‘She has. She’s flummoxed too.’
Mam returned to her chair. ‘You know how much your dad and I loved Laurie. We were never worried about you settling down south so far away from home because you had him. I’ll admit that we had reservations about you getting engaged while you were still in your university bubble, but you sensibly waited a few years before tying the knot, giving you the chance to see whether you were just as compatible in the real world, which you clearly were.’
She paused and shook her head. ‘I genuinely thought you’d be together for life and I’m so disappointed in Laurie. I think he’s a coward for not opening up about his feelings earlier, for making so many life-changing decisions without discussing them with you, and for disappearing without giving you any answers.’
‘I’m devastated it’s over, Mam. It’s the last thing I ever wanted or expected and what hurts me the most is not knowing why.’
My mind was racing. Mam’s use ofuniversity bubblehad sparked something but I couldn’t quite reach whatever it was.
‘That’s not on. I know he was never one for a good old heart-to-heart but you can’t go through life avoiding the heavy stuff.’
No, you couldn’t, but somehow Laurie always had.
17
Later that afternoon, I was in the lounge working my way through our enormous to-do list and having an initial stab at assigning priorities.
‘Maddie’s requested chicken curry and rice for tea,’ Mam said, joining me.
‘What sort of mood was she in?’
‘Not too bad. She’s nearly finished unpacking and she’s picked out some paint colours. I know it’s not a priority for the business but I think it’s a priority for our family to get her room painted. It might help her settle quicker.’
‘That’s a good suggestion. I’ll take her to Berwick in the morning.’
The farmhouse was immaculate and another example of where the Garstangs’ priorities had clearly been. The kitchen and bathrooms were modern and clean and there was good-quality wooden flooring in the lounge and bedrooms but we needed to paint a few rooms as their choice of colours was a tad garish.
‘I hope you don’t mind but I told her I’d like to get her a moving-in gift so I’ve given her some money to buy some decorative bits and bobs like fairy lights and pictures.’
‘That’s kind of you. I don’t mind at all.’
‘And I reminded her that your moving-in gift was the guinea pigs and their lovely big homes and runs.’
I smiled at her gratefully. With Mam acting as mediator, it felt like there was hope for getting Maddie back onside.
* * *
‘I’ve got a shortlist of guinea pig names,’ Maddie said as we sat down to eat a little later, her voice brighter than I’d heard in a long time. ‘I wanted to see what you both think.’
‘Fire away,’ I said, smiling at her.
‘I’ve stuck with the food theme and narrowed it down to Cookie, Mocha, Oreo, Ginger and Pickle.’
‘They’re all sweet. Do you have any favourites?’
‘Maybe Ginger and Pickle but that pairing sounds familiar and I don’t know why.’
‘Beatrix Potter,’ I said. ‘The Tale of Ginger and Pickles.’
‘Was that the one about the cat and dog who had a shop?’ she asked.
‘That’s right. Jude bought you the boxset for your christening and you loved those stories. I must have read each book to you dozens of times but we also looked through the illustrations and made up our own stories to accompany them. The ideas would get increasingly ridiculous and we’d be in fits of giggles. Do you remember?’
She stared at me blankly.
‘Yes, well, you were quite young.’
My memories of those books were so lovely. I hoped she’d stick with Ginger and Pickle as changing her mind about thosenames now would feel petty and personal and, sadly, typical of the way Maddie behaved these days.
