CHAPTER XIX
THE FUTURE?
In the Land Rover Daisy and Susan chatted as they made there way back in to the Town. Susan wanted to avoid discussion of the events that had just unfolded, and she was curious about Daisy's domesticity, a role in their childhoods she had always taken on.
"Did the Blackett's Cook really give you the cake recipe?"
"Of course, but why I don't know, I didn't ask for it."
"She was always kind and gave us leftovers from the kitchen, but she was always very secretive about her recipes." Susan laughed. "Not that I'm bothered anymore, the rank I am now there is always someone else to deal with it all!" Daisy parked in the High Street.
"I've only a couple of shops to go to. Do you want to wait here?" Susan agreed she would and watched as first Daisy went in to the fishmongers and came out soon after with a large package, she then went in to the grocers nearby, leaving with a small bag. She got back in the Land Rover and passed Susan the shopping to hold during the journey back.
"That's annoying, it's always hard to get olive oil, I think we've got enough." Susan was surprised.
"What do you want that for?"
"Salad dressing of course, to go with the salmon and on the new potatoes, French style."
"French!" Susan exclaimed. "Where did you learn French cooking?"
"Oh in Scotland, some of our neighbours the wife was French and taught me as it was pretty clear when they had a meal with us once my range of dishes was pretty limited!"
"And Nancy likes it?"
"Of course, as long as she doesn't have to do it!" Susan smiled to herself and thought about how they all changed over the years.
As they drove back Daisy was quite forthright with Susan.
"So it's only you and Dot to settle down now?"
"Settle down!"
"You know, find someone special in your lives."
"I don't think Dot ever will, she always watched out for Dick, that does worry me a bit about him and Titty."
"And you?"
"Me, well as the others say I'm married to my career!"
"But that will be over one day, then what?"
"Daisy, I don't know. I've never met anyone that could mean that much to me, I suppose I'll take over from mother and look after Roger."
"Poor Roger, is there nothing they can do for him?"
"I don't know, it seems he was psychologically tortured, how you deal with that…" He voice trailed away. Daisy tried to be positive.
"May be in the future, a new treatment will help him."
"Lets hope so."
They arrived back at the cottage, in the kitchen a basket of new potatoes and salad stuff awaited Daisy, and she could see someone had tidied and cleaned up as best they could. She put the salmon on the table and started to unwrap it.
"It's supposed to filleted but they'll be some bones left." She took a pair of culinary tweezers from a jar on one of the shelves. The others stood around as if they would be given instructions.
"Nancy, why don't you all go down to the Quay, then by the time you're back I'll be a bit more organised."
Agreeing, Nancy, Susan, Dot, Dick and Titty left the cottage turned right and walked further along the lane passed the barn and on to the quay, a wooden footbridge crossed the end of the quay and the footpath it was part of would go on if followed around to the landing stage at the Wade and beyond. On the right hand side of what was once the quay was Quay House, and on the wooden sides of the quay mooring rings and chains waited for barges that would never be there again.
The tide was out as they all stood on the footbridge looking across the backwaters, now reduced to no more than mudflats. Dick was intrigued.
"So you sailed up to here?"
"At high tide you can, there used to be barges that came up a long time ago, but the navigation can be tricky." Titty remembered from when they were surveying for their map of Secret Water. Nancy agreed.
"Yes, and messy if you fell in!"
On their return to the cottage, when they walked in to the kitchen they could see Daisy had things under control, she was busy making a salad and the potatoes were bubbling away in a saucepan on the range and the aroma from the salmon in the oven was in the air.
"Nancy, haven't we a bottle of white wine in the cellar?"
"You have a cellar? How?" Titty couldn't work out where.
"Only a small one for coal really, but it's enough to keep things cold."
"We do, I'll go and get it." Nancy went back outside. Having finished the salad Daisy gave some orders.
"Dot could you lay the table? You three," she gestured to the others, "sit down and keep out of the way!" Daisy grinned as she said it clearly only concerned about the lack of space for six of them.
As Dot found crockery, cutlery and glasses for them all Nancy returned with a bottle of wine and another of ginger beer.
"Who wants what?"
She passed the bottle of wine to Dick.
"There's a corkscrew in that drawer, can you open the bottle?" He found it and made short work of opening it and passing it back to Nancy. She poured wine for them all and ginger beer for herself. Passing the glasses around she then spoke.
"I think we should have a toast, but first we are both sorry to have caused so much trouble for you all. Now, to Titty and Dick, well done to both of you and whatever you plan for the future we hope it goes well."
They all raised their glasses and drank to the couple.
Daisy was waiting by the oven of the range.
"Come on now all sit down and I can serve the salmon." She once again gave them orders and Titty pondered how different she and Nancy were in character when they were together from how the two of them were in the past.
They ate well, as had been observed Daisy was a very good cook. With the meal finished the table cleared the talk between them returned to adventures.
Nancy, to nobody's surprise, started.
"Look, when are we all going to get together and do something?"
"Well," Susan retorted, "I've no more leave until Christmas, and I don't think John has either."
"We," Dick started.
"Do you mean you and Titty or you and Dot?" Susan was teasing him.
"I don't know, all of us. We don't have to worry." Nancy took the chance.
"Why don't we meet up at Beckfoot? Mother and Uncle Jim wont mind, and your mother, Susan and Titty, will be there already." Titty wondered out loud.
"But what will we do, Dick and Dot already discovered the North Pole."
"Ah yes, but what about the South Pole?" Nancy clearly had plans.