by Heidi Swain
‘Please,’ I pleaded. ‘It’s very important.’
He tussled with his conscience for a moment or two.
‘It was a woman,’ he eventually said. ‘Middle-aged, curly grey hair. I can’t recall her name but she’s local. I’m sure I’ve seen her about the town.’
I muttered a hurried thank you, left the shop and walked back to the square where I stood and rested my head on the Land Rover door while I thought about what to do next. The only conclusion I could come to was that Grandad had sold the watch to fund the club and I felt sorely disappointed in Louise for not talking him out of it. I bet if Eliot had known what was going on, he’d have put a stop to it and told me to boot.
A sharp gust of wind tugged at the bottom of my T-shirt and I noticed it felt much cooler than before. I looked up and found the sun had all but disappeared behind a sky loaded with dark clouds. The anticipated storm was coming. It was the perfect portent and I shivered with more than the chill.
‘Fliss,’ said a voice close by, ‘are you all right?’
‘Oh Anthony,’ I said, feeling dazed and, for the moment, unguarded, ‘no, not really. I’ve just had a bit of bad news. I think I need to sit down.’
‘Come on,’ he said. ‘Let’s go over to the pub.’
He steered me into a seat next to the door and then went to the bar.
‘Here,’ he said, when he came back. ‘Drink this straight down.’
I gulped down the contents of the glass in one and spluttered as the heat of the amber liquid burned my throat.
‘What was that?’ I gasped.
‘Brandy.’
‘I can’t drink brandy,’ I told him, still coughing. ‘I’m driving.’
‘It was only a small one.’
He walked back to the bar and returned with two glasses of Coke packed full of ice. As he sat down, I couldn’t help noticing that he was wearing the watch again. The sight of it undid most of the good the brandy had just done.
‘What’s going on?’ he asked, a deep frown etched across his forehead. ‘You looked as though you were either about to throw up or keel over out there.’
‘I’ve just had a bit of a shock,’ I said, as I took a sip of the sweet chilled Coke and began to feel a little more in control.
‘Oh no,’ he said. ‘What is it? Trouble at mill?’
He said it with an awful Yorkshire accent, no doubt trying to raise a smile, but he hadn’t got a chance of that.
‘No. Trouble at the farm, of course,’ I snapped.
Grandad’s worrying bout of tiredness, Mr Pagett’s unsettling visit and the sadness of the lost Rolex, all wrapped up in something else I couldn’t quite grasp, swam around my head in a kind of cloying and gloopy soup that I couldn’t wade through.
‘What’s going on?’ Anthony asked, leaning closer and giving me another glimpse of the watch. ‘It’s nothing to do with our crossed wires after Saturday night, is it?’
‘No,’ I said, wishing he’d pick up the glass with his other hand. ‘Nothing to do with that.’
Or was it?
‘What then?’
I drank more of the Coke and then described Mr Pagett’s unsavoury visit, playing for time as I tried to reach whatever it was that was still just beyond my fingertips.
‘Grandad thinks it was just a misunderstanding,’ I finished up with a shrug, ‘but it was unsettling nonetheless.’
Anthony mulled it all over.
‘I can imagine,’ he said. ‘And it does make you think, doesn’t it?’
‘Think what?’
‘That this whole supper club idea might be more trouble than it’s worth.’
‘What?’ I blinked.
‘Well, it’s already causing upset and you haven’t even started yet,’ he pointed out.
‘Only because of someone else’s meddling,’ I frowned. ‘I thought you thought the idea was a good one.’
His words seemed to have oiled some cogs in my brain that had previously been stuck fast.
‘Anyway,’ I carried on, ‘that visit’s the least of my troubles really.’
‘There’s something else?’
‘Yes,’ I said, ‘there is.’
I reached for his hand and pushed back the cuff of his shirt.
‘This watch,’ I said with a sigh, ‘belonged to my Grandad.’
‘What?’
‘It’s true,’ I said. ‘It was his most treasured piece of family history, aside from the farm of course, and last week Louise sold it and I’m still trying to…’
He didn’t give me the chance to explain that she and Grandad had been scheming over it together.
‘There,’ he loudly and triumphantly announced. ‘What have I been telling you all along? The whole bloody family are at it!’
‘No,’ I began, but he talked right over me.
‘Louise and the watch, Eliot and his undue influence and Rebecca with her bout of teenage shoplifting. The whole Randall family’s rotten to the core. You should be thanking me, Fliss.’
I looked at him aghast.
‘Well, I’m sorry,’ he frowned. ‘I know you want to think the best of Eliot…’
‘No,’ I said, this time interrupting him. ‘You said it was Eliot who was caught shoplifting, not Bec. You said he’d pinched stuff and that now he’d moved on to bigger things, such as old ladies’ savings.’
‘Did I?’ he shrugged, as if it didn’t matter at all. ‘Well, it was one of them and with a mother like that, it’s little wonder, is it? Bill’s going to be absolutely devastated. If I were you,’ he said, his tone softening as he turned to look at me, ‘I’d forget all about your plans for the business and focus on making sure this blow doesn’t finish the old fella off. I mean, there are bound to be quicker ways to make money out of that barn, you know.’
Everyone in the bar let out a collective screech as lightning suddenly lit the pub up. It was a blinding flash and in the second it struck, everything I had been trying to work out fell into place.
‘Oh my god,’ I gasped, as a deep and menacing rumble of thunder rolled overhead.
‘Am I right, or am I right?’ Anthony nodded, looking smug.
I couldn’t believe I had been so blind to what had been in front of me all along.
‘This is all about you, isn’t it?’ I shot at him. ‘You want the barn, don’t you? That’s what this has all been about. I thought I was using you as a smokescreen to hide my feelings for Eliot, but actually you were using your bullshit about him as camouflage to try and distract me.’
‘What are you talking about, Fliss?’ Anthony scowled, but I knew I was right.
There was no point in him denying it because I’d finally worked it out.
‘The only rumour you’ve heard about Eliot is the one you made up,’ I started, ‘anything wrong with the safety of the barn is all in your head, you didn’t put all those questions in everyone’s heads Saturday night with the best of intentions and you were the one who reported us to the council…’
‘Now wait a minute…’
‘No,’ I said, raising my voice, ‘you wait a minute. I know that Grandad and Louise cooked up that plan to sell the watch together and you’ve just implied that Louise stole it. You’ve rather shot yourself in the foot, haven’t you?’
He wasn’t looking quite so smug anymore and I felt like Angela Lansbury on a roll.
‘Does Grandad know you want the barn?’ I demanded. ‘Is that why you were really at the farm the day I came home and found you in the kitchen?’
‘Of course, he bloody knows,’ Anthony nastily said. ‘He was the one who approached me with a view to selling it! I offered him a good price and he’d accepted it just before he went into hospital and then you turned up with your bouncy personality and your great plans to save Fenview and it all went belly up.’
Grandad had told me about his fears that he was going to end up in a bungalow somewhere, but he’d never mentioned his vain attempt to put off the inevitable. What was his plan, to sell the fa
rm off piece by piece as it got harder for him to manage until he was just left with the house? I was furious he hadn’t told me, but also sickened and sad to think that he had thought this was his only option.
‘Has Grandad signed anything?’ I choked. ‘Is there anything official to say he’s selling it to you?’
Anthony looked appalled.
‘Do you really think I would have been wasting time messing about with you and making up all this bullshit if there was?’
I could hardly believe it and yet as everything fell sickeningly into place, I knew it was true.
‘So, you don’t wish I looked at you in the same way I look at Eliot then?’ I peevishly said.
I felt such a fool and I could feel tears gathering, but I refused to let them fall. I didn’t care in the slightest that Anthony’s overtures to me had all been fake, but I did care that I had been so preoccupied with pretending my feelings for Eliot didn’t exist, that I hadn’t realised what Anthony was up to sooner.
‘You really have been trying to sabotage everything, haven’t you?’ I demanded, meeting his gaze. ‘You’ve been trying to mess it all up with a view to putting me off my plans in the hope that you’ll still get your hands on the barn.’
Now I’d said it aloud it was as plain as the nose on my face. What a fool I’d been. I thought I’d had the upper hand when actually, Anthony had all along.
‘I’ve got a buyer for that barn,’ he loudly said, drawing the attention of the people closest. ‘I’ve invested thousands in plans and fees already and I’m not giving it up. I refuse to be left out of pocket.’
‘Oh my god,’ I gasped, as further recognition dawned, ‘that’s why Grandad sold the watch! He wasn’t going to offer the money to me, he was going to use it to pay you off. You’re blackmailing him, aren’t you?’
Anthony smirked at my distress. He actually smirked. I’d never wanted to do someone a physical harm more.
‘And now I get the money and the watch,’ he said, turning smug again.
‘Take it off!’ I snarled.
‘What?’
‘You’re not having it!’ I shouted. ‘Take it off.’
‘You must be joking! It’s mine. I paid good money for it.’
‘Everything all right?’ asked Jim, stepping out from behind the bar and rushing over.
When I looked up, I realised our exchange had drawn quite a bit of attention. Another flash of lightning struck and another rumble of thunder roared as the customers eyed us curiously.
‘Take it off and give it to me,’ I said to Anthony, feeling even braver now I knew I had the attention of The Mermaid regulars, ‘before I tell everyone in this pub, and the police, that you’ve been blackmailing my Grandad.’
‘I haven’t blackmailed anyone,’ he snarled.
‘What’s going on?’ Jim demanded.
I looked Anthony straight in the eye, determined that he would see that I wasn’t going to back down and that I wasn’t going anywhere until I had Grandad’s watch back in my possession either.
‘Bill was going to give me the money that was rightfully mine,’ Anthony spat, finally noticing the interested onlookers as he grappled to undo the watch strap.
‘The police won’t see it that way,’ I told him. ‘Grandad has signed nothing and therefore you’re entitled to nothing. It would be your word against his. You’re the conman, Anthony Judd, not Eliot.’
‘Hey,’ said Jim, sounding gruff. ‘What have you been saying about our boy?’
‘Here then,’ said Anthony, tossing me the watch and standing up. ‘Take the fucking thing, it’s more trouble than it’s worth.’
‘Right,’ said Jim, lunging for Anthony’s arm. ‘I think we’ve heard enough out of you for one day.’
‘One day?!’ Anthony bellowed as Jim propelled him towards the street. ‘You won’t be seeing me in here again.’
‘Fine by me,’ said Jim, slamming the door behind him.
My hands were shaking as I zipped the watch into the pocket of my bag.
‘Are you all right, love?’ Evelyn asked, as everyone turned back to their own conversations. I’d have bet good money on knowing what they were discussing.
I nodded and stood up. My legs felt worryingly wobbly.
‘Looks like you need another brandy,’ commented Jim.
‘Better not,’ I shakily said. ‘I need to get back to the farm before this storm really hits.’
‘Bit late for that love,’ Jim chuckled.
But of course, I wasn’t talking about the weather.
Chapter 27
I had hoped, that on the drive back to the farm I would have the opportunity to think everything through, perhaps even run through what I was going to say to Grandad before I returned the watch to its rightful place, but the conditions didn’t allow for me to focus on anything other than driving.
Clearly, Grandad’s lifetime of living in the Fens ensured he knew a whole lot more about the local weather than I did. He had been right to worry about the harvest. If the rain carried on falling at the same rate there’d be no fruit left. It would be pulp before I had a chance to pick it.
My heart leapt into my mouth when I finally reached the farm gate and saw Eliot coming towards me on the Ducati. He was taking it very slowly, but with the conditions so treacherous coming out on two wheels was a ludicrous thing to do.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ I shouted as I climbed out of the Land Rover and he wheeled the bike into the washhouse next to the barn. ‘Are you completely mad?’
We made a dash for it into the house. I was soaked in seconds and Eliot looked like a drowned rat. I tried to peel my T-shirt away from my body but it was sodden and melded to me like a second skin.
‘Never mind me,’ Eliot demanded, pulling off his helmet, his hair sticking up on end. ‘Where have you been?’
‘I had to go into town. Why? What’s happened?’
Grandad wasn’t in the kitchen, scolding us for leaving damp trails and soggy footprints, and I felt a growing sense of unease.
‘Nothing I hope,’ Eliot gruffly said. ‘But I’ve been ringing the house for ages and got no reply and your phone’s not turned on. Bec and Mum are both at work so I had to come out on the bike. Bill!’ he shouted, making me jump.
I quickly checked both floors, but Grandad wasn’t anywhere in the house and we knew he wasn’t in the barn because the door was bolted from the outside.
‘He was worried about the storm,’ I gulped, wringing my hands. ‘Before I left, he said there was a storm coming, but the weather was so bright and sunny I didn’t believe him. You don’t think he’s out in it, do you? I didn’t ask him to do anything while I was gone,’ I hastily added.
‘Well, if he’s not in here and he’s not in the barn, then he must be,’ Eliot agitatedly said. ‘I’ll go and look.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ I said, not bothering with a coat or umbrella as we rushed back out into the deluge.
The rain was falling so hard it made it difficult to see, but when we were close enough, I spotted the hen run was empty. It could have been because the hens had shown some common sense for once and sought refuge in their coop, but the reaction in my gut suggested otherwise.
‘Grandad!’ I shouted.
The word came out as more of a sob and I felt increasingly panicked as the storm raged and roared overhead.
‘Bill!’ Eliot bawled next to me.
The noise of the rain coupled with the thunder made it impossible to hear and even if Grandad had shouted back, we wouldn’t have heard him.
‘There!’ pointed Eliot, what felt like for ever, but what was probably less than a minute, later. ‘Over there. Look!’
We rushed over to the fruit cage, both of us skidding because the baked soil, unable to absorb the volume of water, had turned into a lethal slip and slide.
‘Oh Grandad,’ I said, rushing to his side and falling on my knees next to him.
‘I’m fine,’ he said, as I threw my arms around hi
m. ‘I’m fine.’
He was holding one of the hens under his arm and I didn’t need to look too closely to work out which one.
‘Take her, would you?’ he said, thrusting her into my hands. ‘And let’s get inside before we all freeze to death or drown.’
I rushed to deposit the shocked hen into the coop where the other two were snuggled down and bone dry, while Eliot gave Grandad a quick examination and then the three of us walked carefully back to the house.
‘I slipped,’ Grandad said, between rumbles of thunder, ‘trying to catch that stupid bird which had somehow got out under the run, and when I got up, my hip felt a bit sore so I thought I’d best wait for the cavalry rather than risk the slippery path back and going down again.’
‘You did the right thing,’ Eliot sensibly said. ‘If you had fallen you could have done untold damage and set your recovery back months.’
I wondered if a mild bout of hypothermia was preferable as tears sprang to my eyes.
‘I shouldn’t have gone into town,’ I sobbed, my voice catching. ‘I should have been the one rounding up the hens and checking the gates. You said there was a storm coming.’
‘It’s all right,’ said Grandad, trying to reassure me. ‘I didn’t go down with a bang, so there’s no harm done.’
‘We’ll let the professionals be the judge of that,’ Eliot firmly said. ‘But first we need to get you dry and warm.’
It had almost stopped raining and the thunder had headed north by the time Doctor Clarke arrived and Eliot and I found ourselves alone in the kitchen. He had helped Grandad out of his wet clothes while I had found dry ones and towels, filled hot water bottles and made tea.
We had barely talked throughout the unfolding drama and it was only as my heart rate started to settle that I remembered the watch in my bag which I’d abandoned on the chair. The thought of it caused another palpitation. There were so many things I wanted to say and sort out, but for now they would have to wait.
‘Will they be all right, do you think?’ I asked, nodding to Eliot’s mud streaked leathers which hung limply over the door.
‘They’ll need a bit of TLC,’ he said. ‘But I think they’ll be okay.’
