Snippets of Downshire Life – The New Year’s Resolution

The fortunes of Shallowfield on the edge of Dancingdean Forest, had always relied largely upon forestry and agriculture for its survival and in the post war years with rationing and a shortage of work a lot of people moved away, to Abbottsford, Abbeyvale and beyond and it barely survived, but by the 70s things were beginning to change, thanks mainly to tourism and an increase in leisure time, and the fortunes of the Sciberras family improved along with it.

Adam also benefitted and everything in his life seemed to be perfect, a privileged upbringing, public school and Oxbridge education, a place in the family business, a luxurious house and a glamorous wife, but he blew it.

Apparently having everything in life served to him on a silver platter wasn’t enough for him as he decided he needed to have numerous meaningless relationships or more precisely, one night stands, until he was finally caught.

So now he was separated from his wife, estranged from his family, and reduced to stacking shelves at the Shallowfield Village store for Anuruddha Gunasekara and living in a bed sitter above the Bengal Curry House, and he’d never been happier, he had no responsibility, no pressures, and no expectations.

He had been cut off from his wealthy life style by his father in order to teach him a lesson and he was expected to last a few days before he crawled back to the family and begged for forgiveness, but he had been living his simple life for three months and the thought of returning to his old life had never once crossed his mind.

And that was before “she” started coming into the shop a few weeks before Christmas, she was small and fine featured with short brunette hair and a radiant smile, which he tried desperately to ignore.  

Since his spectacular fall from grace he had chosen not to have any more dalliances, despite several offers which he had rebuffed and he had not actively pursued anyone, or wanted to for that matter.

She made it difficult for him as she came into the shop every day, sometimes twice, and they always exchanged polite conversation and a smile, but Adam tried to keep their interaction to a minimum. 

He did find out from other members of staff that her name was Anona Rouet who lived “in” at the Shallowfield Lodge Hotel, on the edge of Teardrop Lake, where she worked long hours as maid, receptionist, waitress, chief cook and bottle washer, and Adam tried hard to be disinterested.

As Adam was persona non grata with his family he chose to work maximum hours at the shop throughout Christmas to allow for those who did belong to functional families could feel the benefit.

So he successfully managed to maintain a healthy, yet polite distance between himself and Anona all through December.   

 

After closing the shop on New Year’s Eve he thought he should reward himself with a beer before turning in.

There were a glut of pubs in Shallowfield and he had tried them all, there were three pubs at the Teardrop Lake end of the village within five minutes’ walk of the shop, The Woodman’s Axe, The Woodcutters Arms and The Foresters, and the names clearly reflected Shallowfield’s dependence on forestry over the centuries, the pubs at the other end of town had more of an agricultural flavour in their naming, The Wheatsheaf, The Plough and the Farmers Tavern.

His favourite hostelry was The Plough, but that was too far to walk and the end of a long day and another one in prospect the next morning, so he decided very definitely to restrict his choice to the forest end and plumped for The Woodcutters Arms and was there with ten minutes to spare before the chimes and stood at the bar and ordered a pint, and he was halfway down his pint when she appeared and as soon as their eyes met they smiled.

“Hello” Anona said “This is a nice surprise”

“Yes it is” he agreed and was resigned to the fact that further resistance was futile.

“Can I get you a drink?”

“I’m still working I’m afraid” she replied “I get off at half 12, you can buy me one then”

 

She sat on the stool next to his and he ordered her a drink.

“Large white wine please” he said to the waiting barman.

“I’m glad you picked this pub” she said “I suspect you would you have gone elsewhere if you’d known I worked here”

“What makes you think that?” he asked

“Because in the shop you’ve always been…. Distant” she replied “or perhaps reluctant, would be more accurate”

“Well my life has tended to be a bit complicated” Adam said

“And you think I might make it more so?” Anona asked

“Possibly”

“Well I can be very uncomplicated” she said and leant in and kissed him.

 

In the early hours of New Year’s Day Adam and Anona were at his bedsit and laying entwined in the afterglow when she asked

“So what complications are you concerned about?”

“The main one is that I’m separated from my wife” he said

“Separated?”

“While in the process of getting a divorce” he clarified

“I’m sorry, any particular reason?” she asked and he laughed

“My infidelity”

“I see, singular or multiple?”

“The latter” he confessed

“So are you a lost cause or is there some hope for a self-confessed adulterer?” she asked

“I don’t know how to answer that” he said

“Well prior to us meeting tonight did you make a New Year’s resolution?”

“I did” he replied

“What was it?” she asked with interest

“I think I should keep it to myself” he said

“Go on tell me” she insisted and after a moments silence he replied

“Not to get involved with women” He replied

As she climbed onto him she asked

“How did that work out for you?” Anona asked as she nibbled his ear

“And what if you were to make one now, what would it be?” she asked

“Never to have another one night stand” Adam replied

“This isn’t a very auspicious start then” she pointed out

“Really? I thought this was just our first date” he said and she kissed him

 

 

 

Snippets of Downshire Life – New Year’s Eve

 

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 and it’s in leafy Roespring where our story takes place on New Year’s Eve.

 

Quiet and thoughtful Fifty year old widow Matthew Simpson was spending New Year’s Eve alone in his Victorian Cottage, for a number of reasons, the first of which being that he wasn’t big on the whole New Year’s concept and it wasn’t a time that held any deep significance for him.

Secondly he was normally feeling more than a little jaded by the time it arrived and this year, after overindulging quite spectacularly over Christmas, he was even more so.

But the final and most significant reason was because he had lost his heart to someone who was, he was sure, unlikely to return his love, as she had a younger much more attractive man dancing attendance on her, and although he was due to attend the New Year’s Eve Ball, where she would also be present, he declined the invitation as being so close to her, especially in all her party splendour, would have been too hard for him to bear.

The object of his affection was Penelope Van Der Velden, also widowed, but she was three years younger than he and she was bubbly and vivacious, so Matthew was resigned to the fact that it was not to be, so he settled down to a quite evening on his own.

He had his laptop to hand and spent about an hour writing emails to friends and family, which he left as drafts to send after Big Ben struck twelve.

The rest of the time he watched TV and picked at any and all of the nibbles within reach of his comfy chair.

By ten o’clock he was a little bored with the New Year’s Eve offerings on TV and about an hour later he decided to put on a DVD and was just returning to his chair when the doorbell rang.

Matthew had no idea who it might be, he certainly wasn’t expecting anyone.

 

When he opened the door he was surprised to see the diminutive figure of Penelope Van Der Velden standing on the doorstep in full evening wear and over her shoulder he could see a taxi pulling away.

“Hello” he said with genuine surprise

“Hello Darling” Penny said, “Can I come in? It’s bloody freezing”

“Of course, of course” he said fussily “come in, come in”

Once inside she slipped off her stole and walked through to the lounge and he thought she looked absolutely gorgeous in a full-length magenta evening dress.

“Lead me to the wine” Penny said “I’m gasping”

He led the way to the kitchen and opened the fridge and took out an open bottle of wine.

Then he took two large wine glasses from the cupboard and filled them both generously then handed one of them to her.

“Thank you darling” she said and took a large slurp and then they proceeded to the lounge.

Matt followed her along the hall and had another chance to admire her form encapsulated in her evening dress.

As usual she was perfectly accessorized with long elbow length gloves, and clutch purse etcetera, and knowing what a classy lady she was he imagined her to be fully accessorized under the dress as well.

“You’re a bit overdressed for my humble abode” he observed.

“I know” Penny said as she sat down “I was going to the New Year Ball but…”

“But?” he asked

“I couldn’t face everyone quizzing me about Owen”

“About what?” he quizzed, fearing the worst.

“He told everyone that we were a couple, and very much in love” she replied, “and that we were moving in together”

“And you’re not?” he asked hopefully

“No we’re bloody not” Penny said definitely “But people believed him, how could they think that, why on earth would I do such a thing?”

“Well he’s a good looking man, a very athletic man” Matt said

“Yes he is both of those” she agreed “but he’s also a boy”

“He doesn’t look much like a boy to me” he said

“None the less, he is” she corrected him “It’s flattering of course, to have a young stud pay me some attention, but a physical relationship with someone like that, on tap 24-7 would probably kill me”

Penny laughed at the thought and then continued

“It would probably be like Zumba and Pilates combined, and would send me to an early grave”

She was laughing again while Matthew digested the information that there had been no physicality between them.

“He did however open my eyes and show me that I’m still an attractive woman, still a sexy woman”

“I could have told you that” Matthew said a little to definitely, which didn’t go unnoticed by Penny as she continued

“My husband didn’t appreciate that, and I need to be with someone who sees me the way that you do”

Matt raised his eyebrows and she laughed and then said

“I’m not just here because I couldn’t face the Ball” 

“Oh” he said and Penny was giggling and blushing as she slipped out of her seat and knelt on the floor in front of him, and when she had slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him to the accompaniment of Big Ben chiming and Penny kissed him from one year to the next.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snippets of Downshire Life - New Year’s Day

 

Mornington-By-Mere is a small country village lying in the Finchbottom Vale nestled between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.

It is 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.

In addition there were a number of cottages and small houses on the Purplemere road and Dulcets Lane which form the part of Mornington Village known as Manorside where Martin Carnell lived with his wife Julie in a small two bedroom cottage on the banks of the River Brooke.

 

On New Year’s Day he woke up annoyingly early, having had a disturbed night, as he was unable to sleep, and the reason for that was a guilty conscience.

So he got up and left Julie sleeping and went downstairs where he sat in the kitchen drinking coffee and thinking about the source of his anxiety.

What was bothering him was the simple fact that he had lied to his wife.  

They had only been married for a few months and up until that Christmas he had never done it before, and in the space of a few days he had done it twice, and his deceit hung heavy on his mind.

The first time was on Boxing Day when he feigned a migraine to avoid driving to Childean to spend the day with his parents and the second was on New Year’s Eve when he told her that the car battery was flat so they couldn’t get to Shallowfield for a party at her sister’s house.

Two totally different lies but both motivated by the same thing and that was the desire two spend every minute of their first Christmas and New Year on their own.

He quickly made a New Year’s resolution to never lie to Julie again.

 

They were due to eat New Year’s Day lunch at her parent’s house in Forestdean, which he didn’t want to go to because he wanted to keep Julie all to himself, but he had no choice he couldn’t lie again so at nine o’clock he stopped his ruminations and made Julie a cup of tea.

 

Five minutes later, tea mug in hand, he was on his way upstairs to wake his lovely wife when the phone rang, so he stopped and did a U-turn and picked up the phone.

“Hello”

“Martin?” the voice said “it’s Gordon”

Gordon was Julie’s Dad.

“Hi Gordon, Happy New Year” he said

“Yes Happy New Year” he responded vaguely

“Is everything ok?” Martin asked

“No” he replied, “not at all, it’s Maggie”

Maggie was his wife,

“She’s been throwing up most of the night, so we thought it best to cancel lunch as a precaution” he continued “I’m sorry to let you down”

“Nonsense” Martin said, as he punched the air, “These things happen”

“I suspect it’s been brought on by two much rich food” Gordon elaborated “but just in case it is a bug we have decided to quarantine ourselves”

Martin suspected it was more likely brought on by too much Pinot but he didn’t say that, instead he just said

“Very sensible”

 

After he had put down the phone he continue his journey up the stairs to his sleeping wife.

After tiptoeing into the room he put her tea on the bedside cabinet and slipped into bed beside her.

Once he was under the covers he leant over and kissed her neck and as she stirred he cuddled up behind her and began kissing her ear.

“We don’t have time for that” she purred

“Oh I think we do” he retorted and nibbled her lobe.

“No we don’t” she reiterated “You’re forgetting about lunch at my parents”

“No I’m not, it’s been cancelled” he told her and she rolled onto her back and gave him a suspicious look

“Why?”

“Your mum’s throwing up” Martin said “Your Dad thinks it might be a bug”

“It’s more likely too much Pinot” Julie said and laughed, until her demeanour changed suddenly.

“So we don’t have to get up and go out” she mused

“Correct” he agreed

“Oh goody” Julie said and wrapped herself around him “We get to spend the whole day together just the two of us”

“We do” he said and kissed her

“And without pretending to have a migraine or a flat battery” Julie added

“What?”

“You know perfectly well what” she said

“You mean you knew all along?” he asked

“Of course”

“So why didn’t you say something?” Martyn asked

“Because I didn’t want to go either” she admitted and kissed him passionately which lead to them having a very late lunch at home.

 

 

 

Snippets of Downshire Life – Boxing Day

 

In the small but thriving English county of Downshire people go about the tasks of their everyday existence in ways that range from the mundane to the extraordinary as their forebears had done for centuries before, in the varied and diverse landscape, from 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, to the beautiful Finchbottom Vale and the short but beautiful coastline to the east.

But our story is set in and around Turnoak-Under-Hawthorne, a large rambling village, originally settled in the 12th century on the sparsely wooded slopes on the Northern fringe of the Finchbottom Vale about 5 miles from Purplemere, and it was everything you would expect from a Downshire Village.

It was the village where the Higgins and Hewer families lived next door to each other and the families should have been tied by the marriage of Helen and Neil, but instead of a joining of the two families they were split apart when Helen ran away, and two years passed before the couple met again, on Boxing Day.

Neither knew that the other would be in the village on that day and they were both taken aback when they bumped into each other at the Hen and Chickens, he was on the way up the steps and she on the way out, and they stood there as the snow fell and minutes past before either spoke, but it was Neil who broke the silence.

“I’ve really missed you”

She seemed both surprised and pleased by the revelation and he wondered if she had heard him correctly or if it was just whatever she’d been drinking having an effect on her processing ability,

“I’m sorry” she replied

“Why did you go?” he asked “I never understood why you left”

“I had to” she replied earnestly

“But why??” he asked

“Because I was scared” Helen confessed

“Scared?” he asked aghast

“Yes” 

“Of what?” Neil asked angrily

“Marriage” She admitted

“So, all you had to say was no” he said and then there was an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes as the snow began to fall faster but then she said

“I thought it was for the best”

“It wasn’t the best for me, or you” he said and turned and began to walk away and Helen followed him

“Let me explain” Helen said as she trotted behind him, but he ignored her and pressed on across the car park towards the road, but she caught up with him as he stopped to allow a car to complete its maneuver.

“I made a mistake” she said from behind him and he span round on her

“I realised almost immediately” she continued

“So why didn’t you come back?”

“I didn’t know how” she said and fell in to his arms

“So, you just made us both unhappy” he said gently

“Yes” she replied, and Helen began to cry

“Don’t cry honey” he said

When he imagined them meeting again he hadn’t expected to see that side of her, vulnerable, that was a different girl to the one who had run away, she wasn’t vulnerable or unsure of herself on that day.  

So, when she looked up at him through tear filled eyes he kissed her, a kiss they had both longed for, and dreamt of for two years.

Snippets of Downshire Life – St Stephen’s Day

 

On the west side of Downshire is Eastchapel, a quiet medieval village living in the shadow of its noisy neighbour, the Industrial powerhouse of Northchapel, and on Boxing Day it was even more quiet than usual, and it was snowing.

In fact, as it was eerily quiet as Sharon Colligan and Duane Gingell conspicuously stood in the corner of the bus shelter.

And it was conspicuous for the simple reason that no buses ran to the village on Boxing Day, but then they weren’t there for the bus they were there for the kissing.

“I have a confession to make” Sharon said.
“Oh?” What?” Duane asked her “Are you Gay?”

“No, I am not Gay” she said indignantly “Why, do I kiss like a Lesbian?”

“No, no you just said you had a confession to make” he said defensively

“And you automatically thought, Lesbian” she snapped “Why would a Lesbian be kissing a man in bus shelter in this weather?”

“Fair enough, sorry” Duane said, “Are you married then?”

“What? No, not that I remember” she replied “I would hope if I were, I wouldn’t be standing in a bus shelter kissing another man”

“Good point” he said but she could have been married for all he knew, he hadn’t known her long and they’d only had their fifth date on Christmas Eve and so there was still a lot he didn’t know about her.

Sharon was new to the village, her family had moved in to the house next door to his parents, a few weeks before Christmas from somewhere in the Vale.

He liked the look of her from the first minute and asked her out, but it took a couple of attempts before he wore her down.

It was kind of an instant attraction thing, for him, and since the first attraction it had gradually deepened and by Christmas he was head over heels in love with her.

 

 

 

 

They were on the way to the village pub, The Grapes of Wrath, when they stopped for an intimate interlude in the bus shelter, they were headed to the pub because they showed live football in the bar and there was a huge match on.

It was an FA cup 2^nd round replay between Northchapel Athletic and Finchbottom Forest which was a first because neither team had been on TV before, and the prize would be another first for either team, a tie in the 3^rd round, against, and if that wasn’t enough of an incentive, their opponents would be Man Utd, so it was hugely important because Duane was Northchapel fan.

Everything was going great when they were kissing in the bus shelter until she said she had a confession to make.

“What then?” he asked
“I’ve been dreading saying this” she said “But here goes”

Duane was really worried, especially after she said she was “dreading it” and began to wonder if he really wanted to know, and when Sharon took a deep breath Duane braced himself

“I’m a Forest supporter” she said and closed her eyes and grimaced, it took a moment for the full implications of her statement to sink in.

“I think I would have preferred it if you were married, or a Lesbian, or a married Lesbian” he said, and she moved close in to him and asked

“Do you mean you would prefer a married woman to be in love with you rather than a Finchbottom Forest supporter?”

“She loved me” he said to himself and he wasn’t sure if that shocked him more than the fact she supported Forest.

“I'm sorry” she said “Not much of a Christmas present for my new boyfriend I’m afraid”
“You couldn't be more wrong” he said “It was the perfect Christmas
present, when you said you loved me”

Then he kissed her and when they paused she said

“We’re going to miss the match”

“It’s only a game” he replied and returned to the kissing

Snippets of Downshire Life – Feast of St Stephen

 

In the north of Downshire is the old market Town of Nettlebridge which was quainter and more peaceful than its neighbour Nettlefield, which was a Military Town whereas Nettlebridge prospered from the sheep and wool trade, which is evidenced by the road names,  Sheepfold Street, Woolsack Lane and Shepherds Bridge, and this trade had historically generated a great deal of wealth, and it was also the village where the family home of the Porthnall’s was which was where the family were expected to return to for Christmas.

There were four daughters in the family Julie, May, April and June, the older two were married and had been in Nettlebridge since the schools broke up for the Christmas Holidays but the younger pair couldn’t get there until Boxing Day because they were both Nurses at the Winston Churchill Hospital in Abbottsford and were both on duty on Christmas Day.

         

April and June lived together and were as different as chalk and cheese, June was tall, slim and blonde while April was shorter and brunette, in fact the only things they had in common were blue eyes, a surname, a profession, and a taste in men, in every other way they differed, and the best way to sum them up would be to say that April had a heart and a brain whereas June possessed neither.

 

They set off from Abbottsford at the crack of dawn after June’s boyfriend Dave Hicks pick them up from the hospital, he was medium height, black hair, gypsy eyes, a kind heart and April loved him.

As the sisters had been on duty all night they slept all the way to Nettlebridge and when they arrived, refreshed by a few hours’ sleep, they found there was a house full at the Porthnall’s and a great day followed, a huge family dinner and plenty of wine and as they were staying the night they all got a bit merry, apart from June who got hammered after gorging herself.

It was a big house but even so a reshuffle on the accommodation front was required, due to their mother’s insistence that June and Dave sleep in separate rooms, because their mother was a good Christian woman and didn’t believe in that kind of thing.

The result of the reshuffle meant that Dave shared the spare room with Cousin James while April was forced to endure her sisters’ constant drunken snoring and farting as they each slept on a sofa in the lounge.

April found it difficult to drop off, partly because of June and her horrendous snoring, but also because her head was full of images of her sister’s boyfriend.

After tossing and turning for about an hour her attempts to drop off were further frustrated by an acute need to pee so she got up and tiptoed her way upstairs to the loo.

April was yawning as she left the bathroom and stepped back onto the landing not really paying attention to what she was doing and subsequently bumped into David coming the other way, who wrapped his arms around her and carried her back into the bathroom where he planted a passionate, sensual kiss on her lips.

“We shouldn’t be doing this” she said coming up for air

“Why? You were enjoying it” Dave said and kissed her anew

“That’s not the point” she protested

“So, you admit you were enjoying it” he said “so let’s do it again”

“We mustn’t” April insisted and opened some distance between them

“But it’s really nice” He said wistfully

“I know but we can’t be doing it anymore” she said indignantly

“I know you like me” he continued as he leant against the door

“I’ve seen you looking at me when you think no one’s looking”

“Ah” she exclaimed and sat down on the loo.

David had been going out with June for about three months and April fell in love with him the instant she brought him home.

But the thought never crossed her mind to do anything about it, she had a strong moral compass and you didn’t do things like that, it wasn’t cricket, even if her sister didn’t deserve him.

So, she just worshipped him from afar.

“I’m sorry” she said

“Why are you sorry?” David asked

“For being too weak” she replied “I had no right to fall for you”

“I don’t think you’re weak” David said “Far from it, a weak person wouldn’t have stopped me kissing them”

“Maybe” she conceded

“Your sister wouldn’t have stopped” he added

“I’m not my sister” she pointed out

“I realize that only too well” he said and stepped forward

“I’d better go, but this is for Christmas” he said and kissed her gently

“Merry Christmas”

 

April went back downstairs and tried to sleep but she found it even more difficult after her encounter with David, than she did before.

“This is a real Christmas surprise” she thought as he lay wide awake with only her sisters snoring for company.

When June rolled over onto her side she let out a ripping fart, which was as a result of her skinny body trying to deal with all the food and drink she shoved into it during the course of the day.

A minute or so later a cloud of noxious gas drifted over April and was so foul she decided to leave the room and take sanctuary in the kitchen.

 

She walked out into the hall and turned towards the kitchen and just as he reached the kitchen door a voice from behind said 

“Hello again”

She turned around to see David sitting on the stairs.

“Hi David” she said, “Are you stalking me?”

“Would you mind?” he asked

“No comment, do you want a drink?” she said and went into the kitchen and David followed on behind.

 

She made the drinks and sat down at the table opposite him.

“So, you can’t sleep either then” she said

“I’m afraid not”

“Something on your mind” April asked

“Something” he agreed but didn’t elaborate so she didn’t pursue it any further.

But after five minutes he asked

“Would you go out with me if I wasn’t spoken for?”

“If you weren’t going out with June I’d go out with you in a heartbeat”

She replied

“Why?” David added

“Why would I go out with you?” she said

“Where do I start? Your hair, your eyes, your smile, your laugh but most of all your heart”

David gave her a dazzling smile when she had finished her catalogue and said

“I’ve broken up with her”

“What?” April asked

“We broke up” he replied

“When?”

“Last week”

“But why?”

“Well partly because she’s been seeing my best friend Kenny” he replied “or my ex best friend Kenny I should say”

“Was she?” April asked in disbelief

“You didn’t know then?”

“No, I didn’t, honestly” she said “she wouldn’t tell me something like that because she knows I’d disapprove”

“No, that’s because you are a better human being” David said proudly

“I don’t know about that” April said, “What was the rest of the reason?”

“What?”

“You said June and Kenny was only part of the reason”

“Oh yes I see” he said “well mostly I broke up with her because she’s not you”

April couldn’t believe her ears, did those words really come out of his mouth, it wasn’t possible that he was really attracted to her.

“So, if you broke up with her last week why did you still come today?” she asked

“Because you’re here” he replied and walked around the table, bent down and kissed her.

It was a long and lingering kiss and when it was over she enjoyed it so much she was feeling guilty.

“Does June know?”

“Yes” he said eager to resume

“So why didn’t she say something?” he asked “she’s rubbish at keeping secrets”

“Because I told her I’d send the nude selfie she’d sent me to all my friends if she didn’t, especially if it spoiled my chances with you” he replied and kissed her again before she could speak anymore.

The prolonged kiss showed no sign of abating until a voice said

“What’s going on in here then?”

It was Cousin James who David was sharing the spare room with.

“He’s just wishing me a Happy Christmas?” April said

“Result” James remarked as he poured himself a glass of water and then added

“I’ll leave you two alone”

“Good because I want to wish her a Happy New Year now” David replied

“I think that’s a given” April said

 

They left Nettlebridge shortly after lunch the next day and had a clear run back to Abbottsford.

David was driving and April rode shotgun while a rather fragile June sat in the back and judging by the aromas emanating from back there it was obvious her digestinal tract was still processing the garbage she consumed the previous day.

It was a very quiet and uneventful journey home with all of them lost in their own thoughts.

Aprils were quite philosophical as she pondered the difference a day makes, on the journey up she was envious of her sister and felt guilty for the way she looked at David, while on the way back she couldn’t stop smiling and looked like the cat that got the cream, which of course she had.

Uncanny Christmas Tales – (004) Boxing Day Confession

 

“I have a confession to make,” she said.
“Oh? What?” I asked her “Are you married?”

“Not that I remember” she replied “and I would hope if I were, I wouldn’t be standing in a bus shelter kissing another man”

 

It was Boxing Day and we were on our way to the “Grapes”, and the reason we were on our way there was because they showed live football in the bar and United were playing Liverpool.

I was a Man Utd fan, from a long line of United fans and it was an important match, well to be honest it was always an important match when we played Liverpool, but this one was more important than normal.

 

I thought about it for a moment and she could have been married for all I knew, I hadn’t known her long and we’d only had our first proper date on Christmas Eve, so there was a lot I didn’t know about her.

Her name was Billi Ridgway and she was new to the village, her family had moved into the house next door to my parents, two weeks before Christmas from somewhere in Cheshire.

I liked the look of her from the first minute and asked her out, but it took me almost 2 weeks before I wore her down and she said yes.

It was kind of an instant attraction thing, certainly for me, and since the first attraction had gradually deepened, I was now head over heels in love with her.

But on Boxing Day we were on our way to the pub to watch the match when we stopped for an intimate interlude in the bus shelter.

 

“What then?” I asked
“I’ve been dreading saying this” she said, and I was really worried and wasn’t sure I wanted to know, but Billi took a deep breath and I braced myself

“I’m a Liverpool supporter” she said and closed her eyes and grimaced, but it took a moment for the full implications of her statement to sink in.

“I think I would have preferred it if you were married” I said, so she moved close into me and asked

“Do you mean you would prefer a married woman to be in love with you rather than a Liverpool supporter?”

“She loved me” I said to myself and I wasn’t sure if that shocked me more than the fact, she supported Liverpool.

“I'm sorry,” she said “Not much of a Christmas present for my new boyfriend I’m afraid”
But she couldn't have been more wrong, it was the perfect Christmas
present, Billi Ridgeway loved me.

The Clerembeax Palace Hotel and Spa – Christmas Day Matinée

 

The beautiful Downshire village of Clerembeax St Giles was situated to the west of Abbeyvale located between Grace Hill and Bushy Down and on the outskirts was the Clerembeax Palace Hotel and Spa and when Yvonne Labuschagne inherited it from her cousin, the last remaining Clerembeax, she undertook the task of modernizing the Palace and opening a Hotel and Spa, offering fitness classes, gym, rock sauna, infra-red sauna, aroma steam room, ice fountain, drench showers, Jacuzzi, a Romanesque pool, Reflexology, Raki, facials, scalp massage, hand massage, Manicure and Pedicure, while also providing accommodation, meeting and function rooms, a superior restaurant and whatever temptation might attract potential visitors.

She was by profession a masseuse and had worked for many years along with her late husband at the Dancingdean Spa Hotel in Childean.

Staffing the Hotel and Spa was crucial, and Yvonne used her contacts in the Spa world to find the right specialist people in her field of expertise’s and employed Hannah Morgan to fill the remainder of the roles, on the understanding that she employ from the village populous where possible, and that was how the Ward girls came to work at the Palace.

 

The Ward family had a small holding on the North side of the village, parents Jack and Olive, and daughters Donna, Felicity, Josephine, and Maxine.

It was a profitable concern and gave them all a modest living but when the Palace opened it gave them a chance to supplement their incomes without having to travel to Abbeyvale.

They were all hard-working girls and didn’t care what work they did so Hannah Morgan didn’t hesitate to offer them all housekeeping jobs.

 

Felicity was the second oldest at twenty-three and the tallest at 5ft 8, but she was also the least confident, and was oblivious to how attractive she was, with her willowy figure and long brown hair.

Unlike her siblings she was painfully shy, and was a quiet studious girl, who never went out, preferring to immerse herself in books, in fact she only ever left the farm for work and church, and she hadn’t left the village since she left school, but the one thing that she shared with her sisters was her work ethic.

Life changed for her however at the beginning of November when Stephen Shepherd arrived as Hospitality manager.

He was in his mid-twenties, tall, with a military bearing, blonde hair, blue eyes and a smile that melted Felicity’s heart the first time she saw him.

In fact, she liked him so much that she volunteered to help him with the linens.

 

It soon became clear to everyone that there was more to their relationship than Hospitality Manager and Housekeeping girl, but it didn’t become evident to the two of them until the Second Sunday of Advent.

 

The Ward Family had always been churchgoers and not out of a sense of duty, the whole family had very strong faiths, and they only missed in exceptional circumstances, and the same was true of Olive Ward’s family Sunday Lunch.

But after Stephen offered to take Felicity Christmas shopping in Abbottsford that afternoon, Olive excused her, and they had a great shopping expedition which culminated in a tender kiss.

 

There were many more dates and many more kisses between then and Christmas Day, but he had to work that day as the Hotel restaurant was fully booked for Christmas lunches, so they didn’t get together until 4 o’clock at his cottage. 

Which was when they sat down with a large sherry and opened their presents.

Felicity had never done Christmas presents with a boyfriend before and she was very excited indeed, almost as excited as she was with the shopping trip when he kissed her in the Phoenix Shopping Centre.  

She was quickly on her hands and knees under the tree as Stephen looked on

“Open this one first” she said excitedly and handed up a little gift bag to him. 

“Ok” he said laughing and he took the package and inside the gift bag was a little bundle wrapped in tissue paper, and inside that was a little square gold embossed jewellers box, and when he opened the hinged box he found a pair of platinum cufflinks bearing a crown motif, and his initials, the crown being symbolic of his name.

“They’re beautiful” he said and then he joined Felicity on the floor and kissed her.

“Your turn” he said and reached under the tree and brought out a small parcel.

“I’ve never had a Christmas present from a boyfriend before” she said

“Well you have one now, open it” he urged “Open it”

“I want to enjoy every second of it” Felicity said

When she had carefully removed the paper, she put it on the floor and opened the gift box and inside she found a gold charm bracelet, bearing five charms, a shamrock and a horseshoe (denoting luck), a heart inscribed with her name (for love), a Christmas tree (to mark the season), and a crucifix.

“Wow” she exclaimed “it’s beautiful”

“You can add to it as a record of our life together” Stephen added

“What forever?” she asked

“For ever” he confirmed before adding “I love you”

“And I love you too” she responded, and they embraced, and the nature of that embrace led to them opening the rest of the presents much later on Christmas Day.

Snippets of Downshire Life – Christmas Morning

 

The medieval Village of Withery, was located between Purplemere and Finchbottom, which was where at one time the Monks of St Vitus Abbey were the first to grow grapes in the county.

The Abbey was long ago reduced to rubble and provided much of the fabric of the Village cottages surviving from 15^th and 16^th centuries, and one of them was occupied by a 45-year-old woman, Annette Slocombe, who was Deputy Warden, at Withery Grange Nursing Home, which was the 21^st century incarnation of the old Manor House.

 

In the six months since her husband’s death, Annette had changed beyond all recognition, she had moved to the village, partly to fulfil a lifelong dream to live in the country, and partly to escape the marital home that she viewed as a prison.

She also did all the things her husband heartily disapproved of, so she was now the proud owner of a dog called Scamp, and a new car which she named Seve, because it was a Golf, and she also watched trash on television, and she was free to practice her faith without fear of ridicule.

However, at the age of 45, the one thing she had dared not dream of was falling in love, and that was something else Malcolm would have disapproved of, but fall in love she did, with

George Rushworth, and they made their declaration during the Midnight Mass.

“I love you George Rushworth” she said

“I love you too” he replied “and I really want to kiss you”

“There will be time enough for that” she said and squeezed his hand

 

After midnight, Annette and George shared the peace with their fellow worshippers and then when they went outside George got his kiss and then they went back to George’s cottage.

 

Early the next morning, just before dawn, Annette woke up and when her eyes grew accustomed to the dark she kissed George’s shoulder and got up.

She dressed quickly and then loaded Albie, George’s Jack Russell, into her car and drove her car “Seve”, so called because it was a Golf, home to her cottage.

She parked the car and went inside and when she came out again she was carrying a bag containing two changes of clothes and the Christmas presents and her dog Scamp was trotting along behind her.

She let Albie out of her car and then she walked the dogs the mile back to George’s Cottage.

 

“Settle down you two” she said to the dogs who quickly arranged themselves in front of the log burner, then she placed the presents beneath the tree and returned to bed and cuddled up to George.

“Merry Christmas Darling” Annette said as she kissed her love awake.

“Merry Christmas honey” he replied sleepily, and they cuddled up close.

“This is really nice, but we’d better get up and walk the dogs before breakfast” He said

“I did it already”

“Really? So, nothing to get up for then” George said and started nibbling Annette’s ear.

 

George and Annette finally dragged themselves out of bed and Annette walked the dogs again while George put the bird in the oven and made breakfast.

After they’d eaten, they both needed to shower but time was running out.

“We’d better get in together” George said

“Ok but no “funny business”” she said

“But you like the funny business” he pointed out

“I know but we don’t have time” Annette said

Without any “funny business” they made it to the Morning Service on time and when they returned to the cottage they got the lunch prepared and enjoyed the first of many Christmas together, including present opening after lunch followed by Christmas “Funny Business”.

Snippets of Downshire Life – Christmas Eve

 

The Dulcets were a collection of villages and hamlets comprising of Dulcet Meadow, Dulcet St Mary, Dulcet Green and Dulcet-on-Brooke, to name but a few, and of course Dulcet-on-Willow which was a large sprawling village beside the gentle shallow River Willow, which ran unhurriedly from the Pepperstock Hills to the more vibrant River Brooke, and

30 years old, Kerry Freeborn woke up very early on Christmas Eve feeling apprehensive.

It was the first time she’d spent the night in her own home since November, she had spent the time in between at the Seaview Hotel in Sharpington, where she and her best friend Sharon Blackburn were appearing at the Bluebird Theatre in Cinderella.

The theatre was dark on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so she returned home after the last performance on the 23^rd.

But it was not her return home, nor her waking alone that had left her feeling apprehensive, it was something that had first begun on St Andrew’s Day at a dinner party.

 

It was in the part of Sharpington called Granite Hill, which in a nod to San Francisco, the locals had nicknamed Nob Hill, and it was where local Children’s Writer, Alesha Khan, lived.

The hostess had first met Kerry after they both took part in the World Book Day events at Sharpington library and they became friends.

Also, at the party was Jayson Mercer, Alesha’s Literary agent, who Kerry first met just after the World Book Day events, when she was starring in a play at the Bluebird Theatre, and there was an instant attraction, but Kerry found out he was married to his business partner Kathryn, so she backed off, however she had since discovered that they were not a couple.

Jayson and Kathryn had divorced the year before, but it was a completely amicable split, because after eight years of marriage they both realised it wasn’t really working, they loved each other, and still did, but they were not in love.

In fact, they still lived under the same roof, in the same house, after the split, and planned to sell the house, or buy the other one out, if and when their personal circumstances changed.

So domestic life for them wasn’t really very different to when they were married, and it really should have been if they belonged together as a couple, so they knew they had made the right decision, and even after the divorce they were still best friends, and of course they still worked together at the Literary Agency they founded, Mercer and associates.

Even after they stopped living as man and wife, the split was so amicable that they kept up their long-standing routine of travelling to and from work together.

So, it was no wonder that Kerry jumped to the wrong conclusion, and she’d left Sharpington when the theatre Company took the play to Abbottsford, when she discovered the truth of the arrangement.

But when she was back in Sharpington, so was he and he was in touching distance, although his ex was also at the dinner party, so she thought she should be forgiven for getting the wrong end of the stick again.

From the first moment she got “eyes on” she kept them on and when the time came for them to take their seats she found that she was seated opposite him and focussed all her attension on him and made it patently obvious she only had eyes for him.

 

At the end of the evening and they had said good night to Alesha her BFF Sharon had “Eyes on” a man of her own so Jayson offered to walk her back to the hotel.

So, they walked down to Sharpington Promenade from the heights of Granite Hill and chatted much as they had all evening and then they were suddenly at the hotel almost before they had time to blink.

“Do you want to come in for a nightcap?” she asked desperately

“Ok just a quick one” he said, and she was feeling very smug as they went inside

 

When she was half way down the glass of wine she said

“Perhaps we can do something over the weekend, dinner, maybe” she suggested

“The Panto doesn’t open until Monday, so I’m completely free”

“Ah” he responded

“Ah?” she repeated “I don’t like the sound of “Ah”, is it an “Ah” I’m back with my wife or “Ah” I’m with someone else or “Ah” I’m gay”

“None of the above” he said

“Phew”

“Do you remember me telling you during dinner that my sister Lizzie had twins?”

“Yes” she replied, “Oh God are they ill?”

“Not them” he replied

“Lizzie has PPD, Postpartum depression” he replied “and she’s not coping and nor is her husband”

“Oh dear”

The upshot was that he had to go to Millmoor to help out and would be away for a couple of weeks.

She knew that her next day off wasn’t until the 13^th so she invited him to dinner and he said he would try and make it back.

 

They parted company in reception where he kissed her cheek and then she watched him leave, and it hurt, it really hurt and that really surprised her, why did it hurt? She knew she liked him, but obviously it was more than that if it hurt.

“Why does it hurt?” she asked herself as she walked towards the stairs and then she stopped

“My God I love him” she exclaimed

 

The time hung heavy until the 13^th, St Lucy’s Day, but he did make it back for their dinner date.

She was sitting at the bar, perched on a barstool drinking a brandy, and feeling its warmth spread through her, and still wearing jeans and a sweater after the St Lucy events, when Jayson arrived

“Hi” he said as he leant in and kissed her cheek and breathed in the fragrance of apples on her hair, the aroma of coconut on her skin and an overall presence of expensive perfume.

“Oh bugger” she screamed inside her head, she had planned to wear a brand new white silk dress decorated with tiny pink roses, over some recently purchased very classy lingerie, and be made up to perfection, and instead she was wearing jeans and a sweater.

“You look lovely” he said as he sat down on the vacant stool.

“And you smell good enough to eat”

“I am supposed to look gorgeous” she said sadly

“You do look gorgeous” he said

 

During the dinner Kelly drank more than was good for her and she inadvertently told him she loved him.

“I used the “L” word, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did” he confirmed “and it’s ok because I think I love you too, but”

“But….”

“Oh shit, why is there a “but” I don’t like the “but”, one little bit”

 “But….” He continued “I have to go back to Millmoor tomorrow, and I’ll probably won’t be back until Christmas”

She looked crestfallen, so he took hold of her hand.

“I have to be there for my sister’s family right now, but I want there to be an “us”, but I can’t give you that right now” he said as he held her hand “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to, do you understand?”

“Yes, I think so”

“Can you wait?”

“Yes” she said “on one condition”

“Name it”

“That you give me your mobile number, so I can talk to you or text you or something” she said

“I’ve already put it in your phone”

“You have?”

“Yes” he replied “Now I think it’s time to get you to bed”

“Oh goody, I like the sound of that”

“Calm down hot stuff” he said “I need to get you to bed so you have a good night’s sleep and then we can spend an enjoyable few hours together tomorrow morning, before I have to leave for Millmoor and you have to be at the theatre”

 

Kelly tottered along the corridor beside him but when they paused to allow an elderly lady to go through the fire doors ahead of them, she looked up at him through soulful eyes and he kissed her, a kiss she had longed for since the moment she first met him.

After the long-awaited kiss, they walked hand in hand to the door of her room where they kissed again before he unlocked the door and pushed it open, but Kelly paused in the doorway

“I’m sorry” she said

“For what?”

“For being so needy”

“You’re not needy, so don’t apologize for being you” he said and kissed her once more.

 

They met for breakfast the next morning and stayed together until lunchtime when he had to leave and it was heart-breaking to watch him drive away but she knew he was doing the right thing and it was only going to be ten days, she had done longer before and this time she could contact him, and she had the memory of hearing her declaration of love returned in word and deed and that would sustain her.

The panto kept her distracted as did Sharon, when she wasn’t off with her new man, but it was impossible of course to exclude him from her thoughts or stop him invading her dreams.

They were inconstant touch vie text, phone and email, though it wasn’t easy to find a mutually convenient time for a lengthy converse, due to her keeping different hours, but they managed somehow.

 

It was just before lunch on Christmas Eve when he phoned, she had just finished putting the last of the decorations up, and she didn’t look at the caller ID she just took a deep breath and hit the button.

“Hello” she said

“Hey Kelly” he said

“Jayson?” she asked “God it’s good to hear your voice”

“Ditto” he replied, “Where are you?”

“I’m in the Dulcets” she replied, “Are you still in Millmoor?”

“No, I’m back in Sharpington” he replied

“When are you coming?”

“Tonight” he replied “I need to spend a couple of hours in the office first”

“I can’t wait” she said “Have you made a decision? About us”

“Yes, I have” he replied

“And?” she enquired trying to keep the anxiety out of her voice

“Well let me put it this way, you remember that sexy outfit you were going to wear when we went out for dinner?”

“Yes”

“Wear it tonight” he said

“Really?”

“Really” he confirmed

“So what time tonight?”

“Around seven” he replied

“I’d better get to the shop, I’ve got nothing in” she said excitedly

“Let yourself in if I’m not back, I’ll email you a map to the house and the secret hiding place, so you know where the key is”

“Ok, I’ll see you tonight then” he said

“Ok, bye”

 

She immediately left the house after hanging up the phone and drove to the nearest Stephenson’s Supermarket to stock up on essentials and while she was there she bought the makings of a Christmas dinner, just in case Jayson stayed over, and to make sure she made an unrelated purchase.

After the shopping expedition, she put the groceries away and tidied up, then she changed the bedding before having a shower, she would have preferred a leisurely bath but she didn’t have time, and then she got perfumed, powdered, preened and made up to perfection, then she put on the outfit she had planned to wear when they met for dinner at the Hotel, her brand new bought for the occasion white silk dress decorated with tiny pink roses, over the very classy lingerie she bought at the same time, the only addition were the stockings she’d bought that afternoon.

After slipping on her shoes she looked at the slim figure in the mirror and smiled at her reflection.

“Not bad” she declared and flicked at her shoulder length brunette hair.

Then she looked at the clock and realised she had almost an hour before he was due, so she sat in the armchair and checked her phone.

 

It was after six o’clock when Jayson left Sharpington and travelled the short distance to Dulcet-on-Willow.

He had used the post code Kelly had given him, and almost as soon as it informed him

“You have arrived”

Her house came into view, so he indicated and pulled onto the drive, there were lights on downstairs, so he knocked on the door, but there was no answer.

So as per Kelly’s instructions he reached up under the right-hand side of the porch and retrieved the key and let himself in.

He dropped his bag quietly in the hall and opened the lounge door and when he walked into the room he saw her, and his heart soared.

She was wearing a beautiful silk dress and was curled up in an arm chair with her feet tucked beneath her, and beneath the folds of her dress he could just make out her stocking top.

Kelly was hugging a cushion to her chest, and instantly an unabated wave of love washed over him, and he immediately knew he wanted her in his life forever.

He had missed her so much while he was away, but there she was, stunningly attractive, and staggeringly sexy, and furthermore she loved him.
The first time he saw her he thought she was the sexiest girl he’d ever seen, and he thought so still.

He stood over Kelly and stared affectionately down at her for the longest time, as she slept so soundly.
He didn’t really want to wake her, she looked so at peace, he should have let her sleep, but if he had she would not have thanked him, in fact she would have been very miffed.
So he knelt beside her and roused her gently and as she stirred from her slumber, her eyes slowly opened and then widened.

“Hello Darling” he said and when she saw him she smiled.

“I fell asleep” she said “While I was waiting for you”

“I know honey” he said

“I was having a lovely dream”

“Were you? What was it about?”

“It was about you” she replied

“Tell me about it?” he asked

“I can’t”

“Why not?”

“It was rude” she replied coyly and blushed

“Tell me later then” he said and kissed her

“Hmmm” she responded “I’ve missed you”

“I missed you too” he replied and then he scooped the woman he loved in his arms and carried her to bed.