared to be surrounded by immediate family members. The seller confessed that this was his ex-wife. He’d forgotten to mention that the terms of the house sale included provision for the buyer to maintain this woman in the manner to which she was accustomed for as long as she wished to remain in the house.