Father Unknown by Fay Sampson Read Free Book Online Page B

but they adjust.’
    â€˜Why doesn’t she ring me? Or text?’
    â€˜Stop worrying. She’ll be at school tomorrow, or she’ll get in touch.’
    â€˜There’s something else about her stepfather—’ Millie stopped.
    â€˜What?’
    â€˜Oh, nothing.’
    But Suzie had seen the shudder that ran through her daughter before she turned and walked into the house.
    But Tamara was not in school the next day. Millie called round at her house, but there was no answer. Her mobile stayed silent.
    â€˜Are you sure you’ll be all right?’ Suzie asked on Saturday. ‘I don’t like leaving you alone. I could stay home.’
    â€˜No, you couldn’t. You said you’d take Pru to Corley.’
    â€˜She’ll understand.’
    â€˜I can go into town and meet the rest of the crowd. I don’t need you to hold my hand.’
    But her face had a hurt, disappointed look.
    Suzie hesitated. But she had promised Prudence.
    When Nick and Suzie picked Prudence up at the Angel in the cathedral close, her face was bright with expectation.
    Suzie insisted that she take the front seat. ‘I can enjoy the views any day.’
    â€˜I’m so excited,’ Prudence said as she climbed into the car. ‘This is going to be such a wonderful day out before I have to leave you folks.’
    â€˜You’re going?’ Suzie exclaimed. ‘But I thought your plane wasn’t till next week?’
    â€˜Yes. I was planning on asking what church you folks go to, and if I could come along with you tomorrow. But I’ve had a phone call. You remember you put me on to that one-name group? The Clayson Society? Well, guess what? When I let them know who I was, and that I was looking for Adam Clayson in the 1700s, this William Clayson got in touch with me. Would you know, he’s invited me to visit with him and his wife for a couple of days. Says he has a mountain of stuff on the early family. My Claysons of Corley might be related to them. Well, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity like that, could I? Plus, they’ll take me to Stratford-upon-Avon while I’m there. He sounded so helpful. So I’m off tomorrow. But I’ll be back, and I plan to take you folks for a fine dinner before I go home. As a thank you.’
    â€˜That’s terrific. He’s probably got all sorts of stuff on the family that we haven’t.’
    â€˜But he hasn’t got all this. This is the real thing. Sort of my home country now.’ She gestured at the view through the windscreen.
    They were leaving the city. The wooded valleys and climbing fields of the countryside were opening up before them. Hay-making was in full swing. Green fields were turning golden where the crop had been shorn and the bales lay ready for the tractor.
    They treated Prudence to lunch at one of their favourite country pubs and enjoyed her delight at the date of 1654 carved in the oak beam over the enormous fireplace.
    â€˜I’m so jealous of you, living amongst all this,’ Prudence said.
    â€˜The irony is that Nick designs houses for the future. Lovely ones. Eco-friendly and energy-efficient.’
    Nick grinned modestly. ‘I can still learn a lot from the people who built these. They understood their environment and their local materials better than most of us do nowadays. I’d be proud if anything I designed was still being lived in four centuries later.’
    After lunch they plunged deeper into the narrow lanes, then tackled a winding hill. Nick eased the car round the last bend. Cob-walled farmhouses turned their curved backs to the road, sheltering age-old farmyards. Chimneys rose high above thatch.
    â€˜This is just so English,’ breathed Prudence. ‘How old would these be? A couple of hundred years?’
    â€˜Maybe five, six hundred.’ Suzie was enjoying her friend’s amazement.
    â€˜You’re kidding me?’ Prudence peered through the car