Page 27 of The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge
Nancy drew a sharp breath. ‘Are you saying that the girls aren’t up to it?’
‘No, no, of course not.’ The other girls were staring at him and it was the first time she’d seen James flustered. ‘Just, I thought they were still giving priority to the men coming out of the forces. It’s only fair, don’t you think?’
‘Why? Why’s that fair?’ Nancy demanded. ‘We need educating, too. Anyway, you weren’t in the forces.’
‘No… but I’ll need to do National Service, which you ladies won’t.’ He finished his last forkful of pie and started on his semolina.
‘Only because we’ll be having your children,’ Anne Southgate snapped, then giggled. ‘Well, I don’t mean yours personally.’
‘Fair play,’ he said, then smiled. ‘But you won’t be doing science by then.’
There was a silence as they considered this, a silence that Peggy broke. ‘Marrying and having kids will be years away,’ she said brightly. ‘Anyway, you shouldn’t assume we’ll all want to do that. Or maybe we’ll combine a family with working.’
‘All right.’ James raised his palm in a gesture of surrender. ‘Now you’re ganging up on me. I apologize.’
‘I do think James is on to something, actually.’ It was Anne Durban who’d spoken. She was a calm, thoughtful girl with wings of dark hair that framed an oval face with smooth creamy skin. ‘Everybody does get married, don’t they? Iknow I want to one day, if some man will have me. Some of the girls from my school are already engaged. Mummy says it’s a waste of money me coming here, but I don’t think so. I want to learn as much as I can and be useful. Maybe I’ll be able to work for several years anyway, so that will be worth it.’
Everybody listened in surprise to this speech, James with an admiring look. Reserved Anne Durban rarely spoke at any length and the girls had never talked about such things before. Nancy certainly hadn’t given the matter much thought.
‘I came just because it was the next thing to do,’ Peggy put in. ‘I wanted to study Zoology and my parents encouraged me. I haven’t thought about what’ll happen afterwards. I’ll work as a scientist of some sort, I imagine. But of course I want to get married one day.’
‘I suppose it’s hard on you girls,’ James’ tone was measured, as though he, too, was thinking about it for the first time. ‘But I’m out to make a name for myself as a scientist. I don’t know how yet, but I will.’
Nancy heard this and something stirred in her. It was as though he’d issued a challenge. ‘I’ve got my own plans,’ she said crossly, as James piled plates noisily onto his tray.
‘Good for you, Nan.’ Anne Southgate was glancing at her watch. ‘It’s nearly two. None of us will get anywhere in life if we’re late for the afternoon lecture.’
And with that they all rose and went to stack their trays on the trolley. When they walked out into the autumn sunshine, James strode ahead of them across the quad towards the Zoo building. It struck Nancy with dismay that this clever boywith his good looks, his purposefulness and his arrogance would always be ahead. It was the first time in life that she had been offered such a competitor. She would have to do her utmost to keep up.
Fourteen
2010
In Dragonfly Lodge, Nancy’s voice faded and for a while there was silence. The sun had moved round behind the trees, filling the room with restless shadows. A clock ticked on the mantelpiece. Stef lowered her notebook and glanced at the old lady. Her eyes were closed. Her face was drawn, but she held herself upright and Stef didn’t think she was asleep or in pain. Lost in thoughts of the past perhaps.
She said softly, ‘You described it all so well.’
Nancy opened her eyes and smiled. ‘It’s years since I’ve spoken about it, but once I started it’s surprising how quickly it all came back to me. The intensity of being young. I still feel it strongly. Hopes, dreams and disappointments.’ She laughed. ‘And a heavy curtain of ignorance separated us from the future. At eighteen we were very naïve, much more than we’d be today.’
‘But you’d lived through a terrible war.’
‘Yes, we had, but funnily enough we didn’t talk much about that. Even the students who’d been in the forces didn’t discuss their experiences.’ She paused. ‘Not then, anyway. My parents were very bothered about Roger for a while. They felt that he’d completely lost his way. However, his problems took their attention off me and I’m afraid I was grateful for that.’
She blinked several times and Stef saw that she was tired. ‘I ought to leave you in peace. Is there anything I can do first?’
‘I don’t think so, dear. Aaron will be back any minute. I’ll have to get used to those wretched instruments of torture, I suppose.’ They both looked at a pair of crutches propped against the arm of the sofa. ‘They made me practise in the hospital, but I can’t get upstairs with them. Aaron is going to move a single mattress down here – the beds themselves are too heavy – but I won’t find a mattress easy to get up from.’ A vulnerable look crossed her face. ‘Old age is a pig.’
‘Mum’s got a folding guest bed,’ Stef remembered suddenly. ‘A really sturdy one. Comfortable, too. I’ve slept on it in the past. I could bring it over if you like.’
Nancy brightened. ‘That might be the solution. Would she mind lending it?’
‘I’m sure she wouldn’t. Though, oh dear, my car’s not big enough. Nor is Mum’s.’ And Ted’s van would be full of the tools of his trade.
‘Aaron’s would be. It looks very sleek, but you could get an elephant into the back once the seats are down.’
They looked up at the clunk of the garden gate. ‘Ah, speak of the devil,’ Nancy murmured. They watched Aaron’s steadytrudge across the garden with a bulging carrier bag in each hand, then heard the front door open. ‘Hello,’ he called out.
‘Hello,’ Nancy echoed, ’we’re in here.’
