Love on the Waterways by Milly Adams

Author:Milly Adams
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House

Chapter 14

Wednesday 5 April – pre-Easter celebration at Buckby

The Marigold turned off towards Buckby under the command of Verity, who had already checked Jimmy Porter’s homework. Polly, on the butty with Sylvia on tow behind, had some easy reading books on the shelf, and had chosen several to pass on when they arrived at Bull’s Bridge. It was hopeless to expect his parents to pick up his mistakes, but it gave Jimmy huge pleasure to read to them, and they to listen. It was opening their minds, Mrs Porter had said.

Sylvia steered as Polly stood on the counter, chewing the end of her pencil, wondering about the wisdom of opening minds, for were they disturbing the traditions of the cut? Sylvia interrupted her train of thought. ‘Are you sure the invitation includes me? I’m not their friend, in the same way you two are?’

‘Of course, it’s for all five of us.’

‘Five?’ Sylvia looked confused.

Polly tucked her pencil in her pocket. ‘Dog, of course. Fran now accepts him under sufferance, but any nonsense and Dog’s out on the porch again. But that applies to all of us. One wrong step and out we go.’

Sylvia was looking at her. ‘Ho-ho, a likely story.’

Polly said, ‘Just you wait and see. I’m always surprised that Fran hasn’t a ruler to smack our hands.’

Sylvia sniffed and adjusted the tiller slightly. ‘Now I know you’re being silly.’

Polly was still smiling as Verity slowed the motor. ‘We’ll be mooring up here, just before Crick Tunnel, Sylvia. Fran might come and meet us with her tricycle and awful cart, but now that we know the way, no doubt we’ll be trusted to find Spring Cottage ourselves. We can’t all fit into the cart anyway, thank heavens.’

‘What about Saul, Granfer and Harry? How will they find the cottage?’

Verity was pulling into the bank. Polly readied herself to moor up the butty. ‘Granfer and Saul visited an aunt here recently, so I expect they’ll know. Buckby’s where a lot of the boaters retire, but there must be youngsters hereabout too, because Fran teaches at a school.’

Verity shoved the boat into reverse, the water churned and Marigold stopped. Horizon slid into the stern hull with a slight jerk, but Verity was already ashore, shouting to Tom, ‘Heave her back, Tom, and tie her up on the mooring ring.’ The rings were placed at regular intervals along the bank.

Polly collected the brace of pheasant hanging on the back of the store cabin, dropping them into a hessian bag and slinging them over her shoulder. Fran liked the idea of Saul nicking pheasants from the woods, and she and Sylvia would have to argue the toss about that, as the third member of the Marigold crew thought it immoral to add to the ration when others couldn’t. As Polly carried the pheasants along the gunwhale she heard Fran’s yell, ‘Ah, pheasant. The password for entry into the cottage. Not sure we’ve any Easter eggs, though.’

Bet and Fran were standing on the bank, Bet with her hands deep in her pockets, her short dark hair lifting in the wind.

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