‘But, Granddad.’ I walk after him. ‘Granddad, please stop . . . Jake didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean it. Please let me explain. It was just a game.’

Granddad ignores me. He’s so upset that it’s useless me saying anything. I stop walking and watch as he reaches the end of the path and turns out of the park exit.

Jake arrives by my side. ‘Don’t worry about him, Felix, He’s just upset because we’ve blown his cover. Now he’s off to—’

‘Jake, don’t!’ I snap.

‘What? I was only saying—’

‘And I said, don’t!’

What Have I Done?

‘I don’t know. He just said he couldn’t pick Felix up tomorrow, and didn’t think he could for the rest of the week.’

‘Has he got doctor’s appointments?’

‘No, not that he said. He just didn’t seem himself. It’s like he’s too upset to see anyone. Maybe I should have tried harder to get him over for dinner. Felix,’ Mum adds, looking across the dining table at me. ‘Have you noticed anything wrong with your granddad?’

‘No, Mum,’ I say, nearly choking on my runner beans. ‘He was okay the last time I saw him.’

‘Only you never went over to play chess with him this afternoon,’ says Dad.

I shrug, then push my food around my plate. It’s been an hour since I upset Granddad and my stomach is so chewed up with guilt that looking at food makes me feel sick. I sense Dad looking at me like he does when he’s trying to figure out if I’ve done something wrong at school. I cut a tiny piece of Yorkshire pudding. Out of the corner of my eye I spot Dad slowly putting his knife and fork down.

Ah no. Here it comes.

‘Felix,’ he says, leaning forward. ‘Are you sure you don’t know what is wrong with your granddad?’

Me and Jake told him he was a spy.

‘No, I don’t.’

‘Only you seem pretty quiet, and you’re not eating much.’

Neither would you if you’d done what I just did.

‘You know you can tell us if you do,’ Mum chips in.

‘I said, I don’t!’ I push my plate away. I feel so guilty about Granddad that my throat aches like the Yorkshire pudding is jammed in it.

‘Felix,’ says Mum. ‘Where did that come from? We’re only concerned about your granddad.’

‘Well, so am I! And I said I don’t know what’s wrong with him. Okay!’ My chair screeches across the floor as I stand up.

‘That’s right,’ says Dad. ‘Kick off, like you always do.’

‘Mark!’

‘Well, it’s true.’

‘Felix,’ says Mum. ‘Just sit down. We can’t afford to waste food.’

‘Yes,’ says Dad. ‘You can’t keep running off when things get tough.’