Free Family Secrets by Jenny Lane

I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow.”
    She felt an unexpected pang of disappointment that he couldn’t accompany them that afternoon. She sat there for a few minutes staring into space and wondering what exactly he had been warning her about.
    *
    That afternoon was a lovely nostalgic trip down memory lane for Letitia. Periodically, Rhianna parked the car so that her grandmother could point something out to her.
    “That field over there is where Joe had a picnic with his friends on his tenth birthday. We knew the farmer, you see. It was such a happy occasion. It was a sunny July day and the children were in their element. Afterwards, they had a game of rounders.”
    As she looked across the field, Rhianna could almost see the children running about and hear their laughter.
    “So, did Dad go to the local school,” she wanted to know.
    “Oh, yes, and he passed the eleven plus and went to the grammar. He was such a bright child…Oh, look there’s the little stream where the kiddies came to paddle and fish. They caught quantities of those tiny things – tiddlers they called them, but they threw them back.”
    On the way to the farm shop they stopped yet again - this time so that Letitia could point out a wood.
    “I often used to bring your father here when he was a boy. We had such lovely rambles. It’s abundant in wildlife and your father loved it here. One evening, we stayed out later than we intended and we came across a family of badgers playing beneath the trees.”
    In her mind’s eye, Rhianna could visualise the scene.
    “Your grandfather and I did our courting here,” Letitia confided, her eyes lighting up as the memories flooded back. “In spring there are primroses and later, in May, bluebells like a sea of shimmering blue. You’ll have to come here with your paintbrush, Rhianna.”
    “Who needs a paintbrush when you’ve painted such a wonderful word picture,” she told her grandmother with a smile.
    “I taught your father to value the simple things in life.”
    “And he always did,” Rhianna assured her. “Now, I know where he got his love of nature from. He passed it on to me. We went for long country walks too.”
    Presently, they pulled up at the farm shop.
    “Now, the big barn at the back is still used for dances in the summer. That’s where your father used to go when he was a teenager…”
    Letitia trailed off and Rhianna wondered if she had been about to mention who he’d taken to those dances. Her father had been a good-looking man, so it would come as no surprise to her to learn that there had been other girlfriends before he’d met her mother. But, Rhianna knew that from the time he’d met her mother, she had been the one true love of his life.
    They wandered round the shop and Letitia took pleasure in selecting her fruit and vegetables. Rhianna made a few purchases too and stowed them in the boot of her car.
    The café at the farm-shop overlooked an orchard. It was a pleasant place serving traditional afternoon teas.
    “I haven’t been here for ages,” Letitia said, as she buttered her scone.
    “I think Tina and Laurie brought me on one occasion. It was summer and we sat out on the terrace. It’s such a peaceful spot, isn’t it?”
    “It certainly is,” Rhianna agreed, again wondering why Tina and Lawrence had split up. She sounded a restless, discontented sort of person used to getting her own way.
    “Life throws up unexpected surprises sometimes, doesn’t it Rhianna? I’ve had such a delightful few days and I’m going to miss you dreadfully when you go home.”
    “Oh, I’ll miss you too, Letitia,” Rhianna assured her, “But now that we’ve found each other, we’ll keep in touch.”
    She was going to miss Lawrence too, she decided, but that was a different matter entirely.
    *
    On Wednesday morning, Lawrence encountered Rhianna trundling her suitcase along the corridor towards the stairs.
    “Hi, can I carry that for you or are you one of those independent