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‘You okay?’ Horse asks Luke.

‘Yes, fine. I can deal with this.’

‘I’ll give you all some space,’ Horse says, patting Luke on the shoulder, and then his gaze rests on me. Both of us know that even though I’ve kept this place, our journey was only just starting, and now he’s going to be leaving. ‘I’ll tidy up in the forest before . . .’

I go, I finish in my head.

‘You did a brilliant thing back there,’ he says and smiles.

He turns away towards Ty Coed, carrying the crash helmets.

Mogs is darting this way and that around Scarlett, trying to get the best shot on his camera.

‘Go on, Gwen, go inside,’ Luke urges me. Gratefully, I go. He and Scarlett clearly need to talk.

In the farmhouse, Will and Lara are waiting. Will hugs me as I tell him we’ve saved Christmas Tree Farm. Then we turn, looking out over the half-door at Scarlett and Luke. There’s no point pretending not to listen.

‘I’ve been ringing you! Where have you been?!’ she’s raging, hands on her hips. We hold our breath.

‘I was busy. Spending time with friends,’ Luke says evenly as we stand back at a safe distance, like we’re waiting for the fireworks to go off on Bonfire Night.

‘My solicitor has just rung me. She’s had an email. Apparently the seller has pulled out! Pulled out!!’ she repeats loudly in my direction. ‘It must be a computer error! I need to get your friend Gwen to get on to her solicitor!’

‘I don’t think there has been a computer error,’ Luke says, still admirably calm.

‘I said I wanted to be in by Christmas, Luke! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve! I’ve got decorators on standby to get in and get this place styled. Is it even packed up and ready to be emptied?’

‘Scarlett, Gwen has pulled out of the sale. You’re not going to be moving in here tomorrow. You need to cancel your removal people. They’ll probably be pleased to have Christmas off.’

‘They were happy to do it!’ she says. ‘Especially with what I was paying them.’

‘They only agreed because you threatened to give them a slating on your channels! That’s not fair, Scarlett!’

Mogs is moving in for close-ups.

‘In fact, a lot of how you treat people isn’t fair,’ Luke goes on. ‘Gwen has decided, for all the right reasons, not to sell. And if I was her, I wouldn’t either. I don’t know how she can bear the thought of her home being bulldozed for “good content”. This has been a happy home; it’s not just fodder for a channel. There are other farms you can buy.’

‘But I needed to be in for Christmas! It’s been agreed. It’s illegal! Everyone knows Christmas is when you can really up your viewing numbers!’

Luke turns away from her. He is looking at the view down the valley, with the lights of Christmas Tree World in the distance. After a few moments, he lets out a long sigh. Then he turns back to Scarlett, who has her fists clenched, ready for battle.

‘Life is not one long social media reel, Scarlett,’ he says almost gently. ‘All that content – it doesn’t mean anything. It’s just wallpaper while people pass the time on Tube trains, waiting to meet friends or sitting on the toilet.’

Lara and I grimace, and Will puts his entwined fingers over his nose and giggles.

Scarlett’s face is red. She looks almost ready to explode with frustration.

‘Get in the car, Luke. We’ll go and see the solicitor. It’s agreed. She can’t just pull out.’ She stomps over to the car, gets in and winds down the window. Then she sticks her head out and yells in the direction of the farmhouse, presumably at me, ‘You’re trespassing!’ Then back at Luke: ‘Get in, Luke. I need to get this sorted!’

‘No, Scarlett. I’m not coming.’

‘Luke! God! Be a man for once, will you?! Just get in the car. We’re not going to be treated like this!’

‘Scarlett. I’m not coming,’ he says, clearly and firmly. He sounds more like his own man than I’ve ever heard him before. ‘Not now or ever. I don’t want to live here with you. I don’t want to watch you pull up all the trees that have grown here for years. I don’t want to live my life as an accessory in your TikTok world. I want a life that’s real.’

She stares at him for a moment, then snaps back, ‘Don’t be ridiculous. Now get in the car.’

‘No, Scarlett.’