The forensics on the ‘Certificate of Responsibility’ are back. They’ve dated the paper at 1672, and 1681 for the ink, plus or minus a decade at most for both. In other words, pretty much spot-on for what the document itself had said.

Even after that kind of proof, the council still won’t let it be. They’ve slapped a court-order on the house, banning me from going back there until they’ve decided what they’re going to do.

—

I’ve found out what the real problem is.

The council sold a huge block of commons-land to a developer, for a whole new fancy so-called ‘model village’ full of overpriced houses for rich commuters. It’ll connect up to the main road on the far side of the valley.

The other end of that block of land is – you guessed it – Aunt Kat’s farm. With the house on it, which is so old that it means that something legal must have happened there, even if they don’t know what it is. Or was.

Which means that the title to the farm is a huge fly in the ointment. If the house exists, then the title is probably valid, which means that they’ve sold land that isn’t theirs to sell. And the developer’s not happy. Not happy at all. Lawsuits pending and all that.

No wonder they want to believe that the title is a fake.

Even though they know now that it isn’t.