Unspoken: A story of secrets, love and revenge T. Belshaw (good books to read for beginners txt) 📖

in the last six months, Calvin. I can’t afford to subsidise you like this.’

Calvin’s mood changed in an instant.

‘Ask your bloody Nana for the money if you need it. She’s loaded for Christ’s sake.’

‘She already pays a third of the rent. I’m not asking her for more. It’s your responsibility, Calvin. I’ve let you off with enough as it is. You haven’t paid for a grocery shop for weeks.’ She looked at him, puzzled. ‘Why can’t you afford it anyway? You earn enough.’

‘I gave up my job today that’s why. I’m sick of their demands on my time.’

‘You hardly ever go in these days.’

‘That’s exactly the point. When I do, they overload me with work, that’s why I was getting so stressed recently. Don’t worry, I’ll soon find another job. IT contractors are never out of work. I can do some agency stuff until I find something that suits.’

‘I hope so, Calvin, I like this flat, I don’t want to lose it.’

‘I doubt your lovely Nana would let that happen,’ replied Calvin. He returned to the sofa. ‘There are a few temporary jobs advertised, I might apply for one or two this afternoon.’

‘Good luck,’ said Jess, still reeling from his revelation.

Calvin swiped his touch screen and lifted his mug of coffee. When he noticed Jess was still standing at the top of the stairs, he looked at her quizzically.

‘What?’

‘Nothing,’ Jess replied. ‘I thought you were going to say goodbye that’s all.’

‘Bye,’ said Calvin, as he returned to his screen swiping.

The prescription was ready when Jess got back to the pharmacy. She signed the scripts on Alice’s behalf and carried the bag of meds to the car. On the way back to the farm, she spotted Ewan coming out of the Tesco Direct. She wound down the driver’s window and shouted to him.

‘Do you live in there?’

Ewan laughed, and crossed the road to the row of marked parking spaces, where Jess had pulled up. He bent down to talk to her at eye level.

‘This was meant, I was going to ring the Uni and ask them for your phone number. I was hoping to have a chat before you do the lecture on Friday,’ she said.

‘Great, you can come after all then,’ replied Ewan.

‘I’m sorry, I can’t, my Nana is really ill and I’m looking after her. I can wrangle an hour before the lecture, if you can spare the time. I’d like to talk to you about women’s rights in Africa. I’ve been asked to do an article on the changing roles of women on the continent, and you’re just the man I need if I’m going to make a proper job of it. I’ll give you full credits in the magazine. I wouldn’t be able to pay you much though, just a token amount.’

Ewan grinned. ‘I’d be delighted to help you out, and no payment is needed. It would be nice to get a credit for the charity at the bottom of the piece if you can sort that out. Tell you what? You provide the coffee and I’ll provide the info you need.’

‘Ewan, you’re a star,’ said Jess. She leaned out of the window to peck him on the cheek, but Ewan turned his face and kissed her lips instead. Jess recoiled.

‘Sorry, I don’t know why I did that. I shouldn’t have. Sorry,’ Ewan looked genuinely embarrassed.

Jess tried to make light of it. ‘You’ll have to get the coffees in now. You’ve already been paid.’

‘What time on Friday?’ asked Ewan, trying to move on.

‘Twelvish, the café next to uni?’

‘Perfect,’ said Ewan. ‘I’ll be there. I need to leave for one o’clock though; I’ll have to make sure the slideshow is working properly. I don’t want to risk any disasters.’

‘No, that would be awful. See you there.’ Ewan straightened and backed off a pace as Jess pulled away. She held her hand out of the window and waved. ‘Friday,’ she called.

Jess gave Alice the first of her antibiotics and a glass of water to wash it down. ‘These will soon have you back on your feet, Nana,’ she said.

‘That would be good, I wasn’t on them much before,’ Alice quipped. Her breathing had improved a little, but she still looked washed out.

Jess waved the packet of sleeping pills at her, then slipped them into her bedside drawer. ‘No nasty dreams tonight, Nana,’ she said with a smile.

‘I had taken my last one,’ said Alice. Her voice was still very croaky, but she could get more words out now without struggling.

‘You’re definitely improving, Nana. You look so much better than this morning. I really got a shock when you had that coughing fit.’

‘I’m still a bit groggy, but I do feel a little bit better. I might have some of Gwen’s broth later.’

‘I’ll bring it now if you like,’ Gwen called from the kitchen where she had been listening in on the conversation.

Alice shook her head. ‘Not yet. This evening, maybe.’

Jess settled down and picked up Alice’s old notebook. ‘Shall I read some more?’

‘If you don’t mind… I’m not really up to doing a session on your… recording, thingy,’ Alice replied.

Jess opened the book. ‘Now then. June nineteen thirty-eight…’

Chapter 52

June 1938

In the first week of June, feeling like a hippo and now unable to fit, or sit, comfortably in the galvanised hip bath for my Friday night dip, and becoming increasingly sweaty with the warmer weather and the extra effort I had to put in because of the state of my body, I made up my mind to make enquires into having the bathroom fitted in the parlour.

I had become quite an expert in using the telephone by now. So expert in fact, that at least two callers had taken me to be a receptionist and had asked to be put through to Miss Tansley. As I had based my telephone voice on my gangster lawyer’s receptionist, who I now knew was called Miss Johnston, the confusion was understandable.

I did get caught out once or twice by Amy