Moving on

Buying a house was supposed to be an adventure, Amanda had always thought. Of course, it was up there in the top five most stressful things in life, but, like with childbirth, the pluses are supposed to wipe out all the negatives immediately after the event.

Unless, of course, you’re swapping your beautiful six-bedroom, three reception, 5,000sq ft mansion with his-and-hers dressing rooms, infrared sauna and bespoke kitchen (complete with Calacatta marble worktops and built-in Sage coffee machine) for something a third of the size, with half the charm, in the throes of a messy divorce.

Amanda looks around at her new kingdom. It’s the first time she’s been inside since the day the estate agent took her to see it. She’d half-listened to him drone on about the potential and the aspect, the proximity to the shops and the up-and-coming nature of the neighbourhood (for which read it