Page 26 of New Beginnings At Pencarrow Bay
Peggy had thought for a moment. ‘Well, judging from what I’ve seen of how you live, you’re not about to leave towels on a wet bathroom floor or pee over the seat or expect me to do your washing.’ She smiled at him. ‘On the domestic front, you’re unusually well-trained.’
This brought a snort of laughter from Ted. ‘High praise indeed from someone who leaves piles of clothes ontopof the laundry basket rather than in it, and only cleans when the dust starts moving about in gangs around the furniture.’
‘Yeah, yeah. I am improving,’ Peggy insisted. And she had made a real effort to be tidier since meeting Ted, knowing it was important to him. When the boys had left and she lived on her own, what had it mattered if the place was a little messy? There wasn’t anyone to see it.
‘So what will annoy you, then?’ Ted asked.
She took a slug of rosé and thought about it. ‘Hmm, well, denial can be irritating. So, for example, I say, “You’re always late.” And you get upset and say, “That’s rubbish. When have I ever been late?”’
‘I’m never late,’ Ted objected.
To which she replied, ‘There you go,’ and they began to laugh.
Then he’d leaned forward and taken her face in his hands. She’d gazed into his beautiful grey-green eyes, loving the warmth of his palms against her cheeks, the feeling of being held, being appreciated. For a moment they were still, lost in their own world, despite the people wandering past. Then Ted had said, ‘Love you.’ Just that. No more… No less. Simple.
Now, Peggy got up and went to the fridge to see if there was an open wine bottle.A fleeting thought spun through her over-thinking brain as she reached for the sauvignon. Might Lindy, back from the show in Falmouth, seek out Ted again tonight– on the beach, on the sea road, wherever… and would Peggy mind if she did? She shookherself. It felt a little beneath her to be jealous of someone going through what Lindy was currently experiencing. As she closed the fridge, she noticed the old biscuit tin, sitting on the worktop by the fridge.The blackberry tarts. She had forgotten, in all the back and forth about Lindy, to give them to Ted.They’re probably past their best now.The thought made her sad.
13
Ted’s agreement to support Peggy at the boys’ London birthday party made the event seem suddenly real. Deliberation set in about what to wear– she and Ted barely went to smart events now. In the city, there had been more occasions to dress up. Max’s gallery openings, for instance, where Peggy would be guaranteed to see Liam and Dan. Or Ted’s business dos– to which she’d accompanied him before he sold up. Opening nights that her friend Jamie invited her to in his role as theatrical agent. By contrast, in Pencarrow you could pretty much get away with shorts or jeans and a T-shirt all year round. She had thought this might be dull, but she found it really quite restful.
She set off after breakfast to Kyma, pleased to have an excuse to drop in on Gen– although Gen had invited her to do just that, without needing an excuse, when they’d bumped into each other in the deli.
‘Morning.’ Peggy was relieved she was there this morning– sometimes it was Nell, who never offered style advice. Gen had excellent taste, never trying to steer Peggy towards clothes that didn’t suit. Peggy, now she was sixty-plus, worried her style might have to adapt to her age. Flamboyance was not her thing: she aimed for a more classic look but, still, she didn’t want to appear frumpy and past it.
‘Hi, Peggy. How’s it going?’ Gen replied, a bit listlessly. She didn’t seem her normal bubbly self this morning. Shewas dressed in gorgeous pale pink cotton dungarees and a white T-shirt, her dark hair in a high ponytail, but looked hollow-eyed, slouching behind the counter on a stool, languidly scrolling through her phone. Then, obviously remembering her role, she straightened. ‘You after anything special?’
‘I am actually.’ Peggy explained about her sons’ birthday and Max’s chi-chi Mayfair gallery.
‘Great.’ Gen got off her stool. Her very old, lame yellow Labrador, Sailor, snuffled in his basket, but didn’t move as she stepped over him. ‘Right, let’s see what we’ve got.’ She moved to the rails and yanked out a swishy skirt in dark green silk. ‘This would suit you. You could match it with a black top? Or, wait, this just came in.’ She bustled across the shop– her mood appeared instantly improved– and grabbed a hanger, swirling a floaty cream shirt in front of Peggy. ‘You could wear it long, instead of tucked in, or belted? It’s smart without being formal, and you’ve got the height to carry it off.’
Peggy spent a pleasant hour chatting with Gen and trying on a host of different outfits, finally settling for the cream shirt and a sleek pair of black trousers with a sparkly stripe down the outside of the leg– like a smart version of joggers.
While Gen was wrapping up her purchases in tissue, Peggy commented, ‘You seemed a bit glum earlier. Everything okay?’
Gen looked up from her wrapping and gave her a smile. ‘Yeah. Just had knockbacks– or deafening silence– from a slew of companies I showed my portfolio to. Very depressing. So I’m thinking of making up my designs myself,selling them online, get traction that way.’ She didn’t look particularly thrilled at the prospect.
Peggy had no idea of how the fashion world worked. ‘You could maybe talk to Ted. His company was sports clothing, but he might still have contacts in the industry.’
‘That’s kind,’ she said, looking as if she didn’t think that would work. Then her expression cleared. ‘Jake loves Ted and his running club.’
Peggy laughed. ‘Ted takes fitnessextremelyseriously.’
Gen nodded wearily. ‘Sometimes I think the only things Jake takes “extremely” seriously are his business and his mother.’
Peggy was well aware of what Gen meant. Jake, so the gossip went, was being held to ransom over Gen by his purportedly fierce mother– who, it was claimed, did not think her good enough for her son. ‘I’m sure that’s not true,’ Peggy said, wanting to be reassuring.
Gen just shrugged.
‘Treat ’em mean and keep ’em keen?’ she suggested jokily.
Gen laughed. ‘Yeah, maybe I should find a hunky yachtsman and have a fling. Make Jake green.’
‘Sounds like a plan,’ Peggy said, smiling. She’d been joking, but she hoped Gen wouldn’t go down that route and potentially hurt herself in the process.
‘How long have you and Ted been together?’ Gen asked, as she handed her the receipt.
‘Nearly five years now.’
