Mornington-By-Mere – (43) Unsuitably Dressed

 

Rory Hitchen lived in the small country village of Mornington-By-Mere in the Finchbottom Vale nestled between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.

Which was a quaint picturesque village, a proper chocolate box picturesque idyll, with a Manor House, 12^th Century Church, a Coaching Inn, Windmills, an Old Forge, a Schoolhouse, a River and a Mere.

He lived and worked up at Mornington Field which had once been an RAF base but had been converted into a mixture of commercial and residential units.

Rory lived in apartment 1 of Lancaster House, which was converted from the old Officers Mess and he was employed by Topliss Engineering.

 

He was an unremarkable looking man in his early thirties, he was neither attractive nor unattractive he was best described as neutral.

Everything else about him was average, average height, average weight and build, black hair and blue eyes.

The only think about him that wasn’t unremarkable was his good nature, he was singularly kind hearted always had time for his friends or indeed anyone else who needed help.

 

His friends looked upon him as kind and generous while others thought he was a soft touch and presumed that was why he landed himself such a cracker of a girlfriend.

Melanie Sands was five years younger than he was and she was a gorgeous, petite, well-tanned girl with hair the colour of ripened corn and everyone told him he was punching way above his weight, and to watch out, but he didn’t listen.

 

 

He met Melanie the previous summer at a friend’s wedding reception in Finchbottom and he fell head over heels in love with her.

The two of them had a pretty hectic Christmas and New Year but in January they flew off to Tunisia for a Winter Break.

 

He and Melanie stayed in a very luxurious hotel that was clearly a remnant of the French colonial days that was now very popular with tourists.

The holiday was intended, at least on his part, as a pre cursor to him asking her to move in with him and for the first few days, apart from the fact he hadn’t asked her the question, everything was going well until he caught Melanie in flagrante with a waiter by the name of Afchine.

He was devastated, she was the love of his life and she had betrayed him so Rory ran out of the hotel in all its colonial splendour and lost himself in the crowds of the Porte de France and the Souks Market but ended up in the sanctuary of St. Louis Cathedral.

He found the cool atmosphere of the cathedral very calming and it gave him time to think and when he left there in the late evening he knew what to do.

He went back to the Hotel, there was no sign of Melanie so he threw most of his things into a bag, picked up his passport and then got a cab straight to the airport and got the first flight home.

 

The temperature in Tunisia was consistently in the high teens to low twenties which felt much warmer than that when considering the temperature at home when he and Melanie left Downshire.

When he boarded the plane to return home he was still wearing his Tunisian attire so subsequently when he landed back in England in the teeth of a blizzard he found his clothes to be somewhat inadequate.

 

On his return to the UK the weather was so bad that the plane was lucky to get permission to land when it did, as a lot of flights were turned away.

However they were able to land and once on the ground he found the local transport infrastructure was suffering also.

Trains were cancelled, buses were running a skeleton service and even taxis were conspicuous by their absence.

He didn’t have his car at the airport as Melanie’s brother drove them there so Rory ended up queuing for two hours to get a hire car and he finally left the airport just after 10 o’clock.

But even in the few hours he had been on the ground the weather had deteriorated considerably and temperatures had plummeted however despite that the roads around the airport were barely affected and the motorway was fine.

“I don’t know what all the fuss is about” he said to himself smugly however when he got off the Pepperstock Express Way and onto the untreated roads he knew exactly what all the fuss was about.

The roads were barely visible and he drove very gingerly along the first stretch, which ended, at a roundabout, which was where he thought he’d got lucky.

A four wheel drive entered the roundabout ahead of him and turned off onto the Purplemere road so he got in its tracks and followed it for about four miles and Rory was just beginning to feel smug again but his luck soon ran out as at the next roundabout the Landrover turned left onto the Sharpington road while he needed to turn right for Mornington.

As luck would have it the road was not as bad as the previous one as it was quite exposed and the wind had blown a lot of the snow off the road and there were even visible signs of Tarmac in patches.

So he pressed on with caution and but when he was less than two miles from the village disaster struck.

Rory took a right hand bend slightly too vigorously and lost the back end and went off the road back end first into a ditch.

He tried to drive out of it but to no avail, then he tried his phone but couldn’t get a signal and so he resigned himself to the fact he would have to walk the last couple of miles.

As soon as he got out of the car and the wind cut through his thin clothing like it wasn’t there.

“No matter” he thought, because his case was in the boot so he could put some more layers on, but when he got to the back of the car he found the boot staved in and he couldn’t open it.

“Shit” he said as he knew there was nothing he could do but to get home as quickly as possible.

 

The problem was, dressed as he was for North Africa, as quickly as possible wasn’t very quick at all and the closer he got to the village the snow seemed to get thicker and thicker and all the while he was being battered by a howling wind.

 

He had no idea how long he’d been walking or indeed where exactly he was because he had no point of reference and visibility was poor but eventually he could see the shape of a house in the distance

“Thank God” he said and quickened his pace.

When he got there he walked up to the front door of Marigold Cottage and banged on it hard.

After a few minutes he banged again but he got no answer.

“Bugger” he said, “no one home”

He went back to the road and could make out some other shapes, and more importantly one of them had a porch light on.

“Thank God” he said and crossed himself and like a moth he headed towards the light.

 

As he banged on the door of White Rose Cottage he hoped and prayed that the light hadn’t just been left on to deter burglars but he began to think the worst when he got no response and was just about to bang again when he saw movement beyond the glass and a few moments later the door opened he was surprised to see it was a nurse.

 

The nurse in question was Charlene Rogers who worked at the Oak Dale Retirement Village and Nursing home in Dulcets Green, she was supposed to be on the night shift but Alexandra Barrileau who owned and ran the place had phoned to tell her to stay at home, the 6 till 2 shift were staying on until morning as she wanted the minimize the amount of staff blundering about in the snow.

Which was why she was still wearing her uniform when Rory knocked on the door.

 

“Yes?” Charlene said surprised to see someone on her doorstep given the time of night and the conditions “what the hell are you doing outside dressed like that?”

“Caa Caa Car crcrcrashed” he stuttered “Lllllost”

“Come in, come in” she said urgently “Are you hurt?”

“Ccccold” he chattered

“Come with me” she ordered “we need to warm you up”

She took him from the hall and into her sitting room.

As she opened the door she reached inside the room and flicked the light switch and the ceiling light came to life.

“Slip your coat off and sit down” she instructed indicating an arm chair by the fireside.

He did as he was told and she knelt on the rug and she stirred the fire back to life and added another log before proceeding to remove his shoes and socks, which were soaked and felt the bottoms of the trousers which were also wet.

“They need to come off” she said matter of factly

 

He didn’t speak as his teeth were still chattering but he obliged her by standing up and unbuttoning and unzipping his trousers and let them fall to the floor before plopping back down to the chair.

Charlene gave him the throw off the sofa which he accepted with gratitude and then she hung the trousers close to the fire to dry and said

“I’ll make a hot drink”

 

After two mugs of hot chocolate and the application of a hot water bottle his teeth had stopped chattering sufficiently for him to introduce himself but he was still very cold so Charlene ran him a warm bath.

 

Mornington-By-Mere wasn’t just a quaint chocolate box English Village it was the beating heart of the Finchbottom Vale, but there was more Mornington that just its Ancient heart as 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 31 year old Charlene Rogers lived on Dulcets Road at White Rose Cottage.

 

Since the breakdown of her marriage six months earlier she lived alone but in the early hours of a January morning she was playing host to a man who she didn’t know who could easily have perished in the severe wintery conditions. 

 

While the bath was running she sorted out some clothes for Rory, from the few items she still had that belonged to her soon to be ex-husband and while he was in the bath she got changed out of her uniform and as she was getting into her nightclothes she thought for the first time that having a complete stranger in her bath was just a little bit weird.

“Well it’s a bit late now” she said to herself as she put on her dressing gown.

 

When he returned downstairs he was wearing David Rogers’s old clothes, namely an Abbottsford Knights sweatshirt and a pair of grey joggers, the former was too short in the arms and the latter too long in the leg.

“Oh dear” she said “you’re a bit of a different shape to my ex”

“A little bit I guess” he said and quickly reclaimed his spot in the armchair by the fire and the blanket “But they’re warm which is the main thing”

“Good” she said as she checked his own trousers drying by the fire.

“This is very kind of you” he said

“Nonsense, I couldn’t leave you outside to freeze to death” she said

“I know but everything else, the drinks, a bath and the warm clothes” he said “that was kind”

“It’s just my nursing instincts kicking in” Charlene said as she declared herself satisfied that his trousers were dry and as she was folding them she was surprised at the inadequacy of the fabric so she asked

“Where were you coming from?”

“What?” he responded

“When you crashed, where were you coming from?” she asked

“Tunisia”

“Oh” she exclaimed “I wasn’t expecting that answer, and where were you heading?”

“Mornington”

“Well you made it, this is Morningside” she said but when she turned around he had drifted off to sleep.

“And it looks like you’re staying here till morning”

 

Charlene didn’t sleep well as she wasn’t supposed to be in bed at that time and her body clock told her she should be awake.

So she got up and stretched and checked her watch and saw it was just after seven.

She slipped on her dressing gown and then looked out of the window and could see it was still snowing though much lighter than it had been before.

She went down stairs where she firstly checked on her guest and found he was still sleeping peacefully, so she revived the fire and dropped on another log and crept out of the room and then she phoned Oak Dale.

 

Charlene phoned Alexandra Barrileau at Oak Dale and it was Megan Murray who answered the phone.

“Good Morning Oak Dale”

“Hi Megan, its Charlene, how was the drive in?”

“Oh I didn’t go home last night” she replied

“Really? Is the boss there?”

“Yes I’ll just put you through”

“Good morning Charlene” Alex said

“Morning Alex, I’m going to leave in about half an hour…”

“No don’t do that” she interrupted “The roads are still treacherous”

“But I thought I’d give one of the others a chance to get home” Charlene added

“Well the forecast is for light snow on and off all day and a clear period after dark with heavy snow again overnight” Alex explained “So if you could come in tomorrow night instead that would help because the others will be dead on their feet by then”

“Ok if you’re sure” Charlene said

“I’m sure” she replied “so just have a relaxing day”

“Well I’ve got an unexpected houseguest at the moment so I’m not sure how much relaxing I’ll do”

“Who’s that then?” Alex asked and Charlene spent the next ten minutes explaining about the mystery man.

 

Charlene put down the phone and went back upstairs and showered and dressed for the day before she returned downstairs to the kitchen and flicked on the kettle.

 

She made herself a coffee and her guest a mug of tea and took it into the sitting room.

Rory was just stirring as she walked in and put the drinks on the table.

“Good morning” she said brightly but when he turned to look at her he looked like death warmed up.

“You look awful”

“I’ll be fine when I’ve had a drink” he said hoarsely

Charlene was unconvinced and asked

“Do you need to contact anyone, wife? Girlfriend?”

“I’m not married and it turns out that my girlfriend is a tart and is probably still shagging a North African waiter”

“Ok, that was too much information” she said “what about family?”

“No family”

“What about friends? Won’t somebody wonder where you are?” she asked

“They think I’m in Tunisia” Rory said

“When are you expected back then?”

“Not until the10^th” he replied

 

“So you’re a nurse” he said as she caught him watching her

“Yes” she replied taking a sip of her coffee.

“I’m a nurse at Oak Dale”

“Where’s that?” he asked

“It’s a nursing home in the Dulcets” she replied

“Oh” he responded not having a clue what the Dulcets were or that they consisted of a collection of villages and hamlets such as Dulcet Meadow, Dulcet St Mary, Dulcet Green and Dulcet-on-Brooke.

He was new to the area having lived in Northchapel, for most of his life, until 3 months earlier and he was still finding his way around.

He only knew one way in to Mornington from the outside world and hadn’t up to that point strayed from that one route.

 

After he had finished his tea he threw the blanket aside and said

“You have been very kind but I really should get going now, I have imposed on you for too long already”

But as soon as he stood up he almost fell down again.

Charlene saw him start to go and was immediately on her feet and caught him and guided him back into his chair.

“My God you’re burning up” she said as she touched his forehead

“I’m fine” he insisted “I’ll be home in ten minutes”

“You’re not going anywhere, you have a fever”

“But...” he protested

“Don’t argue, I’m a nurse remember”

“But…” he protested again

“I’m not surprised you have a fever considering the state of you when you got here” she said “The only place you’re going is bed”

Rory didn’t protest further as he was too exhausted and he knew he wasn’t going to win.

 

Charlene helped Rory up to her bedroom and sat him on the bed while she threw back the duvet and then she laid him down and he began to resist.

“Please don’t fuss” he insisted “I’m fine really”

“Nonsense” she said “Do as you’re told and lie down”

She left him briefly and went to the bathroom and returned with a thermometer which she put in his mouth and when she took it out again she said.

“Fine my arse, 104”

When she had silenced his protests and was satisfied that the mutiny was over she asked

“Are you allergic to anything?”

“No” he replied meekly

“No problem with paracetamol?”

“No”

She left the room again and returned a few moments later with a glass of water and two tablet and after supervising him taking the tablets she put the glass on the bedside table and walked towards the door, but before she left she turned and said.

“Get some sleep and you can have some soup in a couple of hours”

“Has anyone ever told you….?” He began

“That I’m really bossy? Oh yes often” she replied

  

After leaving him in her bed she went into the guest room and made up the spare bed before she went downstairs to the kitchen.

 

Lesser mortals might have found having a stranger in the house an imposition but for Charlene it was a godsend.

Being trapped in the cottage for two days on her own would have driven her doolally.

Charlene hadn’t coped well on her own since her husband left and the only thing keeping her sane was her work.

But being denied that escape due to the weather was a nightmare scenario for her so having Rory knock on her door in need of her hospitality was an absolute godsend.

 

When she had returned downstairs to the kitchen she looked out of the window and could see it was still lightly snowing.

She flicked on the kettle and turned her attention to lunch, she was going to do some proper cooking.

She loved to cook, and she was a very good cook, but since living alone again she didn’t bother for herself.

In fact she couldn’t remember the last time she had cooked something from scratch.

Now bearing in mind that her target diner had a fever and probably didn’t have much of an appetite she had decided on soup.

 

She was in her element, firstly poring over her cook books and when she had settled on the recipe.

Charlene used ingredients from the cupboard she hadn’t used for months and before she knew it 4 hours had gone by.

“Oops” she said when she looked up at the clock.      

She had said to Rory that she would bring him some soup in a couple of hours but she had gone well over that so she washed her hands and went upstairs and checked on her patient.

 

But on finding him still asleep, she checked he was still alive, and then went back downstairs to the kitchen and carried on with the soup.

 

At 5 o’clock Charlene climbed the stairs carrying a tray with a large bowl of homemade chicken and vegetable soup, a carafe of water and two paracetamol.

She wasn’t sure why, but she was worried he might not like it, which really bothered her and not just because she had spent most of the day in the kitchen, although she had laboured on more than just the soup.

She pushed open the bedroom door and found Rory was awake and half sitting in bed.   

“How are you feeling now?” she asked

“I’m a little better I think” he replied

“Good” Charlene said but placed a thermometer in his mouth

“Have I still got a temperature?” he asked a minute later

“Yes but its only 103” she replied “So are you hungry?”

“Yes I think so”

“Ok then take another two tablets and eat your soup” Charlene said

 

About half an hour later Charlene returned to find his bowl empty.

“Finished already?” she asked

“Yes I guess I was hungrier than I thought” he said

“It was alright then?”

“Better than alright” he said which pleased her immensely

“How about a hot drink?” she asked

“Yes please” he replied “And would you mind keeping me company?”

“Not at all” she said “I’ll be back in jiff”

 

She returned about ten minutes later with a mug in each hand which she put down on the bedside table and then she sat in the chair by the bed.

They made small talk for about ten minutes and then asked

“Where is your car?”

“I’m sorry?”

“I mean I know you crashed it but where is the car now?”

“It’s in a ditch somewhere along the Purplemere Road a couple of miles from here I think” he replied

“Ok I’ll let Dave Jones know” she said

“Who is Dave Jones?”

“Oh he’s the police Sgt he lives the other side of the brewery” she said “He can put a “Police Aware” report on it”

 

As soon as darkness fell so did the temperature and Rory got increasingly tired over the couple of hours they were sat talking so Charlene said “goodnight” and after cleaning up the kitchen she decided to call it a night herself.  

 

She was really tired having had a very poor night’s sleep the night before and having worked so hard all day so she slept like a log.

When she woke up the next morning it was snowing again and settling fast on the frozen snow of the day before.

 

Charlene showered and dressed for the day and went down stairs with a bit of a spring in her step.

As she boiled the kettle and made tea she thought to herself how nice it was to have someone in the cottage to fuss over.

It was just a shame that Rory needed to almost freeze to death in order to bring it about.

An hour later Charlene went back upstairs with a jug of water and some tablets in order to maintain a Paracetamol, fluids and sleep regime.

She opened the door and saw that he was awake.

 

Charlene went back upstairs with a jug of water and some tablets in order to maintain a Paracetamol, fluids and sleep regime.

She opened the door and saw that he was awake.

“Morning Rory” she said “It’s snowing hard again”

“Oh dear I was going to walk home this morning” he said

“Really?” she said trying not to sound too disappointed

“Well I have imposed on your hospitality long enough” he said

“Don’t be silly it’s been no trouble and it’s not like I had anything else to do while we were snowed in” she said

“That’s kind of you to say so” he said “But I know I’ve been a nuisance”

“Rubbish” Charlene said “Now why don’t you have a shower and get into your own clothes and I’ll make us some breakfast, and then we can see what the weathers doing”

“Deal” he said

 

Charlene was over the moon that he was staying for breakfast as it gave her the excuse to do a big fry up, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d done one, being on her own she wouldn’t have bothered.

But apart from the breakfast she was enjoying the company.

 

It was almost 10.30am when they sat at the kitchen table having consumed a full English breakfast and were just finishing their tea when Rory suddenly exclaimed

“Shit”

“What’s the matter?” she asked with concern

“I should have called the car hire company to report the accident” he said

“Oh is that all” she said “I did that already”

“You did?” he asked

“Yes, yesterday afternoon, when you were asleep” Charlene replied “After I spoke with Sgt Jones”

“Thank you, you are wonderful” he said and she blushed and immediately got up and took the plates to the sink to cover her embarrassment.

“Blushing for goodness sake get a grip” she said to herself

“Here let me do that” he protested

“No its fine, you go into the sitting room and I’ll make us another tea” she said

“How about you make the tea and I’ll wash up?” he insisted

“Alright then” she conceded “but you were much more obedient when you were helpless”

 

Charlene and Rory spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon in the sitting room drinking tea and chatting and would probably have continued for longer had it not been for a knock on the door.

“Who can that be?” she said, cross because of the interruption.

She got up from her chair and went out into the hall and she could see a large yellow shape through the glass.

She brightened however when she opened the door to see it was

David Jones.

Sgt Jones was based in Mornington where he lived with his wife Peta and their children, although his patch covered a large area of the Finchbottom Vale.

“Hello Dave” she said

“Hi Charlene” he replied “is your house guest still about?”

“Yes he’s in the sitting room, come in out of the cold”

“Thanks”

 

Charlene showed Sgt Jones into the sitting room and after the introductions were done Charlene left them alone and then Sgt Jones presented him with his personal belongings from the car.

“Richards Recovery took the vehicle away this morning” Sgt Jones said “Here is all the paperwork”

“Thank you” he said

“I just need you to sign for your belongings and then we’re done” the Sgt said

Rory took and duly signed the form and said

“Thanks again”

“You should be thanking Charlene she got the ball rolling, she’s one of a kind” Sgt Jones said

“I’ve already noticed that” Rory replied just as she reappeared.

“What are the roads like Dave?” she asked “I might be on duty tonight”

“Well Purplemere Road is clear, and you can get to the Dulcets but not via Dulcets Road so you’ll have to go the long way round” he explained “but you can get there”

She had to confess that as much as she loved her job she was a little disappointed with the news.

 

After she had shown Sgt Jones out she phoned Oak Dale and spoke with Alex and told her what Sgt Jones had told her about the roads before she returned to the warmth of the sitting room and Rory’s pleasant company.

 

“I’m on duty tonight” she said “so I have to get my head down for a few hours”

“Oh ok I’ll be on my way then” he said perching on the edge of the chair.

“No, no” she said urgently “you don’t have to go, you’re still not dressed for snow, and I don’t want you to have a relapse”

“But I don’t want to get in the way” he said

“You’re not, honestly, you can stay here in the warm and watch TV, and your flat is probably freezing”

“Well that’s true” he agreed

“And you’ll be doing me a favour” she said “Because I’ve got a casserole in the slow cooker and I need you to stay and help me eat it”

“Well if you insist” he said needing no arm twisting

 

As she walked up the stairs she hoped she hadn’t come across as too keen to have him stay, she wondered if it might have sounded a bit desperate.

Although on the plus side he didn’t offer much resistance so she went to sleep with a smile on her face.

 

As he sat by the fireside he knew he was falling for Charlene, but he wondered if he was viewing her through rose tinted glasses, he had after all only broken up with Melanie two days earlier, so was he just on the rebound and was he in danger of making another mistake?

He realised everything had been superficial about Melanie all his friends had warned him about Mel but all he saw was a  gorgeous girl five years younger than he was who was seemingly interested in him.

And he was taken in by the petite, well-tanned girl with hair the colour of ripened corn despite everyone warning him he was making a mistake, but he didn’t listen.

He knew now that they were right, love was truly blind.

 

Rory Hitchen sat in Charlene’s cosy sitting room in White Rose Cottage with the TV on, showing the normal daytime programming but all Rory could think of was his caring angel.

Charlene was as unlike Melanie as it was possible to get in almost every way.

She was taller, five foot eight, brunette hair instead of blonde which was short and bobbed instead of long, mesmerizing green eyes instead of steel blue.

They were both attractive with nice figures and gorgeous legs but they were the only similarities.

Charlene was kind, considerate, caring and unselfish, traits that Melanie wouldn’t have known the meaning of.

And the bonus was that she was an excellent cook and he rather liked her in her uniform as well.

 

It was while he was picturing her in her uniform that he heard her footfalls above his head so he got up and went to the Kitchen and boiled the kettle.

He could hear running water as he waited for the kettle to boil which he assumed was Charlene in the shower and went to the cupboard and removed two mugs as he tried to put the image of her in the shower out of his head.

 

When she got downstairs to the kitchen she found Rory was just pouring the hot water into their mugs

“Hello” She said smiling broadly “Perfect timing”

“Hi, Good sleep?”

“Yes” she replied although in truth it had been interspersed with dreams, but she felt sufficiently refreshed.

 

“It’s stopped snowing” he said “So I’ll leave you in peace soon”

“Oh I thought I could drop you off on my way to work” she said as she checked the casserole “if you can put up with me for a few more hours”

“Well that’s no hardship” he said and she smiled to herself.

 

They ate their dinner on trays in the sitting room beside the comforting fire and then just sat and talked until it was time for Charlene to get changed for work.

She was on the 2 till 10 shift and ordinarily wouldn’t leave home until 1 am but as she had been absent for two day due to the weather she was keen to get there early and as Sgt Jones had told her she needed to go the long way round she was leaving at midnight and it was about ten minutes to the hour when she returned down stairs in her uniform.

 

“Nearly ready” she said as she put a slide in her bobbed brown hair, wearing a pale blue uniform with a faint white pinstripe.

“Well hello nurse” he said slightly in the carry-on movie style but silently he was thinking Phwoah, which was as much for its contents as the uniform itself, and his eyes seldom left her as she busied around getting ready.

 

Charlene drove him the short distance up to Mornington Field and pulled up outside Lancaster House, which was originally the Officers Mess which had now been converted to Apartments, Rory lived in number 1.

 

“Thank you for your kindness Charlene” he said before he got out of her car and leant across and kissed her cheek and then they said their goodbyes and he got out of the car.

“Drive carefully” he added and then he stood and watched as she drove away.

 

When Rory Hitchen returned home he was left alone with his own thoughts in a cold flat for the remainder of the week and he found them uncomfortable companions apart of course from the thoughts about Charlene.

It had been an eventful week which began with him thinking he was in love with one woman and ended with him falling in love with another.

Everyone told him he was punching way above his weight where Melanie was concerned, and to watch out, so what would they make of Charlene?

That was providing of course that she felt the same way about him.

“Well there’s only one way to find out” he said to himself

 

He knew she was working on Friday night and would be sleeping when she returned home on Saturday so if he was going to do it had to be at Oak Dale before she left for home.

Rory picked up the phone and dialled the number.

 

It was just after 8 o’clock when Alexandra Barrileau looked out of her office window and watched a white van, liveried in green, Bizzie Lizzie of Downshire, drive into the carpark.

A young woman, Michelle Norman, got out and opened the side door.

Alexandra recognized her immediately, she lived in Mornington, but she was a regular feature at Oak Dale, the girl then reached inside the van and when she emerged she was carrying a large bouquet, a very large bouquet indeed, and headed towards reception with it.

It was unusual to get a delivery that early on a Saturday morning and her curiosity got the better of her so she put her cup and saucer down and went to investigate.

 

Michele walked through the door and briskly towards reception

“Hello Michelle” Megan Murray the receptionist said. “Who’s the lucky girl today?”

“Flowers for Charlene Rogers” Michelle replied

“Ok I’ll take them” Megan said and took the flowers and signed for them.

Michelle then got back in the van and drove off just as Alex arrived in reception.

“Who are they for?” she asked as she neared the desk

“Someone’s sent flowers to Charlene” she replied

“Have they indeed, what a lucky girl, they’re beautiful” Alex said

“Flowers for Charlene Rogers” Megan said as Charlene began to descend the stairs

“What?”

“Flowers for Charlene Rogers” she repeated

“They’re very beautiful” Charlene said as she took the bouquet

“But no one ever sends me flowers, it must be a mistake”

“There is a card” Alex pointed out

She took the envelope off the bouquet and opened it and it read

“Thank you my “Caring Angel””

“That’s very sweet” she said quietly and read on

“Are you free for Dinner tonight? Text “YES” to this number”

“Who are they from then?” Megan asked impatiently

“My secret admirer” she replied

“So you’re mystery man from the storm then” Alex said and Charlene just nodded as she was grinning too much to speak.