Chapter 16
‘Oh, it’s you.’ Megan struggled to move.
‘Are you all right?’ Tobias bent down and helped her to stand. His strong arms eased her up. He smelt fresh, with a tinge of sandalwood, and again she admired his glossy black hair.
‘Fine, thanks.’ She patted the dust off her jeans, looking hot and flushed.
‘Finula tells me you need a plasterer,’ he smiled, putting his hands inside his navy quilted jacket.
‘Yes, I’ve stripped the walls in there,’ she pointed towards the sitting-room door, ‘and half the plaster came off. Not to mention the ceiling.’ He frowned. ‘I’ve just put my foot through it, up there,’ she added drily, pointing towards the loft.
‘Ah, let’s have a look.’ Tobias made his way through to the sitting room, his tall frame and broad shoulders dwarfing the small cottage. Gazing round, he took in the grey, crumbling walls. Then he turned his head upwards towards the ceiling to see the clear outline of her footprint. ‘Oh dear.’ He turned to grin at Megan.
‘I know, I was engrossed and stepped off the joist.’
‘What with?’
‘This.’ She held up the lilac tin.
‘What’s in it?’
‘I don’t know. I just found it lying in the middle of the attic floor. It was as though it was put there deliberately.’
‘So you were meant to find it?’
‘Maybe.’ They both looked at it curiously. Megan went to the nearby table and put it down. The lid was rusty, but she forced it off. She could feel Tobias behind her. The back of her neck tingled. ‘Photographs…’ she quickly flicked through them, ‘and letters, too.’ She unfolded one of them. ‘They must have been written years ago.’ The paper was thin and yellowed with age. The letters were written in fountain pen, neatly with defined loops. Old sepia pictures depicting images of a young couple laughing, linked arm in arm, looked back at her. Each photo told its own story: a trip to the seaside, trouser legs rolled up, paddling in the shallow pools with the sun shining in their eyes; another of them leaning against a mossy tree trunk, surrounded by bluebells. A carving of the initials ‘G & E’ appeared behind them, deep in the tree. Happiness exuded from the two of them so that it was almost tangible. Megan instantly recognised one of the photos. It was Gran sitting on a haystack, dressed in her land girl overalls and polka-dot headscarf. The last picture was of a young soldier in uniform looking very smart, but solemn. On the back was written, ‘To my darling Gracie, love always, E.’ Megan drew in a jagged breath, not sure what to make of it all.
‘You OK?’ Tobias asked gently. He was still standing patiently behind her and didn’t want to pry. At the same time he didn’t want to appear indifferent when this was obviously a big deal to her.
‘I think so. Just puzzled.’ She finally handed him the last picture. ‘Read the back.’
‘To my darling Gracie, love always, E.’ He turned it round to look at the image of the soldier, staring gravely ahead to face the monstrosities of war at such a young age. ‘Is this your granddad?’
‘No.’
‘Obviously sweethearts before she met him.’ Then looking closer at the face of the soldier, he narrowed his eyes, then looked at Megan, then back at the photo. There was a poignant pause.
‘Perhaps it’s better if I left you to read them alone.’ Tobias tactfully backed away.
‘No, it’s fine. I’ll put them away.’ Megan quickly got a grip on herself.
‘Sure?’
‘Yes, really.’ Putting the letter back in the tin, she sat down by the table. ‘I’ll read them later.’ She stared into space, not quite knowing what she’d just uncovered.
‘Fancy a drink?’
Megan shook her head, ‘Yes, sorry, I’ll put the kettle on.’
‘I’ll do it, you stay there. You look rather pale.’
‘I think I’m in shock,’ she agreed.
Moments later Tobias entered the sitting room with two strong, black coffees. ‘This’ll put some colour in your cheeks.’ He pulled a silver hip flask from his jacket pocket and emptied its contents into the two mugs. Winking, he handed her one.
‘What’s in that?’ she laughed.
‘Just a hot toddy. It’ll do you good.’
