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The audience had been requested to remain absolutely quiet, and consisted of the entire Poole family, and also Tessa and Dante, who watched the proceedings with interest. It isn’t every day that you’re present when greatness is in the making.

“Okay, when you’re ready…” Opal prompted. She had donned a purple dress with a silver brooch and looked perhaps even more smashing than Janine, if that was even possible.

“Ready,” John said, giving Opal a goofy grin and two thumbs up.

“When is she going to interview Odelia?” Dooley whispered.

“I don’t think she’s going to interview Odelia,” I said. “This is all about John and Janine Boggle.”

“But we’re in Odelia’s home. She should at least do the introductions.”

“It doesn’t work like that, Dooley.”

“Oh.” He lapsed into silence while Opal set the scene to the viewers at home.

“So maybe Harriet could sing a song during the intermission?” Dooley piped up again. “Or Prunella. She’s such a great singer, isn’t she, Max?”

“She is, but now if you could please be quiet? I’d like to listen to the interview.”

“So, John, can you reveal something about your future plans?” Opal was saying. “A little birdie told me something about a possible Netflix deal? And a Spotify deal for a new podcast? And of course a big book deal? Is that true?”

John seemed to waver for a moment, then clasped Janine’s hand in his and said, “As you know, I’ve thought long and hard about this, Opal. And even though the things you suggest all sound very intriguing and very interesting indeed… I don’t think they are where my heart lies. If I’m absolutely honest with myself, what I want, what I really,really want… is to spend some quality time with my wife. These last couple of years have been pretty brutal on her—I think she’s spent more time with our dogs than with me. And now that I’ve decided to take a step back from the political arena, the next few years of my life are hers.”

Janine uttered a surprised gasp as Big John turned to her.

“Janine, I know you’ve been wanting to buy a house in Hampton Cove and start a family. Well, I want that, too. I want to have kids with you and I want to buy the house that your grandparents built and turn it into a home for us and the kids. At least,” he added, a touch of hesitance in his voice, “if that’s all right with you?”

“Oh, John,” said Janine, and promptly broke into a flood of tears.

“Why is she sad, Max?” asked Dooley. “I thought she wanted kids?”

“Those are tears of happiness, Dooley,” I said. “She’s so happy she’s crying.”

“Huh,” said Dooley, and I could tell he found this all very confusing indeed.

“So how about the Netflix deal, John?” Opal insisted. “And the book deal? And the Spotify deal?”

But John made a slicing gesture with his hand.“They’re all off the table, Opal. I’m not doing it.”

“Are you sure, John?”

“Yes, Opal. I want to be a dad. And a good husband. Nothing more than that.” And suddenly he, too, burst into a flood of tears. “Darn it! Now you made me cry!”

“Opal has that effect on people,” Prunella confirmed. “It’s her secret power.”

And when I looked around me, I saw that everyone was sobbing, even Chase!

“Are they all happy, Max?” asked Dooley, observing the same phenomenon.

“I guess so,” I said. It was disconcerting to see so many grown people cry, but we all know that humans are weird at the best of times. Hearing a man declare that he doesn’t want to be a billionaire but a dad must have touched a chord.

Of all the people present, Tex was actually crying the most. Then again, he might have been imagining how many gnomes one can buy for a billion dollars.

The interview wasn’t at an end, but Little John must have thought it was, for he suddenly started barking furiously, causing Opal to halt in mid-question.

“It’s a tabloid reporter!” Little John cried. “This time I’m sure! I can smell it!”

We all looked over to the window where the little doggie was pointing, and sure enough, an individual was peering in through the window and holding up his phone, presumably snapping shots of all of us.

“It’s Otis Robbins!” Tessa yelled. “He works for theDaily Pail!”

“I’ll give him a good bollocking,” Dante growled, getting up.

But before he could give him this bollocking, whatever a bollocking was, Little John and Little Janine were already on the case, hopping in the direction of the kitchen door, slipping out through the pet flap, and the next moment we were all treated to a scene of a tabloid reporter being accosted by two furious dogs!

“Get off!” the reporter was screaming. “Get off me!” But instead of heeding his call, the two dogs snapped at his heels and tried to get a bite out of his ankles. And so Mr. Robbins quickly skedaddled, and as we moved to the front of the house, we could all see through the window how the man was being chased down the street, Big John and Janine’s dogs right on his tail!

“Good riddance,” said Tessa. “I can’t believe he followed us all the way here.”

“I think he was following us,” said Big John. “He’s not a big fan of my work.”