There is a fine art to being an accountant. Balancing the books requires a trained eye for figures and the ability to squeeze every last ounce of value from a company’s assets.

So you may be surprised to hear, as TS was, that Deloitte partner and former ICAS president Cahal Dowds has recently purchased the most expensive town house in Scotland, and paid almost £1m over the asking price for the privilege of doing so.

The six-bedroom Victorian mansion called Rosefield, in one of the poshest Edinburgh suburbs, was snapped up by Dowds for £2.6m within days of it going on the market, beating eight other househunters. Now, TS knows that asking prices are slightly different in Scotland, but £1m over still seems somewhat toppy.

TS is waiting for its invite to the mansion-warming to drop through the letterbox.