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“What was his name, Mr Prentis? The man you loved?” I didn’t know why I had been compelled to ask.

“His name was Llywelyn.” Mr Prentis smiled knowingly. “They get their hooks into us city boys.”

I gave a nod, stood up and walked to the door, giving one last smile and wave as I left. I had just made the biggest and most risky decision of my life but I felt like I was walking on air.

There was a queue stretching out of the door of the bakery, and I waited patiently behind Beca. The poor guy looked inundated inside, but everyone seemed to be in a patient mood and there were no grumbles that I could hear.

Beca turned to me and smiled. “You seem to be settling into Hiraeth just as it comes time for you to leave. You look happy here,” she said.

“I am,” I replied.

“Good. Much better that way.” We had reached the front of the line. “What do you want, cariad? My treat.”

“Honestly, you don’t need to-”

“My. Treat.” Beca phrased the offer like it was a threat and gave me the a glare more intimidating than I thought possible for a woman less than five feet tall.

“One sausage roll. Thank you Beca.”

She turned to face the young man behind the counter. “Busy in here today, Glyn.”

“I know,” he said. “I’ve been advertising for an apprentice recently but there’s no one biting. It’s difficult to get people out here.”

“Well I hope you don’t end up with a lovely looking young lady, I’m sure Sally would be very jealous…” Beca stage-whispered conspiratorially, as if hoping to bring out a reaction from the handsome young baker or the assembled queue of people.

“Beca,” he said held up his hands. Today his nails were painted different shades of the rainbow on one hand and his thumb, then blue, pink and white across the rest of his digits. “Why would Sally be jealous of any young woman? I’m very gay, and she knows it.”

Beca huffed as she handed over her money to him. “Well, isn’t every eligible young man in this town? Keep the change.”

She kept one claw-like grip on my arm as we left, muttering under her breath. She turned to look at me. “No wonder this village is dying. Which gay man is going to want to move here? Seems we can’t move for you all.”

“Excuse me, Beca. That’s my grandson you’re talking to.

” We both turned simultaneously to face Nain, who had somehow crept up behind us.

“I accept you want what’s best for this village, and I understand that things have changed a lot around here.

But I will not accept you blaming its death on something we very much cannot control.

And I seem to recall how keen you were to push this town forward years ago.

” She was leaning on her stick but staring Beca in the eyes with steely conviction.

“You and I are going to have a little talk about why my daughter felt the need never to come back here, and I would like my grandson to join us.”

“Shall we head to my house?” Beca asked warily.

“No, we shall not.” Nain pointed over the street at the little picnic tables set up beside the river. “We will talk here, out in the open.”

Nain took the arm that Beca didn’t have a grip on and dragged the both of us over the road before we could protest. When we reached the benches Nain took a seat and patted next to her. I sat down, and Beca sat opposite like she was facing a job interview.

“So,” Nain began. “I would like you to tell me what argument James thinks he may have witnessed between you and my daughter so many years ago. It’s been playing on my mind, and I can’t remember her ever giving a reason for not wanting to come back.”

“Well…” Beca’s lip wobbled. When I looked down I could see her hands were shaking.

“I heard her make some comments. About this place, about how run-down it was looking. And how she was glad she’d left, and I wasn’t happy with that.

So I told her if she really hated Hiraeth…

hated her old home , so much, then she could leave and never come back. ”

“And you took this upon yourself, in what capacity? Spokesperson? Town crier? Grand High Witch?” I could hear Nain getting angrier. “I know that you think you own this village sometimes Beca but you do not get to choose who comes and who goes.”

“I…I don’t think…” Beca started, but seemed unable to finish.

After waiting a short while for an answer, Nain huffed and carried on.

“I don’t think for a second my daughter would have come back to Hiraeth for the rest of her life — look at her now, living it up in Asia!

But I might have had more times like this with my grandson had you kept your nose out.

I’m just glad he’s had this week now. And if you hadn’t decided to scare him off too five minutes ago, he might just have decided to come back one day. ”

Beca put her head in her hands and even I felt choked up. “I will be back Nain. I promise,” I said.

“Oh, you say that now…” she said quietly, but then seemed to reconsider. “No. I won’t presume. I’ll believe that you’re coming back when I see it. Just don’t want to get my hopes up when it’s been so long.”

I knew it was stupid to keep it from her when she seemed so upset, but I didn’t want to get her hopes up about me coming back on a more permanent basis when it could all so easily balls up.

“I’m sorry Glynis, I really am. Come over to mine for a cuppa? We can talk about it more, and what I can do to make it up to you.”

“Sounds good,” said Nain. “Are you coming, James?

“Yes, I-” I shivered and realised I had left my coat in the bakery. “-I’ll catch up with you.” I gave Nain a kiss on the cheek.

I crossed the road and checked into the bakery. The door had been left open and Mr Prentis was setting out the tables and had disposed of the tarpaulin somewhere.

I opened my mouth to speak when my phone rang again. I picked up without checking who was calling.