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 slightly further south
equidistant between Nettlefield and the Oxley’s, in the beautiful village of
Heathervale.
When Chris Palmer moved to Nettlefield from Purplemere following a
very acrimonious divorce he had sworn off women for good.
But he was a relatively good looking man who was fast approaching his
40th birthday, with a good physique and short sandy hair, greying at the
temples and was possessed of piercing blue eyes, so he didn’t go unnoticed.
His reason for moving to Nettlefield in particular, over all the other
places he might have chosen either in Downshire or beyond, was the Heatherlands
District Health Centre.
It was a large practise that serviced a large area, covering
Nettlefield itself, Oxley Green, Heathervale, Oxley Ridge and Tipton and Chris
had been fortunate enough to land the job as practice manager and he also found
himself a nice little flat in Nettlefield.
The senior partner, and Chris’s boss, at the Health Centre was Dr Clarisse Lowe, a tall statuesque
woman who dressed in tweed, with Chestnut hair, a voluptuous figure, lovely
long legs and a generous frontage, who was in her mid-forties and was just the
kind of woman Chris would have fallen for in his previous life.
Clarisse had been married to Edward Lowe, who had been an eminent
surgeon in Downshire, he had also been twenty years older when he married her
and he had two children from his first marriage, Josie being the oldest.
The marriage was a happy one but only lasted five years because Edward
died suddenly on the Tipton Twelve Trees Golf course after suffering a heart
attack.
She had been a widow for 10 years when Chris arrived in her life, her
widowhood had left her lonely but also afraid of risking her heart on someone
who might end that loneliness
But apart from the fact that she had vowed not to risk her broken
heart again she also had instigated a policy at the practise forbidding
fraternisation between members of staff, so even if she were so inclined toward
Chris she wouldn’t be disposed to go against her own edict.
But the heart wants what the heart wants which was why two people who
despite their reluctance to expose themselves to love again and who were very
definitely not looking for a relationship, let alone love, found it anyway.
And as a bi-product of the loving relationship between her and Chris,
Clarisse scrapped the “No Fraternizing policy” which meant that the surgical
gloves were off in regard to work place relationships which was just what the
doctor ordered for 35 year old practice
nurse, Josie Minter, a skinny blonde girl who was the step daughter of Senior
partner Clarisse Lowe.
However
although she was given the green light at Easter she couldn’t find anyone she
liked sufficiently to surrender her heart to either inside or outside the
practise.
Not, that
is, until the Christmas party.
The
Heatherlands District Health Centre staff Christmas Party was held at The
Foothills Hotel in Oxley Ridge.
Senior partner Clarisse had been married to Edward Lowe, who had been
an eminent surgeon in Downshire, he had also been twenty years older when he
married her and he had two children from his first marriage, Josie being the
oldest.
The marriage was a happy one but only lasted five years because Edward
died suddenly on the Tipton Twelve Trees Golf course after suffering a heart
attack.
On his death however he had left her extremely well off so at
Christmas Clarisse always laid on transport for those who had to get back for
baby sitters after the part or alternatively they could stay overnight at the
Hotel.
It was at
the Christmas party where Josie finally met a man worthy of her love.
Clarisse
was hosting the party and was attending with boyfriend Chris Palmer who had
brought along his younger brother Darren to be his plus one.
Darren was
five years younger than his brother and he shared his good looks, physique and
short sandy hair and possessed the same blue eyes and skinny blonde Practice
nurse, Josie Minter, felt for him instantly and him for her.
She really
liked him from the first moment she saw him, but she just stood rooted to the
spot, just staring at him if she hadn’t liked him so much she wouldn’t have
been so mesmerised, but it had been a while since she had fancied anyone, and she
was desperately trying to think how to proceed.
Chris
smiled as he noticed Josie standing open mouthed then he could see who she was
looking at transfixed, so he went to her aid and said
“Come on
Josie come and meet my kid brother”
And when
the introductions were done Darren asked
“Would you
like to dance?”
“Oh yes”
she replied
Darren took
her hand and led her to the dance floor and they stayed there until just before
midnight.
They danced
through 10cc, James Blunt, Barbara Streisand, Whitney Houston, Fleetwood Mac
and numerous others, but then clumsy Peter Butler fell over his own feet and
sprained his ankle and Chris tapped Darren on the shoulder.
“Come on
bro” Chris said “Give me a hand”
“Ok” he
replied and reluctantly relinquished his hold on Josie and the spell was
broken.
And
although he returned ten minutes later the pace of the musical offerings had
changed and there was no return to the dancing.
Although
Darren returned from his mission of mercy ten minutes after he had to leave her
on the dancefloor the pace of the musical offerings had changed and there was
no return to the dancing.
However
there was quite an extended period of flirty conversation and a rather clumsy
form of goodnight kiss and the promise of a future meal or trip to the cinema.
In the
weeks that followed Josie dancing at the Christmas party with Darren Palmer she
had been able to think of little else, but for all that come New Year’s Eve she
still hadn’t heard from him .
As one of
the practice nurses at Heatherlands she was kept very busy over the Christmas
period but she still had time to think and those thought tended to stray to the
night of the Christmas party.
She thought
they had hit it off and she really had thought he would have called her sooner
rather than later.
At the
height of her despondency, or should that be the depth, she spoke to Chris.
She had
wanted to ask him after the first couple of days but she had been putting it
off and putting it off because she didn’t want to appear desperate, but by
Christmas Eve she was desperate, but speaking with Chris soon put her mind at
ease.
She knew
from her conversation with Darren on the night of the party that he was a
medical assistant with the Downshire Light Infantry, but what she didn’t know,
and more significantly nor did Darren, was that the next day they had the first
of a series of medivac exercises at various locations around the county.
On the
morning of New Year’s Eve she watched Clarisse and Chris drive away from the
house as they were to drive down to Abbottsford for a party which meant she
would be seeing the New Year in on her own.
She wasn’t
able to attend a party herself that year as she was working the next day, so
she planned a quiet evening and the time hung heavy all day, until just before
7 o’clock when her phone rang.
She picked
it up off the table and saw it was an unknown number and pressed answer
“Hello”
“Josie?” a
voice asked
“Speaking”
“Hi it’s
Darren Palmer”
“Oh hi
Darren” she responded and began fiddling with her hair
“I’m sorry
I haven’t called sooner but…” he began
“It’s ok
Chris explained” she interrupted
“He did?
That’s great” he said “well I was wondering if we could get together tonight”
“I would
love to” she said “But…”
“But?”
“But I
can’t, because I’m working tomorrow”
“So am I,
so I wasn’t suggesting any serious partying” he said “but I would like to see
you”
An hour
later he drove into the village of Heathervale and parked on the drive of
Josie’s home.
He knocked
firmly on the door and waited and a few moments later the door opened and a
grinning face appeared from behind the door.
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