An Enormous Yes by Wendy Perriam Read Free Book Online

grief, remorse, relief and regret that haddogged her since her mother’s death. Besides, the thought of leaving behind not just her friends but the only home she had ever known was daunting in the extreme. And suppose Amy
was
just ‘using’ her?
    On the other hand, she craved the same close bond as had existed between Hanna and Amy; a bond certain to develop if she was in charge of the baby. And it would save her precious grandchild from some bungling, inept minder. In any case, didn’t she owe it to her daughter to make some recompense for her own inadequacies during the first two shaming years?
    ‘Maybe I’ve sprung this on you too soon, Mum. But, d’you know, the more I think about it, the more I feel it might benefit us all. I mean, do you really want to vegetate up here until you’re as old as Grandma, but with no one to look after you?’
    Maria bristled at that ‘vegetate’. She had never vegetated in her life and didn’t intend to now. In fact, considering she was free of ties for the first time in a decade, wasn’t this the perfect chance to do some serious painting and start building up a substantial body of work? Anyway, she couldn’t imagine her daughter looking after her. Amy would always be busy, even twenty or thirty years hence.
    She sat in silence, torn two ways: her selfish side wanted time for herself, after her long stint as a carer, while another, equally compelling side longed to be totally involved with the baby, from the moment of its birth.
    ‘And, if you did decide to come and live with us, don’t worry about us being in each other’s hair. The top floor of our house is more or less self-contained . It used to be the attic, which makes it sound all small and poky, but actually it’s very light and bright, and there’s a fantastic view across the rooftops.’
    ‘But what about
this
place?’ Maria felt she was being moved, lock, stock and barrel, before she’d had time to catch her breath.
    ‘Best sell it, Mum. It’s so remote.’
    ‘But I have to get probate first, which could take five or six months. Anyway, no buyer would consider it in its present shabby state. And even if I spruced it up, I can’t be showing people round if I’m three hundred miles away in London.’
    ‘Mum, you need to use professionals, which is far less hassle, anyway. Just get a good solicitor and a decent local estate agent and they’ll handle the whole thing.’
    Maria gave a noncommittal shrug. Amy was so persuasive, she could talk a tortoise into surrendering its shell. Indeed, her daughter’s voice had taken on an authoritative tone, as if she were exhorting one of her clients to follow some recommended course.
    ‘Listen, Mum, I’ve got a good idea – why not give it a trial run? Come for just three months and regard it as more a visit than a total long-term commitment – and see how it works out. And if the arrangement doesn’t suit you, then I’ll investigate the situation with au pairs and local childminders .’
    Maria tried to get to grips with what this might entail. ‘But if it was just a trial, I’d need to come to London really soon. Otherwise, if I did decide against it, it would mean letting you down pretty late on in your pregnancy, when it might be much more difficult to make alternative arrangements, and when you’ll be feeling tireder anyway.’
    ‘Great! The sooner the better.’
    Maria shook her head with a certain irritation. ‘Amy,’ she said, more sternly than she’d intended, ‘I’m not free to just drop everything – and it’s far too late to discuss all this, in any case. We need to go to bed.’
    ‘Yes, but—’
    ‘No “yes buts”. Hugo’s been waiting ages and, if you don’t need rest, your baby certainly does.’ She laid a gentle hand on her daughter’s still-flat stomach. ‘I’m absolutely thrilled to bits that I’m going to be a grandma. It’s the best news in the world – don’t doubt that for a second – and, of course, I’ll help