CHAPTER XI

BECKFOOT AGAIN

Now that the inheritance from Timothy had finally been settled for Dot, Titty and Dick arranged with Peggy and John for the three of them to spend a weekend at Beckfoot. They got Peggy and John to invite all the others. Happily and unusually, everyone could make it, none of them had other matters to attend to or could not spare the time. Susan said she would bring Roger with her, she knew he was always happy in the room Nancy and Peggy's mother had set aside for him just after the war, an arrangement they were still happy to carry on.

Once the date had been agreed Dick had then written to everyone, without Dot's knowledge but getting Titty's view beforehand, letting them know that there was something Dot would want to discuss with them all at sometime during the weekend.

They all arrived at Beckfoot at various times during the afternoon and evening of the Friday of the weekend, Susan drove down with Roger in her car, she knew he felt more secure than travelling on the train. John collected Dick, Titty and Dot at the station meeting their connecting train from London, then later in the evening, and last of all, he met Nancy and Daisy from their final connecting train from Essex.

Once these two had arrived and they had settled themselves in to Nancy's room, the same room she had shared with Peggy in childhood, everyone gathered in the Beckfoot dining room. With little help from John, or anyone else, Peggy had laid out a cold supper for them all. She'd decided to use the dining room as it contained the only table really big enough to accommodate everyone. Daisy had already promised John and Peggy that she would cook a dinner worthy of the occasion for everyone the following evening.

So they all helped themselves from a selection of cold meats, salads, breads and cheeses that Peggy would have been almost ashamed to admit to Daisy she had bought in the shops earlier in the day, Daisy was an enthusiastic and excellent cook, as they all knew, but when making her offer to cook a celebratory meal, Daisy was unaware, as were most of the others, of how their weekend would proceed.

John, despite it being Nancy and Peggy's house, enjoyed playing the role of host even to his closest friends, he enjoyed ensuring everyone had food and drink to their liking even though he played little part in preparing it. When everybody had eaten and their plates were mostly empty he stood up, which got their attention, and began to speak to them all.

"Good to see you all here again," he was immediately interrupted by Roger.

"No speech John. No!" John knew when his brother was joking and pleased to see that these days he did so far more often. He carried on ignoring the laughter of the others.

"It is good to see you all, and for us to meet under much happier circumstances." To his slight concern nobody really reacted to this, not even Nancy. Undeterred he then looked directly at Dot. "Dot, I understand that there is something you want talk to all of us about, would you like to now?" Titty was apprehensive, she knew what was coming and hoped that none of them had got the idea from Dick's letter that Dot was about to announce some good news, it wasn't bad news of course, but it was far from straightforward.

Dot looked uncomfortable, not knowing that Dick had forewarned everyone she wondered how John knew she wanted to talk to them all. Titty shifted her chair to be closer to Dot in case she needed comforting once she had imparted her news or began to cry at any point while she was doing so. Once Titty had settled back in her chair Dot took a deep breath and started.

"Thank you John, and to you and Peggy, for letting us all come here." She stopped, and for a moment to Titty looked as if she wouldn't carry on. "It's Timothy. I want to talk about Timothy." She felt herself holding back tears. Peggy interrupted, as she often did, not realising that this was one of those moments when it would be best to say nothing.

"We do miss him, he used to visit us quite often didn't he John? Never let us know when though. He always asked about you Dot." She went quiet, suddenly becoming aware from the silence in the room that she maybe should have not spoken.

Dot ignored her, she knew Peggy's ways as they all did and it was easy to forgive her on this difficult occasion, she loudly took another deep breath and continued.

"Timothy and I," she hesitated, "were lovers, we had been for nearly twenty years," she tried even harder to hold back her inevitable tears, "I loved him so much." There was an audible gasp from most of those in the room who didn't know. Peggy could not stop herself blurting out what some were thinking.

"But Dot, he was married!" Dot knew somebody would say this, after all, her own brother had.

"Yes, yes of course he was and he never loved her, she tricked him in to marriage, she tricked him all the time! I did stop it, but after a week or so of marriage we carried on as if nothing had happened." Then there was anger and bitterness in her voice. "She was wicked!" Titty, knew the signs, she interrupted.

"It's all right Dot, everyone knows that. Tell them the rest." For a moment everyone looked at Titty realising she knew more than any of them and wondered what possibly could there be to tell.

"He left me some money in his will." Nancy suddenly discovered her voice.

"Really! Good for you!" Dot ignored her and continued.

"It's not good, I don't want it!" She paused as if unsure about carrying on. "He left me ninety-five thousand pounds," John was clearly shocked.

"What! How much! Where did he get that sort of money?" To his surprise it was Nancy that answered him.

"He and Uncle Jim made much more money from mining than they ever let on, I always thought they had years ago, but it wasn't until Uncle Jim died that I knew exactly how much, and of course that's how mother was able to keep Beckfoot going and how she could to leave it to me and Peggy and not for it to be sold off for death duties." Susan was more practical and nosey.

"Dot, did his wife know?" Dot answered her.

"About the money? I don't know, I know she got nearly half a million, but about me? Turns out she did, though Timothy didn't know she did." Peggy spoke.

"How do you know she knew?"

"When everything was all settled by the solicitors I got a note in the post from her, a scrap of paper, six words, one of them an insult." Susan was offended on Dot's behalf.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry." Dot appeared to have pulled herself together.

"Don't be Susan, I deserved it. But what do I do with the money? Titty and Dick won't take any for the house. Nancy, what about you and Daisy?" Daisy answered before Nancy.

"Of course we couldn't, it's yours."

"No we couldn't!" Nancy agreed. Peggy and John said nothing.

Susan glanced across at Roger, she could see that he'd had enough for one evening and he probably wasn't following the conversation very well, and if he was she knew he would soon get upset.

"Time I got him to bed, can you help me John?" She didn't wait for an answer and the two of the escorted Roger out of the dining room and they could all hear the three of them climbing the stairs to his room.

With John absent Dot spoke directly to Peggy. She was almost pleading.

"Please Peggy, surely you and John can do something with it, don't you need it to keep Beckfoot running?" Peggy looked almost distraught.

"Dot, its yours, of course we could use it, but Timothy wanted you to have it. He probably felt guilty, he must have wanted you not to have to worry about money."

"I know, but I'll feel guilty if I use it just for me!" Nancy then surprised them all.

"Let's all of us think about it Dot, then we'll talk again tomorrow night after supper."

"Yes Nancy, that's a good idea, please, all of you do that, thank you."