CHAPTER XIII
WHAT DO WE DO?
Once Susan and John had returned to the dining room from upstairs, after settling Roger in to bed for the night, Nancy explained what they had decided on the matter of Dot's inheritance. Dot herself, not unsurprisingly to Titty, said she was tired and would turn in, and so she said goodnight to everyone, hugged each of them before then making her way upstairs to bed.
Daisy and Peggy started to clear the dining room table of the remnants of the meal and taking it all in to the kitchen, then got on with the washing up. Susan let them do it all, she had left her domestic side behind years ago, she moved her chair so that she could sit next to Titty.
"Did you know about Dot and Timothy?"
"Yes I did, I found out by accident about fifteen years ago, Dot asked me to keep it secret. She really loved him, his wife was evil, worse than the GA, I only met her once and she was horrible, just horrible! She just stared at me as if I was from a freak show and then said something nasty about all of us! Some nonsense about why did Timothy make friends with a bunch of snotty kids!" Titty visibly shuddered. Dick then spoke, guessing what question may come from Susan or one of the others.
"I didn't know, I had no idea, not that it matters, as Titty says they clearly loved each other. I felt sorry when she told me that Timothy had got his life in to such a mess. But it does explain a lot, and why he had so little to do with Captain Flint in the latter years, I suppose the wife wouldn't allow it."
Daisy, who had said little as she felt it had not much to do with her, spoke up.
"But what about the money?"
"What about it?" John asked.
"Well, what are we going to do, we've all agreed to think about it, Dot doesn't want it. I suppose she feels it's almost tainted."
"But that woman got half a million!" Nancy was, obviously to everyone, angry.
"She is his widow." John was being reasonable, as he would. But Nancy was angry and having none of it.
"Barbecued Billy goats John she was horrible! You know she was, don't you remember when she came here when they were first married. She was so snooty and rude to everyone! I should have kicked her out!"
"Shut up you two! We have to help her." Titty was more concerned with supporting her friend than moaning about an awful woman none of them, she hoped, would ever have to deal with again. "Isn't there any way we can use the money so it doesn't look as though one of us is just being greedy?" Dick was in agreement with her.
"Yes, there must be something we could us it for, something that would also benefit Peggy and John's children in the future perhaps." Peggy then spoke.
"Nancy, she did ask if we could use it for the upkeep of Beckfoot. Could we?" Peggy actually thought it would be very useful, there were times when she and John struggled to keep the house running, the days of a cook and a gardener were long gone. She knew Nancy and Daisy could not contribute much, but to actually say the money would be useful looked rather selfish of them. Nancy wanted to leave the discussion for the evening.
"Lets sleep on it, tomorrow's weather forecast is good for sailing. Anyway, It's time the boathouse was sorted out." Nancy's talk of tomorrow encouraged them all to go to bed, Peggy and Daisy were doing the last of the tidying up as John ensured the house was locked and secured, and they all made their way upstairs. As Titty and Dick crossed the landing they passed Dot's bedroom and Titty was sure she could here a faint sobbing, and wondered whether she should knock on the door and check if Dot was all right and then thought that she would probably prefer to be alone.