Chapter 29
By Tuesday, Robert was feeling very much more like himself.
"He's much less clingy." Nancy explained to Roger from a judicious distance across the lawn, "I can take the girls across to school tomorrow while mother looks after him."
"But can Uncle Roger bring us back? Or you can both bring us back and we can have a race." Julia paused in her rather unconvincing attempts to do cartwheel in the springy, daisy-strewn lawn.
"I'm quite happy to bring you back." Roger said, "but would it be OK, Nancy, if I walked into Rio from the Dixon's and you brought me back here to pick up the Norton?"
"Of course. I'll have to go to the post office after I've taken the girls to school, but that won't be a problem will it?"
"Hello Dick, yes, no, it isn't Peggy, it's me, Nancy. Look, no need to go charging about the whole hall looking for Titty. Yes, Robert's much better thank you. Roger got Titty's letter. I'll come and pick everyone up from the station in the car and run them round to the cottage. It's a pity you can't come too, but it can't be helped. Yes, she put which train in the letter. The Dixons send their best wishes of course, and Mother and Cook. Gimminy, time up already. 'bye. Don't forget to tell Titty."
Good for Roger. He had opened up the cottage and had got the fire lit and the kettle was hot enough to be boiled quickly.
"I know I've got to keep my distance from young Edward." Roger assured his sister from a cautious distance. "I'd better sail over and fetch Jane and Julia from school in a minute – they're not infectious. But there's a pork pie for supper and I've got you potatoes and carrots from Rio. And Mrs Dixon says will you come over to dinner tomorrow? You can meet Rowan then without these plague carriers infecting them."
Titty Callum wasn't quite as Rowan had expected her to be. She was a tall, slim woman, but not very tall. That was more or less where the similarity with Roger stopped. Rowan had thought Roger a very good-looking man when she first saw him, quite apart from how she felt about him now. Titty had a pleasant face but Rowan thought her no prettier than average. The middling brown hair was parted at the side and the ends of the chin length bob were slightly curled. Rowan thought that if she could see Titty, Lawrie would say she was far too plainly dressed for an artist. Rowan liked Titty the better for it. Titty's smile was friendly.
Rowan was just finishing the last of her mashed potato when she noticed Mr Dixon give Mrs Dixon a slight nod.
"Doctor called round today." Mrs Dixon began. "and as says Dixon's leg is in a fair way to mending near as good as ever, but we've been thinking. We're not as young as we were. It does a farm no good to have the farmer come as a stranger and have all to learn sudden-like. That's a hard row to hoe for a body. Dixon's cousin's lad as lives in Maghull wrote back that he'd like to try his hand at sheep and he's Dixon's cousin on his uncle's side, which makes it fair and square. T'farm came to us from Dixon's uncle and it should go back to that side – that's only fair. Only it's mostly cabbages and such down there, so he won't know how to go on at first, and his wife, June, who's got her head screwed on right enough, says mebbe they'd better see if it suits all round before 'owt's promised. So long and short of it is, Ronnie and June and little Judy are to come up and give it all a year's trial. Ronnie's boss won't keep the job open for him and 'taint reasonable for him to do so, but Ronnie's a good lad and reliable-like and if it don't suit, well no hard feelings and June reckons he'll find another job back down there well enough. Only Ronnie's boss that he's with now says it'll suit him find to let Ronnie go at the end of next week. They've been living with June's mother, so there's no notice to be given and Ronnie says he's got the feeling she'd be glad of the room back what with June's brothers near grown-up now, though she never says 'owt and she knows well enough they'd find a place of their own if they could, only that's not so easy. I was thinking I'd have that little trundle bed out and put little Judy in with her parents and you'd be in the bedroom you are now. We can't being doing without you just yet, not while Doctor says Dixon's got to take it easy still and Ronnie's got all to learn about sheep and near all about cows. Only now Titty has a suggestion."
Even from Mrs Dixon, this was a long speech. Mrs Dixon busied herself serving the syrup sponge while Titty explained.
"This is only a short term idea, of course, but then Mr Dixon's leg will soon be better. We have the cottage and Nancy chivvied the builders pretty well – it's quite comfortable. But my husband is warden of a hall of residence and we have to be in Leeds until the end of term – until the beginning of July that is."
After shearing and haymaking then. Mr Dixon had already told Rowan, after that first week that, however well or badly his leg healed, they would need her until the hay was in and the sheep sheared.
"And since Roger, for some reason," Titty grinned at her brother, "Seems to prefer the houseboat to our comfortable cottage, you may as well live in it. The cottage I mean. You'll still be here for your dinner and tea."
"Breakfast and supper, too, if you're wanting it so." Mrs Dixon put in. "And it's a quick step along the road to Beckfoot if 'owts amiss."
"You can borrow Scarab to come across to work. Not that I've had time to ask Dick or Dot – Mrs Dixon only told me about this today – but I'm sure they'll say yes. Roger says you sail pretty well."
"We've sprung this on Rowan sudden-like." said Mr Dixon. "Let her think on it a bit. There's no call for you to say yea or nay today. Tomorrow will do champion."
"Galoots, that we are." said Nancy after tea, as Titty bundled Rosemary into her coat and Edward put his coat as slowly as possible to delay the moment of parting with his cousins. "There's no point at all in Roger living in the houseboat to be nearer Rowan, if Rowan's living in your cottage. It would make more sense for her to stay in the houseboat and Roger to live in the cottage."
"Would Captain Flint mind?"
"Not he. Not a scrap. And if her family think she's a black sheep – well, he'll have fellow feeling. We'll write of course, but there's no telling when he'll pick up his post and it will take weeks to get there. But we'll ask Mother what she thinks if that will make you feel better. Barbequed Billygoats, girls, if everyone has got their coats and shoes on by the time I count to 20 we'll walk as far as Auntie Titty's cottage with her."
"Robert too?" Julia asked.
"Robert too. We'll wrap him up warmly."
"It's more itchier to be very warm." Edward warned his aunt, suddenly becoming able to manage his buttons quite well, apart from the stiff one that he always need help with.
"I'll bear that in mind. Just warm, but not too warm." Nancy assured him. "Mother's in the garden. We'll ask her once everyone has their coats on."
"We've got our coats on – well nearly." Jane said, holding out her brother's coat. "and you forgot to count, Mummy"
"That's was to get you all to shake a leg – and it worked. I don't need to count now."
They went outside to find Mrs Blackett tucking stray rose shoots into the trellis rather gingerly with Edward, Julia and Jane shaking a leg occasionally as they walked, to the uncontrollable hilarity of all the children.
