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 24 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 and the youngest was 21 year old April who wasn’t
a natural farmer but she had other strengths and had worked together from autumn to Spring renovation a cottage on the farm
with Calvin Chance and the pair had fallen hard for each other from the moment
they met but were unable to show their feelings
Both families tried their hardest to get them together and Amy played her part but without any luck but they eventually went on their first date when
they job was over.
Her mother Suzanne was
greatly relieved because she feared her tomboy daughter would never find
someone and her father was happy that they had finished the cottage which meant
they might get a full seasons let.
The first guest took
up residence in the cottage at the beginning of May and following the initial
guest there were back to back bookings right through the summer.
It was quite fortuitous that there were a limited number of cottage lets
in the Mornington area.
So they had a little gold mine in the cottage, the Finchbottom Vale was a
very popular destination during the summer months as well as out of season, for
rambling, birding or fishing.
The village itself as well as the surrounding country side proved to be a
popular attraction.
Everyone on the farm had to do their bit, including Amy and the kind of
tasks she had to perform were far removed from her normal professional life as
a teacher but she never complained and although she would never admit it to her
parents or siblings she sometimes welcomed the time she spent working on the
farm to think.
One of the tasks which fell to Amy more often than not was the management
of the cottage, advertising, bookings and when necessary the housekeeping.
And it was when she
was cleaning the cottage after a two week long let to a newlywed couple that
Amy got her first pangs of regret at having no one special in her life, her
tomboy sister had manage to get herself a man, eventually, so why couldn’t she.
Twenty four year old Amy and her younger sister April, 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 Amy and April differed from each other however was that Amy had
always been a proper girlie girl since the moment she could walk whereas her
sister had always been a tomboy.
When they were children she was always indoors playing with dolls while
April would be out playing football with the village boys but Amy had no
interest in football although she was interested in boys.
But being interested
in boys hadn’t really got her anywhere as she hadn’t found her prince and had
remained single despite her kissing a number of frogs.
She had not had any
major disasters but nor had she found “the one” and in all honesty she was in
no real hurry.
Her sister April had appeared to share Amy’s reluctance to find a
partner.
That was until after working with Calvin Chance from autumn to Spring renovating
the cottage they finally shared their feelings and from that moment on it became
a whirlwind affair after that and they Married at Finchbottom Registry in June.
But that wasn’t the
only wedding that summer because in September when Jenna Newman and Harry
Topliss tied the knot at St Winnifred’s.
But more significant
for Amy was the reception afterwards when her headmistress Cynthia Sharp
introduced the new teachers, Teresa and Martin
O’Sullivan to her existing teaching
staff, Debbie Dunlop, her deputy, Mark Foreman and Amy Hoddinott.
Which was significant for her because she wasn’t the new girl anymore.
The reason the school
was increasing the teaching staff was that Mornington Field had come back under
the steward ship of the Mornington Estate.
When they exercised
its option to purchase it back from the MOD it also acquired all the buildings
and infrastructure on the airfield
itself as well as 29 houses in the village formally used as quarters for
military personnel.
The property was formally handed over on the 1st of June and the additional houses meant additional
families with additional children.
And when
the infrastructure on the airfield was
converted to commercial and residential the school would grow even more.
So 2014 had been a
momentous year in Mornington for all concerned and Amy and the Hoddinott’s were
no exceptions but the year was my no means over.
Because at the beginning
of October, April announced she was pregnant which sparked spectacular
celebrations at Mereside Farm.
But there was still a
lot of the year left and a new tenant was due to stay at the cottage.
It was the 4th of October and the inhabitants of Mereside farm
were slow to rise after the celebrations the day before drinking to April’s
bump.
The only reason Amy was up, showered and dressed by 8 o’clock was because
a new tenant was arriving to stay at the cottage and she wanted to make sure
everything was neat and tidy.
The tenant to be, was a man by the name of Mike Tooke, who wanted a change
of scene to somewhere quiet and out of the way for a couple of weeks.
He wasn’t due until after lunch so she had all morning to get the cottage
spick and span.
It was just after lunch when Amy saw, through the Farmhouse
Kitchen window, an unfamiliar liveried white van drive into the farmyard.
“That must be him” she said to herself and as she went to the kitchen
door and picked the key off the hook and then she went outside.
“Mr Tooke?” she called as he got out of the van.
“That’s me” he replied and Amy got her first proper look at him and she
liked what she saw.
He was a few years older than she was with a rugged face and thick dark
curly hair.
He was a few inches over six feet, Amy liked tall, and he was big, not
fat but solid, she liked well-made men as well because they were big and cuddly.
“For goodness sake get a grip” she said to herself as he walked towards
her and was momentarily transfixed by the sun setting her red hair aflame and when
the sun went behind a cloud he offered his hand and said
“Mike Tooke”
“Amy Hoddinott” she said taking his hand
“Everything is ready for you”
“Excellent” he said
“Leave your van there and I’ll walk you down to the cottage”
“Fine” he agreed “I could do with stretching my legs”
Amy led the way and he followed and after a few minutes she said
“So you’re from Pepperstock”
“That’s right” he said “but I’ve escaped to the country”
“So what made you choose Mornington?”
“Fishing” he replied “Someone recommended the fishing”
“I see” she said “That’s one of our best kept secret”
“So I understand”
“You won’t be disappointed” She promised
“I’m not so far” he said but he was looking at her bum at the time.
“Here we are” she said and walked up the front path and unlocked the
front door.
The door of the cottage opened and she showed him in and gave him a brief
tour.
“This is perfect” he said when she finished showing him round.
“So what are you escaping?” she asked
“Excuse me?”
“You said you were escaping to the country, so what are you escaping from?”
she asked
“Oh work”
“And what do you do?” she asked
“I’m an LED Lighting specialist” he said
“That sounds interesting” Amy lied then she remembered the livery on the
side of the van.
“So “Light and Day” is that who you work for?”
“Sort of” he said “It’s the family business”
“Your family?” she enquired
“Yes” he replied “Though it’s just me and Maggie now”
“It that your wife?” She asked
“No” he replied and laughed
“Girlfriend then?” she asked bracing herself for the answer
“No, Maggie is my sister” he explained
“Excellent” she said inside her head which surprised her because she
didn’t believe in instant attraction, so why should she care about his marital
status.
“Oh your sister” she said out loud “Is she older or younger?”
“Three years older” he replied “Although the way she acts you’d think she
was my mother”
“She’s very special to you isn’t she” Amy said
“Yes” he admitted “she’s an amazing person, I was only 16 when our
parents died so she gave up university to be guardian to me”
“Does she have a family of her own now?” she asked
“No she’s single, I suspect she’s waiting until she gets me settled
before she’ll think of herself, she’ll be down to check up on me at some point
to make sure I’m eating properly and having regular bowel movements” Mike said
and they both laughed.
“I look forward to meeting her” she said genuinely
“That was a kind thing to say” Mike said to himself “maybe there’s more
to her than glorious hair and a nice bum”
“This really is perfect” he said
“Great, well I’ll walk you back up to your van and I’ll leave you to it”
They walked back to the car in silence but only because her hair was
ablaze again, which was the only thing that stopped him from staring at her bum
the entire way.
When they reached his van she said
“Well if there’s anything you need just come up to the house”
“I will”
“Goodbye then” she said but only managed a couple of steps before she
turned around and said.
“If you want someone to show you the village them I’m around all weekend”
“I’d like that” he said “Maybe when I’ve unpacked my stuff”
“Ok just come up to the house when you’re ready” she said and turned
towards the house
“Well that was bold” she said to herself “And you don’t even know if he
likes you.
When she reached the kitchen door she glanced back and then said quietly
“Well he certainly likes my bum, so I’d better wear something that shows
it off”
“Is everything alright with the new guest love?” Her mum asked as she
entered the kitchen
“Definitely” she replied which wasn’t the answer her mum was quite
expecting.
So with her curiosity aroused she added
“Sit down and have a drink and tell me what he’s like”
“I’ll tell you later I’m going to go and change” Amy responded
“Why do you need to change?”
“I’m going to show Mike the village” she replied
“Mike?”
“Mr Tooke, the new guest” she said and left the room.
“Well that was interesting” Suzanne said to herself and smiled
Amy reappeared in the kitchen wearing a very snug fitting pair of pale
blue jeggings.
“I thought you were going to show him the places of interest in the
village?”
“I am”
“I don’t think he’ll be noticing anything other than your places of
interest” her mum said
“That was the whole point” Amy said and sat down at the table looking
very nervous.
It was mid-afternoon and the glorious Indian summer sunshine streamed in
through the window.
Amy and her mum were sat in the kitchen drinking coffee when there was a
knock on the door.
Amy shifted in her
seat and was about to rise from it when her mum said
“I’ll get it, the poor
man might strain something if he sees you dressed like that without any warning”
She opened the door
and was met by the tall, dark and ruggedly handsome newly arrived tenant.
“You must be Mrs
Hoddinott” Mike said but to himself he added
“I can see where your
daughter gets her looks from”
“Call me Suzanne” she
said but was thinking “I can see why my daughter likes you”
“I’m Mike”
“Well I’m pleased to
meet you Mike, Amy has been awaiting your arrival with baited breath”
“Mother, you are so
embarrassing” Amy said and stood up
“Wow” Mike exclaimed
not realising he had said it aloud until he noticed Amy blush.
As they left the farm
house Amy smiled to herself when she noticed that Mike had changed too.
They exchanged small
talk as they walked unhurriedly out through the gate and onto Windmill Lane.
They followed the lane when it bore to the right and continued along it
passing the four Windmill Cottages on the left with the Old East Mill ahead of
them.
When they reached the bridge Amy stopped abruptly and said
“The best fishing on the River Brooke starts about half a mile in that
direction” She said pointing upstream beyond the Old East Mill “and as far as
the Dulcets in the other direction, beyond that and there’s too much River
traffic”
“I don’t think I shall be going that far afield” he said
“Personally I would recommend the Mere” She added “I should have taken
you there first, but no matter”
“That’s ok I’m in no rush” he said affably and smiled
“Ok then, we’ll go along the River Path” she said and once again passed
by the Windmill Cottages but this time along the path that separated them from
the river and followed it down until they reached the Church.
“What a beautiful Church” he said standing
still to admire its magnificence
“Yes its 12th Century” Amy added
proudly
“It’s the best one in the whole of the Vale,
if not all of Downshire”
After pointing out the Vicarage, Manor Wood
and the Brewery she led him up the path and away from the church, passing
Mornington Manor and ended up looking out across the Mere.
“This is beautiful too” he said
“It’s not bad is it?” Amy agreed
“Does the path go all the way around?” he asked
“Yes” she replied “Shall we follow it?”
“Yes that would be lovely”
As they strolled around the water’s edge Amy asked
“Why did you really come to Mornington?”
“I told you, to fish” he replied
“Look Mike you probably already noticed that I am very proud of my
village” she said “and the fishing around here isn’t bad but there are better
places to fish in Downshire than here, in fact there are better places in Pepperstock
than here”
“Are you the local sheriff?” he asked with a wry smile
“No I’m a School teacher” she retorted “So I’m trained to spot
falsehoods”
As they strolled around the water’s edge Amy asked
“Why did you really come to Mornington?”
“I told you, to fish” he replied
“Look Mike you probably already noticed that I am very proud of my
village” she said “and the fishing around here isn’t bad but there are better
places to fish in Downshire than here, in fact there are better places in
Pepperstock than here”
“Are you the local sheriff?” he asked with a wry smile
“No I’m a School teacher” she retorted “So I’m trained to spot
falsehoods”
“Well it wasn’t really a falsehood I did want to do some fishing but you’re
right I chose Mornington for a different reason” he confessed
“And?”
“You really are the local sheriff aren’t you?” he said
“Come on then spill the beans” she urged him
“I came over to have a look at Mornington Field” he confessed
“The lease is due to expire on one of our premises in Pepperstock, so
next year I’m going to have to move my workshop and I wanted to know if
Mornington is a viable option”
“So what do you think of it so far?” she asked
“I can definitely see the attraction” he replied
Unfortunately the romantic promise of the moment was lost when a young local
Angler, Nick Legg came hurrying noisily along the path.
“Hi Amy” he said and was gone almost as quickly as he arrived
“Hi Nick” Amy said as he disappeared
However along with the Nick Legg went the romantic possibilities of the
moment.
As they continued on their walk around the Mere after their romantic near
miss Amy offered her services in regard to Mornington Field.
“Well it’s too late now because it will be dark by the time we get there”
she said “But I can take you up to the Field tomorrow if you like”
“That would be great”
“It will have to be after Church though” she added
“You go to Church?” he asked and Amy thought
“Here we go, I knew he was too good to be true, he’s going to mock me for
my faith”
“Yes we’re regulars at St Winifred’s” she replied
“Would you mind if I tagged along?” he asked
“What?” she asked disbelievingly
“I won’t be offended if you say no”
“Why would I say no?” Amy said just as they finished their circuit of the
Mere just as the sun was setting so Amy took them on a short cut back to the
farm.
On Sunday morning Mike
walked up to the farmhouse and arrived just as Amy and her mum emerged followed
by a slightly younger version of Amy who turned out to be the younger sister
and behind her was her husband and a great bear of a man in his mid-fifties who
was introduced as Clive, Amy’s father.
After introductions
and handshakes Suzanne explained the absence of her son.
“Robert would be
joining us but at present as one of the cows is sick he’s waiting for the vet
and hopefully he’ll join us later”.
It was another unseasonably
warm day as they headed toward church and just as they were leaving the vet
Hayley Gwillym drove up the lane.
“Hi Hayley” Clive said
“You’ll find him in the cowshed”
“Ok thanks” she
responded and drove off
Amy had been really
surprised when Mike had said
“Would you mind if I tagged along?”
Because she was
expecting him to make some jibe about her being a god botherer or something
equally crass.
Which was why she
responded “What?”
Instead of “Of course
you can”
Mike and his sister Margaret had been raised
as Christian’s and although Margaret lost her faith briefly after their parents
passed, when she had to abandon University to be Mikes Guardian, she had
returned to the fold.
So he had grown up in faith and from the
moment he first stepped through the doors at St Winifred’s with the Hoddinott’s
he felt at peace.
So if he was to move his workshops the first
thing he would do would be to attend a service in Mornington with his sister
Maggie because he felt so immediately at home.
As they sat together at St Winifred’s during
the service Amy was really pleased that Mike had asked to go with her.
She was still a little disappointed that
their romantic moment by the Mere had been shattered by Nick Legg and she was
still a little angry with him for that and would have gladly pushed him in.
But she offered up a little prayer to beg
forgiveness for her anger and asked for no interruption’s next time.
And then offered up another prayer to beg
that there would be a next time.
Afterwards Mike chatted briefly with Reverend
Cockcroft and it was obvious that Mike
was not the “hatches, matches and dispatches” type of
Christian and he was the real deal.
They walked back up to the farm together ahead
of the others and as they walked she asked
“So how did you like St Winifred’s?”
“I felt really at home” Mike replied
“Good” she remarked
“Thank you for this morning” he said when
they reached the farm
“No problem” Amy responded
“And I’ll see you later” he added
“Hold on, where do you think you’re going?”
“Back to the cottage of course”
“Oh no you’re not, you’re staying for lunch”
“I couldn’t possibly” he said just as the
rest of the family arrived
“Are you two alright?” Suzanne asked
“We have a mutineer mum” she said
“Well we can’t have that” mum said “Clive!
Get your shot gun”
“Alright I surrender” Mike said
“Good choice” Amy whispered “but he wouldn’t
really have shot you”
“That was an epic lunch” he said as they set
off towards Mornington Field
“Mum’s a great cook isn’t she?”
“Brilliant I would say, what about you?” he asked
“What do you mean?”
“Are you a good cook?” he asked
“Me? No, I could burn water” she replied
“I find that hard to believe”
“I kid you not” she said “Just ask my mum”
They went up to Mornington Field after lunch
and they managed to find a gap through the security fences and wandered up and
down between the buildings for about an hour until the October sunshine gave
way to more seasonal rain.
“So what do you think?” she asked
“I think this would be a brilliant place to
work”
“Excellent, you’ll be needing this then” she
said handing him Victoria Johnson Higham’s business card.
Victoria was from
Lyndon-Sanders Properties, who were tasked with finding tenants for the
commercial properties.
“Where did you get
this?” he asked
“I bumped into Vicki at church this morning”
she explained
“Thank you” he said and hugged her before he
kissed her cheek.
Both of them were reluctant to end the hug
and hoped it would lead to a kiss and just at the instant it was about to
happen the moment was shattered by a loud clap of thunder.
“Not helpful God, not helpful at all” she
muttered as they ran for cover.
On the walk back to the farm Amy decided she
would tackle him again when they got back to Mereside and everything was going
to plan as they stood by the farmhouse gate and their lips were only inches
away when the heavens opened and they both ran their separate ways.
“You are really not helping God” she said as
she ran for the farmhouse door.
On Monday morning Amy looked wistfully
towards the cottage as she left home on her way to school not realizing Mike wasn’t
there.
He had had a very disturbed night and rose
early and was sat on the riverbank by the East Bridge at 7 o’clock.
Amy on the other hand slept very well but the
morning began in dreamy snoozing, and it was Mike who filled her dreams.
She was halfway across the East Bridge when
she just happened to look towards the church and she was recalling the time she
had spent with Mike the day before when she spotted him sitting on a folding
chair on the riverbank, though she did do a double take, it was clearly him.
She looked at her watch and cursed because
she was running late.
“Shit” she said “It’s now or ever”
Amy turned around and hurried back the way
she’d come and as she stepped off the bridge, she turned right onto the riverbank
path.
When she reached the angler in the folding
chair she stopped and crouched down beside him.
“Oh hello…” he began when he noticed her, but
he was prevented from finishing his sentence by Amy passionately kissing him on
the mouth.
“I’ve been wanting to do that all weekend”
she said looked at her watch and added “I have to go”
“Where are you going?” he asked as she turned
away
“You can’t go now”
“I’m late for work” she called “You can take
me to dinner tonight though, pick me up at 8”
As she crossed the bridge again, she looked to the heavens and quietly
said
“Now that wasn’t too difficult, was it?”
Then she turned and waved to Mike before she hurried off to work with a broad
smile on her face.
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