The Way We Were_ A Novel - Marcia Willett [52]
‘My grandmother gave him to me when I came west,’ Tiggy says. ‘She didn't think my father would miss it. He's got a gallery full of things like this as well as his own private collection …’
She falls suddenly silent and Em remembers that Julia has told her that Tiggy has no family apart from her grandmother, and that it's a painful subject better avoided. In Em's conversations with Tiggy about family, she has never mentioned her father, and Em has assumed that both her parents are dead. The silence is an uncomfortable one.
‘Beautiful.’ Em briskly hands the little Merlin back and smiles at Tiggy. ‘So. Are you ready? I'll get the dogs into the car, shall I?’
Tiggy stands the Merlin high on the dresser shelf and reaches for her bag. ‘I'm ready’ she says.
The cottage is painted a cheerful pink and seems to be in danger of being crushed between the two more imposing houses on either side. The front door opens straight off the narrow cobbled street and leads into a hallway with a cloakroom behind it and stairs twisting upwards, out of sight.
‘Room for the pram,’ says Aunt Em. ‘And for coats and boots and a wet dog. Let's go upstairs.’
The living-room and the galley kitchen are open-plan, which gives a sense of space; one window looks into the cobbled street at the cottage opposite, the other shows an irregular but rather charming roofscape, and more stairs lead up to the bedroom, the bathroom and a tiny boxroom.
‘She's letting it furnished,’ says Aunt Em, peering from the bedroom window. ‘Look, you can just see a glimpse of the harbour between those chimneys. So at least you wouldn't have to worry about buying anything apart from things for the baby There's room for a cot in the other little room.’
‘It's odd but rather sweet.’ Tiggy is trying to get used to the change from the big rooms and rural setting of Trescairn. ‘It's a bit cramped but I suppose it won't matter with just me and the baby.’ She feels suddenly fearful at the prospect of being alone with her baby with nobody else at hand: how will she manage? ‘I shall be close to shops,’ she says, trying to be positive, ‘and if I could get some sort of job in Padstow it would be good. But then who will look after the baby?’
She sits down suddenly on the edge of the bed, daunted, and Aunt Em sits beside her and puts an arm around her.
‘It's difficult,’ she admits. ‘Between us all we shall manage somehow. This might not be the right place for you to live but I thought you ought to have the chance to think about it. From what you told me I hoped you could afford the rent and have a bit over.’ She gives her a hug, rocking her slightly. ‘Don't be downhearted. This is just a start. It might be better for you to be out in the country, nearer to Julia. You need to be able to compare things, see how things might work for you.’
Tiggy takes a deep breath. ‘You're right. I've got to face it and make a decision. This would be a place to start. With the allowance I shall get for the baby I might be able to scrape by with some part-time work to begin with.’
‘I can help out with the baby.’ Aunt Em continues to hold her. ‘Archie and I aren't far away. It'll be fun. You're not alone, Tiggy.’
‘I feel such a fool, you see. And now I'm causing trouble for my friends.’
‘But isn't that what friendship is about? It's like faith, isn't it? It only has meaning when the chips are down. If it isn't tested then it has no value. And how do you know that you're causing trouble? You might be offering me an opportunity to be useful, to share in your life and the life of your baby. Can you imagine how wonderful that would be for me?’
Tiggy puts both her arms around Aunt Em and hugs her tightly. ‘Thanks,’ she says. ‘I don't know how to answer that.’
‘You don't have to. Let's go back and have some tea. You need time to think but at least you know you've got somewhere to go if you want it.’
‘So what did you think of it?’ asks Uncle Archie.
He towers in the small kitchen, courteous and genuinely interested, whilst Aunt Em makes tea. Tiggy feels a wave of affection and gratitude: it is incumbent