I think you might be a better fit for the family farm than I was too. I think your roots should be there, Fliss, buried in the British Fenland soil, not planted here in Italy where I put them.
I know I’m not in a position to make demands, but I think you should go to the farm and see it for yourself. It’s called Fenview, and it’s near a town called Wynbridge. Go and find it before you finally settle on your place in the world.
‘Well, I did it, Mum,’ I whispered, holding my fork aloft. ‘I found the farm and you were right; I do fit here. As much as I love Puglia, my roots really do belong in the Fenland soil.’
I took a moment to let my tears dry and had almost finished savouring the last mouthful of Nonna’s taste of home, when I heard someone approaching.
‘Fliss!’ Eliot called out, in much the same way that Marco had that night in Puglia.
‘I’m here!’ I called back, watching as the light from his phone sought me out.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked, pulling me to my feet.
‘Yes,’ I nodded, slipping Mum’s envelope back into my dress pocket. ‘I’m more than all right.’
I wrapped my arms around him and laid my head against his chest.
‘Everyone’s waiting for you,’ he told me after a minute had passed. ‘Bill wants you to say a few words about the farm and your plans for the supper club. Is that okay?’
‘Yes,’ I said, turning to kiss him. ‘I had a feeling he might.’
‘Come on then,’ he smiled, kissing me again, before picking up the plate and fork and guiding me back through the orchard.
A warm pool of light spilled from the barn into the yard and as we stepped inside, everyone turned to look at us. Eliot gave my hand a squeeze before releasing it and my eyes came to rest on Grandad, Bec and Louise who were all standing together next to the table laden with fruit picked from the farm.
I felt a ripple of warmth flow through me, which had nothing to do with the balmy evening, and a satisfying contentment came to settle deep inside my heart. Mum had been right to tell me about Fenview Farm, but coming here hadn’t been solely about finding family. Here in the Fenland countryside I had fallen in love and made friends for life and I was very much looking forward to embracing a future which combined them all.
Acknowledgements
Thank you so much for joining me on this summer trip to Wynbridge. I very much hope you have enjoyed getting to know Fliss, Bill and Eliot. Having not been to Wynbridge in the sunshine for such a long time, I was thrilled to return and loved picking strawberries in the Fenland countryside, which is how I spent many of my own school holidays.
As always, I have so many wonderful people to thank for helping me put this book together. 2020 was not the easiest year in which to be either creative or productive, so knowing I had these fabulous folk behind me made all the difference when it came to sitting down to write.
Thank you to my wonderful agent, Amanda Preston. Your kindness and words of encouragement have kept me on track and smiling.
Thank you Clare Hey, Judith Long, Harriett Collins, Sara-Jade Virtue, Pip Watkins and every other member of the Books and The City team who has supported me throughout both this write and many others.
Huge and heartfelt thanks to my author chums – Jenni Keer, Clare Marchant, Rosie Hendry, Ian Wilfred and Laura Bambrey – to name a few, for always being there with kind words, solid advice and virtual hugs.
Massive thanks as always to the innumerable book bloggers who work so tirelessly on all social media platforms to share the love for my books. Your wonderful reviews, images and blog posts are always appreciated as is the incredible amount of time you put into perfecting your posts and sharing them.
A huge hug to all the fabulous Swainettes out there, who have become firm friends as well as readers. Here’s hoping that very soon we’ll all be able to meet in person to celebrate all things bookish!
Thank you to everyone working in our wonderful libraries. You have faced the challenges of the last year and enabled books, in all formats, to provide an essential refuge and escape from the trials and tribulations we are enduring.
I would also like to thank Fiona Jenkins and Sue Baker who have set up and now run the Heidi Swain Facebook Book Club. The club has gone from strength to strength throughout the last few months and, as well as being a place to talk books, it is also somewhere to find friendship, companionship and above all, lots of love. I know it is cherished by every member and we all appreciate the effort put into running it.
And last, but by no means least, thank you! Thank you, dear reader, for picking up this book and giving me the opportunity to carry on doing the job I love so much. All that remains for me to say is that I wish you all a wonderful summer and may your bookshelves – be they virtual or real – always be filled with fabulous fiction.
With love,
H x
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About the Author
Heidi Swain lives in Norfolk with her family and
