Mornington-By-Mere
was not just a quaint chocolate box English Village it was the beating heart of
the Finchbottom Vale.
And
although the village was the hub it was the surrounding farms and hamlets that
were its life blood.
One such
Farm was Mereside on the Southern side of the village.
The
Hoddinott family had farmed the land at Mereside Farm for five generation and
with fair winds and following seas they would do so for the next five.
The head of
the Hoddinott’s was Clive, at least that was what his wife Suzanne allowed him
think.
But they
were in their mid-fifties and were looking forward to be able to hand the reins’
on to their offspring.
There were
three children the eldest was Robert Hoddinott 27 who they knew they could
safely rely on to take over the running of the farm to such an extent that the
handover would be seamless but they were less sure he would pass on the family
name, as he appeared to have no inclination in finding himself a wife.
The second
child was Amy who was 23 years old and had no interest whatsoever in becoming a
farmer or a farmer’s wife for that matter, not that she hated the farm or
indeed farming but she just loved her chosen path more which was teaching and she
was a Teacher at the village school.
The youngest
was 20 year old April who by her own admission wasn’t a natural farmer like her
brother but her contribution to Mereside was invaluable as she was a
jack-of-all-trades and there was nothing she couldn’t turn her hand to.
If there was ever a job on the farm that seems hopeless or impossible
then April was the “man” for the job.
Nothing phased her, she could look at a problem and instantly see the
solution while everyone else stood around scratching their heads and once the
job was begun she was relentless in taking the job to its conclusion.
In the years before Mornington Field returned to the stewardship of the
St George Family, accommodation was always in short supply and there was always
a shortage of quarters for seasonal workers at harvest time.
So many of the villagers would rent out a spare room if they had one or a
summerhouse, just to fill a need and earn people an extra shilling or two.
On the farms unused out buildings or stables were often put to the same
use.
Those farmers or small holders who were fortunate enough to have a
suitable building and the resources could convert them sufficiently to let out
to holiday makers as summer lets in addition to harvest time requirements.
On Mereside Farm they were blessed in that regard as there was an old
tack room that they could rent to itinerant workers as well as a disused rustic
cottage tucked away in a secluded thicket.
It hadn’t been used for anything other than storage since Clive was a boy
but the structure and the roof was sound.
Other than that it was in a fearful state when Clive first broached the
idea.
On Mereside Farm they were blessed in that regard as there was an old
tack room that they could rent to itinerant workers as well as a disused rustic
cottage tucked away in a secluded thicket.
It hadn’t been used for anything other than storage since Clive was a boy
but the structure and the roof was sound.
Other than that it was in a fearful state when Clive first broached the
idea.
“It’s a hovel” Suzanne remarked
But in response Clive said
“April will soon get it ship shape”
Just at that moment she emerged from the barn with unruly hair and a
dirty face
“That’s as maybe” her mum remarked “but she’ll never get a husband
looking like that”
Twenty year old April and her older sister Amy, although almost three
years apart, could easily have passed for twins.
Though they didn’t resemble their brother Robert in the slightest he was
his father’s son and they took after their mum.
They were smaller than their brother, leaner and wiry.
Like their mum they had the fine strawberry blonde hair that all of their
mums side of the family possessed, as well as her cool blue eyes.
Where April and Amy differed from each other however was that April had
always been a tomboy since the moment she could walk and her sister was a proper
girlie girl.
When they were children her sister was always playing with dolls but
April would be out playing football with the village boys or climbing trees or
riding her bike at breakneck speed along the lanes.
So she spent her teenage years with grazed knees and bruised shins while
Amy was indoors painting her nails.
But apart from not wearing frocks and dressing like a teenage boy she was
amazingly skilful with her hands and could turn her hand to practically
anything.
But as competent as April was around the farm she lived to some extent
inside a protective bubble on the farm that kept her safe in her comfort zone.
She had been protected from the harsher realities of the world but in
truth April was the best suited to cope with adversity, it actually made her
stronger.
When her dad had first spoken to her about making the old cottage
habitable she found that she revelled in the challenge.
However when she began the work her brother Robert thought it was too big
a job for her to complete in the time scale her dad had in mind, so he
persuaded his dad to employ a local guy called Calvin Chance.
Robert had worked with him a couple of times in the past on Estate jobs
and spoke very highly of him but she didn’t know anything about him.
Even though he had lived locally for about 5 years and had built up a
reputation locally as a solid and reliable worker.
There were a number of cottages and small houses on the Purplemere road
and Dulcets Lane which formed the part of Mornington Village known as Manorside
and Calvin lived at Corner House with his Aunt Kay and Cousins Paul and
Stephanie.
Calvin had lived there for about 5 years and had built up a reputation
locally as a solid and reliable worker.
Apparently he had all the necessary skills to get the job done but April
wasn’t keen having some stranger working with her no matter how good he might
be.
“I really don’t need any help” April insisted
“But there’s a lot of work” Robert said
“And I’m quite capable of doing it” she retorted
“Well when he gets here you can tell him you don’t need him”
He suggested “And here he is now”
So she span around on her heels to say exactly that.
He was five years older than her, six foot tall with dark curly hair and
crystal blue eyes and she thought he was buff.
“This is Calvin” Robert said and smiled as he saw her jaw drop
“Ok Calvin let’s get started” she said
It was the beginning of October when they started on the cottage and
right from the start Calvin and April worked very well as a team, she was a
great planner and time manager and had good instincts and vision but he knew
how to get the job done and they both liked to get their hands dirty.
And even the fact that they both fancied the pants off each other didn’t
slow them down.
They tackled the outside first clearing all the shrubbery and undergrowth
so they had full access to all four sides of the cottage.
This meant they could attend to any problems with exposed masonry,
guttering and windows before the worst of the weather arrived.
They also discovered that the top of the Chimney needed rebuilding which
was essential if they were to get a log burner installed.
Neither of them could devote 100 percent of their time to the project as
they both had other work to do, but they managed two days a week every week up
until the turn of the year and increased it to three days from January through
to march.
Once they were satisfied the exterior was completely weather proof and
the drains were clear they turned their attention to the interior which was in
a much worse state of repair than the outside was.
Floor boards needed replacing, two ceiling had come down and the stair
case was rotten.
That was on top of the work they knew needed doing, new bathroom and
kitchen, the whole place needed to be completely rewired as none of it was up to
21st century code and the plumbing needed attention on top of which there
was no central heating of any description installed.
But first job was to empty the place of 30 years of stored clutter.
“So what
are we going to do with this lot?” he asked as they looked at the mess of wood,
cardboard, broken furniture, old pallets, clothes, paper and general tatt.
April and Calvin’s first inside task was to empty the place of 30 years
of stored clutter.
“So what
are we going to do with this lot?” he asked as they looked at the mess of wood,
cardboard, broken furniture, old pallets, clothes, paper and general tatt.
“Bonfire”
she replied “Let’s have a bonfire party”
It was a
sensible suggestion with November the 5th just around the corner,
they already had a reasonable start with the trees and shrubs they had already
cut down.
“Great
idea”
On November
the 5th all the Hoddinott’s were present, plus a few friends from
the village and Calvin and his family.
Clive
grilled burgers on the BBQ and Suzanne made hot chocolate.
April and
Calvin had built a brilliant bonfire and come the day he gave her the honour of
lighting it.
After
igniting the blaze April stumbled on the rough ground and would have fallen had
Calvin not rushed to her aid and in the melee he almost held her hand, but it was
momentary and soon passed, but it was a nearly moment.
After the
food and drink was consumed and the fire had burned down to a glow they all
made their way to the Bonfire night party held in the grounds of Mornington Manor although there
hadn’t actually been a public bonfire lit in the village in living memory but
the fireworks were quite spectacular and people came from every corner of the
Vale to see them.
But despite
the crowds Calvin and April stood in close proximity and watched the display
together.
April had a friend in the village, John Cooper,
who was an electrician as well as an ardent admirer, so she managed to enlist
his help with the wiring and she and Calvin did the fetching and carrying and
the labouring side of the work.
He was 4
years older than she was and although he was a good looking lad and very
personable she didn’t fancy him in the slightest but she liked to flirt with
him in front of Calvin in the hope that it might spur him into action.
But by
Christmas Calvin still hadn’t taken action and April was not alone in her
disappointment.
Both
families were growing increasingly frustrated with the pair of them, who
clearly fancied each other like mad, for not sorting themselves out.
So the
Hoddinott’s made the decision to intervene in their daughter’s love life in the
run up to Christmas.
Although
“love lives” wasn’t really an accurate description as they had no love in their
lives save for what they held for their families and the unspoken love between
the hapless couple.
The incident
occurred just after the Christmas decorations had gone up in the farmhouse.
It was a
bitter cold day and there was still no heating in the cottage so Suzanne went
over and told them to come over to the farmhouse for a hot drink.
It was a
bitter cold day and there was still no heating in the cottage so Suzanne went
over and told them to come over to the farmhouse for a hot drink.
They didn’t
really want to trudge up to the house as they were getting on so well with the
work and neither of them noticed the cold they just noticed each other.
But her mum
was not going to take no for an answer so they reluctantly complied.
But despite
their misgivings it was much less onerous than either of them had expected and the
hot drink and a mince pie was very welcome.
But it was
as they were exiting the kitchen and putting their coats back on when her mum
said
“Oh look
you’re under the mistletoe”
“Christmas
kiss time then” Amy added
“Don’t be
daft” April retorted feeling her face colour up
“Its bad
luck if you don’t” her father said
“Since
when?” she asked
“Shut up
and kiss” Amy said
“No” she
replied firmly but looked at Calvin who was also blushing.
“They’re
not going to shut up if we don’t” he said
“Alright
then” she conceded just to shut them up, but neither of them put much effort
into it and the result was so fleeting it was barely a peck.
“Ok then
back to work” April said
“Definitely”
he agreed
And as they
trudged silently across the yard they both shared the same though.
“That was
not the first kiss I was hoping for”
They pressed on with the work at the cottage until the end of the year
and never spoke of the embarrassing mistletoe incident but on New Year’s Eve
they both made the same resolution to ask the other out before midnight.
There was a big party on at Mornington Manor and they were both invited
independently, or so they thought, so they were both determined to take
advantage of it.
Calvin Chance was very cross with himself for dilly dallying so long, he
had after all fallen for her the first moment she said
“Ok Calvin let’s get started”
But what had held him back was a cautionary voice in the back of his
mind, not regarding his feelings for her they were steadfast.
No his concern was that if he asked her out and the worst happened, and she
said no, it would make it impossible for him to carry on working with her and
he would rather admire her in silence than not be able to see her at all.
But on New Year’s Eve he decided he could stay silent no longer.
The same niggling doubts had crossed April’s mind as well but after the
mistletoe “non kiss” she had decided it was worth taking the risk.
She had never believed in love at first sight but that first day in
October when she turned around and saw him she fell hard.
However having made the decision to speak out proved to be the least
difficult part as every time she was about to broach the subject with him they
were interrupted, either by her sister Amy or her parents or John Cooper or by a phone call.
Which was
why she had drawn a line in the sand and aimed to strike at the New Year’s Eve
party.
At the New
Year’s Eve party the same problem that had plagued her for weeks arose again,
because at 5 to midnight when they stood alone on the terrace and faced each other.
They were
both about to just blurt how they felt when a girl came bursting out on to the
terrace and threw up into a planter.
“Steph?” he
asked in disbelief and rushed to help her,
Stephanie
Richardson was his cousin and they lived together in Corner House on the
Purplemere road in the area of Mornington known as Manorside.
“Oh Cal I
don’t feel so good” Steph slurred
“She’s
drunk” April said somewhat stating the obvious
“But she
doesn’t drink” he said
“That’s as
maybe but she’s definitely wasted” she pointed out
“I can see
that, I just don’t understand why” he said
“Some
uninvited guests have been spiking drinks” A strikingly good looking young man
said “They are being invited to leave as we speak, I can only apologise”
“No need
for that milord” Calvin said to Baron St George
“No need
for formalities” he said “Are you alright to get her home Calvin?”
“Yes sir”
he replied
“I’m sorry
I have to get Steph home” he said to April
“That’s ok”
she replied “I understand”
“We’ll look
after April” The Baron assured him
“So much
for the big plan” she said as she walked home alone.
If the
night had taught her anything at all it was that it was clearly not meant to be
between them.
Time to
draw a line under the whole business, they got on well, they worked well
together and liked each other’s company, but despite all of that it was
self-evident to April there would never be anything else between them.
With the
New Year came the snow and a lot of it and along with it came the realisation
for Calvin that what he wanted to happen between him and April wasn’t meant to
be.
They got on
well, they worked well together and liked each other’s company,
But despite
all of that it was self-evident to him there would never be anything else
between them.
After a week when the snow had thawed Calvin and April resumed work at
the cottage and the atmosphere between them was as cold as the January weather.
But by the end of the month that coldness had once again turned to the
warmth of longing.
So they secretly pledged to try again with Valentine’s Day just around
the corner.
They carefully selected Valentines
Cards and posted them.
Unfortunately
because everyone close to them knew the
disposition of their hearts, they all sent them cards.
Her brother and sister, her parents, his Aunt and his cousins all send
cards, but they got so many
cards they both ignored the one card among the many that counted.
So once again all they had was the work.
Over the months they worked together they saw each other at their best
and their worst as they laboured away and as each problem presented itself they
solved them one by one with their combined grit.
But by the time the month of April came around as the job came to a close
the one problem neither of them could solve was how to make the transition from
work mates to lovers.
He had tried to ask her out countless times but always lost his nerve at
the last minute and now time
was running out and things were getting
desperate and he still lacked the courage to act.
For her part though it was now obvious to her that he was never going to
ask her and it seemed that fate had conspired at every turn to prevent her from
asking him.
“So be it” she said and stuck her chin out resolutely.
“Well you two have done a wonderful job” her father said as they stood
outside the cottage
“You should be very proud, I know I am”
“We are” April replied but was feeling too sad to appreciate the compliment.
“So in gratitude, I’ve booked a table for the two of you for tonight at
the Old Mill Inn, my treat” Clive said and handed an envelope to Calvin.
“Dinner?” April said suddenly catching up with the conversation “With
Calvin?”
“Yes, is that a problem?” Her mum asked
“Nnno” she stammered “that’s fine”
“Good” Suzanne remarked
“Hooray” Her brother Robert added
“Halleluiah” His dad remarked and the group broke up leaving Calvin and
April alone.
Calvin was distinctly encouraged by April’s reaction to the announcement of
Dinner at the Old Mill Inn that she felt as he did but he wasn’t sure until
April said
“I can’t believe we’re actually going out on Saturday night?”
“Yes but its only dinner” Calvin retorted teasingly, “it’s not like it’s
a date or anything”
“Oh no Calvin Chance it is not just dinner” she snapped “it’s definitely a
date”
“Ok it’s a date” he said and laughed
“I hate you” she said when she realised what he had done
“No you don’t” he said
“No I don’t but that’s not the point” she said
“Is it that important to you then?” Calvin asked
“Yes it’s important” she replied
“So why didn’t you say something?”
“I tried” April replied “Why didn’t you?”
“I tried too” he said “Still it’s done now”
“Yes but you had to get my dad to ask me” She pointed out “And you had to
get my dad to pay”
“I prefer to think that he had to pay me to take you” Calvin said “But I
could take Katie the doctor’s receptionist instead”
“You’d
better not” she retorted “although I could go with John Cooper he fancies me
like mad”
“So do I”
he replied
“Do you?”
she asked earnestly
“Yes”
“So it’s definitely
a date then” April concluded
“Yes it’s a
date” he confirmed and then they sealed the deal with a kiss.
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