‘You know he never touches his family’s money. As for the rest, Jack is like family to me. He’s the children’s godfather, for a start.’
‘I know that, but he’s not family to me.’
‘Kids. Home. Now!’ he yelled again when no small people appeared in response to the first holler.
‘Good job my nearest neighbours are sheep.’
Felix did a loud ‘baaaaaa’ and got a few replies in return. ‘Seriously? I have more luck getting sheep to take notice of me than my own offspring.’
‘You don’t know what the sheep said. It might have been “bugger off” for all you know.’
‘Always possible. Look, if you find my – there you are! I thought you’d disappeared into the jungle undergrowth for good!’ my brother said, ruffling Freddy’s hair and picking a twig from his daughter’s.
‘It’s not that bad out there!’ I said, feeling somewhat forced to defend my garden.
‘Right.’
‘It’s not!’ I protested. ‘It’s natural. I’m… rewilding. It’s all the rage, you know.’
Felix sniffed the air. ‘I guess they must be muck spreading at one of those farms nearby.’ His gaze slid from the garden to me, one brow slightly quirked.
Freddy gave several sniffs, each one bigger than the last. ‘I can’t smell anything.’
‘Maybe the wind changed, mate. Come on, let’s get you home and in the bath. Both of you look like you could audition forLord of the Flies.’
‘What’s that?’
‘A book that you’re too young to read just now,’ I stated, wrangling my nephew into a coat that had been discarded as he worked up a head of steam charging around the garden.
‘Well, don’t say that!’ my brother huffed. ‘Now he’ll definitely want to read it.’
‘Are there fairies in it?’ Ruby asked.
‘No, sweetheart. Definitely no fairies.’
‘Good!’ Freddy said.
‘It’s not a book for your age group, darling.’
‘But I’m good at reading. My teacher said so, didn’t she, Daddy?’
‘She did, but Auntie Lily is right. This isn’t a children’s book. When you’re older, you can read it and make your own decision as to whether you like it.’
Freddy stuck his lip out.
I crouched down to zip up his coat. ‘If you put that lip away, next time you come round, we could have a look on the local bookshop’s website and see if there are any new books you might like instead. How does that sound?’
Freddy sucked his lip back in.
‘Go and put your shoes on, please. I’ll be there in a minute.’ The children, having abandoned the wellies I kept for them to wear in the garden, zoomed through to the hallway.
‘Alternatively, you could always take them to the actual bookshop,’ said Felix.
‘Could we please not have this conversation again today?’
‘You never want to have this conversation.’
‘Exactly. So perhaps that’s a clue that I don’t want to talk about it.’
