Nick called his father, Philip, to warn him that Philip’s sisters were moving quickly to sell the house. Nick’s priority was to preserve Tyersall Park, which was a unique property. His father thought that he was being sentimental. Furthermore, though the house “was like some never-never land” for Nick, “it was a bit of a prison” for Philip and his sisters (294). There were chairs on which he was never allowed to sit because they were so valuable. Then, when he was old enough to walk, Philip’s parents sent him to boarding school, thus leading him to spend most of his time away from Tyersall Park.

Nick asked his father if he would consider joining him and Alistair in buying everyone else out. He asked for a bit of time to find a way to keep the estate in the family, while also making the property lucrative to everyone. Philip figured that, if his son cared that much, he would sign over his 30% stake now. After all, the property would one day be Nick’s anyway, and Philip preferred to be kept out of the sale.

After hanging up, Nick went downstairs with the intention of announcing the new plans to his aunts.