ROSES ARE RED # 1

 

Roses are Red

But slightly cliché

So, I’ll just say

Happy Valentine’s Day

Those Memories Made on Teardrop Lake – (30) The Valentines

Day One - Thursday 11^th February

 

Victoria Williams enjoyed a successful career in publishing, due to her diligence and hard work.

And she had arrived in her thirties with her integrity, looks and figure intact, but she still lived a solitary existence and took her holidays alone.

She had friends a plenty and an abundance of family whom by and large she adored but the one thing that had eluded her was a lasting romantic attachment.

It certainly wasn’t by design or for the want of trying but it amounted to a failure in her book.

So this year she had decided to draw a line under any romantic expectations she may once have had.

Victoria had turned 31 in January and disillusioned and disappointed with love she was determined to escape any further disappointment in the romance department and as yet another Valentine’s day was looming large on the horizon she vowed that this year would be different.

She persuaded a group of girlfriends of like mind and in a similar position to her own, a mixture of singles and divorcées to meet up for a kind of anti-valentines weekend.

 

It was Victoria’s oldest friend Catherine Lowis who had suggested Teardrop Lake as the venue.

She was a Police Officer and her and her partner PC Ian Jennings had been on a domestic violence shout in the area a year or so before.

Which was how he met his fiancée Kate who lived on the lake.

Catherine had subsequently been invited to several events in and around the Lake since and she had rather fallen in love with the place.

She booked them all into the Shallowfield Lodge Hotel for a four day weekend from the 11^th to the 16^th of February and were assured there would be no St Valentine’s Day nonsense.

 

Victoria and Cathy set off on Thursday morning and drove down together through the pouring rain in complete silence until at lunchtime they reached the outskirts of Shallowfield.    

“Is this going to be a complete washout Cath?” she asked

“Are you having second thoughts Vic?” she replied

“Aren’t you?”

“Just wait until you see the lake” Cathy said brightly even though she was doubtful herself about the sanity of their decision but she wasn’t prepared to admit that to Victoria.

They pulled into the lane leading towards the lake and the heavens really opened. 

“Jesus” Victoria exclaimed and stopped the car “Let’s call it off”

“Nonsense” Catherine said “We’re here now”

“Drive on” she added and pointed

By the time they reached the car park the deluge had abated and when they got out of the car the sky had even brightened a little.

 

Catherine Lowis was a skinny freckly girl of about 5 ft. 8 inches tall and weighed in at about nine stone.

When she was working she looked about three stone heavier in her police stab vest and utility belt.

But in civilian dress she had a lovely figure and wearing her straw coloured hair down instead of tied in a bun made her look very pretty.

Victoria Williams was neat and slim with a dark complexion, brown eyes and short dark bobbed hair and she was shorter than her friend.

“Ok” she said looking out across the lake “this isn’t so bad”

As they stood there admiring the view they were brought back to the moment by the sound of a car horn.

They turned around to see Simone Guiver grinning through her side window and Elaine Browning waving from the passenger side.

The four women all knew each other from University. Simone was a tall busty black woman with a loud voice and gregarious personality.

But Elaine Browning was as different from her friend as chalk and cheese she was a quiet mouse of a woman, skinny and flat chested with red head.

Simone was a secondary school teacher and Elaine owned an Antique shop.

But one thing they very definitely had in common however was their divorcee status.

 

It was perhaps appropriate that the other two women arrived much later in the day as they had both joined the group much later than the others.

Clare Wappat and Katie Deighton had been friends since childhood and had over the years been absorbed into the fabric of the group.

Clare was also a police officer and trained with Catherine Lowis, she was very petite with long blonde hair and Catherine had introduced her to the others.

Katie Deighton, a tall willowy brunette divorcee and a successful solicitor, met Victoria Williams when her firm was doing some legal work at her publishers.

And during that time they recognized each other as kindred spirits and struck up a lasting friendship.

When Victoria introduced her to the group she was surprised and delighted to see Clare was there too.

 

They all met at the bar that evening and then walked into Shallowfield for dinner at the Phoenix restaurant and ended the night in the bar at the Shallowfield Lodge.

It was the first time they had all been together in the same place at the same time for about 5 years but it was as if they hadn’t been apart for more than a day.

Although the six women were all so different, professionally and personality wise they gelled instantly to form a lasting and deepening friendship which had endured.

 

Day Two - Friday 12^th February

 

At the meal a great deal of wine was consumed and even more followed it in the hotel bar so as a result only Catherine and Clare made it down for breakfast the next morning.

With them both being in the police they were well accustomed to keeping irregular hours and early starts in particular and they learnt never to forgo a cooked breakfast. 

 

After their third cup of coffee and when it became apparent the others weren’t going to appear before lunch Catherine said

“Let’s go for a walk around the lake”

“What about the others?” Clare asked

“We can leave them a message and then meet up with them later” Cathy said

 

So after a quick visit to the loo they left a with Sheryl Brown note at the front desk and set off on their walk.  

It was a beautiful morning and was such a contrast to the day before and only the abundance of puddles bore testimony to the deluge of the previous afternoon.  

They splashed their way along the northern perimeter road admiring the views

“So which one of these gaffs does Ian Jennings girlfriend live in?”

PC Ian Jennings was Catherine’s partner and was engaged to a local nurse called Kate Marston.

She lived in Dancingdean Hall which was once the residence of the Earls of Dancingdean but that line of aristocracy had long since died out and the hall was now divided into 6 spacious apartments.

“It’s at the top of this hill” she replied pointing “and the view across the lake from there is just amazing”

It was a bit of a slog up the hill and they were more than a little out of breath when they got there.

They stood panting by the gate of the property and Catherine asked

“Shall we go and say hello?”

“Well I could use a cuppa” Clare said

“I could use a pee” Catherine said “so let’s go then”

They set off along the drive which meandered through the trees and as they rounded the final turn they spotted two men leaving the main doors.

“Good morning” Catherine called

“Morning” a tall dark man replied

“Is Kate at home” she asked

“She’s at work” the other man said “Won’t we do?”

“Unfortunately not, but you could let her know that Catherine called round and that I’m staying at the Lodge” she said

“How long for?” the dark man asked

“Until Tuesday” Clare replied

“Well we might get to see you again then” the other man mused

“Maybe” Catherine said coyly and she and Clare said goodbye

“He was lovely” Clare said

“Yes he was” Catherine replied looking back at the other one

“But that’s not why we’re here is it” Clare said

“No, no its not, so why are we here again?” Catherine asked

“Good food, wine, fresh air and exercise” Clare reminded her

“Oh yes I remember”

“He was nice though” Clare said

“Your one was a doctor I think” Catherine informed her

“What was the other one?” she asked

“A wrestler I hope” Catherine replied “all oiled up and grapply”

They both laughed

“But that’s not why we’re here” Clare said

“You are absolutely correct” she responded “which is a shame”

“I’ll say” Clare added and they both laughed again.

“No don’t make me laugh” Catherine said “I still need to pee”

 

 

Catherine was quite correct in her observation the dark man was indeed a Doctor.

Doctor Alastair Phillips to be precise, and at 33 years old he was the younger of the two men by a year, he was tall and dark with classic good looks.

But the other man was not a wrestler, he was another Doctor, Paul Blair, he was short and stocky with close cropped orange hair.  

“They were corkers” Paul said

“Just what the doctor ordered” Alastair concurred

“Perhaps we should pay them a visit at the Lodge over the weekend” Paul suggested

“That’s a great idea doctor” Alistair agreed

 

When Victoria and Katie arrived downstairs at the hotel they were given Catherine’s message.

Victoria was going to meet up with the early birds but Katie elected not to join her, due to a particularly savage hangover.

 

Day Two - Friday 12^th February

 

Catherine’s note said that they were walking clockwise around the lake so Victoria rushed out of the Hotel to join the others and followed the southern road so she would intercept them.

She was hurrying because, although she wouldn’t admit it, she was a bit scared of the woods as they were very thick and she didn’t have a clue where she was going.

All of a sudden a bird took flight from the undergrowth and startled her.

She instinctively turned her head in the direction of the sound while hurrying along on her way, which was when she twisted her ankle.

As luck would have it a cyclist appeared around the corner as she sat on the verge rubbing her ankle and feeling sorry for herself.

“Are you ok?” he asked removing his ear pieces

“I’ve twisted my ankle” she replied

He dismounted and asked

“Can you stand?”

“I don’t know” she replied

As he helped her to her feet, she was assessing him, she thought he was very good looking even sweaty and spattered with mud.

“Can you put your weight on it?” he asked

She tried and winced with pain

“Ok just lean on me for a moment” he suggested and she dutifully obliged

“Are you staying at the lodge?” he asked

“Yes”

“Ok let’s sit you on the bike and I’ll wheel you to the Hotel” he suggested

“Are you sure? That’s very kind of you” Victoria said

“No problem” he said

“Are you staying long?”

“Until Tuesday” Victoria replied

“Are you here for a romantic getaway?” he asked hoping the answer would be no

“No not at all” she replied

“I’m here with a bunch of girlfriends”

“Really” he said quietly relieved

 

When they got to the lodge he helped her off the bike and supported her as he walked her slowly to the front door.

“I think I’ll be fine from here” she said stoically

“If you’re quite sure” he said

She nodded her acquiescence

“Ok then” he said in response to her nod “take care of that ankle”

“Yes I will …., I’m sorry I don’t know your name”

“It’s Matt”  

“Well thank you Matt, I’m Victoria”

“Well you take care Victoria”

His full name was Matt Addison and he was staying at Tower House with his Uncle and Aunt and their family.

He was an ex-soldier in his early thirties and he had served 9 years with the Downshire Light Infantry.

And when he got out of the army he needed to find a new career so he began working for the family Bakery business.

Like all of the Addison’s he was learning the business from the bottom up and he was being used as a goffer as well as helping his cousin Nick in the Shallowfield shop.

 

She watched him walk back to his bike and she thought he looked as good from behind as he did from the front and she smiled.

He mounted his bike and then he turned and gave her a wave before peddling away.

When he was gone she ran and skipped across reception and up to her room.

 

The walk into the village had been very beneficial for her hangover but she still purchased a remedy or two and after she had been to the chemist, Katie Deighton, ever the one for networking decided, to drop a business card into some of the local businesses, not that she really needn’t the business, it was just force of habit.

Her last port of call was Lyndon-Sanders Properties where she met the man himself, William Lyndon-Sanders.

He was in his early to mid-thirties and was best described as dapper, and he had clearly spent more on the suit he was wearing than was really decent.

But Katie liked it and she liked the look of him in it.

In his business impressions were very important and he was very impressed with the beautiful willowy brunette seated before him.

“How may I help?” he asked

“I’m staying locally for the weekend so I thought I would do a little networking while I was here” She said and handed him her card

He looked at the card and smiled

“Well Katie I can see you are a woman after my own heart” William said

“Perhaps we could discuss it further over dinner while you’re here, we have some very fine restaurants in the area”

“That would be really nice” replied Katie genuinely

“But I’m here with my girlfriends for the weekend and it’s supposed to be a girl’s only weekend, I could be flayed alive just for talking to you”

“Well we wouldn’t want that” he said and they both laughed

“Perhaps we could arrange something after the weekend then, at a mutually convenient time” he suggested hopefully and offered her his card.

She took it and said

“I will look forward to that” 

 

Katie walked back from Shallowfield and was just approaching the Lodge when she spotted Catherine and Clare coming the other way

“Where’s Victoria?” Katie asked

“We haven’t seen her” Clare replied

“Well she went off up that way looking for you” she said “I hope she hasn’t got lost”

The three of them walked the rest of the way to the Hotel together and they found Victoria sitting in the lounge with Simone and Elaine who had only just surfaced, and the three of them were drinking coffee.

“I thought you were walking up to meet these two” Katie said

“I twisted my ankle” Victoria replied

“Really?” Katie asked “Are you ok?”

“I am now” she replied

“How far did you get?” Catherine asked with concern

“About a hundred yards” she replied sheepishly

“You are such an adventurer Vic” Clare said and they all laughed

 

That evening they ate a quiet meal at the Hotel and limited their drinking, well compared to the night before anyway, and then they had an early night.        

 

Day Three Saturday Morning 13^th February

 

After having moderated their drinking on Friday night and having had an early night, they were all up for breakfast on Saturday morning and all consumed a hearty full English.

Over coffee they discussed what they wanted to do for the day armed with a map of the area.

The Lake was shaped like a teardrop, hence its name, and was surrounded by the ancient woodland of the Dancingdean Forest.

It wasn’t a huge body of water, just over two miles long and almost a mile at its widest point.

The Lake and the surrounding woodland was privately owned and divided into twelve parcels each with one significant dwelling although there were a number of cottages dotted around the woods as well, some in use and some not. 

It was both idyllic and peaceful, there was little or no noise pollution and although the lake was used there no speed boats or jet skis only rowing boats, canoes, dinghies and skiffs.

There were also a number of places of interest, two Folly’s, a Watch tower, Olwen’s Chapel, a waterfall, brooks, streams, a 16^th Century Bridge and lovers leap.

The Hotel proprietor, Sheryl Brown, told them when she brought more coffee that the forecast was for another mild fine day with a light breeze on the Lake, rain was forecast for the next day so it was a good day to be out and about.

 

On hearing that Clare and Catherine decided they would avail themselves of one of the Hotels Dinghies and go sailing on the lake.

Vic and Katie weren’t strong swimmers so didn’t fancy that at all but thought that lover’s leap would be worth seeing.

While Simone and Elaine wanted to spend the morning exploring the Chapel and the falls.

 

So they all went their separate ways and agreed to meet back at the Lodge for Lunch.

Victoria really wanted a bike ride but Katie hadn’t ridden since she was 12 years old and even then she fell off.

So they settled on walking instead and it was Victoria who led the way and strode off in the direction she had gone the day before, hoping she might meet her gallant cyclist again.

“Where are you going?” Katie called “it’s this way”

“Oh, is it” she said and then cursed under her breath.

They followed the northern perimeter road which lead up a long gently incline as it climbed up above the cliffs.  

As they approached the point where the road crossed over the brook a car drove over the brow of the hill ahead of them and as it got closer she noticed the driver was her gallant cyclist from the day before, Matt.

A smile appeared on his face as he recognised her and as he came to a halt he wound down the window

”Hi Victoria” he said “how’s the ankle?”

“Its fine thank you” she replied and Katie gave her a look

“I’ll keep walking and you can catch me up” Katie said and smiled at the unknown man.

“Ok” she replied without averting her eyes from the prize.

“So no bike today” she said

“No I have some errands to run” he said

“So I’ll go out this afternoon instead”

Victoria nodded sagely in response

“We could go together if you like” he suggested knowing they had guest bikes at the Hotel.

“Yes I’d like that” she replied

“Great, do you want to meet at the Hotel?”

“No” she said sharply “I’ll meet you here by the bridge”

“Ok here at two then” he said

“I’ll see you then” Victoria said

He finally got on his way ten minutes later.

 

Day Three Saturday Morning 13^th February

 

Katie had trudged along the Lane on her own and as she reached the top her attention was attracted to the sound of someone hacking about in some shrubbery nearby.

She cautiously approached and discovered on closer inspection it was William Lyndon-Sanders red faced and sweating.

“What on earth are you doing in there?” She said and laughed at the state of him.

“Croquet” he said

“Is that a swear word around here?” Katie asked

“No I was practising for next month’s croquet match” he explained “I hit a scatter shot and one of the blasted balls ended up in this mess, ah there’s the bugger”

“Do you have a croquet lawn then?” she asked

“Yes” he said in a way that queried “doesn’t everyone”

“How posh” Katie said

“It’s a very technical game you know” he said enthusiastically “And it can be quite nasty”

“Really?” she said in disbelief

“It’s quite thuggish to be honest” William said

“You have to have a mixture of skill and spite and possess a ruthless streak” he said

“And do you?” Katie asked

“I’m in property” he replied

He looked at his watch and said 

“It’s a bit early but why don’t you come in and have a spot of brunch?”

“I can’t I’m afraid I’m lunching with the girls”

“Afternoon tea then” he suggested

“Afternoon tea? Yes that would be lovely”

 

Because it was the first mild sunny day of the year there were a number of boats out on the water that day, local artist Danny Pellegrino was sat sketching while his wife Penny was at the tiller.

The Famous film director Peter Lutchford and his wife Claire,

Peter’s actress sister Amanda and her friend and fellow thespian Tamsin and of course the stalwart Coleman Bowers in the hotel skiff delivering mail.

Catherine was the experienced sailor of the two so she took the tiller and Clare just went along for the ride, they noticed there were a number of other craft about but didn’t know who any of the occupants were apart from Coleman because he was the odd job man at the hotel.

They had been out for about an hour when they spotted another dinghy which appeared to be on the same tack as them but was making better headway.

On closer inspection Catherine realised it was the Doctor and the Wrestler from the day before.

“We’ve got company” Catherine shouted

“Oh good, yummy pirates” Clare said in a lecherous manner.

When they were a few lengths astern of them Catherine let her sail go slack and a few moments later the other boat did the same and they came along side.

“Hi” Alastair said from the tiller “we’ve been looking for you”

“Really” Clare said

“Yes we went to the Hotel and Sheryl said you were on the water” Paul said “so we went home a got the boat”  

“Now you’ve found us what do you suggest we do?” Catherine asked the other captain

“We could change crew” he suggested

“What a great idea” Catherine said and was about to give Clare the heads up just as her friends was literally jumping ship.

Once aboard she relieved Paul who was holding the two craft together and he stepped effortlessly from one boat to the next.

“We need to be back at the Lodge by 1 o’clock” she said to Alastair.

“Aye, aye captain” he said and pushed off.

They spent the next hour and a half racing up and down the lake until they both came to a halt alongside the Hotel jetty.

“That was fun” Clare said as she stepped onto terra firma

“We can do it again after lunch” Alastair said

“Or we could go out in skiff instead” Paul suggested

“That sounds good” Catherine replied

“We’ll pick you up at two” Paul said as the dinghy drifted away

“Make it 2.30” Catherine shouted and then her and Clare waved them off.

“What’s a skiff?” Clare asked

 

Day Three Saturday Afternoon 13^th February

 

Miraculously everyone made it back to the hotel in time for lunch and they all contributed excitedly to the conversation with everyone enthusing on their various adventures.

“You would not believe the view from lovers leap” Victoria said “it was absolutely breath-taking”

Of course nobody told the whole truth about what they had been doing.

And trying to decide among them on the content of the afternoon’s adventures proved to be as difficult as nailing jelly to a tree.

Everyone had different ideas on what they wanted to do and no one could agree so that particular discussion just petered out but they did at least agree on dinner in Purplemere at a restaurant called the Runcible Spoon.

 

After lunch everyone returned to their rooms as the clock struck two, though Victoria was barely in hers for more than 5 minutes and was the first one downstairs.

She quickly sought out one of the Hotel bikes and a rather un-fetching helmet and pedalled off at breakneck speed to the rendezvous.

 

Katie was next about ten minutes later and left the building in a rather surreptitiously melodramatic manner baring all the hallmarks of a character from a second rate 1950s spy film, looking furtive and shifty and was constantly looking over her shoulder making sure no one was following.

 

Simone and Elaine came down after that and set off into the direction of the same section of woods they were in all morning the only difference between after lunch was that Simone appeared to be carrying a picnic blanket.

 

Finally dead on the stroke of the half hour Catherine and Clare with their blonde hair dancing about their shoulders went rushing out the door.

Although the weather wasn’t warm enough for anything too revealing they did at least go for more feminine apparel than they had on earlier in the day.

 

“Sorry I’m late” Victoria panted as she pedaled up the incline.

“That’s ok” he said “it was worth the wait”

Victoria actually blushed a little which under normal conditions would have been cute but instead it just looked like exertion.

“Are you ready for some more hill?” he asked

“Yes I’m tougher than I look” Victoria replied

They ended up at Lovers Leap sitting on the promontory chatting.

She didn’t have the heart to tell him she’d already been up there once that day.

And anyway if she hadn’t already been there she wouldn’t have known how much more enjoyable it was to be there with him.

 

As Katie began the slow climb up the hill she could just make out a couple of cyclists at the top of the hill they were too far away for her to identify them and in a second they had disappeared.

She too was dressed in more feminine attired she had on a wool dress and black tights.

Slightly less fetching were the trainers on her feet but she had a pair of flat shoes in her bag which she planned to change into on his driveway.

 

Day Three Saturday Afternoon 13^th February

 

When Catherine and Clare got to the jetty the Doctors were already waiting for them.

“Wow you two look lovely” Paul said

“Knock out” Alastair agreed

The girls didn’t say anything they just looked at each other they’d heard plenty of soft soap in their time, only time would tell if they’d just had a fresh dose or not.

Their skiff was tied alongside the jetty and Alastair was stood in it waiting to help them in and Paul was on the jetty waiting to untie the line.

It was about 20ft long and capable of holding more than the four of them it had two sets of double seats facing each other, one at the stern and one in the middle which were obviously the ones they intended to use the remainder was covered by a Tonneau cover.

Alastair took Clare’s hand and helped her into the boat and guided her into the stern seat, then he did the same for Catherine but seated her opposite her friend.

Alastair then sat next to Clare and steadied the skiff while Paul untied the line and stepped in.

Paul then pushed away from the jetty as Alastair started the motor he then reached under the tonneau and retrieved a couple of car rugs.

“Here we are, in case you get cold” he said and handed one to each of the girls.

The ever resourceful Paul also produce tea, coffee and hot chocolate in flasks.

 

As soon as Katie stepped on to the driveway she paused and changed her shoes, then she attended to her makeup before continuing up to the house.  

She knocked on the door and it was opened almost immediately by William who looked even more dapper than he did earlier.

“Ah Katie” he said “do come in”

“Thank you William” she said

“I think its warm enough to sit on the terrace” he said

“But if you get chilly we can come back inside”

 

After an hour on the water the sun began to sink in the sky and it soon became apparent that not even the rugs and hot beverages were going to stave off the chill so they put in at the east end of the lake and walked up to Dancingdean Hall.

Where the girls gratefully accepted an invitation to Alastair’s flat to enjoy his hospitality, he had cocktails in mind but the girls just needed to pee.

They did however stay for one drink, and then Paul kindly offered to drive them back to the hotel.

 

Simone and Elaine were the first two back to the Hotel and went straight upstairs to get ready. 

 

It was after dark when Victoria got back to the Hotel and she was spattered from head to toe in mud but she was grinning from ear to ear.   

 

William dropped Katie off on the Shallowfield side of the Hotel and she reentered the building in the same surreptitious and melodramatic manner in which she left it, keeping in the shadows until the course was clear.

 

“Thank you for a lovely afternoon” Clare said and kissed Alastair’s cheek

“Yes, thanks Al” Catherine added

Paul drove them down the hill and dropped them in the Hotel car park.

“Thanks Paul” Clare said and got out

“Yes thanks Paul, I had a great time” Catherine said and kissed him on the mouth.

 

Day Four Sunday 14^th February

 

The Runcible Spoon was a wonderful restaurant and more than lived up to their expectation and they were absolutely stuffed by the end of the evening and when they got back to the Lodge they decided to forgo a nightcap and they all waddled to their rooms.

 

Despite the amount of food they had consumed the night before Catherine and Clare were still down the next morning for their full English breakfast.

Everyone else was downstairs by 9 o’clock but apart from Katie who ate a piece of toast they only drank coffee.

“So what’s on the cards today?” Clare asked “As its V day”

V was for Valentines.

The rain predicted by Mrs. Brown the day before was indeed falling but she up dated them at breakfast with the news that brightening skies were following.

Though she couldn’t say when.

“Church” Victoria replied randomly

Although none of them were out and out atheists none of them were regular Church goers either but none of them could think of a reason not to so all of them nodded in agreement.

“We can all pray for good weather” Elaine suggested

“Yes and if that fails its cag’s and wellies for all of us” Victoria said.

 

They all went upstairs and changed and then set off after Sheryl Brown gave them directions to St Mary’s.

It was a nice little church and the vicar and his wife were very welcoming and the service was undemanding.

There was a good sized congregation including two young doctors, who managed to steal a moments conversation with the two blonde policewomen during the post service mingle.

When they all returned to the Hotel they changed into their wet weather clothes and Sheryl prepared them a packed lunch. 

The six of them yomped the woods and explored some of the hidden treasures of the woodland.

But they messed about so much they didn’t make a lot of progress.

They ate lunch in Dancingdean Folly and then worked their way back through the woods to the falls.

One by one they jumped across the brook, even Simone who was a big unit leapt it with ease.

But as they followed the course of the stream down towards the road Katie slipped and fell in the brook and got a bootie.

Victoria laughed like a drain and so Katie pulled her in and she got two booties and they all laughed until they cried.

They were still laughing as they sat on the bank and tipped the water from their wellington boots.

When they got back to the hotel they were all soaked to the skin but despite the foul weather, the brightening skies never did appear, they all agreed it was the best Valentine’s Day they had ever spent. 

 

Before they went upstairs to a hot bath they all sat around in the bar drinking Brandy coffee’s.

“Where are we going tonight?” Simone asked 

“I don’t know” replied Victoria “any suggestions?”

“You know what I fancy” Catherine said

“I do” whispered Clare

Catherine elbowed Clare and said

“A pizza”

“Oh yes” Katie concurred

“What a great idea” added Elaine

“That’s unanimous I think” said Victoria

“There’s a very good sit down in Purplemere” Sheryl Brown said “or an excellent takeaway in Childean”

“And they deliver” She added

 

After they all had good long soaks in the bath they met back in the Hotel bar. 

The very excellent pizza was delivered and heartily consumed in the bar with a liberal amount of wine amidst a lot of silliness and laughter but by 9.30 they were all exhausted and it was early nights all round.

 

Day Five Monday 15^th February

 

As might have been predicted the two members of the Downshire Constabulary, Catherine and Clare, were up bright and early and tucking into one of Sheryl Browns very excellent cooked breakfasts.

One by one the others joined them in the breakfast room.

But no discussion followed that morning as to the order of the day because Monday’s activities had all been pre-booked.

They had a full day’s beauty treatments at Mazzone’s in Childean, facials, manicures, pedicures, waxing etc.

The whole nine yards.

 

They were all returning to their rooms after breakfast when Sheryl called Victoria over and handed her an envelope.

And when they returned downstairs half an hour later Catherine Lowis arrived in reception just as Katie Deighton was hanging up the phone on the reception desk.

“Just checking everything’s all set for today” she said

But Catherine didn’t believe a word of it.

 

They spent the whole day in Childean and had the full range of treatments offered by Mazzone’s, including having their hair done, along with a premium Buffet lunch and copious quantities of champagne.

Cathy and Clare were sitting next to each other having a pedicure when Cathy whispered

“Victoria’s going to go ballistic”

“Well she might be a little cross” Clare agreed

“A little cross” she exclaimed “We came here for a man free weekend and were going out to dinner with a couple of men”

“But she won’t really mind will she?” Clare asked but Cathy just gave her a solemn look

“Oh God she’s going to kill us isn’t she” said Clare

And Catherine nodded in the affirmative.

 

When the giggling overexcited and slightly tipsy romantically unattached group left Mazzone’s they had been coiffured, waxed, buffed, threaded, tweezed, perfumed, painted, powdered and preened.   

 

At 7.30pm the six women all met in reception and all dressed in their glad rags.

The casual observer might have thought perhaps that they were a little over dressed for a girl’s night out.

However dressed to kill they were and they went through to the bar for drinks.

Catherine Lowis and Clare Wappat were bracing themselves for the shock wave that would surely follow them telling Victoria that they were abandoning the group and going out for dinner with two local doctors.

But it had to be done and done soon as they were being picked up in ten minutes.

Katie Deighton was also looking decidedly pale and fidgety while completely unaware of the other two’s plans, but in full knowledge of the consequences to her own.

Victoria Williams ordered a large whisky from Mrs Brown and downed it in one as Clare looked at Catherine and urged her with her eyes to speak.

But before Cathy got the chance Victoria suddenly said

“You’re all going to kill me after I dragged you down here for a man free weekend” she paused only to down another whisky and added, “but I have a date”

She closed her eyes and waited for the vehement response she had been dreading from her friends.

Then when it didn’t come she opened one eye just as Catherine said

“So have we” and was holding Clare’s arm

“Not with each other” Clare added “with men”

“Me too” admitted Katie and the four women all laughed with relief.

And then they turned to look at Simone Guiver and Elaine Browning who were looking on and had not made any declaration and then Simone’s huge chest started to tremble as a deep fruity chuckle rose from the depths of her chest and Elaine started to giggle uncontrollably.

“Don’t mind us” Simone said when the laughter had subsided “we’ll be fine”

 

So they all sat in the Hotel bar and waited for their respective escorts to arrive and when the last of the couples had gone Simone and Elaine looked at each other and grinned

“So what shall we do?” Simone asked

“I think we should go upstairs and get you out of that corset” Elaine replied

“Oh what a wonderful idea” purred Simone

 

Day Six Tuesday 16^th February

 

They next day they were all stood in the car park before departing and chatted briefly.

Before hugging Simone and Elaine, who were the first to drive off and the other four women waved them off flamboyantly.

The other four girls were in no hurry to leave as all of them had lunch dates.

“When are we going to tell them that we know they’re gay?” Victoria said as Simone drove out of view

“Oh not for a good while yet”

Katie said and they all laughed

 

It was a strange irony to the story that on an Anti-Valentines weekend, far from avoiding romance they ended up embracing it, such was the magic of Teardrop Lake.

 

That long weekend on the lake changed their lives beyond recognition forever because within two years of it, four of the women were living on the Lake with the men of their dreams and the other two were living together as a couple.

Snippets of Downshire Life – St Valentine’s Day

 

Purplemere was one of the largest towns in the Finchbottom Vale, and the Vale was nestled comfortably between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest to the south and the rolling Pepperstock Hills in the north, and those who were lucky enough to live there thought of it as the rose between two thorns.

The Vale was once a great wetland that centuries earlier stretched from Mornington in the East to Childean in the west and from Shallowfield in the south to Purplemere in the north.

But over the many centuries the vast majority had been drained for agriculture, a feat achieved largely by the efforts of famous Mornington Mills, of which only three had survived to the present day and even those were no longer functional and were in various states of repair.  

There were only three small bodies of water left in the Vale now one in Mornington, one in Childean and third of course was Purplemere where our story takes place.

 

Mark Tongue was a Staff Nurse at the Royal Downshire Hospital in Purplemere and shared a house in town with two Junior Doctors, Dave Torrison and Mary Macintyre and another Nurse, Toni Torlini, who all worked at the same Hospital.

It wasn’t a huge house and nor was it in the smartest part of town but it was perfect for them as it meant that they had a relatively inexpensive place to live that was close to work, which was ideal for all of them as they worked shifts, and it meant that split between the four of them their expenses were very manageable. 

They were all single, though were all looking and all quite pessimistic regarding their prospects in the relationship department given their working hours.

But they all got on well and made the most of their situations.

They all had hopes and dreams though, of finding the right person and settling down and for Mark he hoped that person would be Toni Torlini.

He had been in love with her since he first saw her on the ward at the Royal Downshire and those feelings had just grown deeper in the twelve months they had been living under the same roof until he loved her body and soul.

She was a bit of a dynamo about the place and was not the sitting around sort and he liked to watch her while she did the mundane things around the house, especially when she was in the kitchen making lunch.

She would be hunched over the kitchen counter fastidiously assembling a sandwich, and as she applied the finishing touch of mustard mayonnaise she would adopt a stance not unlike a world class table tennis player preparing to serve.

He wasn’t sure why she stooped over so dramatically, she wasn’t exceptionally tall, but he really didn’t care he was just glad she did.

 

However he had held his feelings for her in check because he didn’t want to upset the dynamic, after all it had taken him a long time to find a group of people he was happy to share a house with, and he thought having a relationship with one of them could get messy if that relationship failed, or worse than that what if he asked her and she said no, how awkward would that be and what an atmosphere it could evoke, and there was always the likelihood that she would say no, as he was well aware that she was out of his league.

But he was encouraged to at least entertain the idea of asking her after his housemates Dave and Mary became an item at the beginning of February.

So he set his sights on winning her by Valentine’s Day, which was slightly ambitious given his poor success rate during the season, when February normally bought him no Valentines save for the jokey kind he would get at work, but this time he had high hopes.

 

His new-found confidence sprang from the knowledge that Dave and Mary were attending the upcoming Valentine’s Ball together which gave him the idea for his own Valentine.

 

Because Valentine’s Day fell on Thursday, the Valentine’s Ball wasn’t to be held until the Saturday following which meant he could invite her without her actually knowing it was him.

 

His first action was to purchase two tickets for the Ball, one of which he kept for himself while he placed the other one in the envelope with the Valentines card he had carefully selected for her.

On the day itself, she was on the night shift so he stamped the envelope and then sneaked it into the pile of that day’s mail before she got home.

As he wasn’t working he was in the house when she returned and when she paused by the front door and thumbed through the pile of mail he was crouched down on the landing watching her through the bannisters in order to gauge her reaction.

Which he took to be favourable by the way she held the card to her chest and grinned.

Mark continued to watch from his hiding place as Toni then hugged herself before she skipped away, giggling to the kitchen.

 

He was very pleased with her reaction, it was a far more positive one than he could ever have hoped for, however once he was alone in his room doubt began to creep in.

Toni was undoubtedly thrilled with the Valentine and the ticket to the Ball but what began to worry him was the imagined identity of the sender.

His hope was that she was thrilled because she had guessed that it was from him, but what if there was some other recipient of her affections whom she had wrongly given the credit for the missive and the gift, a these doubts tortured him for the next two days.

 

His anxiety was not diminished by the fact that on the day of the Ball he had been at work all day, which was problematic in two ways, firstly because he didn’t have time to go home before and had to shower and change at the hospital, and secondly because he didn’t go home he didn’t get to see her and wasn’t even certain sure she was actually going, despite her obvious pleasure when she opened the Valentine.

So when he went downstairs to the Ballroom he had no idea if he was going to see Toni dressed to the nines in a designer dress or find nothing more than another empty chair when he reached the table, as a result of his lengthy and fruitless musings he was one of the last to arrive.

     

Mark checked the seating plan to locate his table and found it was the furthest away from the entrance, so as he entered there was no clear view across the crowded Ballroom, which did not ease his anxiety one iota.

As he was one of the last to arrive he could only make slow progress through the assembled melee of revellers.

It would have been a quicker passage had they chosen to take their seats more promptly rather than standing in groups and engaging in conversation in the gaps between the tables.

However by the time he reached halfway good sense had begun to prevail and there were more seated than standing and at the three quarter mark those still on their feet had reduced to a handful which allowed him his first glimpse of his destination.

The round, twelve seat table was almost fully populated save for his empty seat, but as it was the one nearest to him, the girls either side of it had their backs to him so he wasn’t able to identify them, although the girl on the left had an abundance of flaming red hair so he immediately ruled her out.

The girl on the right was the right build and hair colour but Toni has long straight hair and the girl he was looking at had her hair arranged in braids, plaits and buns atop her head.

She was also wearing a yellow halter neck dress which he had never seen her wear before, although that didn’t really mean anything, but it contributed to his anxiety going up several fold as he began to suspect that not only was Toni a no show but that she had given the ticket away.

He tentatively approached while casually checking the table number with that on his ticket and having confirmed that the empty seat was indeed his and he was all too soon standing behind the vacant chair. 

“Hello” he said and the girl visibly tensed as he pulled the chair out “I’m sorry I’m late”

As he sat, the girl in the yellow dress turned slowly towards him and the first view he got of her was best described as expressionless, but only for the briefest moment because the instance of recognition her face lit up and she beamed a radiant smile at him.

“I was hoping it would be you” Toni said and took hold of his hand “and it is”