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

too,’ said Gwen. ‘It’s rolled up in the cupboard under the stairs. Alice didn’t like it. She said it made her feel funny.’

Alec snorted with laughter and opened the door to the cubby under the stairs. Dragging out what looked like a rolled up li-lo, he stuck it under his arm and stood looking at Jess as though expecting a tip.

‘Thanks for coming,’ said Jess with a smile. She squeezed past him and stood by the open front door with her fingers on the handle.

Alec grunted, and mumbled something about it being a wasted day off as he carried the massage mattress out to the van.

Jess felt the weight of Gwen’s hand on her arm and turned towards her. ‘Never mind him, Lovely. His mother will be grateful for the bed, as will I. She’s a big woman. The electronic risers on the bed should stop me putting my back out.’

‘Would you like a coffee before you go, Gwen? It’s ages since we had a chat.’

‘Oh, go on then.’ Gwen smiled and shouted out of the door towards the two men. ‘I’ll be over in half an hour, just get it set up in your mum’s lounge. I’ll need you to give me a hand to move her from her old bed to this one though, so don’t clear off too early.’

‘I’ve got darts,’ Alec moaned as he climbed into the van.

‘Darts are more important than your mother’s welfare?’ Gwen pulled a fake smile and waved them off. Jess closed the door, then letting her dressing gown fall open, walked through to the kitchen to put the kettle on.

‘The room looks empty without the bed it in,’ she said, as she brought the coffee mugs through to the lounge.

‘I know, it seems to have been there forever,’ Gwen replied, taking one of the mugs and sitting down on the lumpy sofa. She fidgeted for a while, trying to get comfortable. ‘This sofa has seen better days.’

‘I’ve got a new one coming,’ said Jess. ‘It is being made as I speak.’ She winked at Gwen. ‘I’ve got a new kitchen coming too in a few weeks. She hurried back to the kitchen and returned with the brochure.

‘Ooh, I say. We’ll hardly recognise the place.’

‘It needs doing,’ replied Jess. ‘There’s woodworm in the cupboards.’

‘I didn’t mean that you shouldn’t,’ said Gwen. She looked around the lounge. ‘Alice was always saying the place needed a makeover. She was just too old to be bothered with it.’ The carer smiled at an old memory. “Jessica will know what to do with it. She has good taste.” That’s what she told me.’

Jess smiled sadly. ‘I do miss her so, Gwen.’

‘Me too, my lovely. But…’ she looked up at the ceiling. ‘She’ll be around if you need her for anything.’

Jess swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.

‘How did the family take the news? About the will, I mean. I assume Alice didn’t change her mind during those last few days.’

‘She didn’t, and they didn’t take it well at all, Gwen. Grandma Martha and Marjorie took it particularly badly. They really thought they had landed on their feet when they heard they’d been mentioned in the will.’ Jess finished her coffee and taking Gwen’s empty mug from her, she placed them on the coffee table before sitting down again. ‘Grandma’s face could have curdled fresh milk. She’s spoken of nothing else since. She’s convinced I can just conjure up money out of thin air.’

‘She wasn’t concerned enough to come and see her mother when she was ill,’ replied Gwen, who had heard all about the family feud from Alice.

‘My dad was the worst though. He was a bit scary to be honest.’

‘Owen? So, he’s back is he? Word spreads fast.’

‘He calls himself Bill these days. He was worried about bumping into the Duncan brothers. He’s owed them money for years. That’s why he ran away originally.’

‘Does your mum know he’s back?’

Jess nodded. ‘She was the one that told him about the family dinner I organised. She was so pleased to see him but he treated her like dirt, just like he always has.’ Jess’s lips became a thin line. ‘Still, things are going to get a bit better for her soon. The trust owns a cottage that will soon be empty. I’m going to let her have it.’

‘That’s lovely, Jessica,’ replied Gwen. ‘I’m sure it will help to get over her problems with… Well, you know?’

‘I hope so, Gwen. I really do.’

Gwen suddenly looked unsure of herself. She wrung her hands on her lap, looked across at Jess, then quickly back down at her chest.

‘I, erm… You know when you asked about those missing pages from Alice’s memoir and I said I didn’t know what had happened to them? Well, I do know. I’m sorry I lied, but Alice made me promise I wouldn’t tell you what was in them.’ She took a deep breath and let the air out slowly. ‘I’m still not sure I should talk about it, but as it’s you, and you have the rest of the memoirs…’

‘Don’t feel you have to tell me if it’s going to be on your conscience, Gwen. It’s just that… well, I really do want to know everything there is to know about her. She’s my hero and when I write my book, she’s going to be the star of it, albeit with a different identity.’

‘I’m sure she’ll forgive me when we finally meet up,’ said Gwen, looking heavenwards again.

‘Wait a minute, let me make us another cup of coffee. You won’t have had lunch yet either. Can I make you a sandwich?’

Gwen looked at her watch. ‘Oh my, I’m supposed to be back to supervise Old Alice’s bed changeover. I completely forgot.’

Jess got to her feet and rushed to the hall. ‘Give me five minutes to get changed, I’ll nip you over there, then I’ll give you a lift back and you can tell me all about Nana while we have lunch. How does that