Shallowfield lay on the southern edge of the Finchbottom Vale and Shallowfield’s fortunes had always relied largely upon forestry and agriculture for its survival.
In the post
war years with rationing and a shortage of work a lot of people moved away, to
Abbottsford, Abbeyvale and beyond, and it only barely survived.
And the
community around Teardrop Lake fared even worse.
Only a few
of the houses around the Lake were thriving, a lot of the houses had been
rented out and those that hadn’t were in a poor state of repair, some too such
an extent they were little more than ruins.
But by the
70s things were beginning to change, thanks mainly to tourism and an increase
in leisure time.
More
importantly these people had money in their pockets.
This trend
was reflected by the fact that the derelict Shallowfield Lodge, which had been
inherited by a young couple from Lincolnshire, Rob and Sheryl Brown, was turned
into a hotel.
Its
completion formerly marked the rebirth of Teardrop Lake and by extension
Shallowfield and one of its residents, some forty something years later, was Rafael
Seeber who worked as the Manager and senior stylist at Mazzone’s.
It was the latest addition in the Mazzone chain of hairdressers and
Rafael was the manager and he was so committed to making a success of it that
he moved to Shallowfield and bought a house at the Childean end of the Village
After only
six months in the village he had been lucky enough to get two tickets to the
Lutchford’s Garden Party on the August Bank Holiday, at his home, Forest Lodge, on the
southwest shore of Teardrop Lake.
Peter
Lutchford had lived in Forest Lodge since he was 12, it had been the home of
the Flanders family for over one hundred years and when his mother remarried it
effectively became his.
A year after
he moved there his sister Amanda came along, she was now Mrs Bishop.
It had
become an annual event since Peter Lutchford had married local Doctor, Claire
Andrews, and it had become one of the “jewel in the crown” event in Shallowfield
and in particular Teardrop Lake.
He was a
world renowned film director, and he had his own production company, Teardrop
Productions, based at Purplemere Studios.
Because of
his fame as a director and his sister’s as an actress there was always a
liberal sprinkling of celebrities present at the Lutchford’s parties, so it was
quite a coup to get an invite to either the Garden Party, the fancy dress party
at Halloween or the other one on New Year’s Eve.
However his
wife Claire always ensured the ordinary people of the community made up the
majority of the guests.
His initial
thought was to decline the invitation as it wasn’t really his kind of thing,
plus he didn’t have anyone to take since he broke up with his girlfriend
Veronica.
But despite
his reservations everyone told him how difficult it was to get an invite and
how envious they were so he decided to accept.
It was
Sunday morning, the day of the Lutchford’s Garden Party at Forest Lodge on the
southwest corner of Teardrop Lake.
It had
become an annual event since Peter Lutchford had married local Doctor, Claire
Andrews.
It was one
of the “jewel in the crown” event in Shallowfield and in particular Teardrop
Lake.
The day
began at first light and it looked like it was going to be a glorious day.
He had
planned to sleep late, however he was awoken earlier than planned, much earlier
in fact, by the rattling of crockery from the kitchen and the sound of water
running, a kettle filling he presumed.
He looked at
the clock and it was 5.05am and he apparently had an unexpected houseguest, he
had no idea who it was and frankly it could have been anyone.
He got up
and went gingerly downstairs and as he approached the kitchen he caught sight
of his intruder, his twin sister Mercedes sitting on the kitchen counter eating
toast.
“What are
you doing here in the middle of the night?” he said and walked up to her and
hugged her
“It’s the
garden party today obviously” she replied
“Yes but not
for another six hours” he said
Rafael and
Mercedes sat at the kitchen table, drinking coffee,
“What made
you get here quite so early?” he said yawning
“I’ve been
at Mum and Dads since Friday night” she replied “And Mum was driving me mad
with the “you’re not getting any younger” speech, so I left early”
“Ah now I
understand” he said
Mercedes was
only 29 years old but in the culture her parents were from to have reached that
age without a husband or children was almost humiliating, and even Rafael, fell
victim to his mother’s wrath.
So they were
both single as they rapidly approached their milestone 30th
birthdays.
Although
they both balked at their mothers constant haranguing about their marital
status, they were not singletons out of choice and the fact they had no
significant others in their lives was not for want of trying, and they had both
kissed a lot of frogs in pursuit of their perfect others.
Although
they weren’t identical twins they were unmistakably brother and sister, with
the same facial features and the same hair, the same southern Mediterranean
colouring and they were both tall and lean.
But it
wasn’t just the physical characteristics that they shared, they also shared the
same temperament, sense of humour, and both had kind and generous hearts.
It was just
a shame that they were unable to find that special someone.
But apart
from being twins and sharing so many characteristics, they also shared a
profession as Mercedes was also a hairdresser and worked for Mazzone’s but the
shop she worked in was in Abbottsford and she shared a flat above the shop
there with three other girls, which wasn’t ideal, and was why she looked
forward to getting away whenever possible, even if it was to feel the sharp
edge of her mums tongue.
As he was up
early he decided he would cook them both a proper breakfast and then they had a
leisurely morning getting ready because of a lack of any time constraints.
Rafael shaved
and showered and Mercedes, perfumed and powdered herself and then they got
dressed.
The Garden
Party was not a baggy shorts and flip flop kind of affair and nor was it a
dinner suit, cummerbund and bow tie kind of thing.
So Rafael
wore a blue blazer and slacks and Mercedes a yellow dress.
As Rafael’s
house was at the Childean end of the village and Teardrop Lake was at the
other, and because it was a hot day, walking was not an option so Rafael
suggested a cab but Mercedes had to drive home that evening because she had
washing and ironing to do the next day and then work the morning after so she
suggested they go in her Jazz.
“Ok let’s
go” he said
“I don’t
know where I’m going, so you’ll have to direct me” She replied “I can follow
the signs to Teardrop Lake obviously, but I don’t know where on the Lake we’re
going or which house”
“Ok I’ll
direct you once we get close” he said
They drove
through Shallowfield and turned into the lane that passed the Shallowfield
Lodge Hotel and crossed the River Brooke as it flowed from
the head of the lake and on towards Shallowfield, Mornington and beyond, and
then the Lake was suddenly in front of them.
The lake was shaped like a teardrop, hence its name, and surrounded by
the ancient woodland of the Dancingdean Forest.
It wasn’t a huge body of water, just over two miles long and almost a
mile at its widest point.
But he thought it was simply beautiful and it had remained relatively
un-spoilt which was what made it so special.
The lake was surrounded by a perimeter road which gave access to the 12
significant dwellings that surrounded the lake.
Peter
Lutchford and his wife Claire lived at Forest Lodge on the southern side of the
lake.
“Go right here” Rafe said
“Ok” she complied
“It’s the 4th House” he added
“It must be
lovely to live here” she said
“Wouldn’t it
just” he replied
“It’s a
shame we never will” Mercedes said wistfully
“Never say
never” he remarked
“That’s Forest Lodge just ahead, you’ll have to park in the lane”
Obviously they
were not the only guests that needed to park in the lane so they ended more
than fifty yards away from the entrance to Forest Lodge.
So once
Mercedes parked the car they joined a queue of ambling guests and among them
was an array of stunningly turned out women some of whom he recognised as
customers at the shop and some he had seen around the village.
But none of
them got his motor running, they were all a bit unremarkable and having had the
benefit of talking to some of them in the shop he knew that their looks merely
masked their vacuous personalities.
But all of a
sudden he caught sight of a girl who was anything but unremarkable.
He couldn’t
have said she was an absolute beauty because he didn’t see her face because she
yomped past him at pace and he never caught her up.
But all of a
sudden he caught sight of a girl who was anything but unremarkable.
He couldn’t
have said she was an absolute beauty because he didn’t see her face because she
yomped past him at pace and he never caught her up.
But in that
short few minutes she struck a chord with him, she was a small young woman with
short brown hair and she was wearing a figure hugging knee length green silk
dress, which fitted her like a second skin and there looked to all the world
that there was nothing between second and first, he tried to pursue but Mercedes
seemed distracted by something and held him back and he soon lost sight of the
vision in the liquid green silk.
Once they
reached the garden the first people they ran into were Ben and Dorcas Overton
who ran the Shallowfield Lodge Hotel, Dorcas was one of his regulars and she
was and absolute diamond and it was nice to finally meet Ben who he had heard a
lot about because she was always talking about him.
After that
they met their hosts’ half-sister Amanda Bishop who was a real stunner and was
another of his customers and he believed she was responsible for his invite.
“Hello Amanda”
he said, “can I introduce you to my sister Mercedes”
After
leaving Amanda they found their hosts, the illustrious film director Peter
Lutchford and his wife Claire and a rather plain looking, bespectacled stick insect
of a woman called Olivia who worked with Claire at the health centre and they spent
a pleasant ten minutes chatting, until a waitress appeared with a tray of
drinks, and he caught sight of the small young woman again and this time he saw
her face and she was an absolute beauty and she looked at him and smiled.
She was a
small girl and the green silk dress really did fit her like a second skin and as
she walked away there was no VPL in fact no visible lines at all and as she
walked her whole body moved like it was a liquid instead of a solid,
A figure of
liquid silk, moving like risen bread dough being poured from a bowl.
But then she
was gone again, swallowed up by the crowd.
Well people
came and went from the group which grew and shrank then grew again and when
there were more people there that he didn’t know than those he knew he
suggested to Mercedes that they should mingle.
But before
they slipped away someone else joined the group who caused Mercedes to
hesitate.
“Hello Jake”
Claire said “I think you know everyone”
“Not quite”
he replied looking towards Mercedes
“Have you
not met Rafael Seeber?”
“Only in a
professional capacity” he replied “but not his companion”
“This is my
colleague Jake Alexander” Claire said introducing him to Mercedes.
“Hello please
call me Mercedes”
Rafael
didn’t notice her flirtatiously flicking the hair off her face as she shook
Jakes hand as he had spotted the mystery girl again, he had no idea who she was
and he only caught a glimpse of her and she was off again and he was eager to
get after her and if he didn’t do it then he might never track her down again but
when he looked back at Mercedes she appeared to have a rather soppy expression
on her face.
When he
finally managed to drag Mercedes away from the group or more specifically Jake,
there was no sign of the girl in the silk dress and they had only gone a matter
of yards when he was halted in his pursuit of the girl by someone who he
instantly recognised and his heart sank, she was a little blonde Cougar in a
white dress, a highly unsuitable shade considering what she gets up to too with
all and sundry and he had been on her radar from the moment he arrived in
Shallowfield.
“Rafael
Darling” she said
“Hello Mrs
Braithwaite”
“I’ve told
you before, you naughty boy, call me Carissa”
It didn’t
help the situation that Mercedes took that precise moment to excuse herself to
use the little girl’s room but the ever-dependable Claire Lutchford came to his
aid
“Rafael, Rafael”
she called “Come and meet the Sefton’s?”
“Oh yes I
would love to, it would be a real pleasure” he replied and whispered “Thank
you”
“Rafael
Seeber, This is Cecil” she said and Rafael unkindly thought he looked a rather
arrogant man,
“And his
wife Clémence” and Rafe thought her a true example of a trophy wife.
“And this is
their daughter Petra”
“Pleased to
meet you all” he said shaking first Cecil’s and then Clémence’s hand and then
he looked at Petra for the first time and he did a double take because it was
the beauteous young brunette wearing the figure hugging green silk dress, that
fitted her like a second skin that he had been getting glimpses of from the
moment he arrived.
The small
talk ebbed and flowed and Rafael discovered that his initial assessment of
Cecil rather missed the mark he wasn’t anywhere near as arrogant as his
demeanour suggested and he possessed a dry wit.
Clémence was
as pleasant as she was beautiful and it was evident where Petra got her looks
from.
The company
was so amiable and the converse so light hearted and amusing that he barely
noticed the passage of time.
It was a
stroke of luck, Claire introducing him to the Sefton’s because had he gone
wandering off looking for Petra he would never have got to spend such a
pleasant hour with her and her amiable parents.
But as was
the nature of such social events the ebb and flow of guests eventually broke
them up and a moment’s lack of concentration caused him to lose track of Petra
again.
Still, at
least now he knew the name of his prey.
In the
absence of the gorgeous Petra, Rafael turned his thoughts towards his sister
and he wondered why he hadn’t seen her for more than an hour.
He wandered
around the substantial gardens for the next hour or so drifting from one pleasant
exchange to another without setting eyes on either the vision in silk or his
sister Mercedes.
Finally, as
it was a hot afternoon he decided to make his way to the water’s edge in the
vain hope that there might be a breath of cool wind off the water.
But what
actually happened when he stepped onto the jetty took his breath away because
sitting on the end of the jetty soaking her feet in the lake was Petra Sefton.
“Hello” he
said “that looks refreshing”
“Oh hi” She
retorted with a beaming smile “Yes it is”
“Do you mind
if join you then?”
“Sure, be my
guest” she said amiably
Rafael
kicked off his shoes and removed his socks and after rolling up his trouser
legs he sat down beside Petra on the jetty and put his feet into the cool
water.
“Oh that
feels good” he said
“It’s nice
isn’t it?” she said with a chuckle
“My feet
were so hot from chasing shadows all afternoon” he said and her cheeks flushed
and then she asked.
“Isn’t that
your girlfriend?”
“What?”
“Isn’t that
your girlfriend on that boat?” she said as she pointed at a dinghy
“Sister” he
said
“What?”
She’s not my
girlfriend she’s my sister he explained wondering why she was on a boat
She’s your
sister?” she said “Oh good”
They sat
beside each other on the jetty for more than an hour with their feet dangling
in the water and talking as they watched Mercedes out on the water.
Until the
boat went out of view as the sun started to set and the temperature dropped,
although he didn’t want to bring their pleasant interlude to an end so he
suffered the discomfort until he noticed her shiver.
“It’s
getting a bit chilly isn’t it?” he said
“Rather” she
retorted, she too had been reluctant to bring preceding’s to an end but was
grateful when he slipped his blazer on to her shoulders.
“Thank you”
Petra said and smiled warmly to him and then lifted her feet out of the water
and stood up and she was instantly standing in a puddle
“Oh dear it
seemed like a good idea at the time” she said “but I hadn’t really thought it
through”
Fortunately
Rafael was the type of man who always carried emergency hankies, his sister was
always teasing him about it, so without hesitation he handed her both
handkerchiefs and said
“Here, they
should get the worst of it, one for each foot”
“Oh that’s
really sweet” she said and accompanied it with a dazzling smile “But what about
you?”
“Oh I’m ok,
I have socks remember”
“Well if you’re
sure” she said and sat down on a dry part of the jetty and dried her feet and
Rafael never took his eyes off her for a second.
When she was
done she slipped her shoes back on her tiny feet she stood up in front of him
wearing his blazer over her silk dress and said
“Hurry up
slow coach” she said with a grin “let’s go and find some coffee”
“Ok I’m
ready” he said and as he approached her she slipped her arm through his.
They spend
the next two hours sitting in the Lutchford’s conservatory drinking coffee with
their hosts and all the talk was about the goings on at the Purplemere Studios,
where it transpired Petra was an assistant director which she went on to
explain wasn’t as grand as the job title suggested.
And
throughout the time they spent in the conservatory Petra had her arm through
his and she was hugging his arm.
“That’s very
encouraging” he thought to himself.
They spent
the next two hours sitting in the Lutchford’s conservatory drinking coffee with
their hosts and all the talk was about the goings on at the Purplemere Studios,
where it transpired Petra was an assistant director which she went on to
explain wasn’t as grand as the job title suggested.
And
throughout the time they spent in the conservatory Petra had her arm through
his and she was hugging his arm.
“That’s very
encouraging” he thought to himself.
As the time
drifted on he was starting to flag thanks to his sister’s dawn raid on his
kitchen but there was no way he was leaving without Petra.
Thankfully
she noticed him stifling a yawn and she was feeling tired as well so she said
“I think it
time for me to call it a night”
And she was
relieved when she heard Rafe say
“I’ll walk
you home”
“What about
your sister?”
“Oh I think
she’s abandoned me for a sailor” he replied and she laughed
She had told
him earlier when they were sat on the jetty that she had a flat in one of the
big houses on the lake, Dancingdean Hall, which was once the residence of the
Earls of Dancingdean but that line of aristocracy had long since died out and
the hall was now divided into 6 spacious family apartments, one of which, Flat
D, was now home to Cecil and Clémence Sefton and more significantly their
lovely daughter Petra.
They left
the Lutchford’s and when they got out in the lane he could see his sister’s car
was still parked where they left it that morning but there was no sign of
Mercedes so they walked along the southern perimeter road and headed
anticlockwise around the lake, with Petra still wearing his jacket and after
about fifty yards she slipped her hand into his and he smiled to himself.
It was a
slow walk in the moonlight and the conversation ebbed and flowed between them
and they were both disappointed when they arrived at the entrance to
Dancingdean House.
It was
situated on the highest point on the cliffs above the Lake but on the opposite
side to the Lutchford’s and even in the moonlight it commanded a magnificent
view of Teardrop Lake.
Suddenly he
panicked as the easy conversation on their perambulation dried up and he
couldn’t think what to say and in the end he rather blurted out.
“Are you
doing anything tomorrow?”
“I don’t
know, are we?” she asked and smiled coyly
“Yes we are”
he replied with new found confidence.
“I was
thinking of Sharpington, it’s the parade tomorrow”
“Sounds good
to me” Petra said and let go of his hand and reached into his jacket pocket and
took out his phone and sent herself a text.
“There, now
we both have each other’s numbers” she said and slipped the phone back in his
pocket
“I will call
you in the morning” he said
“You’d
better” she said as they stopped walking by the front gate and paused in the
darkness and shared a long sensual kiss.
“I will call
you in the morning” he said
“You’d
better” she said as they stopped walking by the front gate and paused in the
darkness and shared a long sensual kiss.
“That will do
until tomorrow” she said cockily and headed towards the door.
“Aren’t you
forgetting something?” he called after her and she stopped in her tracks and
turned towards him.
“I don’t
think so, let me think, good looking guy, phone number and snog” she said
counting on her fingers “no I think I’ve ticked all the boxes”
“My jacket?”
he said
“Oh yes,
silly me” Petra exclaimed and trotted back towards him “You can’t phone me if
you don’t have your phone”
She took off
the jacket and gave him one final kiss and then she was gone again.
He watched
her safely to her front door where she turned and waved and then he got on his
way and he thought to himself that it had been a truly remarkable garden party.
Just as
Rafael stepped back out into the lane he hesitated to let a car go past and realised
that it was Mercedes driving towards him.
A couple of
minutes earlier and she’d have caught him snogging Petra in the moonlight.
“There you
are” she said as she drew level with him “I went back to the house to find you
but you weren’t there”
“So how did
you find me?”
“Well they
said you left with that hot girl in the green silk dress you were ogling all
afternoon, and where she lived so I drove round here on the off chance”
“I’m glad
you found me I didn’t fancy the long walk home” he said “and I have a big date
tomorrow”
“Get in and you
can tell me all about it” she said
On the drive
back to his house at the Childean end of Shallowfield he filled her in on all
the salient points since they separated and had just finished telling her about
the goodnight kiss when she came to a halt outside his house.
“Now come on
spill the beans, where did you get to? And whose boat were you in?” he asked
“As much as
I would like to tell you all the nitty gritty of my day, I can’t as I have to
get going”
“Nonsense
you’re staying the night” he insisted
“But…” she
protested
“No but’s,
get inside” he said
“So what do
you think of Shallowfield and Teardrop Lake?”
“I really
like it” she said “I may even become a regular weekend visitor”
“Well you
wouldn’t need to if you came and worked with me” he said
“What?” she
exclaimed not sure she heard him right
“Come and
work in Shallowfield” he said
“Are you
serious?” she asked and he nodded
“That’s
brilliant” she said “When can I start?”
“Whenever
you want” he replied and then his phone vibrated and when he picked it up he
saw it was a text from Petra
“Really
looking forward to tomorrow, can’t sleep, keep thinking about today, x Pet”
“Me too” he
replied and then he said to Mercedes
“Now tell me
what you’ve been up to”
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