CHAPTER VI

CHANCE MEETING

"Hey you! You, yes you two! This is private property, what do you want?" A strident female voice brought Dick and Titty back to reality, they looked to their right to where the voice seemed to come from.

Standing in the garden of Witch's Cottage was a woman dressed in shabby trousers, gum boots and what, even at the distance they were away, was clearly a mans shirt. She also wore a red knitted cap. Titty almost instinctively let go of Dick's hand and was about to speak, but the woman interrupted her.

"Is that you Titty?"

She knew at once that her first thought had been right, it was Nancy and without saying more or waiting for Dick she ran towards the narrow wooden footbridge that spanned the dyke at the front of the cottage.

"Nancy, Nancy!" She shouted. Dick followed, he too had realised who the woman was but could not believe that she should just appear despite their attempts to find her. By the time he reached the bridge Titty had crossed and rushed up to Nancy, thrown her arms around her neck and hugged and kissed her with as much affection as she could muster.

"Nancy, where have you been, we've all been so worried about you. What happened?"

"Nothing Titty, nothing at all. Who's been worrying?" Nancy disentangled herself from Titty's demonstrativeness, she looked at Dick and he could tell that she didn't recognise him whereas he would have known Nancy anywhere despite the years that had passed since they last met.

"Hello Nancy, you've given us all the run-around!" He could see as he walked towards her the moment of recognition of him on her part.

"Dick! Barbequed Billy goats, Dick!" She rushed up to him and hugged him, behaviour so unlike the Nancy he used to know and almost equal to that of Titty and Dot. "When did you come back from America? Are you here long?"

"About a month ago, and I'm here as long as I want to be." Nancy suddenly remembered she was, as all those years ago in Beckfoot the, hostess.

"Come inside, Daisy's in the kitchen, you heard about Daisy didn't you Dick?"

"I certainly did, Dot wrote to me all about when Daisy tracked you down to Wales!" Titty could almost see Nancy blushing at this point, but with her familiar bravura she continued.

"Come and meet her, come on!"

Nancy led the way to the rear of the cottage, the back door was open and they could see someone inside looking out of the kitchen window. Titty waved to Daisy who recognised her at once, they had not met that often since those few days in Wales but it was Daisy who continued to write to Titty with the news of them both. As they made their way inside Daisy glanced at Dick, she had not heard the conversation outside, but it was the spectacles and the similarity to Dot that made her conclude who this strange man was, a man who Nancy was not only very pleased to see but clearly not unsettled by.

Daisy and Titty greeted each other affectionately and she introduced Dick. Daisy spoke directly to him.

"The famous Dick at last, the one who reached the Pole, discovered copper and got up to mysterious things during the war?" There was an element of teasing in her voice, and Dick was embarrassed, realising all the things Nancy must have told her.

"Yes, it's good to know Nancy speaks well of me."

"She certainly does, you're one of a special group, do you know? One of very few men Nancy has faith and trust in." Dick was uncertain what to say, in his nervousness he removed his spectacles and began to wipe them with a handkerchief hastily pulled from his pocket. Nancy laughed.

"You still do that?" Titty at once defended him.

"Leave him be Nancy." She was pleased that Daisy supported him.

"Ignore her Dick, she really does think that of you, it's just hard to get her to admit it!"

Daisy offered them tea, and as she set about making it Nancy showed them around the cottage, though there was little to see as it was once must have been a simple cottage for whoever looked after the sluice gate on the quay. The small rooms all had whitewashed walls, and the furniture was a mishmash of country styles and obviously what they had been given or could afford. The kitchen had racks and shelves with all kinds of cooking utensils and a range for cooking on, Titty wondered if this was all down to Daisy as Nancy had always avoided such things in the past.

After Nancy had show them around they returned to the kitchen where Daisy was warming the teapot from the boiled kettle, Nancy encouraged them to sit at the large table, which they did. It was not long before mugs of tea were before them, along with a slice of fruitcake, in some ways nothing changed whenever any of the friends got together.

Before Dick or Titty had a chance to talk to them both they were interrupted by a man's voice out in the back garden.

"Nancy! You there?" She got up from her chair and went over to the open kitchen door.

"It's George." She turned and spoke to Daisy. At the door she spoke to the man who the others were unable to see from where they sat. "Hello George. What can we do for you?"

"Just thought I'd let you know there's a man and woman looking for you, I gave them a lift from Island Lane to the Town. They say they know you." Dick at once knew the voice, but said nothing.

"Yes George, they found us, come in and have some tea." Nancy turned around and came back in to the kitchen and the man that followed her was the farmer Dick and Titty had spoken to the day before. Daisy gestured to the empty chair at the table and poured him a mug of tea. Dick's experiences of the war kicked in and he reacted accordingly.

"Yes, we've met." His tone was guarded. "So you did know about them?" Nancy intervened.

"Yes Dick he knew and we asked him to not let on to anyone who asked that he knew us, George is Jim Brading's nephew so we knew he would understand." Titty spoke, she too was apprehensive.

"Yes, he told us yesterday." Nancy continued.

"Look, I'm sorry about all this, and you too George, but you'll understand when we get the chance to tell you everything." George looked unbothered by all this, quickly drained his mug of tea and stood up.

"I must be going." Looking at Titty and Dick he continued. "Sorry I couldn't say more yesterday, but Jim did ask me to keep an eye on these two, not that they really need it! Let me know if you need help with anything while you're here. Goodbye." With this he went out through the back door and they saw him pass the kitchen window.