“I
know you’re 15 years older me” Daniel said “and I don’t care, and my young
heart doesn’t care, because I love you”
Win
gasped as the words left his lips, it had been a very long time since the previous
time they were spoken to her.
And
she had thought she would never hear them spoken to her again.
And a
moment later she heard herself saying
“I
love you too”
Daniel
saw her lips form the words, but dare not believe the evidence of his eyes
until each word was delivered.
“You
do?” he asked
“Yes I
do” she said “now kiss me before I change my mind”
To the untrained
eye nothing changed between them after their declaration as they kept their
relationship secret until the spring.
People were used
to seeing them together around Shallowfield, at the Church Hall or in the
church itself, so it wasn’t difficult
When they announced their engagement they received mixed reactions from
their friends and the St Mary’s congregation.
But from the overwhelming majority it was favourable.
The Vicar was one
of the most accepting and so he squeezed them in for a June wedding.
When he told his
parents, his father, Horace, forbade him to marry the “old widow” as he called
her, for every conceivable reason, age, class, profession and the fact she was
from Yorkshire, all without ever having met her and said “if you defy me boy
and wed her you will do so without my support”
So on a beautiful
June afternoon he did indeed defy his father and married Winifred Margaret
Holland nee Tiplady, in front of friends and neighbours, she was given away by
her brother in law George Holland who despite ill health had journeyed down
from Hull for the occasion.
His parents were
not in attendance but did not leave the day totally unmarked as among the cards
and telegrams was a solicitor’s letter informing Daniel that no financial
support should be expected from his father and to vacate South View with
immediate effect.
Fortunately in
anticipation of his father’s actions, Daniel had already moved out, he did feel
a little sadness when he left South View but that was far outweighed by the joy
of marrying Win.
After their
special day they had a honeymoon in Torquay and then they lived happily as man
and wife at the Old Mill Cottage.
Five years passed
by in the blink of an eye and they were still just as happy.
They were still
very much in love and also still very active in the Church.
Win was still the
organist and Daniel was the Choirmaster.
It was the
beginning of December and they were in the Old Mill Cottage beside a roaring
fire as freezing fog cloaked the landscape.
They were planning
what to do for Winnie’s 50th birthday in January when there was a
knock at the door.
Daniel got up and
left Winifred pouring over holiday brochures and went to answer the knock, he
closed the lounge door behind him to keep in the warmth then he braced himself
for the influx of cold air as he opened the street door.
“Hello darling” an
elegant middle aged woman wrapped up in furs said
“Mum?” Daniel said
“come in, come in”
He hadn’t seen her
for seven years and the last time had been in Nice so she wasn’t dressed like a
Grizzly bear.
Although his
father Horace had severed all contact he had been in regular contact with her
via a post office box.
But she hadn’t
mentioned in her last letter that she was returning to the country.
He closed the door
and hugged her, a long warm hug.
“What are you
doing here?” he asked “Are you alone?”
“I’m afraid so”
she said flatly
He knew his father
had been in poor health in the last year, so by her tone he assumed Horace had died.
A prolonged silent
hug ensued before Elspeth Travers said
“I think it’s about
time I was introduced to your wife”
Win guessed it
might me someone significant due to the length of time Daniel was gone so she
tidied away the brochures and sat poised on the sofa.
Win stood up when
the door opened and a slim well coutured lady in her sixties, now devoid of
furs, walked in.
Elspeth smiled and
then immediately hugged Win.
“I’m so pleased to
meet you” she said “it’s long overdue”
“Thank you” Win
said and completely out of character cried
They had a
wonderful Christmas as Elspeth stayed in Shallowfield until the New Year.
She stayed at the Old
Mill Cottage, with Dan and Winnie for a week while she reopened South View.
When the
contractors had been in and got the house habitable and ready for habitation
she spoke to her son and daughter in law.
“There is to be a
family Christmas Dinner at the house and you two are the hosts” she announced
“What?” said
Daniel “Who’s going to be there?”
“Everyone who
should have been at the wedding” she said “If your father hadn’t been so
stubborn”
“But why do we
have to host?” he asked
“Because it’s your
house” she replied
“It is?” Win said
a little shell-shocked
“I’m going back to
Nice in January” Elspeth said “That’s my home now”
“This is our home”
Daniel said squeezing Win’s hand
She knew how much
he loved South View and she would not be the reason he didn’t return, they had
been happy at the Cottage but they would be happy anywhere because they were in
love.
“Home is where we
choose to make it darling” she said
“Quite right
Winnie” Elspeth said
Despite his
apprehension Christmas went very well and meeting the Aunts, Uncles and cousins
was not as onerous as he first supposed.
There were still
some who supported Horace’s stance on the marriage, but his philosophy was that
it was their loss.
In January,
Elspeth, wrapped in fur once again left Downshire bound for sunnier climes,
never to return again.
Not however,
“never to be seen again” over the years Win and Daniel would be frequent
visitors to the South of France until her death in 1996.
For Winnie’s 50th
birthday he took her to Venice on the Orient Express, a trip she never forgot.
As to returning to
South View, they waited until the spring before they moved in, and they would
never live anywhere else again.
Over the years
they had their ups and downs but they remained in love and they were always
best friends.
He was still
Choirmaster and had become a Church warden as well.
The only blot on
their landscape over their latter years was her health.
Her poverty
stricken childhood finally caught up with her, crippling arthritis first forced
her to give up the organ and then confined her to a wheelchair.
But despite her
poor health and advancing years Winnie seldom missed a Church service or failed
to accompany Daniel to choir practice.
When she reached
her 84th year she often found herself reflecting on her life with Daniel and
how much she loved him and she never once regretted her decision.
Winnie had three loves, the first was Daniel, the second was the organ,
which she was now denied her and the last one was Olwen’s chapel.
So when word reached her that involved the Chapel and a love story she
was intrigued and looked forward to meeting Olivia Adamson, a recent newcomer to the lake, who had
made an appointment to see Daniel; as head of the Olwen’s Chapel preservation
society.
Daniel invited
them in to the drawing room and introduced Olivia to his wife Win,
Ben needed no
introduction as he had met her many times before.
“This is my wife
Win” he said proudly
“I’m so pleased to
meet you” Olivia said
“And me you my
dear” Win replied “It’s about time Ben found himself a good woman”
“The problem was
you were already taken” Ben said
“Flatterer” she
replied
Ben and Liv sat on
the sofa and Daniel wheeled Win’s chair closer in, then he sat too.
“So how can I
help?” Daniel asked
“Oh Danny don’t
play with them, you know perfectly well why they are here” Win said
indiscreetly
“Win!!” he said in
exasperation
“We want to get
married….” Olivia began “in Olwen’s Chapel”
“The Chapel hasn’t
been used for a proper wedding since the first world war” Daniel said
“September 13th 1914 to be precise”
“Don’t you think
that’s a shame?” Ben said
“I’m not sure”
Daniel replied “it might set a precedence”
“But the society
would still be in control” Olivia said
“You realize that
it isn’t my decision to make” he said “I am just one member of the society”
“But they will
follow your lead dear” Win said
Liv and Ben left
South View that night without getting a decision.
“Why would you not
say yes?” Win asked
“I didn’t say no”
he retorted
“But you will” she
said
“Because it is
just a whim” He said and Win gave him a look
“They’ve only known
each other for four months” he said “And they believe they’re in love”
“And how long who
you known me before you fell in love” Win reminded him
“That was
different” returned Dan
“No! It wasn’t”
Win answered
Two days later Win
finally got her way and he agreed it was in the Church hall where he broke the
news
“You can use the
Chapel” he said “but there are conditions”
“Name them” Olivia
said
“It must be on the
100th anniversary of the last wedding” Dan said
“Agreed” Liv and
Ben said in unison, that date fitted perfectly with the time Ben would be off
“Secondly the
society and only the society will prepare the Chapel for the ceremony”
“Agreed” Liv and
Ben said in unison again, they hadn’t given a moment’s thought to that side of
things anyway.
“Finally, and this
is a deal breaker” Dan said solemnly
“Ok” Olivia said
apprehensively
“Win must be
invited” he said and Olivia and Ben burst out laughing.
It took no little
effort to get Winnie and her wheelchair up to the Chapel but it had to be done
as Win would not be dissuaded from attending.
And it took almost as long as it took for Amanda to lead the Horse and Trap around the
perimeter road and along the wooded lane up to the Chapel.
Claire and Harry
were chattering away the whole trip but Olivia didn’t hear a word she was lost
in the enchantment of it all, she was so happy and for the first time ever she
felt like a princess.
When they reached
the point on the lane closest to the chapel Amanda halted the cart.
The wedding party having
been conveyed to the Chapel on a Governess
Cart, a small two-wheeled horse-drawn cart with a small tub body decorated with flowers, pulled by a heavy
set white horse and led by Amanda Flanders.
Due to a stand of
trees there was no obvious sign of Olwen’s Chapel from the lane.
“Are we here?”
Claire asked
“Yes indeed”
Amanda replied as she opened the door.
“Are you sure?”
Claire said looking around as she climbed down
“It’s just through
there” she said pointing to a narrow path
Harry came down
next and then held Olivia hand as she followed him.
Amanda kicked off
her boots and slipped on something more fitting and then led the way up the
path.
It meandered
through about 50 yards of dense woodland and then opened out into Olwen’s
clearing, and when they reached it Olivia gasped.
“Oh my” said
Claire
Although the chapel was in actually just an assortment of stones on the
forest floor arranged around a granite altar stone in a woodland clearing.
The society had
prepared the Chapel with flowers and chairs borrowed from the church hall and
the altar stone was dressed with the appropriate finery.
When Olivia
appeared on the arm of Major General Cooper there was an audible gasp.
Win cried
throughout the very moving ceremony as did every other woman present.
The wedding, was a fairy tale affair at Olwen’s Chapel.
And every woman present was jealous to the core.
Lynn Cooper’s son
in law Steve Lerman provided the music and the Chapel was full of friends from
Shallowfield and Bushy Down and for the first time in her life Olivia Adamson
felt special.
Steve Lerman
started the music and Harry Cooper led her up the aisle where Reverend Robert
Hunter was waiting to marry her to Ben Shenton.
It was a beautiful
ceremony, very moving and incredibly atmospheric.
The Reception was
held at the Shallowfield Lodge Hotel, Win was feeling quite unwell throughout
but kept that fact to herself and stayed to the very end,
Sadly that was the
last occasion she was seen in public.
All through the
winter Winnie suffered a series of chest infections, the final one culminating
in pneumonia.
But thanks to Dr
Claire Andrews’s ministrations Winnie survived through until the spring and
spent one more summer on the Lake before her heart gave out and she died in her
sleep one September night.
Such was Winifred Travers popularity that everyone wanted to pay their
respects.
St Mary’s was packed to the gunwales and it seemed like the whole of
Shallowfield had turned out to say goodbye and everything ground to a halt.
But the level of love expressed by all and sundry on that somber day was
of little consolation to Daniel who had lost his soul mate.
When the wake was over and he had bade farewell to the last of the well-wishers
he closed the door behind them.
“Alone at last my darling” he said
Claire Andrews was concerned by what she saw at the wake, Daniel had looked
suddenly old and tired, where he had always looked spritely and fit.
She thought, although she knew that from her medical training it was not
possible, that he looked as if part of him had died along with Winnie.
So she made a point of paying weekly visits to him to check on his
status.
For the first month he would let her in and they would converse, it was
strained but it was converse.
For the second month she got as far as the hall, the month after they
talked on the doorstep.
The following week he opened the door on the change and they spoke
through a crack in the door.
After that he didn’t open the door at all.
Claire persisted however and went to the house daily, and spoke to him
through the letter box.
She could hear him in the house moving around and talking to someone, but
he didn’t respond to her.
This was repeated day after day until one day in March she began her one sided
conversation and heard nothing, no movement, no talking, nothing.
For thirty minutes she carried on and then she decided to call for
assistance, and phone for the police and Paramedics.
Within 10 minutes PC’s Jennings and Lowis arrived at South View.
“Morning Doctor” PC Jennings said
She knew Ian Jennings, he was dating one of the practice nurses.
“Thank God” she said “I need to get in Ian, Mr Travers isn’t answering”
“How long have you been trying?” he said
“About an hour” she replied
“Maybe he’s gone out” Jennings said
“He hasn’t left home since his wife died” Claire said
“Ok then” Ian responded
“I’ll check around the back” PC Lowis said
Catherine Lowis returned after doing a circuit of the house
“No sign of life and no way in” she said
“Ok” Ian said and got the ram from the car and made short work of forcing
the door open.
The PC’s went in first, Ian searched the ground floor and Catherine went
upstairs.
“In here Doc” Ian called
Claire followed his voice and found him standing next to an armchair containing
the lifeless body of Daniel Travers.
On the tables either side of the chair were numerous photos of his late
wife.
“Oh damn” she said “I guess you can cancel the ambulance”
When Daniels body had been removed Claire had one last look around the
house and allowed the love that was ingrained in the fabric of the house wash
over her.
When she stepped over the threshold PC Jennings, who was just making some
final notes in his book, looked up and asked
“What are you going to list as cause of death Doc?”
“Well I don’t quite know what terminology to use but in my professional
opinion he died of a broken heart”
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