Snippets of Downshire Life – Old Year’s Night

 

Downshire is a relatively small English county but that didn’t bother its inhabitants, they may not have been the biggest but they were in no doubt that it was the best.

And that belief was no more truer than in the southern town off Abbottsford which was Downshire’s administrative capital and the seat of the Downshire government.

It was also a place of learning thanks to the Downshire University, it could also boast that it was a Cathedral City, was home to Abbottsford Town football club and benefitted from the renowned Winston Churchill Hospital, and twin sisters Ariadne and Scarlet Shakespeare were both nurses at the Churchill.

They were identical twins, Ariadne was the older of the two by an hour and was five foot eight with bobbed brunette hair and an olive complexion and hazel eyes.

Scarlet was two inches taller than her sister and had more hair.

The girls were both foot lose and fancy free and liked to party and had no intrest in tying themselves down, but on the occasion of their 27^th birthday, on New Year’s Eve, that all changed, when they met best friends Marcus Birkin and Gareth Clare.

 

Marcus and Gareth both worked for Bramstock, Goodman, Crossfield and Bushe solicitors in Abbottsford, although they hailed from Turnoak-Under-Hawthorne, a large rambling village, originally settled in the 12^th 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.

The Birkin and Clare families had lived in the village for many years and were of the landed gentry and the boys were public school and Cambidge educated.

 

Abbottsford was a world away from Turnoak-Under-Hawthorne and socially the Shakespeare girls were a world away from Marcus and Gareth and their meeting on New Year’s Eve was purely by chance.

The twins were travelling from home after getting ready to party into the New Year, and the solicitors were in Marcus’s car travelling in the opposite direction from work when the two vehicles collided.

It wasn’t serious just a bit of minor damage, but Marcus had only had the car for a month so an angry exchange between him and the cab driver ensued, which Gareth tried to cool, to no avail, but when the two leggy drop dead gorgeous brunette girls emerged from the Taxi, the two adversaries and the peacemaker all went quiet.  

They were both stunningly beautiful and wearing low cut party outfits and when Marcus first saw the one with the bobbed hair, he was smitten and the fender bender was no longer of any importance to him, whereas Gareth felt the same about the tall one.

The taxi driver, who had been at fault for the accident, took full advantage of the distraction and got in his cab and sped away.

“Hey come back!” Ariadne shouted

“What are we going to do now?” Scarlet asked as the Cab disappeared around a corner

“Don’t worry” Marcus said “We’ll get you to your destination”

“You don’t know where we’re going” Ariadne pointed out

“You could tell us and then we would” Gareth said

“Problem solved then” Scarlet added and gave her sister a look that said “just get in the car”

Ariadne complied because it was obvious her sister fancied the drivers friend, and she thought the driver was ok, and he was posh, and she liked posh.

 

They were on the way to a New Year’s Eve Party at the Hospital, and by the time they got there the twins had persuaded the guys to join them at the party rather than just drop them off and go their separate ways, not that it took much persuading.

During the relatively short drive across town the four passengers had come to the conclusion that they weren’t going to accept any other outcome than to see the old year out together.

 

The Shakespeare’s were determined not to let their chosen solicitor out of their sight and they in turn had resolved not to let the girls out of view.

So they spend most of the night on the dance floor and the time that they were not dancing they were at the bar, with the exception of spending a penny.

 

At midnight, Scarlet was dancing with Gareth to a slow number by James Blunt when the music was suddenly replaced by the sound of Big Ben through the sound system.

“Happy New Year” Scarlet said and kissed him before he could respond, and then he didn’t want to speak.

Ariadne looked across at her sister kissing Gareth and then she looked at Marcus and thought “why aren’t we doing that?”

She smiled at him as Big Ben continued to sound, and he smiled back, but no kiss, “plenty of time, six bongs to go”.

Bong,

Bong,

Bong, and nothing happened so she said

“Have you seen what Scarlet and Gareth are doing?”

He turned to look at the kissing couple

“Oh yes”

Bong,

“Can I ask you a question Gareth?”

“Of course”

Bong,

“Why aren’t we doing that?” she asked and before the final bong he was kissing her.

As things turned out that night didn’t just mark the end of the old year for the two couples it marked the end of their old lives.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

The Clerembeax Palace Hotel and Spa – The Christmas Party

 

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.

It was once the home the Clerembeax’s, who arrived in Downshire following the Norman conquests and stayed for a thousand years before the name died out following the death of the reclusive Marcus Clerembeax at the age of 96.

The current owner was Yvonne Labuschagne, who decided to open it as a Hotel and Spa.

The Spa was a good attraction, but it was crucial for them to maintain a high occupancy rate, however things were tough in the Hotel trade with the success of Travelodge, Premier Inn and Holiday Inn Express and so places like the Palace needed to offer something extra to attract the guests, apart from the Spa. 

So, they put on novelty weekends, such as “Murder Mysteries” and in addition, they had a sizable Ballroom which was used for special occasions, high days and holidays, which boosted occupancy and Spa numbers at the same time, Christmas being a prime example, when there was great demand and grand Christmas function took place.

 

One of the guests at such an event was forty-seven years old Eric Price, who was widowed three years earlier, and immediately after his wife’s death he seemed to suddenly appear on the radar of the local spinster’s, widows and divorcees in and around his own age.

In fact, it all started at his wife’s funeral where he was buttonholed by two well-presented mourners who made it perfectly clear he could avail himself of them if he chose to do so, which he did not.

But three years after his dear wife was laid to rest, and only after repeatedly rebuffing the endless advances of even the most attractive of the local pursuing vultures, did he finally decide, out of desperation and loneliness to dip his toe in the water and began to entertain the possibility that he might once again share his life with another soul.

His friends suggested he start internet dating but that was a step to far in his opinion, he wasn’t going to try something if his heart wasn’t in in it.

His friends continued trying to persuade him to try it nonetheless but then one day he met Charlotte Euringer at a mutual friend’s garden party.

 

Now they were attending a party of a different kind and his hand was shaking as he was stood at the bathroom sink to shave and looked at his reflection.

“Who am I trying to kid?” he asked himself “I don’t stand a chance with her”

 

Despite his misgivings he shaved and showered and made the best of what he had, and dried, perfumed and powdered himself before he changed into his dinner suit, complete with cummerbund and bow tie, he was feeling rather nervous as he stood before his reflection and tied his tie for the fourth time and wished he worn a clip on.

“She’s not going to look twice at you anyway” He said to himself “She’s way out of your league for God’s sake”.

 

At the precise moment that Eric was questioning the wisdom of pursuing such a beautiful woman, 45-year-old Charlotte Euringer was stood in front of her mirror looking at her reflection.

She was immaculately dressed in a full length green halter necked designer evening dress and she sighed when she slipped on a lavish faux fur shrug and left the room and knocked on the door across the hall where her best friend Daphne and her husband Geoff were staying.

“Wow” he said, as he opened the door “you look stunning”

“Bless you darling” she responded “but I’m scared to death”

“You shouldn’t be” he reassured her “Eric will trip over his tongue when he sees you”

“I wish I shared your faith” Charlotte said

“Come on gorgeous, come and talk to Daphne”

He stepped aside and let her walk past as he closed the door and she went straight to where Daphne was sitting at the dresser and she turned to look at Charlotte

“You look gorgeous”

“Do you think so?” she asked before adding, with panic in her voice

“What if he doesn’t like me?”

“But he does like you, you know he likes you, and he’s going to love you even more tonight when he sees you” Daphne said to her softly in response to her crisis of confidence

“I hope so” she replied forlornly

Geoff poured them all a glass of Champagne and Daphne massaged her ego while her husband plied her with drink, and half an hour later they left the room and headed towards the lift.

 

When Eric emerged from the lift, the reception was jammed with an array of stunningly turned out men and women, but he couldn’t see Charlotte anywhere.

However, while he stood on the periphery of the throng Geoff, Daphne and Charlotte arrived behind him and Charlottes heart skipped a beat when she first caught sight of his dapper upright figure.

“Hello Eric” She said warmly and the moment they made eye contact   all their previous doubts melted away.

 

Uncanny Christmas Tales – (003) The Girl in The Green Dress

 

Steve Berry had always had a dislike for Christmas, despite all the jollity and faux fun, because unlike many of his Christmas mad friends he had no happy Christmas memories to anesthetise him against the season.

His parents were alcoholics and each year their Christmas came in a bottle and thanks to his father, Steve’s came with a slap.

So, his childhood Christmases were memories he would rather have forgotten, but as he grew up he found that adulthood brought no relief and it always seemed to him that when shit happened at that time of the year, Christmas just magnified the misery.

For example, if someone dies at Christmas the very season makes it more keenly felt.

He could testify to that from personal experience, as his mother died on Christmas Eve when he was only 19.

He has no idea where his father was and quite frankly, he didn’t care, he never showed up for the funeral and he could have been dead as well for all he knew.

So as a result, he has never trusted Christmas, because he knows that horror lurks beneath the coloured lights, tinsel, and paper chains.

That was until Holly Davis opened his eyes to new possibilities and he realised that Christmas could also magnify joy.

However, it wasn’t just Christmases that held horrors in his past, so did New Year’s Eve.

Steve wasn’t big on New Year’s Eve, it was not a time that held any deep significance for him, in fact he found the whole idea of it rather pointless, why did people make such a fuss over going from one year to the next.

That alone would have been reason enough for him to dislike it, far apart from the personal memories it evoked.

It was on one particular New Year’s Eve when he was six years old that his parents locked him in his room while they went off on a three day bender that still haunted his memories, but he had decided to try and put all of that behind him and with Holly’s help he was hopeful that he might.

Since the first day he met her she had helped to tame his demons, which all began when Holly temporarily took over running her Uncle Phil’s pub, the Pig and Whistle, a week and a half before Christmas, Steve had got blind drunk and ended up spending the night in the lounge bar.

When he woke up the next morning, she had a surprise for him.

“Good morning sunshine” Holly called as she crashed through the door wearing a dressing gown and slippers.

“Ow” he said “have some respect for the dead”

She put a mug of black coffee on the table in front of him and peered at his bloodshot eyes

“Blimey! Can you actually see through those?” she asked

“I hope you don’t drink like that when you’re working”

“Well I don’t need to worry about work until January” he said and sipped at his coffee

“Don’t you remember anything about last night?” Holly asked with a wry smile on her lips

He closed his eyes and replied

“I remember I don’t like Christmas”

“Anything else?” Holly persisted

“It was very busy, very noisy” Steve said but could remember nothing else

“Do you remember me saying I needed more staff?” she asked

“Yes, I do remember that” he replied

“Good” she said “because your it”

“What?” he said loudly and then winced

“You volunteered to work right through till New Year’s Eve”

“I can’t have” Steve said

“Well you did” She insisted and showed him a piece of paper detailing the fore mentioned offer signed by Steve.

“That doesn’t count” he said “I was pissed”

“It’s legally binding” Holly stated “It’s notarized by a solicitor”

Steve stared at the signature

“Sam Culver?” he said “he’s not a solicitor he’s a forklift driver”

“Be that as it may, but he has still witnessed your signature on this contract” she said coolly

“Contract?” he said in disbelieve

“Contract” she confirmed

“Oh, please you’re not really going to hold me to this?” Steve said waving the “contract” in her direction

“You start tonight” she informed him

“Oh God I’ve sold my soul to the Christmas fairy” he said with his head in his hands

“I prefer Christmas angel” she said “But I’m not the one with tinsel in my hair”

So that was that she had produced a contract he had signed the night before agreeing to work for her until New Year’s Eve.

However despite his initial misgivings he had thoroughly enjoyed it and he was still uncertain quite how she managed to affect that, but affect it she did and during the ten days working for her she had turned his life upside down and it culminated on Christmas Eve with him wishing her a Merry Christmas at closing time and kissing her.

They were then snowed in at the pub for Christmas day and after exchanging presents they kissed again.

In the week that followed there was good deal more kissing as day by day the headed inexorably towards New Year’s Eve.

But he had a sense of foreboding as his normal dislike for the occasion was magnified this year because it marked the final day of his contract at the Pig and Whistle and could also mark the end of Holly’s Tenure at the pub and maybe even their budding relationship.

Although he didn’t like it, it was a good earner for the pub and as the takings had not been optimised on Christmas Eve due to the snow storm, added to the fact that the figures had been disappointing in the interim as well, it was unarguable that a good New Year’s Eve was vital.

With this in mind, Holly and Steve had been at the Cash and Carry all afternoon stocking up on vital supplies.

“Right that’s the lot Hon” she said

“Are you sure that’s enough?” Steve asked facetiously

“That’s enough lip from you” she said and kissed him.

And that simple kiss, a symbol of their familiarity, was a milestone moment for although they had kissed many times in that week since Christmas Eve they had only ever kissed when they were alone and certainly never in public. 

“If we sell that lot tonight, I’ll be over the moon” she said although there wasn’t any chance that that might actually happen even if they did have an extension until 1.00am.

Steve normally spent New Year’s Eve at home in his flat, watching a DVD and hiding from the world.

But this year was going to be very different.

 

At least on New Year’s Eve there were none of the annoyingly jolly Christmas songs, there was only one annoying New Year’s song and that was usually confined to midnight.

There was a steady trade in the bar, far more than Christmas Eve, but not exactly record-breaking numbers, and most of the supplies they had bought earlier would remain unsold, but just after 9 o’clock the numbers swelled and continued swelling until the place was absolutely banging.

There were seven of them working that night but on six at any one time behind the bar and they were rushed off their feet.

The staff and a hard core of the regulars were in fancy dress,

Debbie was a French maid, Stephanos was in a toga, Clare was a witch, Ausra was a Gypsy, Petra was a clown and Steve was a pirate, while Holly, as was her custom, was dressed immaculately, on this occasion as the Emerald Lady in a wonderful green dress adorned with a garland of holly leaves and around her neck was the holly leaf pendant that Steve gave her for Christmas.

By the end of the night he had to admit that he hadn’t enjoyed a New Year’s Eve more, even though his feet were killing him.

When the last of the punters had been ushered out the door and the bolt shot at 1.25 am, Holly said

“Thank God for that, put the kettle on” and then she kicked off her shoes.

Everyone pulled together and gathered up all the glasses and cleared them to the kitchen and then Steph and Clare brought out the drinks on a tray

“Where are the others?” Holly asked

“They’re loading the glasses into the machine” Clare replied “You know what Steve’s like”

“Tell them not to worry” she said “We’ll do it in the morning”

Holly frowned and then corrected herself

“We’ll do it in later this morning”

So, they all sat together drinking their tea and coffee and laughing at the exploits of one or two of the more enthusiastic punters.

Very soon there was only Holly and Steve left and he asked

“Do you want another tea?”

“I’d rather have a proper drink” she replied “You could join me if you’re staying over”

He nodded and went behind the bar and returned shortly with two glasses of wine.”

As they sat together drinking, she said

“My feet are so sore”

“Put them up here” he said tapping his knee “I’ll rub them for you if you want”

“Oh yes please” she said and put both stocking feet on his knee

“Hold up” he said “one at a time”

“Oh, that’s really lovely” she said as Steve began massaging her little foot, and that was as all he got out of her for the next twenty minutes until he was halfway through her other foot when she said.

“You’re a free man now”

“What do you mean?” Steve asked

“The contract” she said

“It was only up to and including New Year’s Eve it’s now New Year’s Day, so you are free to return to your old life”

“Good” he said sharply, and Holly baulked at the force of the word.

“Because now I am here because I want to be”

And Holly’s face broke into a broad smile and she kissed him

 

They made love for the first time in the early hours of New Year’s Day and as they lay entwined in the semi darkness Holly said.

“We make a good team; we could run this place together”

“What about Phil?” Steve asked

“Ah I may have misled you regarding Uncle Phil” she confessed

“In what way?”

“He’s not coming back” she said

“Why not?” Steve asked

“He’s ill” Holly replied sadly

“How ill?”

“The “he won’t see another Christmas” kind of ill”

“Oh” he responded, “so he’s not on holiday?”

“No” she admitted “I am in the process of buying the pub from him”

“That’s a big step” he said

“I know” she agreed “but I have years of experience in Hospitality and you’re a good accountant”

“So, you only want me for my numeracy” he said

“No, I want you for your foot rubs” Holly corrected him

“Ok then it’s a deal” he said and sealed it with a kiss.

Which was a prelude to them making love again.

But Steve paused briefly and said

“You do realize what would happen if we were to marry?”

“What’s that?” she said pleasantly surprised that his thoughts had already strayed to the question of marriage

“You would become Holly Berry”

“I could live with that” she said and brought the discourse to a passionate conclusion.