There was one other noteworthy item, a column entitled ‘Places Of Interest’, which gave a capsule description of the Hyperion Observatory, noting that it was privately owned and not open to the public. ‘The house owes its unusual symmetrical shape to the fact that it was once an observatory. Its architect, Francesco Condemaine, picked this sunny, peaceful spot with clear skies for his fragile wife, Elena, because she suffered from a fear of the dark, and in this lovely spot the moon is famous for its brightness. It was said that he so loved her that he wrote her a letter every single day of their lives together.’ ‘Don’t you see?’ I told Mateo later that evening as we sat with Bobbie having our meal. ‘It explains everything. He loved her so much that he built a place where she could live in permanent light. He put in all the clocks so that the servants could make sure she never had to suffer from her phobia.’ Mateo put down his fork and smiled gently at me. ‘You knew,’ I said, thunderstruck.
