Before hanging up, she asked after the boys.

I told her they were well and busy constructing a cardboard city in the garage.

“They seem extraordinary,” she said.

“They’re eight,” I replied.

“Some days extraordinary means putting their socks in the laundry basket.”

She laughed.

That same week, an old Holloway family acquaintance posted a vague social media message about unexpected heirs and embarrassing revelations.

Within hours, gossip began circulating.