Page 12 of Sunrise over Strawberry Hill Farm

Grams nodded, her eyes filled with tears. ‘Your great-grandmother made it for me and I loaned it to Sofia for her something borrowed. She loved it so much that I let her keep it as a present.’ She stroked the material with her fingers. ‘She always promised that the next time they visited she would return it to me. I wish she had been able to do so in person one last time. I wish they both had.’

There was a short silence whilst Grams seemed to need to check her emotions. Nico reached out to squeeze her hand and she grasped at it.

‘Thank you for returning it to me,’ she whispered, her voice a little unsteady. ‘It’s like having them here with us.’

‘Prego,’ he replied. ‘You’re welcome. There was a letter addressed to you as well.’

He held out the envelope which was written in his grandfather’s familiar scrawled writing.

Grams took it with a shaking hand.

Nico glanced up and saw Flora looking at her grandmother with concern.

‘I’m fine,’ said Grams, waving her hand at both Flora and Nico. ‘Nothing that a large sherry won’t sort out.’

Flora went to pour them all a drink whilst Nico stayed with Grams. She opened up the envelope and, with a deep breath, began to read. It was a couple of pages long and Nico had no idea what it said.

After she had finished reading, she carefully tucked the handwritten pages back into the envelope and took hold of his hand in hers to give it a squeeze.

‘Bless you,’ she told him softly. ‘It’s been an absolute tonic having you turn up here. Heaven knows we needed a lift.’

Nico was about to ask what she meant when Flora returned with their drinks and so he held his question, deciding to find out exactly how bad a situation Strawberry Hill Farm was in whilst he was there.

He wasn’t sure why he cared so much. Perhaps it was the connection to his grandmother and grandfather. Perhaps it was just like his own family home that he was missing so much. But, either way, he felt a need to help in any way he could. And, for a moment, he wished that he too could follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and stay at Strawberry Hill Farm for the summer as well.

7

‘So, you’ve taken an instant dislike to the good-looking Italian playboy who owns a Ferrari?’ asked Libby, laughing before leaning forward to take a bit of the carrot cake that she had ordered.

It was the following day and Flora had met her best friends in Platform 1 for a long-overdue catch-up.

Platform 1 was a coffee shop during the day and a pizza restaurant at night, both of which Katy and Ryan had opened to great success the previous winter. It was Tuesday morning and it was already busy with locals and walkers who were passing through on the path to Cranbridge. Held in the old waiting rooms of the station, it was a charming mix of railway memorabilia and comfy cushions and wood panelling. It helped that the coffees and cakes were delicious too.

Flora shook her head. ‘I never said he was good-looking.’

‘Who ever heard of an ugly Italian playboy?’ asked Katy, reaching out to nibble on a biscuit. ‘Anyway, I saw him this morning with Grams and he is most definitely good-looking.’

Despite their gentle teasing, as always, Flora could relax with her friends.

‘I think it sounds so romantic,’ said Harriet, with a happy sigh.

Libby rolled her eyes, ever the cynical one where love and romance was concerned. Her amazing long pale blonde hair, vibrant personality and pretty face made sure that she was never short of dates. However, any relationship never lasted long.

Harriet, on the other hand, viewed most things and people through rose-tinted glasses. Her long red hair swung over her face as she bent down to give a piece of her buttered scone to her golden retriever Paddington. She straightened up with a yawn. ‘I’m so tired today. I need this large latte.’

‘Joe keeping you up all night?’ asked Libby with a sly smile.

Harriet blushed down to her redhead roots. ‘Not this time,’ she said, with a giggle. ‘There was some bird singing away right by my window at 5a.m. and I couldn’t get back off to sleep after that.’

‘It was probably the songbirds – you know, like the robins and great tits attracting their mates,’ said Flora automatically. ‘Now that it’s spring, they’ve all come to life.’

Katy looked at her bemused. ‘How do you know all this stuff?’ she said.

‘I’m a country girl at heart,’ Flora told her.

‘Not me,’ said Katy, with a shudder, causing her blonde bob to shake around her pretty face.

But that wasn’t entirely true any more, thought Flora. Since arriving from London six months ago, Katy had gradually overcome her fear and dislike for the countryside and was even known to go on long walks with her partner Ryan.