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

he would refuse. ‘Thankfully, all he really needs is a warm bath, his own bed and some time to rest.’

‘We can provide all of that,’ said Eliot.

‘In abundance,’ I added.

‘Good,’ she said. ‘He’s just been filling me on a few things. What a tempestuous few months you and that man have lived through, Fliss. Here’s hoping for calmer times ahead.’

Right on cue, the sun broke through the clouds and the resident robin began to sing.

‘That would be most welcome,’ I told her.

She nodded and smiled. ‘I’ll see myself out,’ she said, briefly laying her hand on my arm as she passed by.

With the doctor’s words ringing in my ears, I knew the last thing Grandad needed was the stress of me telling him that I had discovered he’d sold the watch and why, and that I’d got it back again. That was one conversation that would have to wait.

One thing I did want to do however, was return the treasured timepiece to its rightful spot in the jewellery box. Grandad wouldn’t go looking for it because he wasn’t expecting it to be there and I would feel better knowing it was where it was supposed to be.

A little later, when I was certain Grandad was asleep, I left Eliot brushing down his drying leathers, then crept upstairs and into the bedroom.

‘What are you doing?’ came Grandad’s sleepy voice in response to the dresser drawer squealing like a stuck pig as I pulled it open.

In an instant, Eliot’s feet were on the stairs and my clandestine quest had flown out the window.

‘What’s wrong?’ he frowned. ‘I thought you were asleep, Bill. Are you in pain?’

‘No,’ Grandad said, pulling himself further up the bed. ‘The noise came from the dresser drawer, not me. What are you up to, Fliss?’

‘Nothing,’ I lied, as my neck and face flushed red. ‘I didn’t mean to disturb you. I’m sorry. Go back to sleep.’

He snuggled back down and I walked to the door to find Eliot blocking my way.

‘What were you doing?’ he whispered, looking down at me.

‘Let’s go downstairs,’ I whispered back, as Grandad turned over in the bed, ‘and I’ll tell you.’

I supposed there would be no harm in filling him in on what I’d discovered before I told Grandad, although I might have to censor some of the details, such as Anthony’s slanderous story about him. No good would come from repeating any of that.

‘Fliss,’ Grandad then gasped, halting me in my tracks. ‘Where did you get that?’

Putting my hand behind my back had kept the watch out of sight from Eliot but had given Grandad, who had turned over in the bed again, the perfect view.

‘Where did you get that watch?’ came his voice again as Eliot frowned in confusion.

With a deep breath and a heavy heart, I turned back into the room, sat on the bed and carefully laid the watch on the eiderdown.

‘That’s your watch isn’t it, Bill?’ Eliot frowned. ‘What are you doing with it, Fliss?’

I took a moment before answering. I might not have wanted to burden Grandad with what I’d found out so soon, but with the much-loved evidence now arranged on the eiderdown, I didn’t have much choice.

‘I got it from someone’s wrist,’ I said, answering Grandad’s question first, ‘and I was trying to put it back in the jewellery box,’ I added, addressing Eliot’s.

‘But who was wearing it?’ asked Eliot, sounding more confused than ever.

‘Do you want to explain it all, Grandad? Or shall I?’

He looked pale as he leant back against the pillows with a weary sigh and as frustrated as I was that he’d never told me what was going on between him and Anthony, my heart went out to him. It didn’t enter my head at that point that he didn’t know it was Anthony who had ended up with the watch.

‘As you’ve obviously worked it all out, you can,’ he said. ‘I haven’t got the energy.’

As succinctly as I could, I ran through what had occurred between Anthony and Grandad prior to my arrival at Fenview Farm, along with the details of what had developed since.

‘Was this why you initially objected to the supper club idea, Bill?’ said Eliot. ‘Because Judd had you over a barrel about the barn?’

‘Yes,’ he wearily said. ‘I thought I was too far in to back out and then Anthony mentioned money and I thought I could pay him off. I thought that if I could raise enough to cover what he’d spent on the fees and plans he kept on about, then you’d never need know what I’d done, Fliss. I didn’t want anything to ruin your arrival and settling in.’

‘I hate that you’ve been carrying it all and not said a word,’ I said, shaking my head. ‘You should have told me and we could have found a way out of it together. You know me well enough…’

My words trailed off as I realised, he didn’t really know me all that well at all. We’d only been aware of each other’s existence for a few weeks and in that time, he’d been grieving the loss of his daughter and I was adapting to life without my mum. Doctor Clarke had been right, we’d both had a tempestuous time recently so it was little wonder things hadn’t gone completely smoothly.

‘Well,’ I carried on, ‘there’s no real harm done. The watch is back where it belongs, Anthony’s not getting his hands on the barn and that horrible Mr Pagett won’t be bothering us again because he was only here at Anthony’s bidding.’

‘But I still haven’t paid him,’ Grandad said. ‘I still haven’t given Anthony his money.’

‘What money?’ I shrugged. ‘You don’t owe him anything. You’d signed nothing and it was his choice to push ahead, not that I really think he has shelled out as much as he’s tried to make out and besides, I’ve told him I’ll go to the police if he makes a fuss and report him for blackmail. Your agreement wasn’t legally