The following morning Roy was up before Fran and she felt resentful. It was bad enough having to share the house with him without him intruding on her early mornings, which she usually had to herself. She had to make cheese that morning and then she was going to see Amy. She wanted to see whether the previous day had completely taken it out of her and made her ill. If the cheese Amy had insisted on trying hadn’t already done that.
‘Ithought I’d go and see the old lady this morning,’ said Roy.
‘I’m going this afternoon, when I’ve made cheese,’ said Fran, ‘so don’t wear her out.’
‘I don’t know why you care so much about her. She’s just standing between us and the farm,’ said Roy. ‘She’s had a good innings – the sooner she pops her clogs now, the better.’
‘I know you only say these things to upset me, Roy, but I do wish you wouldn’t.’
‘You’re not saying you don’t want the farm? Or is it just you don’t want me to have it?’
‘That’s pretty much it. I don’t want to see it all ruined.’ Fran put her slices of bread in the toaster.
‘You’re too sentimental, Fran. This farm isn’t a viable proposition unless it is “all ruined” as you say.’
‘I’m selling my cheese for very good money,’ she said, thanking her stars for Roger and his posh delis.
‘That may be true but you need a hard cheese and even then it probably won’t be enough. Farmers have to diversify these days.’
‘That’s what the cheese is. When Amy was in charge she sold it as milk. I’m adding a huge amount of value and selling it direct to retailers. Nothing could be more profitable than that.’
‘It still won’t pay the bills, mark my words. And supposing Amy does last for another ten years?’
‘Well, you’d have pushed off back to Australia anyway!’
‘Ican stay for a year, no worries. And if she lasts much longer, you’d have to sell the farm to pay for her care home.’ Roy crunched into his toast annoyingly loudly.
‘Then neither of us gets to inherit. Big deal! And it’s Amy’s. It’s only right that she should spend the money it raises on her care.’
In fact she knew that Amy didn’t have to live very much longer before paying for her care home would be a real issue. Amy had pre-paid six months and that time was speeding by.
‘And Antony only wants you because he wants the farm, you know. If I get it, you won’t see him for dust.’
‘That’s not true!’ Fran said, all interest in her breakfast gone.
He shrugged in a knowing way. She couldn’t bear it.
‘Well, I can’t sit here chatting all day,’ she said. ‘I have cheese to make.’
‘We should go through the books together,’ said Roy. ‘We should know what sort of a state this farm is in.’
Fran had the authority to look after the farm’s finances and she didn’t want to share it with Roy. But he was right. She should go through the books again, maybe with Antony who had experience of such things. She’d learned a bit about it all since she first arrived. And supposing she did inherit the farm and still couldn’t make a go of it? How heartbreaking itwouldbe to have to sell it. But she wasn’t going to let Roy near the books. She’d hide them if necessary.
‘Well, we’re not doing it now, Roy. As I said, I’m busy.’
After she had made cheese and shared lunch with Issi and Tig, she went into town to see Amy and do some shopping.
She did the shopping first, buying Amy some of the lemon drink she liked. She added the bottle to the basket that held some miniature versions of the large quiches she had made the day before. She liked to bring presents – somehow she felt if she arrived empty-handed it would be a disappointment.
She nearly bumped into Mr Addison, Amy’s solicitor, coming out of the door of the care home. ‘Oh, hello!’ she said. ‘Is Amy OK?’
He shrugged. ‘She is very elderly,’ he said in case somehow Fran didn’t know this. ‘She’s never going to be really OK, is she?’
Then he walked off, and Fran opened the door of Amy’s room not knowing what she was going to find.
To her relief Amy was both still alive and awake, which seemed a miracle.
‘Are you tired of visitors?’ Fran asked as she kissed Amy’s cheek. ‘I won’t stay long. I just wanted to make sure you were all right after yesterday. It was a long day.’
