Incompatible-
It don't matter though,
'Cause someone's bound to hear my cry
Speak out if you do
You're not easy to find
Hello, Mother," John said, bending down to kiss his mother on the cheek. "Hello, Bridgie," he continued as he picked up his youngest sister and swung her around. "You are getting altogether too old for that sort of behaviour, sprout," he told her, grinning. For a minute he had forgotten that she was nearly thirteen. "Where's everyone else? Oh, by the way, Nancy's come over. You don't mind giving her a bite to eat, do you? Anyway, where are they? As far as I can tell, there ought to be at least two other Walkers, possibly three, and a pair of Callums around here somewhere. It's time that we left for Wild Cat, anyway. I know Su and Roj aren't coming with us, but Titty and Dick are." He paused, and Bridget laughed.
"You can tell that he's been spending a lot of time with you recently, Cap'n Nancy. He keeps forgetting to pause for breath in between rapid monologues," Bridget said, giving the Amazon Captain her best grin. Bridget was a little prone to hero-worship Nancy.
"I've not quite as bad as Nancy just yet, thank you, Bridget. And you haven't answered my question. Where are they?"
"Roger is hiding from Dot-in the boathouse, I believe. She's hiding from him, as well. She's in my room. Really, what are we going to do with those two? Susan is in the kitchen. Titty and Dick are discussing wedding-y things, on Darien. I was with them, but I began to get sick of all the sugar, so I turned back before I turned to a bar of chocolate. I do like it when you have leave at the same time as me, you know. Can I come to Wild Cat with you?"
"If Mother says you may," John said, smiling. "Nancy, could you go and get Titty and Dick from Darien? I want to say hello to Su. Meet you in the boathouse in an hour?" John asked.
"Aye-aye, Sir," Nancy replied, returning his smile. "And Bridgie..."
"Bridget, Sir."
"And Bridget...you go find Roger and Dot, and convince them to talk to each other," she grinned. She turned smartly on her heel and walked briskly out of the door, followed by John.
"Aye-aye, Sir!" Bridget called after them.
"Nicely done, Nancy," John congratulated his friend as they walked out towards the kitchen. "Now, you go sort out that ridiculous sister of mine and her lover, and I'll find my yet more ridiculous sister, and calm her down about whatever she's upset about now. By the way, you should expect Peggy to start hysterics soon. They're rather fashionable at the moment." Nancy looked sharply at him at the
mention of her sister; however, he didn't look any different to a moment before. She could not read his expression.
"John? May I ask you something...personal?"
"My consent, or lack thereof, has never stopped you before," he replied, smiling to himself.
"Are you in love with my sister?"
He stared at her. "Me…in love…with Peggy? Good heavens, no!"
"Good. My mother seems to think you are, and you don't fit her exactly."
He raised an eyebrow. "She's your sister, you know."
"And I think that you'd make a great brother-in-law. However, the only two ways that I could possibly have you as one is if you married Peggy, or I married Roger."
He laughed. "And why are you so averse to marrying my brother?"
"Marry Roger? That's a terrible thing to say! I'm six years his senior, for a start. He's much better off with Dot. Now, the other thing that I wanted to ask you," she broke off, and paused for a moment. She studied John's face carefully, so that she could notice any sudden changes in it. "Now, this is yet more personal, and I don't have any right to ask you this time. I can't claim that it is in protection of my sister, you see." He shot her a baffled look. "I wanted to ask you...Are you in love with someone else? Someone who isn't Peggy? She thinks that you are."
"No, Nance-I'm not in love with anyone else. I don't think so, anyway..." He smiled at her, and for a brief instant, she caught a flash of something odd, but not exactly unpleasant, in his familiar face. In an instant it was gone, and he was the same old John that she had known since her teens. "What about you? How is dear old Squashy?"
Nancy looked at him in shock, a little hurt that John could possibly think she reciprocated Timothy's unwelcome feelings. She could not stop the blood rushing into her face, and she stalked away.
Incompatible-
It don't matter though,
'Cause someone's bound to hear my cry
Speak out if you do
You're not easy to find
Is it possible Mr Loveable
Is already in my life?
Right in front of me-
Or maybe you're in disguise.
Lyrics in this chapter taken from Natasha Bedingfield's Soulmate. Rewritten (again) Dec 09.