Downshire Diary – (33) The Slow Burn

 

It was a beautiful June evening when Jonathon Hardman and his colleague Neil Etherington were sat by the river in the beer garden of the Mulberry Tree in the village of Brocklington, which was about six miles downstream of the River Deighton discussing the upcoming weekend.

The two friends both worked for a firm of architects called New Horizons whose head office was in Sharpington by Sea.

Neil had a cottage in the Village and Jon was staying with him while his house the Dulcets was being fumigated.

The reason they were discussing the weekend was because he had two tickets to the Downshire versus Surrey one day match at the Abbottsfield cricket ground.

The main topic of the conversation was whether they would drive to Abbottsford early on Saturday morning or go up the night before and stay at a hotel and they were on their third pint of Mornington Ale when Neil’s phone rang which made up their minds for them.

 

The call was from their boss Russ Evans and he wanted Neil to go to an all-day meeting in Abbottsford the next day and he needed Jonathon in the office in Sharpington.

As a result Neil’s mind was made up for him regarding the weekend because as he was going to be in Abbottsford all day on Friday it made perfect sense for him to stay at a hotel that night.  

For Jonathon however it wasn’t an option as he wouldn’t get to Abbottsford until really late because of the Friday night traffic so he decided he would leave Brocklington early on Saturday and meet Neil at the Hotel.

 

While Jonathon and Neil were enjoying a drink or three, someone as yet unknown to them was just returning home to the village of Highfinch which sits just on the edge of the Pepperstock Hills where the Lily Green Hollows Golf Club separates the village from the Hamlet of Lily Green, and the combination of those two and Kingfisherbridge made up the parish of St Martins.

 

Among the residents of Highfinch was Isabelle Decoene, a very slim and attractive girl, tall and slender and very well endowed with legs to die for.

She was an exotic looking woman and had beautiful long dark brown hair and dark skin, reflecting her heritage as did her large brown eyes.

In her ancestry she had French, Filipino and Spanish blood but she was born and bred in Britain and at the age of 29 she still lived with her parents.

It was a bit of a joke among her friends but she didn’t care, it suited her and it wouldn’t be forever.

She worked as an accountant for Barraclough Ventures who’s head offices were in Abbottsford but they had satellite offices all over the county and beyond, and she had to visit them all during the course of her job so she subsequently had to do a lot of traveling which was why she treated herself to her pride and joy, an Audi TT Roadster convertible in red.

However for Friday she had made sure she would end her week in Abbottsford where she would meet up with her best friend Samantha Barraclough at the Abbottsford Regents Hotel, for the start for what would prove to be a life changing weekend.

 

It was Friday morning and another glorious June day as John set off from the village it was an hour and a half drive from Brocklington to Abbottsford even on a good day and that Saturday morning was apparently a very good day and he arrived at the Black Heart Hotel bang on time to find Neil was still in the restaurant and it was 9 o’clock.

 

At that precise moment Isabelle was also having breakfast but she was at the Abbottsford Regents with her friend Samantha Barraclough.

And Izzy was feeling a little fragile as she had rather over indulge the night before and didn’t get to bed until late after having had a late night out with friends.

 

Her problem was that she had drunk so much to try and drown out Samantha’s constant wittering about a great man she had met and how she was kicking herself for not getting his number or at the very least giving him hers.

 

Because Neil was ready, as he had already breakfasted before Jonathon arrived they left for the cricket ground on foot and on the way there Neil recounted all the details of the previous days encounter with a drop dead gorgeous girl.

“Did you get her number?” Jonathon asked

“Erm no” was the reply

“Wouldn’t she give it to you?” Jon asked mockingly

“No, it wasn’t like that”

“But you did ask her?” Jonathon pressed him

“Well no I didn’t actually” he admitted

“You numpty” Jonathon said “you do realise that she might have been “the one””

“The thought did cross my mind” Neil admitted

“So you might well have blown it” Jon added

“Yes”

“So how do you feel?” Jon asked

“Like a complete numpty” Neil said

 

It was a glorious June day and there was a good crowd at the Cricket Ground and Neil and Jonathon went in as soon as the gates opened and after getting some refreshments they found their seats and took in the ambience as the ground began to fill.

 

Downshire won the toss and decided to bat first and they were in great form and the atmosphere was absolutely electric as Downshire went to work with the bat and they raced to 53-0 inside seven overs and declared on 225 for 7 after just 40 overs so the umpire called an early lunch, which pleased Jonathon no end because he missed breakfast.

Neil and Jonathon joined the throng to use either the facilities or one of the many food and refreshment outlets.

While Neil queued for sandwiches and crisps Jonathon joined a separate queue for two pints of Mornington Special.

 

Jonathon got the beers and returned to his seat and waited for Neil to appear and he waited, and waited, and waited.

“Did you have to make those sandwiches?” Jonathon said when Neil finally reached him.  

“I have something better than sandwiches” he said and waved the business card under his nose.

Neil had met the girl he had been enthusing about and she had given him her number.

“Result” Jonathon said as he turned the card over in his hand “But I hope you got the sandwiches as well”

 

Samantha Barraclough was in one of the executive boxes, as was Isabelle and when Sam returned to the box she couldn’t wait to tell her best friend Isabelle Decoene that she had given Neil her number.

“Thank god for that” she said “Perhaps you’ll stop going on about him so much now you have his number”

“Oh bugger” Sam exclaimed

“You did get “His” number didn’t you?” Izzy asked

“Oh bugger” Sam said again and plopped down in her seat

“Oh bugger” Isabelle echoed because she knew she was going to talk about her missed opportunity all afternoon.

 

When the cricket resumed Samantha’s 20-year-old step brother, who was Downshire’s Debutant all-rounder David Ball joined the bowling attack and clean bowled Surrey’s star man Gillmore with his first ball, a dismissal that sparked a spectacular collapse.

Surrey were all out for 165 with 12 overs to spare and Downshire won the match by sixty runs and the delighted fans disgorged onto the streets of Abbottsford in great spirits even before the tea interval.

 

Jonathon and Neil decided to return to the Hotel on foot and planned to stop for a pint or two along the way, they made slow progress however and bypassed the first three pubs because of the huge crowds and their perseverance paid off as the crowds began to thin out as people started to disappear up side roads in search of their cars.

The two men were both tall and as the crowd thinned they could lengthen their stride.

They had decided on the Downshire Castle as their port of call and they were within sight of it and anticipating a refreshing pint when they were brought back to the moment by the sound of a car horn, a very persistent car horn.

They both turned around to investigate and Neil saw Samantha standing up in the passenger side of a red Audi TT Roadster convertible waving franticly and grinning.

 

Isabelle and Samantha had left the cricket ground from the members car park and were heading very slowly back to the Hotel when Samantha spotted Neil ahead of them on the pavement.

“It’s him, it’s him, it’s him” she squealed

“Where?” Isabelle asked

“Over there” she replied excitedly and pointed

“Toot your horn, toot it toot it toot it”

 

Having successful attracted his attention Samantha gave him her most dazzling smile and said

“Hello again”

“Hi”

“There’s a big garden party in the grounds of the Regents, we’re going back to there now” she said at a hundred miles an hour “do you and your friend want to come?”

“Yes we’d love to” he replied and then the traffic started moving and Isabelle had to drive off

“I’ll meet you in reception” she shouted

 

“Was that him?” Isabelle asked “the one you’ve been bending my ear about all weekend”

“Yes that’s him” Sam said proudly

“He’s a bit ordinary” Izzy said and Samantha frowned “His friend was alright though”

 

Samantha sat in silence for the rest of the journey and digested what Izzy had said, she didn’t think he was ordinary, from the first moment she saw him she knew he was anything but ordinary.

She wasn’t inexperienced with men, but most of the experience’s she had had weren’t really memorable, or were memorable for the wrong reasons, looking as she did she had always attracted men, the problem was she chose the wrong ones, perhaps that was why she was attracted to Neil because he wasn’t the “type” of man she normally went for.

         

Isabelle went and parked the car and Samantha proceeded into the Hotel and rushed upstairs to her room to freshen up, so she would look her best when Neil arrived then she went back downstairs to reception and Izzy was waiting in reception for her and when Samantha came back she said to Izzy

“I don’t think he’s ordinary”

“I know that” she said “But the way you were talking I thought he was going to look like Robert Redford”

“I wasn’t that bad” she protested

“You were and I’ve never known you to be so obviously smitten by a man before” she pointed out “and I’ve certainly never known you to chase one down the street”

“Yes but ….” She began, but didn’t finish because she saw Neil and his friend walking towards them. 

 

Introductions were quickly made and Isabelle, who had liked the look of Jonathon the first time she saw him, liked him even more at close quarters.

Neil could only look at Samantha in abject admiration, but he appreciated her for slightly longer that he should and Samantha became self-conscious and looked at her feet and blushed.

Jonathon suggested drinks and Isabelle volunteered to go with him leaving Neil and Sam alone.

 

“I’ve never seen her like that before” Izzy said

“Well Neil is totally smitten, I don’t think he even realised the cricket had started again after he saw Samantha at lunch”

“She was the same” Izzy said “Absolutely besotted”

“Should we do anything to help?” Jon asked

“I don’t think we need to intervene” she replied “I don’t even think they’ll notice we’re even there”

 

Samantha was giggling when Jonathon and Isabelle returned with the drinks and they walked out onto the terrace and looked for a table.

There were no empty tables on the terrace but there was one with three vacant seats so they decided to take them and Samantha ended up sitting on Neil’s lap and then they only had eyes for one another which left Jonathon and Isabelle to keep each other amused.

Which was ok but there’s was a distinct lack of an instant attraction between them, in fact it was more of a slow burner, they liked the look of one another and they enjoyed the time the spent together but there was no spark.

There was definitely a friendly vibe between them but that was all and when they said goodbye they did hope to see each other again because they had enjoyed the day very much.

 

The love that bloomed between Samantha Barraclough and Neil Etherington in Abbottsford in June went from strength to strength and as their closest friends Jonathon Hardman and Isabelle Decoene assumed that they would see each other on a regular basis.

But it didn’t work out that way they only actually only met a handful of times in June and July and then nothing for months.   

It wasn’t by design however it was just the way it worked out, it was either holidays, or illness, or work commitments that conspired to keep them apart and the longer the separation the greater their desire to see the other as the slow burn continued.

But it wasn’t until September when it ignited. 

 

Isabelle Decoene looked in the mirror and smiled at her reflection, she was an exotic looking woman and had beautiful long dark brown hair and dark skin, reflecting her heritage as did her large brown eyes.

In her ancestry she had French, Filipino and Spanish blood but she was born and bred in Britain and still lived with her parents.

Isabelle was thirty years old to the very day and for the first time in years she was going out with all of her besties on her birthday.

The previous five years of birthdays there was always someone who couldn’t make it, but that year there was a full complement and she was really looking forward to it.

 

For her 30th birthday Samantha had arranged the birthday evening for Isabelle and her best friends which started with a fabulous meal at a Lebanese Restaurant which had been named rather unimaginatively as Beirut.

None of them had eaten Lebanese before, so guided by the waiter they ordered the house special platter which consisted of a large range of meat, not at all unlike kebab meat but with much more sophisticated spicing.

They all enjoyed the meal very much and copious quantities of wine along with it and after settling the bill they all headed to a club called the Pull Zone.

As Isabelle was the first of her closest friends to reach her milestone birthday there was a lot of age related teasing.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright dancing with the young people dear?”

“It might be a bit noisy old girl”

“If you keep to the shadows you won’t look too out of place”

“Oh yes very funny just watch and learn as I put it to the test and see just how much of a “Pull Zone” it actually is” She boasted amidst derisive laughter although they all knew she would pull, because Samantha had arranged it.

 

While Isabelle and her friends were enjoying Lebanese food at the Beirut, Neil Etherington and Jonathon Hardman were in the same street eating Italian at a Restaurant called Roberto’s and when they had finished Neil suggested going to a club.

“Oh I don’t know about that” Jon replied

“Come on lets live a little” Neil insisted “When was the last time we went to a club?”

“Aren’t we a bit old?” Jon asked

“Too old?” Neil retorted “now we are definitely going to a club”

 

The club he took his friend to was of course Pull Zone and once they walked inside Neil sent a text message to Samantha.

“The Eagle has landed”

 

Despite it being her birthday Isabelle hadn’t been her normal sparky self that day, the first thing that brought her down was that she still hadn’t managed to hook up with Jonathon Hardman and the second thing was that she didn’t have him or any other significant other in her life.

However she had enjoyed the evening immensely and had not been given any time to think, the next day would be a different matter.

 

Once inside the club, Isabelle’s party were immediately targeted by the lounge lizards but there flirtations were quickly brushed aside 

The second wave reached them at the bar and with the necessity of prolonged exchanges of flirting, in her case with someone called Adrian, but then she caught sight of a familiar face further along the bar and then she had eyes and ears for no one else because as far as she was concerned Jonathon was the best looking and the best dressed man in the whole place.

However on the dance floor his dancing left a lot to be desired, until the slow dancing started and then things went to a whole new level.

 

Just on one o’clock she was starting to flag and told everyone she was leaving and Jonathon was going to walk her to the taxi rank.

“I told you I’d pull” she said to her friends

“He doesn’t count” one of them replied

“Why not?” she asked affronted

“Because you know him for one thing and you two have fancied each other for ages” was the reply

After they left the club they were walking arm in arm down the high street when Isabella suddenly turned left without any warning.

“That’s the wrong way” Jonathon said

“No it isn’t” she insisted

“It is” he said “the taxi rank is the other way”

“I need to go this way” she replied and walked into the church square. “In here” she ordered and led him into a courtyard and pushed him back against the church wall and kissed him and after a prolonged and passionate kiss she said

“Happy birthday to me”

“I hope I don’t have to wait until your next birthday to do that again” he said 

“You don’t have to worry about that” she said and kissed him again and then afterwards she said

“Now we can go back to the club”

“I thought you wanted to go home” he said

“No, I just wanted our first kiss to be in private and I’ve got my second wind now” she replied

“So you really want to suffer more of my dancing?” he asked

“Well I was thinking more along the lines of canoodling in the corner with my new boyfriend” she replied coyly

“Oh well that I can do” he agreed and put his arm around her as they walked back to the club.