Whatever Love Is (23 page)

‘I just want to say something,’ he began, clearing his throat. ‘This has been a difficult summer for all of us – and I blame myself for most of it. I’ve not been a
good father . . .’

He broke off at the murmurs of protest.

‘No, hear me out,’ he said. ‘I thought I was doing the right thing – making lots of money, giving you a big house, good holidays, new cars – but what I never gave
any of you enough of was my time. Well, from now that’s going to change.’ He took a sip of champagne. ‘I’ve had a lot of long talks with Ned and James and quizzed Jemma and
Mia on what the twenty-something scene need and want and I’ve taken on board much of what they’ve said. I’m going to be launching a totally new line – FairFolk. Fairtrade,
organic and made by workers in co-operatives in developing countries. It’s time I put something back. And you know the best thing?’ He put an arm round James’s shoulder.
‘James has actually asked to work with me – not
for
me,
with
me – sourcing workers, monitoring how things are done. I’m so very proud of him.’

There were more gasps and hugs and topping up of glasses.

‘What about you?’ Frankie murmured to Ned.

‘What about him, indeed?’ her uncle, his hearing as sharp as ever, replied with a grin. ‘He’s going to train for social work – do what he’s always wanted
instead of what I tried to convince him was right for him. So there we are – a new chapter for us all!’

‘And for me.’ Nerys, who had been unusually quiet throughout, stepped forward. ‘I’m moving.’

‘Moving?’ Tina gasped. ‘Where? Why? It’s very handy having you at Keeper’s Cottage.’

‘I’m going down to Sussex – taking a little house in Rottingdean,’ she said. ‘If all goes well, the time will come when Ruth will be well enough to leave that
halfway house and she will need someone to keep an eye on her. Frankie can’t be doing it, she’s got a future to think of. Anyway, I shall enjoy living by the sea. It will work out very
well.’

This time it was the turn of the whole family to be speechless.

Newcastle is very close to Durham, and when two people are doing exactly what they’ve always wanted to do, it is amazing how
things fall into place. At first, Frankie and Ned met up at weekends, introducing each other to their friends and exploring the two towns. Then they found a midweek meeting was necessary as well,
and on a blustery November afternoon, halfway across the Millennium Bridge, Ned stopped dead in his tracks, pulled Frankie to him and kissed her passionately on the lips.

It was everything she had imagined it would be and more.

‘I love you, Frankie,’ he said, ‘and the weird thing is, I think I always have. Could you . . . I mean, do you think you might feel . . .’

‘Oh yes,’ she whispered. ‘But just to make sure, could you kiss me again?’

And as he did, she knew it was all right. The future was waiting, wide open, for them to walk into together.

Also in the 21st Century Austen series

What would happen if you transferred the traumas of teenage love from Jane Austen’s
Sense and Sensibility
to the twenty-first century?

Is Abby’s devil-may-care outlook destined to land her in big trouble with Hunter, who specialises in being up himself?

‘This sharp, laugh-packed take on Austen’s classic story will have you grinning from ear to ear at the romantic scrapes of the three Dashwood sisters.’
Mizz

What would happen if the traumas of teenage life and love from Jane Austen’s
Northanger Abbey
surfaced in the twenty-first century?

As Caitlin finds herself swept up in their exotic lives, she becomes determined to uncover the secrets surrounding Summer. An invitation to join the Tilneys in Italy shows her
that things are very rarely all they seem . . .

What would happen if Jane Austen’s
Emma
was set in the twenty-first century?

When Emma’s childhood friend, George Knightley, needs help at his family’s country house hotel over the summer, she sees the perfect opportunity to improve the lot of
her new friend, the shy and unfortunate Harriet Smith. But as one after another of Emma’s secret schemes go horribly wrong, she finds that nothing (and no one) is ever as simple as it
seems.

Books for Keeps

What would happen if the traumas of teenage life and love from Jane Austen’s
Pride and Prejudice
were transferred to the twenty-first century?

But Lizzie and her sisters soon discover that, beneath the very smart surface, lurks a web of intrigue and rivalries . . .

What would happen if Jane Austen’s
Persuasion
was set in the twenty-first century?

Now he’s back from fighting in Afghanistan and Anna longs to rekindle their relationship – but will he give her a second chance? Or will the echoes of the past prove
too difficult to overcome?

Go online to discover

  more exciting books you’ll love

  competitions

  sneak peeks inside books