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 our story begins in the East, or more precisely, 20 miles inland
from Sharpington-By-Sea, equidistant between Finchbottom and Pepperstock Green,
in the sprawling village of Denmead.
Owen
Carrington’s Uncle Glyn died on New Year’s Day and left him his Cottage and a
small cash sum, more than enough to keep him going for a few more years.
He left it
to him because he felt they were kindred spirits, he wanted to be a writer
himself but his father made him get a proper job, Owen really liked him and he
was a great story teller, and it was his Uncles colourful tales that helped him
when he was writing his novels.
His death
came as a great shock as it was sudden though not unsurprising given his
health.
So that was
how he found himself living in a lovely Victorian Cottage in the quaint
Downshire Village of Denmead.
It was a
very tranquil place though not without its distractions.
From his
study he could look out through the open French windows and across the expanse
of lawn to a stand of ancient woodland, there was no fence to separate garden
and wood the two just merged.
And on the
other side of the wood was the hub of the village, the Green Oak, everyone
seemed to go there at some point, either for a drink, the restaurant or the
coffee suite.
As a writer
Owen’s star was definitely in the ascendency after the success of his first
Romantic novel “The Maiden Muse” but the change in the fortunes of his writing
career were not universally well received, his publisher liked it, his new
agent loved it, the bank manager was ecstatic about it but his mother was
disappointed by it because she thought it was a bit girlie.
But it
wasn’t just his writing career that was climbing high, so was his love life
thanks to his muse and lover, Juliana Molesworth, who had brought his writers
block to an end, and since she had become his muse he had become a writer of
bodice ripping romances which had proved to be an occupation which suited him
very well indeed.
And it
suited him in many ways, but the main benefit was that he was able to work at
home, so he had no tedious commute every day and his working day was flexible
to the point that some days he didn’t write at all.
This
afforded him the opportunity of playing a round of Golf during the working week
when most people had their noses to the grindstone or even taking a day out to
go fishing.
However his
muse was in her third year at the University of
Downshire
where she studied English at Abbottsford.
In the
short time they had been together she had come to mean everything to him so in
the final weeks of the year he did something that rocked her world.
Owen
Carrington’s muse and lover Juliana Molesworth, was in her third year at the
University of Downshire where she studied English at Abbottsford.
In the
short time they had been together she had come to mean everything to him so in
the final weeks of the year he did something that rocked her world.
He had
driven up to Abbottsford to see her unexpectedly to find bedlam in the house
that she and her friends rented.
He had
hoped to get a quiet half an hour with her but it didn’t work out that way.
When he got
there it was really busy and that weekend there was a houseful but she was
pleased to see him.
“What a
lovely surprise” she said “I wasn’t expecting to see you until next weekend”
“I have
something important to talk to you about” he said but she didn’t hear him
because of the rowdy atmosphere.
As a result
of the raucous gathering he wasn’t able to get her on her own and that was a
problem because he really needed to talk to her and the longer it went on the
quieter and more troubled he became and Juliana had picked up on that so she
also became quiet and troubled.
When they
eventually found themselves alone together on the doorstep before his drive
home he said more forcefully than he intended
“Juliana I
need to talk to you”
“Oh ok” she
said with a sense of foreboding
“Not here
though” he said “Lets walk over to the park”
They walked
in silence, Owen deep in thought and Juliana fearing the worst.
It was a
cold evening and the park looked eerily beautiful in the moonlight and they
eventually found themselves sitting on a bench in the little park looking up at
the moonlit sky.
“Juliana I
have something important to say….” he began
“Oh God,”
she exclaimed “You’re going to dump me”
“No of
course I’m not going to dump you” he replied “Why on earth would you think
that?”
“You’re not
dumping me?” she said quietly “Honestly?”
“Juliana
Molesworth I promise you that I have no intention of dumping you” He said
frankly
“What then?
You turn up out of the blue, you’ve been really quiet all day, and then you say
you have to talk to me, about something important no less” Juliana said “so if
you’re not dumping me then what?”
“Juliana
Molesworth will you please stop talking for one moment, just long enough, so I
can ask you to marry me” he said
“What?”
Juliana exclaimed
“Will you
marry me?” he asked,
“Yes, yes,
and yes” she screamed and threw her arms around his neck.
“I haven’t
got a ring” he said “We need to buy your ring together”
And then
they kissed, but not just another kiss in a long line of kisses, not just of
affection or of gratitude, this was a kiss that marked an engagement, and it
was a kiss which lead to them spending the night in the Abbottsford Regents
Hotel.
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