Gladys listened as Higgs explained, in the vaguest possible terms, what the problem was. "Oh, Terence," she said, reaching for his hands. "None of that is your fault." She didn't have all the details, but even so she was certain her grandson hadn't intentionally gone ferreting out secrets, and he'd said the revealing of that information was accidental. "Just because you were the one who told them, doesn't make you responsible for fixing it. Secrets come out, it happens. It would have eventually happened without you. And now, look, they have you trying to help them! And whether they appreciate it or not, they're better off for that." Gladys could see how they might not appreciate that, but she was also certain it was true.
Like Higgs, she wished that she could help more, find some combination of words that would chase away all his doubts and anxieties. Gladys knew that such a thing wasn't really possible. The situation would play out however it played out, and it was time, not any words she could say, that would ease the intensity of the feelings. "Some people wouldn't even try," she assured him. "They'd just get themselves out of the situation as quickly as possible and let it sort itself out. And if you need to step away and give it some time, there's no shame in that."