The Legacy: Trouble Comes Disguised As Family (Unspoken Book 2) T. Belshaw (management books to read .txt) 📖

She’s staying with her family until then, but we can’t really chuck her stuff out onto the street. The lease runs out on the thirty-first of December.’

‘Is it close by? It’s not too grand is it?’

‘It’s a two-bedroom cottage. It used to be leased out to one of the farmworkers. Alice mentioned that her own father had allowed a retired farmhand to live rent free in it for the rest of his life.’

‘That would be Miriam’s father. Miriam was one of my Nana’s best friends. She lived at the farm after her father died.’

‘I’ll certainly look into it for your mum,’ said Bradley. ‘It does carry a market rent, but… well, I suppose it’s your decision what level it is set at. You’re the owner. You won’t get any argument from me.’

Bradley reached out and patted Jess’s hand. ‘Had it been your grandmother, I might have put up more of a fight.’

Jess laughed. ‘And she has such nice things to say about you.’

Back at the farmhouse, Jess invited Bradley in for a coffee. Bradley was reluctant at first. ‘My mother will be worried about the car. It’s a family heirloom and she thinks that it’s her responsibility.’

‘Ten minutes?’ Jess produced her doe eyes. Bradley immediately crumbled.

He waited on the doorstep to allow her to go in first, then closing the front door behind him he followed her through the lounge to the kitchen. Jess handed him the brochure that the Robin’s man had left.

‘That’s what’s costing so much money,’ she said, filling the kettle.

Bradley looked at the brochure, then around the kitchen. ‘Good choice. It will look beautiful,’ he said.

Jess held out her hand towards the huge oak table. ‘Please, sit.’

Bradley pulled out a chair, sat down and ran his hands over the well-worn surface of the table. ‘I’ve sat at boardroom tables smaller than this,’ he said.

‘I bet no one ever gave birth on a boardroom table.’

‘I don’t suppose… hang on. Are you saying...?’

‘Nana gave birth to Martha on that very table,’ said Jess proudly.

‘Why? I mean… what…?’

‘She refused to have the baby on the upstairs bed because her mother had died on it and she didn’t want to pass any bad luck onto a newborn.’

Bradley touched the table again and shook his head.

‘Then, a few hours after Martha was born, she found her father dead in the front room.’

Bradley looked towards the door that connected the two rooms.

‘Oh, my goodness, what a day that was for her.’

‘I know,’ said Jess. ‘She ended up being a single mother, running a hundred-acre farm with all the stresses and strains that go with it. She’d have been a feminist icon in this day and age, but back then, she had to take the baby’s father’s surname, even though she wouldn’t marry him, just to make it look respectable.’

Jess stuck out her chin and her voice cracked with emotion. ‘She built her own business empire on the back of such harrowing circumstances.’

‘I’m not surprised you’re so proud of her. I met her and liked her, as you know. She was a very impressive lady.’

Jess wiped away a tear and tried to swallow the lump that had appeared in her throat.

‘She was, very impressive… and I loved her so much.’

Bradley was on his feet in an instant. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight. Jess dropped her head on his shoulder and soaked it with tears.

‘Everything has happened so quickly,’ he said, ‘you haven’t had chance to properly mourn her.’

‘I don’t really need to mourn her.’ Jess pulled her head from his shoulder and looked into his eyes. ‘She’s here, around me all the time. I just miss her voice, her advice… she had absolute faith in me. I just hope I can manage to live up to it.’

‘You have made an excellent start,’ said Bradley softly. His face inched closer, then, falteringly, his lips touched hers. He pulled away and looked into her glistening tear-filled eyes, then his lips found hers again.

Ten minutes later, Jess followed him out to the Alvis. Bradley turned as he reached the bonnet of the old motor and blew her a kiss.

‘Here’s looking at you, kid. Isn’t that what they said in the gangster movies?’

‘Something like that,’ Jess replied. She gave a wiggle of her fingers.

‘I’ll call you on Monday, straight after I release the annual funds into your bank account,’ he said.

As he turned towards the car he stopped dead, a look of horror spread across his face.

‘Whatever is the matter?’ Jess took a few steps forward to see what had shocked Bradley so much.

Cut into the shiny, black paintwork, running the full length of the beautiful, ninety-year-old car, was an ugly, jagged, key scratch.

Chapter 20

‘My mother will go ballistic.’ Bradley ran his hand along the scratch.

Jessica looked up and down the lane. ‘Who would even think about doing such a terrible thing to something so old and beautiful?’

‘I can’t understand it either,’ said Bradley. ‘And, where did he… I’m assuming it’s a he, come from? We only left it alone for twenty minutes. I can’t remember seeing another car on the lane when we pulled up.’

‘Will it be expensive to fix?’ asked Jess.

‘It won’t be cheap. I really don’t know if you can still get the matching paint. This stuff is enamel, I think.’ He ran his hand along the side of the car again. ‘Ninety years without so much as a stone chip and then someone does this.’

‘I feel guilty now,’ said Jess. ‘If there’s anything I can do to help. I’ll contribute to the repair costs.’

Bradley looked up from the car. ‘You really are very kind, but the fault is all mine. We only take her out to car shows or the odd run in the London to Brighton rally. I think I was trying to impress you, what with Alice’s connection to the car and everything.’

Jessica bit her tongue. The connection was stronger than he knew. Especially her connection to the back seat.

‘I’ll slip it into the