Downshire is a relatively small English
county but like a pocket battleship it packs a lot in, a short but beautiful
coastline, a channel port, the Ancient forests of Dancingdean and Pepperstock,
the craggy ridges and manmade lakes of the Pepperstock Hills National Park, the
rolling hills of the Downshire Downs, the beautiful Finchbottom Vale and farm
land as far as the eye can see, from the Trotwood’s and the Grace’s in the
south to the home of the Downshire Light infantry, Nettlefield, and their
affluent neighbour’s, Roespring and Tipton in the North but it’s in the Village
of Shallowfield where
our story takes place.
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.
Triplets, Dale, Manny and Paul Smith had just graduated from Abbottsford University and were spending the
summer with their uncle Julius, who was the Vicar of St Jude’s church in
Shallowfield, which was where they met the Nichols sisters.
They had been at their Uncles for less than a week when
they walked up to the village green to attend the Village summer Fête, but even though
they had only been there a few days they were not newcomers as they had spent
every holiday there for as long as they could remember and had made a lot of friends
among the younger members of the village population over the years.
The Fête was very well attended but despite not being strangers they didn’t really know many of the people in attendance but they thought
they would take a look, show willing at least, so they went on a few of the
side shows and drank a couple of pints in the beer tent and by late afternoon,
a combination of too much beer on an empty stomach and the heat of the sun had
left them all a little light headed so they decided to call it a day and headed
back across the field in the direction of the Vicarage.
But they only got about half way across the
field when they were two of the Nichols girls, Crissie and Sharlene and they turned in unison to see them tottering towards them across the grass,
shoes in hand and ever so slightly tipsy.
The twin girls were not only sisters, but
were also best friends, quite inseparable and Manny and Paul thought them very
gorgeous, and had been in love with them foe three years, but alas when they
fell for them the girls were only 15, even though they kept reminding them that
they were actually 15 and three quarters.
Sadly that three quarters was not going to
keep them off the sex offenders register if they did what red bloodied young
men of 18 might think of doing.
But they were both lovely girls and he
liked them a lot but they decided to keep them at arm’s length until they
turned 16, unfortunately another opportunity never presented itself in the
following three years so that seemed to be that, until that summer.
Crissie was the younger of the two by a few
minutes, five foot two red hair and pale complexion and cutely freckled while
Sharlene was an inch shorter with a strawberry blonde hair and alabaster skin.
They were both stunningly beautiful and
wearing low cut summer dresses they looked even more so.
They tottered up alongside them, each
taking an arm, Sharlene as always was flirting outrageously.
“Can we come back to the Vicarage Paul?”
Sharlene said
“Then we could have another drink”
“It’s not like we’re drunk or anything”
Crissie chipped in
“Can we?” Sharlene said again
“Please Manny?” Crissie added
“Ok” he said, “as long as you behave”
“What will you do if we don’t?” asked
Sharlene
“Will you spank us?” Crissie said and
giggled
“You’ll get us shot” Paul said
Being over six feet tall and being arm in
arm with the two girls gave them a height advantage of more than a foot,
affording them a wonderful view down the front of their low cut dresses, they
knew they shouldn’t have looked but even for good Christian boys it was
difficult to resist the temptation.
Dale who was the only one of the boys not
to have a gorgeous girl on his arm looked on and smiled as his brothers
struggled with the moral repercussions of ogling young girl’s breasts.
Being over six feet tall and being arm in
arm with the two girls gave them a height advantage of more than a foot,
affording them a wonderful view down the front of their low cut dresses, they
knew they shouldn’t have looked but even for good Christian boys it was
difficult to resist the temptation.
Dale who was the only one of the boys not
to have a gorgeous girl on his arm looked on and smiled as his brothers
struggled with the moral repercussions of ogling young girl’s breasts.
Sharlene saw Paul looking down her top and
giggled so he didn’t look away.
Then she compared she whispered to her
sister about what Manny was doing and she blushed scarlet but made no attempt
to prevent him from looking either.
When they reached the Vicarage Dale left
his brothers and the giggling flirts outside while he went inside to get the
drinks, which given the girls inebriation and his own light-headedness he
decided not to fuel the flames with more alcohol, so when he joined the others
on the patio, which was now in the shade and put a tray full of soft drinks on
the table which on reflection was the wisest thing to do despite protests from
the girls.
And then about ten minutes, Gail Nichols
emerged through the garden gate and she was also wearing a summer dress, she
was the older sister, and was the one that Dale had set his cap at, and thought
she was equally gorgeous to her siblings, a few inches taller with a rounder
curvier figure than her siblings, but for Dale she was perfection.
“Well no surprise to find Smith boys surrounded
by pretty girls” She said
“Is that why you’ve joined us?” Dale said
“I’m not one of the pretty girls” she said
coyly “I’ve just come to collect my sisters”
“But we’re having fun” Crissie protested
“I’m sure you sure but it’s time to go”
Gail said
“Do you want a drink?” Dale asked
“Yes please” Sharlene replied eagerly
“Me too” giggled Crissie
“I wasn’t asking you two, you’ve had
enough” Dale said “I was asking Gail”
“No thanks but another time when you’re not
surrounded by pretty girls” she replied “mum and dad are waiting”
“As I said before you’re one of them” he
said
“I’m not pretty,” she snorted
“No, you’re beautiful” he corrected her and
she turned her head away coyly.
He imagined her coy denial about being one
of the pretty girls was either false modesty or she was fishing for
compliments.
Just at that moment the back gate swung
open and Uncle Julius walked up the garden.
“Hello girls” he said jovially and there
followed five minutes of light hearted chattering and then the girls went on their
way.
The Smith boys watched them as the three
girls tottered down the lawn and when they reached the gate all three turned
and waved and Sharlene blew a kiss.
“They are sweet young things aren’t they?”
the Vicar said
“Yes Uncle” Dale agreed but to himself he
added “and I have a very sweet tooth”
For years he had fantasied about him and
Gail and he looked forward to when he could turn the fantasy into reality as it
turned out he didn’t have to wait too long, to his surprise it was the next
day, that his fantasy was made manifest.
The day after the Smith boys entertained
the Nichols sisters in the vicarage garden Manny and Paul went sailing up at
Teardrop Lake while Dale remained at the vicarage catching up on his reading,
but his mind kept wandering to his crush which would lead to him chastising
himself for not getting off his backside and going to find her and tell her how
he felt.
Fortunately for him Gail fancied him with
equal intensity but she had decided to grasp the nettle so late that afternoon,
a few minutes after Uncle Silas had left the Vicarage to go over to the Church
for the evening service the doorbell rang.
When Dale opened the door he saw Gail
Nichols standing on the step wearing a summer dress, not the same dress as the
day before, but she looked every bit as good.
She was five foot five, and like her
sisters, red hair, a pale complexion and a lovely cutely freckled face.
“I’ve come for that drink” she said and
smiled
“I was hoping you would” he said and
stepped aside to let her enter the hall.
“Do you have any pretty girls hidden away”
She asked and looked around
“No I’m all alone there were no pretty
girls here until you arrived”
He said
“I’m not pretty,” she snorted
The first time she said it, the day before,
he thought her coy denial about being pretty was either false modesty or she
was fishing for compliments but now she had said it again he was convinced that
she actually believed that.
“No, you’re beautiful” he corrected her
She turned her head away coyly and he put
his hand on her chin and turned her face towards him.
“You’re beautiful Gail”
He was so close to her that her
intoxicating perfume enveloped him as he moved his hand from her chin and
caressed her cheek, while he stared into her beautifully hypnotic green eyes,
and then he leant in and kissed her and she immediately responded by wrapping
her arms around him holding him tightly.
After all she had been waiting for three
years for that kiss and from that moment on their fate was sealed and they were
engaged by September.
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