It was a miracle. My sister had cleared the floor of her bedroom of all her junk! The carpet was finally visible and all the furniture could now be seen. Added to this, my sister had discovered that behind her room there was another one, complete with a secret staircase that led upstairs.

The second room was a treasure trove of smart Georgian furniture. My late father must have bought all these pieces in the 1970s. Labels that hung from the keys to the wardrobes and armoires stated their purchase price, every one over £5000. What a pity that the value of antiques had dropped so low in recent years!

HVJ, however, noted that some of the jewellery in my sister’s ‘main’ bedroom was probably valuable. She picked out a pearl bracelet from a glass cabinet. ‘This is worth at least £3000’, she said. The issue now was whether the bracelet belonged to my sister or to my mother’s estate.