1949 – Kirren

It was holiday time again, and they were all heading back to Kirren Cottage for the break. It wasn't long before Jo showed up in the garden, and an even shorter time before Dick and she had made an excuse to leave and go for a walk over the moors.

For the first time, Dick really looked at Jo as a girl, rather than as a friend. She was unconventional in looks, but had a strength and energy that was attractive and also a challenge. They spent every hour that they could together, and despite George still showing no interest at all, Jo felt happier than she had for a long time, and found comfort in getting attention from someone she had always admired so much.

One day, they were exploring around the old deserted cottage on the moors when a storm broke. Waiting for it to break, they watched the lightning and listened to the rain. Suddenly, they realised that they had moved so close together that they could hear each other's breathing. Dick looked into Jo's face, a question in his eyes, not quite sure how or whether to ask if she felt the same as he did.

Jo, although a small part of her couldn't help wishing it were George there instead of Dick, found herself drawn to the strength of feeling he was showing. She gave the tiniest of nods, and he leant forward and kissed her, gently, tentatively. As they moved closer still, the storm was forgotten, ignored as the rain stopped and rays of sunshine broke through the clouds.

They began to sneak out and meet in the old cottage more and more as time went on, even taking some food and camping equipment there, and cleaning up some of the rooms.

Wary of the reaction, knowing that his parents would never approve of a gypsy girl with convict parents as a suitable match for him, Dick invented a school friend living across the moors that he was visiting, and told no-one.

Jo was so busy enjoying making the old cottage into a form of home, she accepted him suggesting that they meet there rather than at the house without a second thought.

When Dick went back to school again, she moved almost permanently into the abandoned cottage, working at whatever odd jobs she could get, and happily decorating the rooms one by one, gradually making the place her own.

George had finally managed to convince her own parents into letting her leave school and begin to learn how to manage the family's farm. The old farmer and his wife had decided that it was too much for them as they got older and it was unlikely that they would find new tenants willing to come to such an out of the way place.

Never hugely academic, but bright and always willing to work hard, George was doing well, learning from the old couple before they retired. She was happier than she had been for some time, working with her hands and able to spend all day with Timmy. A small part of her was sad to see Anne going off back to school without her, and a bigger part of her missed Dinah.

But as time went on, with George away from school and Dinah concentrating on her studies, they both came to realise that they were on different paths. While they had enjoyed being together, without the constant exposure to each other's company that they had had at school, they were drifting apart and happy to go back to just being friends. Although a little sad about this to begin with, George's life had become so busy that she rarely had time to brood on the situation.

She had decided to make this a fresh start, away from the media and adventures that had surrounded George Kirren, and began to answer to the name Ge, avoiding the inevitable "But George is a boy's name", while still not using her hated original girls name.

At home at Kirren Cottage, things were becoming more and more stressful for Ge and her mother. Her father had always been forgetful and prone to rages, but now he seemed to be moving further and further from reality. He had taken to deciding that all of the rooms were his, and moving all of his notes and work from one to the other, shouting at anyone who dared disturb him.

Finally Mrs Kirren had called his brother to ask for help and admitted that Quentin was obviously ill, he just wasn't making sense any more. Thankfully she had always been the one to keep track of the family paperwork and finances, so they were able to transfer such things as were necessary for the family's security into her and George's name.

The Farm and the island were officially signed over to Ge, just in case he progressed further into confusion and tried to sell either of them. Ge had little understanding of what was going on with her father, after all he had always been eccentric, but she signed the papers and was secretly relieved to move out to the farmhouse, having had to share her bedroom with experiments and piles of journals more than once. It was hard to avoid a row, with her father trying to banish her from her room every time she went to get something.

Looking through the paperwork one day, she noticed that as part of the farm assets, she now owned that old derelict cottage on the moors. Having some rare free time one day, she decided to go for a walk with Timmy to see what kind of state it was in now.

"Jo! What are you doing here?" exclaimed George. Jo froze, a paintbrush in her hand.

Unable to think how to reply, she went for the obvious.

"Painting." she stated, waving the brush up and unintentionally covering Timmy in splatters of paint.

George laughed. "I can see that! But how long have you been living here? You've made the old place look like a real house, you can't have only just started!"

She looked around the room appreciatively, knowing how many hours of work it must have taken to bring the room to such a cheery state.

Jo looked wary.

"Couple of months." she said. "I shouldn't really have bothered, I just wanted to make it a bit nicer. Guess I'll regret it when whoever owns it comes along and throws me out, but till then it's mine."

George looked at the mobile little face in front of her and glimpsed a view of how vulnerable Jo was, and how much this little collection of rooms meant to her.

"Well I wouldn't worry too much about that," she said gently. "According to the papers I read last night, I own it, so I'm not planning on throwing you out any time soon."

She glanced over at the camping stove. "I might have to ask for some rent though"

Jo's face fell and she stepped down from the chair she had been perched on. She could barely afford to provide herself with fuel and food, she would never manage a rent, no matter how small.

"How about a cup of tea when I come to visit, and maybe some company every now and again?" smiled Ge, glad to be able to do something for her friend, surprised by the feeling of protectiveness that Jo brought out in her.

Jo's huge smile was answer enough, as she headed to the camp stove and put the water on to boil. George suddenly felt a need to hide her expression as she realised she had actually missed Jo more than she realised.

"Here," she said gruffly. "Give me that paintbrush, you'll never be able to reach the top, even with that chair."

She busied herself with the paint, while Jo made the tea, then quietly got another brush and began on another wall. A companionable silence fell upon the little cottage.

Dick sat on his bed and looked down at the crumpled letter in front of him. He read it through again, hardly able to believe his world could come crashing down so suddenly.

Dear Dick,

I don't know how to tell you this, I'm not good with letters anyway, but I want you to know now, I can't wait until you get back here to tell you.

I can't be with you any more. I'm sorry, there is someone else, and I was just so flattered that you cared for me, I tried to believe I could love you properly. But I'm sorry, I can't.

I don't know if we can still be friends, but I really want that if we can. Please don't think too badly of me, I had such a nice time with you.

I hope you are not too angry,

I'm so sorry,

Jo.