A Taste of Home by Heidi Swain (the beginning after the end read novel TXT) 📕

and Princess,’ I said, feeling warmed by their welcome but increasingly scruffy in my work gear.

‘What a fabulous collection of bangles,’ gasped Bella.

‘Thank you,’ I smiled, feeling warmer still. ‘They were my mum’s.’

‘They’re stunning,’ she nodded. ‘Your mother has impeccable taste.’

‘Yes,’ I agreed.

‘Are you looking for something in particular?’ she then asked, taking me in. ‘You’re a size ten, right?’

‘I’m almost always a twelve,’ I told her. ‘Depending on the cut.’

In my early twenties I had been a consistent ten, but all the time spent eating in Nonna’s kitchen had added a few lingering pounds, in spite of the physical work involved on the farm. I was grateful for the hard toil though. Had I not had the benefit of it, all those calories she loved to fill me up with would have stuck fast.

‘And I need something for a dinner date,’ I added. ‘Somewhere special.’

‘Somewhere special,’ Bella repeated, sliding on her glasses which hung on a chain around her neck. ‘Give me a moment, I think I have just the thing.’

I was pretty certain that she wouldn’t, but I politely waited while she disappeared through a curtain into what I guessed was her stock-room.

‘What about this?’ she asked, dashing back and presenting a dress with a flourish. ‘Isn’t it perfect?’

To my surprise and delight, it was just what I was looking for. A simple, black Bardot midi dress which fit and skimmed in all the right places.

‘There,’ she said, standing back, once she’d zipped me into it. ‘Oh, hold on.’

She went back to the till and returned with a large tortoiseshell patterned hair claw.

‘I know it doesn’t match, but just put your hair up so it’s off your shoulders,’ she urged, looking at my reflection in the mirror, ‘then we’ll get an even better idea.’

Lifting my hair further enhanced the vision and I was amazed to see myself looking so chic.

‘Shoes,’ said Bella, whizzing off again.

‘Size six,’ I called after her.

‘Funnel heeled, platform toe with a rounded tip. I have these in black, mustard and red.’

The pair I slid my feet into were black.

‘I rather like the red,’ she said. ‘But these are probably the more sensible choice.’

Suddenly, I didn’t feel much like being sensible.

‘Can I try the red?’

Finished with a small red clutch, I felt transformed. Gone was the girl with fruit juice stained hands and denim cut-offs and, in her place, stood someone elegant and sophisticated. Still with slightly pink fingers, but even so. I wasn’t sure I knew who the person looking back at me was.

‘A nice pair of earrings to finish it off,’ Bella nodded, ‘and you’ll be all set. I can do you a deal if you take the dress, shoes and the bag. I’ll give you a minute to think it over.’

She twitched the dressing room curtain closed and I swished this way and that before looking at the price tags. Even with a discount, the dress was a bit out of my league. It wasn’t extortionate, but as I was watching the pennies, I couldn’t really justify spending quite so much on just one outfit.

Feeling disappointed, I slid off the shoes and unclipped my hair.

‘So, what do you think?’ Bella asked, when I emerged dressed in my everyday clothes. ‘Are you going to go for it?’

‘I would love to,’ I sadly said. ‘But I don’t think I can really afford it. I’m sorry to have wasted your time.’

‘I haven’t told you what the discount is yet,’ she warmly smiled.

‘I know,’ I said, ‘and I really appreciate you offering me one, but I’m going to have to leave it for today.’

‘All right,’ she said kindly. ‘But it will all be here if you change your mind.’

I appreciated that she wasn’t rankled, but I left feeling rather down in the dumps and rushed over to the library where I had to wait to speak to Grandad’s friend before I could log on to a computer. I wasn’t going to have time to look for anything online now, so I would either have to cancel my plans with Anthony or ask if he would be willing to dial down the ‘special’ and replace it with a bar meal. I had a couple of cotton summer dresses that would pass muster in the pub.

Mindful of the time, once seated, I quickly logged into my email account. Just as I’d hoped, there was a reply from Puglia and I braced myself to read it. I hadn’t even got through the first couple of sentences, before I realised that my fears that the Rossi relatives would feel abandoned were entirely without merit.

Marco wrote how his father and Nonna had given him a talking to after I’d gone and once he had stopped sulking and properly taken onboard the importance of me embracing my new life at Fenview Farm, he had knuckled down, got to grips with my role and thrown himself into it. The very end of the email soon set my tears flowing.

This from Papà…

Marco signed off and Alessandro took over.

Darling Fliss, you will be delighted to read that Marco is completely committed and working diligently every day. I know it’s early days, but so far, everything is running like clockwork and even though we miss having you here, we are managing, so it’s fresh starts all round. I hope that is a comfort to you and allows you to carry on with your new life, with your family, without worrying about us.

I didn’t have a tissue, so wiped away the silent tears which slid down my cheeks with the back of my hand, hoping no one would notice what a state I was in. The relief I felt was immense and I was in no way prepared for the wave of emotion it unleashed.

Again, I wished the internet had been connected at the farm earlier so I could have sobbed in private. I sniffed hard and blinked, trying to compose myself, but I couldn’t seem to stop and reading on didn’t help at all.

And before you