Another side of a singular man

The sign on the gates reads: ‘‘Bulls at large - wolf hounds - high voltage electric fencing’’, and every window of the 1740 mansion is shuttered. Darcy Dancer’s forlorn ancestral home springs to mind.

Inside, however, a welcome awaits in a vast drawing room, a space designed for entertaining with its well-worn squashy sofa, grand piano, piles of oversized floor cushions and roaring log fire. I just have time to cast an eye ...