Page 33 of The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge
James was taking charge now, prowling about quietly,looking for places where they might conceal themselves. There was no sign of life at the sett, just the holes, black and sinister-looking in the fading light, and hillocks of freshly dug earth. Nancy pointed him to another oak tree some twenty yards away with low-spreading branches, and they went to inspect it. It seemed the most obvious observation platform, so James interlinked his fingers as a foothold for Anne, but when it was Nancy’s turn she spurned his help and scrambled up by herself. Each found themselves a comfortable perch on their own branch, Nancy with her back against the trunk and her knees drawn up. What a funny lot of roosting birds they were, she thought with a smile. As the light faded and darkness gathered in the hollows, they waited in silence, hidden by the canopy and not daring to move.
For what seemed like a long time, nothing happened. Birds sang their liquid songs around them, a squirrel ran up the tree and froze, startled, to see its strange fruit. A small bug tickled Nancy’s hand and she brushed it away. The air grew cooler and she shivered despite her thick jersey. Cramp was setting in and she was just wondering about flexing her legs when she heard James, on the branch above her, give a sharp intake of breath. Slowly, she lowered her gaze to survey the bank with its black holes, her eyes narrowing in the dwindling light.
Something whitish was moving on the ground there. She blinked and a white furry face with a black vertical stripe down each side came into focus. She caught the glint of its eyes as it raised its snout, snuffing the air. The badger waslarger than she’d expected, probably a boar. It browsed about in the loam for a minute or two, searching for worms, then returned to the hole. Disappointment seeped through her, but after a moment it reappeared and her spirits rose, for this time it made a low whickering sound and another slightly smaller adult emerged, then several cubs bounded out.
The little family began to bustle about, the cubs tumbling over one another, emitting little growls and yelps. Nancy watched and listened, open-mouthed in wonder. Then she jumped at a movement above; was it James or Anne? A soft curse and something dropped past her, battering the leaves and hitting the ground with a smack. Immediately, the boar badger raised his head on full alert, then opened his maw and issued a loud grunt of alarm. A moment’s mayhem followed as the badgers fled back to their hole, and once again the scene was still and silent under the moon.
‘Sorry,’ James sighed. ‘It was the bloomin’ case for the field glasses.’
‘Never mind,’ Anne’s voice wailed from above. ‘I’m so cold I can’t move.’
‘Weren’t they magical, though?’ Nancy cried.
‘Magical,’ the others agreed as they climbed stiffly down.
As they walked back to camp together in the moonlight, linking arms, with James between the girls, Nancy felt the happiest she’d ever been. Nothing, she thought, could ever match the joy she’d experienced that evening.
Something else happened that really touched her. At the end of the trip, Edmund presented her with a little dragonfly that he’d whittled from a piece of wood. ‘Because you likethe creatures,’ he said with a friendly smile. It was roughly carved, but there was something spirited about it and she accepted it with a cry of pleasure.
Seventeen
‘I still have it,’ Nancy said and pointed to a bookshelf behind her. ‘Can you get it down?’
Stef put aside her notebook and reached up. She examined the small wooden carving, admiring the accuracy of the proportions. ‘It’s beautiful!’ She handed it to the old lady, who cupped it tenderly in her hands before passing it back.
‘I’ve held on to the memory of that field trip all my life. I’ve often returned to it in times of trouble. It’s like a safe haven in my mind. The quiet beauty of the New Forest, the magical experience of seeing those wonderful creatures, the way we all bonded as fellow students. It was perfect.’
‘It sounded truly amazing.’ Stef turned off the tape recorder.
‘I was so fortunate. Do you have anything like that, a golden memory you go back to?’
Stef thought, then said, ‘Oh, beach holidays, that sort of thing. Holkham, actually,’ she said, naming the vast sandy beach on the North Norfolk coast.
‘Of course, I’ve often been. It’s an incredible place.’
‘I remember when I was about twelve and my mum and dad were still happy together. It was a really hot summer’s day and the sea was shallow and so warm. And I saw horses galloping over the beach. I’d never ridden a horse, but I longed to that day. Sadly, it wasn’t something my parents could afford.’
‘These experiences are important,’ Nancy said. ‘You need a stock of them to take out and look at when life is getting you down. The importance of that field trip was that it cemented in me a deep love for my studies. I went home more determined than ever that I would be a scientist. Little did I know how important the memory of it would become to me years later when things turned dark.’
Stef’s eyes widened. Should she turn on the tape recorder again? But no, Nancy was now struggling to stand up. ‘Would you pass my crutches? I ought to go and check the animals,’ she said. ‘I sent Aaron in to feed them before he left, but I’d still like to see them for myself. Perhaps you’d come with me. I’m not awfully good at managing.’
‘Of course I’ll help,’ Stef said, jumping up.
She passed a busy half an hour under Nancy’s firm instruction, cleaning out a couple of the cages and topping up water bottles. Then, in the kitchen, she laid out the old lady’s salad lunch and fetched a warm throw from upstairs. The carer, whose name was Lauren, was returning later to help with dinner and the evening routine. Nancy questioned the need for this. ‘I don’t object to her particularly, she is very nice. It’s the idea of needing anybody.’ She sighed. ‘I suppose I have to put up with it.’
‘Are you sure you’ll be okay till she comes?’ Stef said as she prepared to leave.
‘Of course. So tomorrow, Lauren’s coming first thing, then you’ll be here at about ten and Aaron will be back in the afternoon.’
‘You’ll ring in the meantime if you need anything?’
Nancy’s answer was to pat the phone lying next to the TV remote on the sofa. Stef had made sure her number, and that of Springfield Cottage, were in the contacts list. While she respected Nancy’s desire for independence, she couldn’t shake off her unease about the injured woman being on her own overnight.
Eighteen
When Stef returned to Springfield Cottage, it was to find that her mother was out somewhere with Baxter. She made herself a ham sandwich and took it upstairs, where she went through her emails, then wrote one to her agent.
Hi Sarah, a quick update. I’m still in Norfolk and have had a good chat with Nancy Foster. She’s really interesting so far – I’m still interviewing her – and will possibly do for the book. More anon.
