Charles Phelps had been a frequent visitor to the village over the years, even more so in the ten years since his wife passed away and as his sister Chloe was married to the Vicar of St Agatha's, Reverend Samuel Virtue, once he reached the point where he was ready to retire, in his case aged 50, he sold his business and decided to move to Pepperstock Green to be close to his only family.
However, that
proved to be somewhat easier said than done, as properties of the size he
wanted didn’t come up very often, so he was almost 55, when he actually moved
into Beechwood.
The house had
been uninhabited for some time as its owner had to go into a care home in
Pipershaven following several near tragedies due to her dementia, in fact her
move to Sunny Pines happened precisely at the time Charles Phelps began his
search.
Alice Rudd
finally slipped her earthly bonds after three oblivious years and six months
later, as she had no surviving family her Purplemere solicitors, Curtis,
Mitchel and Lovegood put Beechwood on the market with Estate Agents Chapman
Millar, in order to wind up her not insubstantial estate.
As part of Charlie’s
search, he was a regular at the many Estate Agents in the area and left his
details in order for them to tip him off as soon as a suitable house came on
the market and was the first one to receive a call from Harry Chapman.
He was then the
first and last to view Beechwood as he had an above asking price offer accepted
the next day.
However, that
was merely the first step on what turned out to be a very long road.
Because of
Alice Rudd’s dementia and subsequent interment in Sunny Pines the house was in dire
need of TLC.
Clogged and
damaged guttering had inevitably led to water ingress causing damp and rot,
also window frames soffits and barge boards had gone unpainted and neglected for
more than two decades, some rooftiles needed replacing and brickwork needed
repointing.
Once the
exterior was made sound, work began on remedying the water penetration,
replastering, modernizing the bathroom and kitchen and decorating throughout.
MARCH
As a result, it
was almost 12 months from purchase to possession which just happened to be the
eve of the occasion of his 55th birthday.
So, when he got
up after his first night in his new home, he gave himself a longer than usual
appraisal in the bathroom mirror.
After due
consideration he felt that in the wake of the ravages of time he had faired
rather well, all things considered.
He was fit and
well, and was only carrying a few extra pounds, and standing at six feet one, a
couple of pounds went a long way.
His hair hadn’t
survived the journey quite as well, which was why he now shaved his head.
After shaving,
showering and dressing he went downstairs to the kitchen and made himself a
coffee.
He had no
sooner sat down at the table than there was a knock at the door.
When he opened
the door, he was greeted by the smiling faces of his sister Chloe and his niece
Verity.
“Happy Birthday!”,
they chorused and stepped forward and kissed him.
As it was their
first visit to Beechwood and they were very keen to see what he’d been spending
his money on, he gave them a full tour of the house, culminating in the kitchen
where he said
“I’d show you
the garden, but it’s been transformed into a jungle”
On hearing this
Verity immediately opened the French doors and stepped out onto the tired patio
followed by her mother
“I think you need
Sister Clair Uncle Charlie” Verity suggested
“What a great
idea” Chloe said “She’s just what you need”
“Who is Sister
Clair?” Charie asked
“Your salvation,”
Chloe replied, as she didn’t elaborate further, they went back inside before
walking to the Deer Stalker for his Birthday lunch.
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