(Part 01)
Copper Beech Farm is in the Dulcets, the Dulcets consisting of a collection of villages and hamlets such as Dulcet Meadow, Dulcet St Mary, Dulcet Green and Dulcet-on-Brooke to name but a few, and it had been pretty much vacant for several months when 28 year old Anthony Holmes, a tall slight figure with sandy hair and hazel eyes, arrived as the reluctant incumbent.
He was not a farmer and never would be, he was a computer geek and a fairly successful one.
The farm had belonged to his estranged father who never got over the fact that his son had no desire to follow in his Dad’s footsteps.
He tried to explain that his talents lay in a different direction but his father couldn’t see his fascination with computers and thought that he would be wasting his life on his hobby.
Bitter words were exchanged between them the last time that had seen each other when both gave their points of view with great vehemence.
He had inherited the farm against his father’s wishes because in the five years since their last meeting he had neglected to disinherit his son from his will.
It had taken some months for Anthony to make up his mind about what to do with his inheritance.
He was living in London and going through a messy divorce when he received the news of his father’s death.
When he returned to the Dulcets for the funeral he found that the farm had fallen into decline in his absence and a woman named Charlotte Clode was the only remaining employee.
As he wanted to take some time to weigh up his options so he instructed his solicitor to rent out the majority of the surrounding land to neighbouring farms, which would give him a small income which would at least cover any running costs for the farm.
He kept Charlotte on to look after the farm house to care for the horses, which were his father’s passion, and the love of horses was the one thing Anthony had in common with his dad.
When his divorce was finalized he made up his mind to live and work at the farm just as soon as he had settled his affairs in London
It was early May when he drove into the cobbled yard of Copper Beech Farm, it wasn’t a big yard as farm yards go but it was a very neat and tidy one.
Which was in stark contrast to how it had looked when he was there the last time after the funeral.
All the clutter that had littered the yard was gone, the mud that caked the cobbles had been washed away and the flaked and peeling paintwork had been completely replaced with gleaming white gloss, guttering had been repaired or replaced and it was as if he was on a different farm.
The reason for this transformation was the tall skinny waif like creature climbing down a ladder to greet him.
Charlotte Clode was just 22, with short straw coloured hair, in a kind of pixie cut, although it was a look achieved more by accident than design and she was wearing a baggy tee shirt and overalls, she looked like a proper tomboy.
“Hello Mr Holmes” she said
“Hi Charlotte I see you’ve been busy” he remarked “it’s quite a transformation”
“It just needed a little TLC” she explained
“Well you’ve certainly given it plenty of that” he said looking around
“It should make it easier for you to sell” Charlotte said
“What makes you think I’m going to sell the farm?” he asked
“Because your Dad always said you had no interest in the farm”
“No, I had no interest in being a farmer there’s a difference” Anthony said and went inside the house.
(Part 02)
Charlotte Clode felt resentment towards Anthony Holmes firstly because she loved the farm but also because she loved John Holmes like she was her father.
She started working at the farm straight from school when she was 16 years of age only a few months after the final argument between John and his son.
For the first two years she cycled from her parents’ home in Dulcets Meadow and right from the very beginning she worked every hour God sent and she sucked up knowledge like a sponge and she became invaluable to him, and then when she turned 18 she moved to the farm.
At the time Charlotte started John Holmes employed three casual labourers but her job was grooming and mucking out.
When she moved to Copper Beech Farm she lived in a converted part of the stable block which had a bedroom, a sitting room with a small kitchen area and a toilet and shower.
It was only a small place but she loved it, but even if she hadn’t been comfortable there it would still have been better than living at home with her alcoholic parents.
That were was another reason why she liked John and that was because he was a teetotaller.
Late afternoon on the next day he opened the farmhouse door and called across the yard.
“Charlotte!”
She looked up in response to the shout and Anthony gestured for her to come in.
He was sitting at the roll top desk in the office when she opened the door and kicked off her boots.
“Sit down Charlotte” Anthony instructed
“Are you sacking me?” she asked
“Why would I do that?”
“Well if you’re selling up I won’t be needed will I” she said coolly
“But I’m not selling”
“Oh” she said “I thought you had no interest in being a farmer”
“I don’t” he replied “and I have no intention of being one”
“Then I don’t understand” she remarked
“Well as far as I can see you have managed things very well since Dad died” Anthony said tapping a pile of papers on his desk “so I want you to carry on doing what you’ve been doing”
“Me?” she asked with surprise
“Yes, of course you” he confirmed “There will obviously have to be a pay rise, and you can move out of the stable block and move into the farmhouse”
“No I couldn’t do that” she said
“But you’ve been doing it for months” he responded
“No I don’t mean the job, of course I want the job, but I can’t live in the farmhouse with you that wouldn’t be right, what would people think”
“What people?” Anthony asked
“The people that know me” Charlotte said “the people at my church”
“Well if you’re sure” he said
“I’m sure”
“Ok then”
“I will need to use the office occasionally” she pointed out
“That’s fine you can still come and go as you please”
“Now that’s settled I just have one query, we seem to be buying a lot of feed” he said holding up an invoice
“How many horses do we have at the moment?”
“9”
“9?” he asked “I didn’t know Dad had that many”
“No, he didn’t” she said “only two belong to you, one belongs to a man from Dulcets Green, Luke Barrowman, and the other six are Lynda Radcliffe’s, she has a riding school in Dulcet St Mary, but the stables she was using burnt down, so she’s stabling here for the time being”
“Only for the time being?” he asked
“Yes until she knows if she can run her riding school from the farm” Charlotte said
“So what’s she waiting for?” Anthony asked
“Your go ahead, it wasn’t a decision I could make”
“Well it is now” he pointed out
“I wouldn’t know how to figure out what we should charge for something like that” Charlotte said
“Well ask her to propose what terms she has in mind” he suggested
“I know Lynda, she a good egg, she won’t try to con you”
“Oh ok” she said doubtfully “So you trust her?”
“Yes, but more importantly I trust you” he said
(Part 03)
As the weeks past Anthony was very pleased with his decision to put Charlotte in charge she had the farm running as smooth as silk which allowed him to concentrate on his work which revolved around his computer which was on his desk in front of his study window so when he looked up he could look out at the real world and when he did he liked what he saw.
In his quieter moments he liked to watch Charlotte busying around the yard with her long gangly gait.
He had pretty much everything he needed at Copper Beech and he was happier than he had been for several years and he also came to appreciate just how hard a worker he had in Charlotte Clode.
He did have to make the occasional trip out into the real world, for meetings with clients, but he tried to keep them to a minimum.
One such meeting was in Abbottsford at the end of September which ran on until late, the client then insisted on continuing over dinner.
The business was concluded to everyone’s satisfaction but they didn’t leave the restaurant until after midnight.
He could easily have booked into a hotel but he decided to drive back to the Dulcets and subsequently got to bed very late and as a result he slept equally late the next morning.
He got up and opened the curtains but it was such a dark dismal morning it made little difference, as the clouds were slate grey and the rain was absolutely lashing down.
After he showered he went downstairs and turned on the kitchen light, picked up the kettle and walked to the sink to fill it but as he looked out through the rain spattered window he could see a figure moving about in the yard.
He couldn’t identify the figure immediately due to the poor visibility but when he concentrated it was impossible not to recognize the gawky gangling gait of his farm manager Charlotte Clode sweeping at a great puddle of water.
Anthony finished filling the kettle and put it back on the counter and flicked the switch before going to the door and opening it.
“CHARLOTTE” he shouted but she carried on sweeping water away across the yard.
“CHARLOTTE” he shouted again and this time she stood up and looked in his direction and waved.
She looked like a drowned rat and her hair was plastered to her face and her short waterproof coat just served to divert the expelled water down to her dungarees, which were soaked up to the thighs.
“COME HERE” he called to her accompanied by a gesture.
She stopped what she was doing and trotted across the yard to the back door.
“Morning” she said, her rain soaked face smiling, and then she shivered.
“What on earth are you doing working outside in this weather?” he asked crossly “I can’t believe you’re working in this”
“The drain’s blocked” Charlotte said “Dyno-Rod need to pump it out”
“So why didn’t you just call them, you silly girl?” he asked
“I have but I don’t want to water to run into the stables” she replied
“Come inside, you’ll catch your death” he instructed
“I need to finish what I’m doing” she replied “I’ll only be another half an hour”
“I get my coat and give you a hand” Anthony offered
“No it’s ok, there’s no need for both of us to get soaked” she said “But you can put the kettle on?”
(Part 04)
Good to her word Charlotte opened the door and stepped onto the mat half an hour later.
“Take your boots off and get in there” he said and marched her into the utility “no more work today”
“But what about Dyno-Rod?”
“I’ll deal with them” he said “take your coat off and put it on the drainer”
While she obliged he opened the tumble dryer and took out the dry towels and a bathrobe that where in side which had already been washed and dried then he handed Charlotte the clean robe and said
“Take off everything you have on that’s wet, pants as well if necessary, and put them in the tumble dryer then put on the robe and come into the kitchen, ok?”
Charlotte nodded and he went out and shut the door behind him and by the time she emerged from the utility he had made a bowl of soup for her and coffee for them both.
“Thank you that was lovely” she said after she’d finished eating and then she shivered
“No problem” he said and picked up her bowl
“I’m still worried about that drain” Charlotte said and shivered again
“Forget about the damn drain, go and have a shower and get warmed up, you must be chilled to the bone”
“Anthony?” she began
“Yes”
“Would you mind very much if…?”
“If what?” he asked
“If I had a bath instead, I only have a shower and I never get the chance to have a bath”
“Of course you can” he said and smiled and then took her upstairs and showed her to the en suite bathroom in his bedroom,
The main bathroom in the farmhouse had a good sized tub and would easily accommodate her long gangly legs.
He gave her the fresh towels from the tumble dryer and told her where the bubble bath and lotions and potions were.
“Enjoy” he said, “Soak for as long as you like”
“Thanks Anthony” she said “for everything”
“What do you mean?” he asked
“Giving me the job, hot soup and a hot bath, and for caring” she replied
“My Dad believed in you and I could see why, that was all” he said, “You did the rest, as for caring, that I can take no credit for, it was the way I was brought up”
She smiled and he closed the door,
What she didn’t realise was that his actions in helping her weren’t wholly driven by philanthropy he did actually care about her however at that time even he didn’t know quite how much.
He sat in the kitchen drinking coffee and staring out through the rain streaked window and after about half an hour he went into the utility room and checked the contents of the tumble drier.
He had no idea what was in there as Charlotte had already loaded it and then he merely switched it on.
So firstly he took everything out, socks (still a bit damp) dungarees (still wet) t-shirt (dry) pants, (dry) and a white bra also dry.
He put the dungarees and socks back in the dryer and closed the door to finish them off and then he took the t-shirt, pants and bra into the lounge.
As is was a cold damp day he had already lit the fire and put her wet boots and jacket in front of it and they were steaming happily.
Just as he returned to the kitchen he heard the sound of a vehicle in the yard so he slipped on his coat and wellies and went out to speak to the man from Dyno-Rod.
(Part 05)
It was about half an hour after Anthony returned dripping to the house after speaking with the drain man when Charlotte finally came downstairs.
“Anthony” she called
“I’m in the study,” he answered
The door opened and her blonde mopped head appeared around the door, her face all pink and shiny.
“I accidently dunked the bath robe in the bath” Charlotte said with a giggle “so I borrowed one of your shirts, is that ok?”
She stepped in from behind the door wearing one of his denim shirts like a dress, she had the sleeves rolled half way up her spindly arms and the shirt tails almost reached her knees, her legs and arms were also pink from her hot bath.
He found himself thinking that in his shirt she looked even more of a tomboy, but he also reflected that with her damp pixie cut hair she looked quite delicious.
“No problem” he said “It looks better on you than it does on me”
She blushed and then he realised he’d said it out loud
“Your t-shirt and pants are on the airer in the lounge” he told her
“The rest is still in the dryer”
Just at that moment there was a loud bang on the door so she stepped into his study and he went to answer the door.
When he returned to the house he found Charlotte in the kitchen and she was fully dressed.
“All dry?” he asked
“Yes” she replied and smiled
“Good” he replied, “and the drain is all clear”
“Is the water running away ok?” she asked and tried to look out of the window,
“Yes it is” he replied “but remember what I said “no more work today””
“Oh ok” she said and slipped on her coat and then as she went towards the door she kissed him on the cheek and her gangly arms wrapped serpent like around his neck.
“Thank you”
Almost as quickly she relinquished her hold and went out through the door to the yard.
“Remember no more work” he shouted after her “I’ll be watching”
The morning after couldn’t have been more different the sky was clear blue and the yard was bathed in bright September sunshine and Anthony was reluctant to lock himself in his study and put his nose to the grindstone and spent most of the morning prevaricating.
By eleven o’clock he was sitting on the bench in the yard chatting to Lynda Radcliffe, who was running her riding school out of the yard.
She was a rotund redhead who he had known for years, they even dated briefly when they were at school.
And it was their childhood that was the subject of their discourse when Charlotte appeared from the stable block looking more lethargic and leggy than was the norm.
She was walking towards them or at least towards the farmhouse with some paperwork for the office but when she got closer Anthony noticed a pallor to her countenance.
“Are you alright?” he asked with concern
“I’m fine” she replied unconvincingly
“You don’t look it?” Lynda added
“I’m fi…” she began and fainted into Anthony’s arms
(Part 06)
Anthony guided Charlotte’s limp skinny frame onto the bench and tried to revive her.
“My God she’s burning up” He said as he touched her cheek
“I have something in my bag that will bring her round” Lynda said
“What is it smelling salts?”
“No Horse liniment” she replied
He removed the cap and held it under Charlotte’s nose and she came around in a few seconds but she wasn’t with it at all and she began shivering…
“She has a proper fever” Lynda said
“I’m not surprised she got soaked to the skin yesterday” Anthony said
“Let’s get her to bed”
“Ok” Lynda said and took two steps towards the stables until Anthony said
“Let’s get her into my bed, there’s an en suite in my room”
Anthony helped Charlotte up to his bedroom and laid her on the bed then he took her boots and socks off, next they sat her up again and slipped her overalls straps off her shoulders and as she got her to her feet the dungarees fell to the floor, then as Lynda pulled back the duvet and they had her ready to lay down she suddenly got a burst of energy and started to resist.
“Don’t make a fuss” she insisted “I told you I’m fine”
So he let go of her but after a few moments she went a bit wobbly so he sat her on the bed again.
“Fine are you?” he said crossly
“There’s a thermometer in the bathroom cabinet” he said to Lynda who duly obliged and when she returned he switched it on, zeroed the reading and put it in her mouth, a moment later he removed it.
“You’re fine are you?” he said “just below 104, now get into bed”
Charlotte reluctantly complied.
While Lynda finished settling her into bed Anthony went downstairs and phoned the doctor.
He phoned the Doctors surgery in Purplemere, and after a lengthy interrogation by the SS trained receptionist he was finally put through to a Doctor Browning.
“Have you taken her temperature?” he asked
“Yes its 104”
“Ok give her paracetamol for the fever, keep her warm and give her plenty of fluids and I will call in this evening” the doctor said
Anthony went back upstairs with a jug of water and some tablets just as Lynda was leaving the room.
“What did they say?” she asked
“Paracetamol, fluids and sleep” he replied “and a house call later”
“Really which one?”
“This one obviously” he replied and laughed
“Very funny” she said “Which doctor?”
“Dr Browning” he replied
“Really, Elliott?”
“Yes, is he a good one?” he asked
“I don’t know about professionally” she replied “but he could give me a bed bath any day of the week”
“Oh it’s like that is it?” he said “You’d better make sure you’re here when he calls then, come for dinner”
“Ok I’ll bring Pizza” she replied
Lynda left and Anthony went inside and gave Charlotte the tablets and a generous slug of water.
“Thank you” she said softly
“For what?” I asked
“For everything” she replied “for this”
“It’s no trouble” I said
“It’s a lot of trouble” Charlotte corrected him
“And now I need to go home”
She threw back the duvet and swung her legs out and stood up but no sooner had she got to her feet than her legs wobbled beneath her.
“Oops a daisy” he said as he took hold of her.
“Let’s get you lying down again” he said gently
“No” she replied, “this is your room”
“Well for the next few days it’s your room” he insisted
She didn’t have the strength to argue anymore so she lay down and as Anthony sat beside her on the bed she drifted off to sleep within a few minutes.
(Part 07)
Anthony sat with the sleeping Charlotte for about ten minutes and then went downstairs to make a coffee and while he was in the kitchen finishing his drink he had a thought.
He went to the office and opened the key box and having retrieved the appropriate key he went across the yard to Charlotte’s rooms.
He wasn’t really comfortable going through her drawers but he thought she would prefer to see the doctor properly dressed than not.
He found a nightdress, some pyjamas and some pants and socks.
With the appropriate items in hand he returned to the house but then another thought occurred to him how was he going to get her into them?
She had balked at his suggestion that she should move into the house so he was certain sure she wouldn’t be happy with him changing her knickers.
The answer to the problem was Lynda Radcliffe, he simply phoned Lynda and explained his dilemma and she agreed she would come to the farm early, but that she wouldn’t have time to get the pizza.
“Don’t worry I’ll cook” he said
So Anthony divided his time that afternoon between checking on Charlotte and cooking dinner.
Lynda arrived at the farm just after 5 o’clock, looking a little over dressed for the occasion and went straight upstairs to redress Charlotte and she was still up there when he heard someone at the front door.
It was Doctor Browning, a tall, broad, jovial looking man in his early thirties.
“Mr Holmes?” he said
“How’s the patient?”
“Still burning up” he replied
“Ok show me the way” he said somewhat concerned so Anthony led him up the stairs and when they reached the landing Lynda was just leaving the bedroom.
“Oh Lynda Radcliffe, what a lovely surprise” the Doctor said
“Oh hello Doctor”
“Call me Elliott”
Lynda then showed him in and Anthony went back to the kitchen.
Dr Browning came downstairs a little happier than when he went up even though Charlottes temperature hadn’t yet broken.
He was satisfied she wasn’t getting any worse for the time being anyway, but if it got onto her chest he would prescribe antibiotics.
But he hoped the fever would break over the following 48 hours.
“She’s awake now” Elliott said as he walked into the kitchen
“And would love a cup of tea”
“Ok I’ll take one up” Anthony responded
“I say something smells delicious” he said
“It’s only Pasticcio” Anthony said “You are welcome to join us”
“Nothing would give me greater pleasure, Good food and even better company” he said looking at Lynda as he said company “but alas I have a full list”
“Another time perhaps” Anthony suggested
“That would be lovely, don’t you think Lynda” he asked
“Oh yes indeed yes” she blurted out a little flustered
After the Doctor had left Anthony went upstairs to check on Charlotte and took her up a cup of tea but she had drifted off to sleep again so he left the tea on the bedside table.
“My God has he got it bad” Anthony said when he returned down stairs,
“What do you mean?” she asked innocently
“I mean I felt like a gooseberry” he said “As soon as he saw you that was all he could see”
“Oh you do exaggerate” Lynda said
“And he was flirting outrageously and he wasn’t flirting with me”
Anthony pointed out
“So what’s holding you back?”
(Part 08)
Anthony spent half an hour listening to Lynda explaining why a relationship between her and the Doctor was a non-starter.
After he watched Lynda drive off he drew all the curtains, turned on the lights then he went into the kitchen and boiled the kettle.
He made two cups of tea and took them upstairs, Charlotte was still sleeping so he put her cup on the night stand and settled himself into the armchair in the corner, which was probably the most uncomfortable chair he had ever sat in.
Charlotte kept drifting in and out of sleep while he passed the time away on his laptop.
After an hour his mobile rang, he could see it was Lynda so he answered it.
“Hi Lynda” he said
“Hi” she responded “how’s the patient?”
“Sleeping” he replied
“No I’m not” interrupted Charlotte and drifted off again
“How’s her temperature?” Lynda asked
“No change” he replied
After a few more minutes she said goodbye and promised to ring again the next day.
It was about 2 am when he woke up in the armchair after a short doze just in time to see Charlotte coming out of the bathroom.
“What are doing?” he asked
“I needed the loo” she replied
“But I’m here to help” he said
“You were asleep” she said “and I don’t need help to pee”
Anthony helped her back into bed and gave her a drink of water before settling her down.
“Do you want something to eat” he asked
“I’m not hungry” she said
“You should try and eat something” he insisted “how about some soup?”
“No I’m really not hungry” she answered
“What about a drink?” he asked
“I think my fever is getting worse” she said fanning herself at the same time so Anthony put his hand to her forehead.
“Could I just have another cup of tea” she asked quietly and sank back into the pillows.
“Of course you can?” He said but she never heard the answer.
He took the dirty cups away and did the washing up before taking two fresh cups upstairs.
After her cup of tea Charlotte said she felt a little better but ten minutes later she drifted back off into a fitful sleep.
He touched her forehead and it was still burning hot but although the room didn’t feel cold she was shivering so he pulled the throw up over the top of the duvet.
He slept again in the uncomfortable armchair in his bedroom and woke up about 4 am with pins and needles in his arm.
He gingerly picked up his dead arm with his unaffected hand while life flooded painfully back into it.
Having successfully restored blood flow to his stricken limb he walked downstairs to the kitchen.
He waited for the kettle to boil and made himself a mug of Milo and went back upstairs and she was still restlessly murmuring in her sleep.
He drank his Milo and settled back into the armchair from hell and dosed off again.
(Part 09)
When he came to an hour or so later he forgot where he was, he couldn’t see much in the darkness and there were no familiar sounds to aid him, and then it dawned on him, there was silence.
He fumbled with the light switch on the lamp and eventually switched it on.
There before him, peacefully sleeping in his bed was Charlotte.
He stood up and walked over to the bedside and sat down on the bed.
She was breathing un-laboured and when he touched her forehead it was cool and clammy, her fever had broken.
He sat there for about 20 minutes just watching her sleep then quite suddenly she licked her lips and opened her eyes.
After a moment she looked at him and smiled.
“Could I have a bacon sandwich?” she said “I’m starving”
While Charlotte sat in bed devouring two rounds of bacon sandwiches Anthony went downstairs and phoned Lynda.
“Hello” A cheerful voice answered.
“Lynda! The fever has broken” he said
“Thank God” Lynda responded “is she still sleeping?”
“No” he replied “she’s eating a bacon sandwich”
They both laughed and then he hung up the phone and went straight back upstairs to find Charlotte wiping bacon grease off her chin.
“Was that to madam’s satisfaction?” he asked her in a pompous butler’s voice
“Lovely” she replied wiping the corners of her mouth with her serviette.
“Have you had enough?” he enquired
“Oh yes” she replied “if I have any more I won’t enjoy my second breakfast”
“I didn’t realise you were a hobbit, what about another tea?” he suggested
“Oh yes please” she replied with a grin
After she had her tea he said
“Time for a hot bath while I change the bed and then back to bed to rest”
“No I’ve got to muck out” she said
“No you don’t” he replied
“I really do” she insisted
“Lynda’s girls have taken care of the horses” he said “so do as you’re told”
“But I’m not even tired” she insisted
“There are clean clothes on the chair” Anthony said
“You’re bossy just like your father” she said sulkily as she stomped to the bathroom.
The bed sheets were quite damp from her sweats which was why he changed the linen while she bathed.
When re-emerged from the bathroom she was wearing a clean nightdress, which he had collected from her rooms the day before.
Then she got under the crisp clean bedclothes and snuggled down and he kissed her forehead.
By the time he had gathered up her dirty clothes and wet towels she was already fast asleep so he turned off the light and went downstairs.
She slept all day in his bed and she only got up when she was hungry and they ate downstairs together off trays on their laps.
Afterward she said
“I should get home”
“No you can sleep here again tonight”
“No I need to go home to my own bed” Charlotte said
“Why is there something wrong with my bed?” he asked
“No of course not it’s a very comfy bed” she replied defensively
“Ok so you can stay one more night and then go home”
“Where will you sleep?” she asked
“In the spare room and provided I’m satisfied you’re well rested I will let you back to work” he said.
“Light duties mind, Lynda’s girls will muck out tomorrow regardless”
(Part 10)
The next morning Charlotte was up bright and early, Anthony was awoken by the sound of the bathtub filling.
He assumed she wanted to take her last opportunity for a soak.
He got up and showered and went downstairs and started to prepare breakfast.
When she appeared Anthony was satisfied she was fully recovered but he still made her sit in the kitchen and eat a cooked breakfast.
“The offer still stands” he said as he watched her devouring her fry-up.
“What offer?” she asked
“To live here”
“No I can’t live in the farmhouse with you, that wouldn’t be right”
“Fair enough” Anthony said “But if you change your mind?”
“I won’t” Charlotte said “But I will miss that bath though”
“Well you’re welcome to use it anytime, as long as I’m not in it”
He said and they both blushed at the thought of it.
After breakfast she gathered her few items of dirty clothing together and prepared to leave.
“Now remember what I said, take it easy today” he said
“I promise I won’t do anything strenuous” she said “I’m just going to cycle to St Mary’s”
“What’s that if it’s not strenuous” he said crossly “I will drive you to St Mary’s”
“You don’t have to do that” she said
“I insist” he said
“Oh ok” she said with resignation
He stood waiting by his car in the yard until Charlotte emerged from the stable block wearing her Sunday best.
And instead of her usual tomboy overalls she was wearing girl clothes and he liked what he saw.
As they drove to Dulcet St Mary Charlotte said
“You really didn’t have to do this?”
“Nonsense” he replied “You had a very nasty chill, we were very worried about you”
“I’m fine now” she insisted
“You think you are but you are not as strong as you think” he said
“You have all been very kind to me”
“That’s because I care about you, I mean we care about you” he said and fortunately arrival at the church spared his blushes.
“You go ahead” he said
He knew she would want to talk to her friends and probably wouldn’t want to explain why she was attending Church with her employer.
It had been a few years since he last sat in a Church on a Sunday morning, he sat quietly at the back of the church and felt a comforting feeling spread over him, and he hadn’t felt that for a while.
He tried to remember what momentous event in his life made him stop going to church but he couldn’t think of one.
All of a sudden he was aware of someone sitting beside him and he turned to look hoping that it was Charlotte but instead he saw the smiling face of Lynda Radcliffe and he tried not to show his disappointment.
“Hello stranger” she said “I haven’t seen you here before”
“I drove Charlotte” he explained “she was going to cycle”
“Oh I see”
After the service Lynda went off to talk to the mother of one of her pupils and Anthony went outside and waited by the Lych-gate until Charlotte came out.
When she appeared she was looking a little pale.
“You were right” she said when she got in the passenger seat “I wouldn’t have been able to cycle home, I’m pooped”
Anthony just smiled and drove towards home, she lasted about half a mile before she went to sleep.
When they got back to the farm he lifted her out of the car and carried her into the house and lay her on the sofa and covered her with a throw.
(Part 11)
Anthony felt a definite closeness between him and Charlotte as he watched her sleeping in his lounge.
But in the days following her waking up embarrassed on his sofa he felt that closeness fading along with the hope he had harboured that things would have progressed between.
Instead he got the feeling she was holding back, and distancing herself from him and he didn’t know why, but he had to try to do something to make an impression on her and one day as a sharp wind blew rain horizontally across the yard he had an idea, so he went on the internet.
More than a week had passed since the weekend she spent in the farmhouse and Anthony was watching Charlotte through the kitchen window when the postman pulled into the yard.
He put down his mug and walked to the door and took in the Parcels and put them on the kitchen table.
He knew exactly what was in them but he opened them anyway and their contents were as expected.
So he looked out through the window and could see Charlotte walking across the yard so he opened the door and called out to her
“Hey Charlotte”
She turned around and smiled
“Morning Anthony” and carried on walking
“Come inside a minute, I’ve got something for you”
“Ok” she replied “just for a minute though”
After a few minutes she came into the kitchen and stood on the doormat.
“I haven’t seen you for a few days” he said
“I know I’ve been really busy” Charlotte said not meeting his gaze
“There’s something for you on the table” he said, pointing at the boxes in question, and then he put the kettle on.
“For me?” she asked surprised
“Yes”
“What is it?” Charlotte asked
“Well, have a look and you’ll find out” he said
So she stooped down and untied her boots and then slipped them off before walking to the table.
She delved into the first box, which was the biggest, with a puzzled expression and then a broad grin came over her face.
“Wow” she said excitedly holding up the green waterproof coat.
“These coats are really expensive”
“Put it on, in case I ordered the wrong size” he said and she quickly complied “Perfect”
“Can I keep it then?” she asked
“Of course you can but let me cut the labels off”
Once the labels were removed she was so busy admiring her new coat that she forgot about the other parcels.
“Don’t you want to know what’s in the others?” he asked
“Oooh yes I forgot about them”
The second package was a sealed plastic bag which she ripped her way into in a second to reveal a pair of waterproof trousers.
“Not very exciting but they should keep you dry the next time you’re out in a deluge”
“I could have done with them last week couldn’t I?” she said “Thank you”
“Now the last one is also practical but it’s also a bit more personal, I hope you don’t think they are two personal”
This package was also ripped into savagely and revealed two pairs of thermal underwear.
“They’re perfect, they’re just what I need, it gets really cold out there” She said
“You’re not offended?” Anthony asked
“Not at all” Charlotte said
“They’re perfect” she repeated offering the combinations up to herself.
“Thanks Anthony, I’m not going try them on here though” she said and blushed
“That’s fine go upstairs” he said, “you know where to go, I’ll make a drink”
She quickly shed her coat and rushed off clutching the long underwear to her chest like they were something precious.
Anthony picked up her coat and hung it on the back of a chair and then made the drink.
He was sitting at the table when she returned.
“Are they ok?”
“Yes they fit perfectly” she said excitedly “I’m wearing them now”
“What both pairs?” he asked
“Don’t be silly” she said sitting down to put her boots on.
Charlotte drank her coffee and gathered her treasures together into the one box a then wrapped her long arms around his neck and kissed his cheek and then as they looked into each other’s eyes there was a moment when he thought they would kiss but it didn’t happen and she said
“Thank you Anthony” and pausing only to grab her box she went out the door.
(Part 12)
Anthony became a regular congregant at St Mary’s after the first time he drove Charlotte there in September but although he offered every week to take her she only accepted when the weather was particularly bad.
Fortunately with the onset of winter the weather grew increasingly bad.
Other than that he saw very little of her in the weeks following the day he gave her the long underwear.
However in November both he and Charlotte were invited to Lynda Radcliffe’s house for a Guy Fawkes party, Charlotte wasn’t particularly keen on the idea but Lynda was very persuasive.
On the way to Dulcet St Mary Charlotte was a bit grumpy and feeling like she had been pressganged into attending, but once she got there and realized how many of her church friends were there she loosened up.
The party was very enjoyable and there were quite a few people he knew himself.
He saw hardly anything of Charlotte, he caught glimpses of her during the evening quite often with a drink in her hand.
The fireworks were spectacular but while everyone else was looking skyward at the pyrotechnic display Anthony had eyes only for Charlotte alas her eyes were looking heavenward.
As the evening wore on though he discovered that she had taken the whole loosening up a little too far and by 10 o’clock she was so loose she could hardly stand.
Which was when, with Lynda’s help he discreetly sneaked her out the side door and into the car.
“Thanks Lyn” he said
“No problem, look after her”
“I’ve had a lovely time” she said
“You’ve had a lot to drink as well” he pointed out
“I’m more fun when I’ve had a drink” she slurred
“No you’re more confident that’s all”
“I bet you’ll like me when I’m more fun” she said
“I always like you” he said
Back at the farm he got her out of the passenger seat and leant her against the car while he rummaged in her bag for the key.
“You’re lovely you are” she said
“So are you” he said and in response she gave him a very passionate kiss.
“You see, you wouldn’t have snogged me if I hadn’t been drinking” she said
“Well technically you snogged me which you wouldn’t have done without a drink” he said to which she blew a raspberry.
“Anyway I thought you were avoiding me” he said when he had extricated himself from her embrace and unlocked her door
“I was, I am” she said and giggled
“But why?”
“Because you’re my boss” she slurred
“But I want to be more” Anthony said “Much more”
“I want to be sure, that you’re sure” she said “Before I ruin everything”
And then Charlotte kissed him again and went inside and shut the door.
The next day Charlotte Clode was in possession of a savage hangover, she was also in possession of his heart.
She felt absolutely wretched, she wasn’t used to alcohol she didn’t even like it very much and the only reason she got drunk was so she would have the courage to tell him how much she loved him, and she couldn’t even do that drunk.
(Part 13)
After the drunken Guy Fawkes debacle Charlotte seemed to avoid him even more but everything changed on the day in December that he walked across the yard in the late afternoon and he met Lynda Radcliffe coming the other way.
“Hello Lyn” he said surprised “is everything ok?”
“Come quick” she said and headed back the way she came.
“Why what’s the problem?” he responded and rushed after Lynda who was now almost around the corner
“It’s Charlotte” she said
“Why? What’s happened?” he asked
“She fell out of the hay loft” Lynda answered
“Oh God, where is she?” he demanded
“In the barn” she answered “but she won’t come out”
They hurried off towards the barn and when they entered he could see in the gloom sitting on a hay bale the quivering figure of Charlotte, her knees were drawn up to her chin and she was sobbing uncontrollably.
“Hey Charlotte” he said brightly “what have you been up to?”
And she looked up and as soon as she saw him she was on her feet and bowling towards him at a rate of knots and she was still crying as she launched herself at him
“Oh Anthony” she cried
“It’s alright, I’ve got you now” he said and just let her sob into his shoulder and after about five minutes she had calmed down considerably.
“Ok” he said, “let’s have a look at you”
Charlotte had a bruise on her forehead and her right eye was badly swollen, and her nose was bloodied.
Apart from that she just had scrapes and bruises.
“Right let’s get you to the house” he said with a smile “and we’ll get you cleaned up”
“Ok” she said managing a week smile
“Do you want me to come too Anthony?” Lynda asked quietly
“Yes please” he said as he put his arm around Charlotte’s shoulder and steered her slowly across the yard, but by the time they had reached halfway she was managing to walk under her own steam and she continued to do so for the short distance from there to the kitchen door.
“I’m sorry” she said
“What for?” he asked
“For being a nuisance” she replied
“Don’t be daft” he said and kissed the top of her head
“Now go through to the kitchen”
He looked over his shoulder to where Lynda was standing and she raised an eyebrow.
In the sanctuary of the kitchen as Lynda made coffee Anthony got to work cleaning Charlotte up and attending to the cuts on her face,
“Did you lose consciousness?” he asked
“No” she said and put her hand to her swollen eye.
“That’s good” he said
“I’ll take you to the hospital if you want” he offered
“No” she said, “I’ll be ok”
“Good girl” Lynda said and patted her back, which made Charlotte wince and Lynda immediately apologized.
“I’m sorry luvvie, did I hurt you?”
Anthony and Lynda exchanged a knowing look and he pulled her shirt up and he could see the bruises immediately.
“Not wearing your thermals today?” he said and Lynda gave him a look
“No it wasn’t cold enough” she replied
“How about a long hot bath?” he suggested “that will help the bruising”
“Oh yes please” she answered brightly “with bubbles?”
“Yes with bubbles and whatever other lotions and potions your heart desires”
It was amazing to think that a simple thing like a bubble bath could illicit such joy and not for the first time he was overwhelmed with love for her.
(Part 14)
Anthony led Charlotte and Lynda to the main bathroom and the large Charlotte length bath.
He then left Lynda to take charge while he went across to her home to sort out some clean clothes for her.
He gave Lynda the clean towels and put the clothes on the bed and Lynda took the towels into Charlotte and he went downstairs, Lynda followed a few moments later.
In the kitchen they sat silently at the table and continued to drink their coffee.
Lynda finally broke the silence
“How long?”
“How long what” he replied
“You and Charlotte” she said in a sisterly tone “and don’t deny it”
He remained silent
“Come on then out with it how long have you been in love with her” she insisted
“Since the first time I saw her” he said “But…”
“But what?” she pressed and he went on to explain how things had stalled between them.
“Well I know one thing for sure” she said “Charlotte is in love with you”
“Is she?” he asked
“Of course she is you idiot”
“Then why is she holding back?” he asked
“She’s waiting for you to tell her that you love her”
“But I do” he protested “I do love her”
“It’s no good telling me that though is it?” Lynda pointed out “You need to tell her”
After Coffee Lynda went back out to the yard and it was another five minutes after that before Charlotte reappeared looking altogether better.
The unbruised sections of her face were pink and fresh; her hair was damp and tousled.
“Feeling a bit better now?” he asked her as he handed her a dressing gown
“Much” she said, “where’s Lynda?”
“She’s gone back to lock up, there’s a storm brewing” he said
“I should go and help her” Charlotte said and stood up
“You’re going nowhere” he snapped “sit”
“Ok” she said resignedly
“Now then” he said, “Are you hungry?”
“A bit”
“How about some soup?”
“Yes please”
“Go and sit in the lounge then and I’ll bring it through”
“Ok thanks”
“Put the TV on if you want” he called after her
While he was warming the soup Lynda returned with Gemma, one of the stable girls
“How is she?” Gemma asked with real concern
“Much better” he answered,
They went into the kitchen and watched while he finished warming the soup.
“Right” he said pouring the soup into a bowl.
“Let’s go and see her, she’s in the lounge, go through” he said and followed on with a dinner tray.
But when they arrived in the lounge they found Charlotte fast asleep on the sofa.
He put the tray down briefly while he picked up a flowered throw which Lynda took from him and covered the sleeping figure.
Anthony then picked up the tray again and all three of them tiptoed from the room.
By the kitchen door Lynda whispered
“Did you tell her?”
“No not yet” he replied “you old nag bag”
(Part 15)
When Lynda and Gemma had left Anthony ate the soup and sat at the kitchen table and pondered on how he was going to broach the subject of love with Charlotte without making a complete arse of himself.
He sat in the lounge with her, on the sofa facing hers, just watching her sleep and unsurprisingly his thoughts turned to Charlotte and of course love.
He sat there for most of the evening until the long blinks began to set in and as Charlotte was still sleeping soundly he was about to take himself off to bed just as the rain began to fall but the rhythm of the rain sent him off to sleep.
It wasn’t a sound sleep and it wasn’t long before the thunder rolled in and lighting flashes lit the sky, he was sitting on the sofa facing the window and he had a great view through the open curtains when he opened his eyes.
Anthony had been drifting in and out of sleep for maybe an hour when he became aware that he was not alone, he could hear soft breaths and could feel the weight of her limbs draped across him.
“Hello Charlotte” he said, “what are you doing over here?”
“You left me all alone” she said “and the thunder frightened me”
She held onto him very tightly
“Or did you just want a cuddle?” he asked suspiciously
“No I didn’t just want a cuddle I wanted a kiss as well” she said and kissed him with true conviction.
She buried her face in his neck and there they lay for an indeterminate time before it became apparent she wanted to kiss him again.
But as her lips approached his he turned away and brought a halt to proceedings.
“What’s wrong?” she said and sat up
“We need to talk” he explained
“What about?”
“Us”
“Us?” she asked
“Yes I want there to be an “us”” he said
“There is an “us”” she retorted
“No I don’t mean an occasional hug, or if I’m lucky a drunken snog” he said “I want you all the time and I want it all”
“What do you mean?” she asked
“What I mean is, I love you Charlotte Clode” Anthony said
“I love you too” she replied and kissed him with such passion.
“But I want you here in my arms every day and every night, I want us to sit together in church, hold hands in public, I want you to share my comfy bed and I want us to wallow together in the bath”
“I want everything too” she squealed
“And I want to marry you” Anthony said and she stopped squealing
“Do you mean it?” she asked
“With all my heart” he confirmed
Thursday, 16 March 2017
Mornington-By-Mere – (17) Learning to Love
(Part 01)
Debbie Dunlop was the Deputy Headmistress of The Mornington School, where she had taught for the whole of her professional life.
She lived and worked in Mornington-By-Mere which is a small country village lying in the Finchbottom Vale nestled between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.
The Mornington School catered for students from years 1 to 13 which they had managed to do quite successfully with just four teaching staff and some imaginative use of technological teaching aids and live video links to Finchbottom Grammar School, but with the Military Row properties fully occupied and new residential properties gradually being let out they were seeing an increase in numbers, so the school had employed another two teachers
31 year old Debbie Dunlop was also a resident of Military Row where she lived alone, though that wasn’t always the case.
She had been married, she still was married for that matter, but not for much longer.
She had been separated from her husband Ian for two years at his suggestion and she was still angry about it.
It had come completely out of the blue, she loved the very bones of him and she thought he felt the same about her but she was clearly mistaken because he left her.
And her abandonment became the second great sadness of her life.
The first one being her inability to conceive a child which eventually led to the second.
Ian saw his wife’s inability to give him a child as a personal slight which diminished him as a man.
Debbie pointed out to him that there were other options like fertility treatment or adoption, but he refused point blank even to consider adoption as that would undermine his manhood even further and to even suggest that he participate in IVF was an insult to him and how dare she suggest he humiliate himself.
So he left her and his vehemence and anger rang in her ears for days after.
Although he spoke of separation as he packed his bags, after the angry outburst she knew that it was only ever going to end in divorce.
Even in the unlikely event that he wanted to return she could never forgive his aggressive behaviour or the things he said to her, demeaning and belittling her.
She could have left Mornington herself and started afresh somewhere new but she loved Mornington and its chocolate box picturesque quaintness.
She loved the Manor House, the 12th Century Church, the Coaching Inn, the Windmills, the River the Mere and of course the Old School House.
Like the Headmistress Cynthia Sharp, Debbie began at the school fresh out of Winchester Teacher Training College and quickly made herself indispensable.
Until after five years she was offered the Deputy Head’s position.
She loved the school and the children and they loved her back.
The people in the village liked her and she had made many lasting friendships inside and outside of the Church.
There was no way she was going to give up on Mornington for the sake of her soon to be ex-husband.
(Part 02)
Philip Welch was 33 years old and by profession was an accountant and would have become a junior partner at Brady and Clare, the firm of accountants he worked for in Abbeyvale had his wife not died.
Her death came at a time that should have been a very happy one. Gemma was in labour at home about to give birth to Carly, their third child, but there were complications and she was rushed to hospital for an emergency caesarean, where Carly was delivered safely but Gemma died on the operating table.
He married Gemma straight after university and they were married for a year before Stephen was born but five years and two children later he was a single parent and had to give up work to look after his children.
He and Gemma were both originally from Nottingham so living in Abbeyvale he was a long way from his support network.
His baby sister Mandy moved down to live with him for three years.
Which enabled him to take a part time job but then she met and fell in love with someone and got married which put paid to the job.
But when Carly started school he was left with a stark choice to make.
He could either move the family up to Nottingham to be close to their family or try and find a job locally with flexible hours.
When he was left alone to raise the family his role was as far removed from his former professional life as it was possible to get and when he was able to do some part time work, that also bore no relation to his accountancy roots, but he wasn’t a proud man and his family came first no matter what.
He had set himself the target of them being wherever they were going in time for the kids to start at their new schools in September.
But by the beginning of June he still hadn’t decided where it was going to be.
However he was tending toward Nottingham until the day, quite by chance, he ran into Jonathon Springthorpe while he was walking through the Abbeyvale Mall.
Jonathon knew Philip from when he worked for Brady and Clare who were the auditors for O’Sullivan and Springthorpe Auctioneers.
He was walking through the town with his head down, deep in thought.
“Philip! Is that you?” he asked bringing him back to the moment.
“Oh hello Mr Springthorpe”
“Just Jonathon” he said “you look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders”
“You could say that” he replied
They spent the next 45 minutes in the Calypso Coffee House where Philip explained the reason for his dark demeanour.
“I’m sorry I didn’t know about you wife” Jonathon said
“Why would you” Philip said “No need to apologize”
“But it’s not that, that’s weighing you down right now is it?”
“No” Philip replied and went on to explain at length the full details of his current dilemma.
“So what’s your preference?” Jonathon asked “Go north or stay local?”
“Stay local” he replied
“And what about work?” he asked
“Anything I can get that pays the rent and fits in with the kids school hours”
“Well I don’t know if this is local enough but I have something in Mornington” Jonathon suggested
“It’s a bit of a commute” Philip remarked
“No need to commute, there are properties to rent and priority is given to families and the village school is excellent”
“It all sounds too good to be true” Philip said
(Part 03)
On the 12th of August the Welch family moved in to 14, Military Row but it was not the Philips first time there.
Jonathon Springthorpe was one of the partners in O’Sullivan and Springthorpe Auctioneers in Shallowfield but he was also a resident in Mornington, living at the Old Forge, and he was also a close friend of Baron St George and his family.
So as a result he was able to pull a few strings to get Philip moved up the waiting list for a house.
So at the end of June he had his sister drive him over to the village, he was there for two reasons, the first was to meet with Tallulah St George about renting a house and the second was a meeting at the Mornington School.
The Headmistress, Cynthia Sharp, was away on that day so he met with her deputy Debbie Dunlop.
“Mr. Welch?” Debbie said offering her hand “Mrs. Dunlop deputy head”
“Pleased to meet you” she said taking his hand
Philip was by his own admission a rather odd looking sort, tall and scrawny with big feet and unruly straw coloured hair.
And with the strains put on him, physically, mentally and emotionally since his wife passed he looked older than his thirty three years.
But if Debbie was shocked by what she saw she didn’t show it.
Jonathon and Debbie were friends and he had warned her what to expect and filled her in regarding his circumstances.
But even if he had not, Debbie was not the judgemental type after all she wasn’t perfect herself, far from it in fact.
She was a rather plain almost emaciated looking girl, stick thin with straight shoulder length blonde hair and as she never wore make up at work she looked five years older than the thirty one she actually was.
She was by nature a bit of a tomboy and wore quite masculine looking clothes which led some to think she might be a lesbian.
Philip’s first impression of her came as he sat opposite her in her office as she began filling in some forms.
Even though her features were plain there was something about her that shone through from within, now whether it was her eyes which were the most stunning green or a smile that could melt the hardest heart it was difficult to know, but he liked what he saw.
Whether or not she would prove to be as nice as he thought she looked remained to be seen.
He surprised himself somewhat because he had not looked at anyone in that way since Gemma died.
He hadn’t dated or even thought about dating, not that he would have had the time even if he had.
But then he chastised himself for forgetting the reason he was there at the school, namely his children.
But that didn’t stop him noticing that she wasn’t married, but he had noticed faintest tan lines indicating where a ring once resided.
“So where are you moving from?” she asked suddenly looking up from her desk.
“Abbeyvale” he replied
“And how many children do you have?”
“Three” he replied proudly
“Ok, can you give me their names and how old they will be when term starts in September?”
“Stephen is 11, Emily 9 and Carly 6”
(Part 04)
Debbie continued firing questions at him for the next ten minutes and after the formalities were complete she said
“Well that’s everything I need, do you have any questions for me?”
“Only one really” he replied “is there an after school club”
“Yes we have a breakfast club and an after school” she replied “We also run a club during the summer holidays”
He left the School and went off to find his sister who had texted to say she was in the pub.
He was very encouraged, not about getting the children enrolled, that was a given, what encouraged Philip was that for the first time in six years he had looked at a woman with an appraising eye.
Not that he had any intention of doing anything about it, but it was significant, it was a breakthrough and finally he was making progress.
Debbie watched him walking across the playground and thought what a nice man he was and she wondered it that was because she felt sorry for him.
She had been a single woman for two years and quite content to be so during that time, she had not met the right person to begin again with and she was in no hurry to, possibly because she doubted her judgement in such matters after Ian.
So she drained her coffee and made her way to the staff room to prepare for her next class.
When Philip got back home he told the kids about the school and were very happy about it as it meant they could go into the after school club with the new best friends they hoped to make.
On the 12th of August a small Here, There & Everywhere removals van pulled up in Military Row outside number 14 and two men climbed out and went to the back and opened the shutter.
At the same time Debbie Dunlop, who lived at number 1, saw the van pull up as she was walking down to the shops.
But as she got close to the van there was no sign of Philip Welch or his children.
It was about an hour later by the time she had done all her errands and was walking home.
The truck was still outside the house but still no sign of the new tenant.
However as she was about level with the tail lift a figure suddenly jumped down and made her jump out of her skin.
“Oh God” she exclaimed “You almost gave me a heart attack”
“I’m so sorry” Philip said and then recognised who it was he had almost frightened to death
“Oh Mrs Dunlop” he said
“Debbie” she panted
“Excuse me?”
“Debbie” she said still slightly breathless “Call me Debbie”
“Oh ok I’m sorry I startled you Debbie” Philip said “I should say it’s been a good while since I took a girls breath away”
“I’m scarcely a girl Mr Welch”
“Philip” he said
“What?”
““I’m scarcely a girl” Philip” he said
“Oh yes I see” She said and laughed
“So are the children not with you?” she asked looking around and about “I would love to meet them”
“No they’ve gone up to Nottingham to stay with my parents for a couple of weeks while I get the house straight” he replied
“Oh that’s a shame” she said “but it makes sense”
“Where does this one go?” a middle-aged man in H, T & E uniform asked
“Bedroom two” he replied
“I’ll leave you to it” Debbie said
“Oh ok” he said “Bye”
He watched Debbie as she walked up to her house as the two removal men carried a small wardrobe into the house and thought.
“That’s a shame”
He was enjoying their little interaction and he wasn’t sure, due to his being out of practise, but he thought there was some flirting.
(Part 05)
All the teaching staff devoted some of their time to the Holiday Club, in a supervisory capacity only, as most of the activities were run by students from the village.
So during the school holidays Debbie worked at the school two or three days a week.
The day that Philip Welch moved in to Military Row however she was not working.
Since that day back in June when he enrolled his children she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him, which she thought was a bit silly really, and it surprised her, firstly because she didn’t believe in instant attraction and secondly because he wasn’t her type, not even close to it.
She liked tall, dark and handsome and although Philip was tall he was also scrawny with unruly straw coloured hair.
But he wasn’t unpleasant looking though and he had a good sense of humour.
So in the spirit of neighbourliness after she returned home and put her shopping away she made some sandwiches, and put them in a bag with some bags of crisps and a couple of bottles of Mornington Ale from the fridge and walked down the road.
“Perfect timing” she thought as The Here, There & Everywhere removals truck was just driving off.
She knocked on the door and waited a moment and suddenly felt a little foolish and decided to go just as the door opened.
“Mrs Dunlop! I mean Debbie, do Come in” Philip said “You’ll have to excuse the mess”
“I didn’t expect spotless with the truck just leaving” she remarked
“You’re just in time, the kettle has just boiled” he said
“Well I brought beer” she said “And sandwiches”
“That’s really kind” Philip said and looked around at the piles of boxes and black sacks.
“Well as you can see I’m very well organised so I think we should go out on the patio, I haven’t made a mess out there yet”
“Good idea” she agreed
Philip led the way out to the patio and Debbie put her bag on the table.
“I wasn’t sure what you liked” she said “So I have Ham salad, Cheese and Pickle, and Tuna Mayo”
“Oh lovely, I like all of those” he said “I’ll get plates”
“Excellent” she said and then she reached into her bag and produces two bottles “and I have Mornington Ale”
“Wonderful, I’ll get glasses as well”
“This was very kind of you” he said when they had finished the sandwiches
“It was my pleasure” Debbie said
“So how long have you lived in Mornington” he asked
“Ten years” she replied “But only a year in Military Row, I lived on Purplemere Road before then”
There were a number of cottages and small houses on Purplemere road in the part of the village known as Manorside.
“So is there a Mr Dunlop?” he asked casually
“There is or more accurately I should say there was”
“Divorced then” he presumed
“Very nearly” Debbie replied sadly
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to pry” Philip said
“It’s ok really” she said as she gathered up the dirty plates and glasses and took them to the kitchen and Philip cursed himself for being so pushy.
When she reappeared at the kitchen door she said
“Listen I have no plans this afternoon, I would be happy to help out”
“Oh I couldn’t possibly let you to do that”
“Nonsense” she said in an authoritative voice “Put me to work”
(Part 06)
Philip and Debbie worked all afternoon and by the end of it they had made a significant dent in the unpacking, Philip in the lounge while Debbie organised the kitchen and she was quite impressed by the array of implements.
“Do you do a lot of cooking?” she asked
“Yes quite a lot” he asked “Do you not?”
“Me? No, not anymore” she replied “I can, but I don’t bother so much just for me”
“Why don’t you let me cook for you tonight” he suggested “As a thank you”
“I would like that but another time” Debbie said “I think ordering a Pizza would be a better idea”
“That sounds good” he agreed “My treat though”
“Oh ok” she conceded “Vale Farm in Shallowfield deliver”
“What all the way out here?” he asked
“Yes” she replied “I’ll go and grab a menu”
The pizza box lay empty on the floor and an empty Pinot bottle accompanied it and the two of them sat on the sofa quietly content and both reflected on a day well spent.
With two rooms completed, pleasant company, excellent pizza and lots of laughter.
He couldn’t remember when he last laughed as much as he had that day.
Time passed so quickly in his amiable company and she felt so at ease with him and the experience had awakened feelings in her that had lain dormant for two years.
It was Debbie who finally broke the silence
“I think I had better make a move”
“No not yet” he said unable to hide his disappointment “Have another drink”
“I really should go” she said
“I haven’t enjoyed myself so much for ages” he said “proper intelligent grown up conversation is a real treat”
“I’ve enjoyed it too” she exclaimed, “Ok, one more drink, but if I fall asleep and dribble down myself you’ve only got yourself to blame”
“I will do the gentlemanly thing and pretend I didn’t notice” Philip said
“Fair enough” she said and held out her glass for a refill
As it turned out they both found their second wind so neither of them fell asleep and they finished the second bottle.
But as the clock hands reached ten o’clock they both knew it was time to call it a night.
“Well thank you for all your help” he said
“Nonsense you more than made up for it with a very pleasant evening” Debbie replied “I’m free again tomorrow, so have the kettle on early”
And before he had chance to protest she kissed his cheek.
As she walked a little unsteadily up the road to her house she was feeling rather pleased with herself which was possibly due to the bottle of wine she had drunk.
But that aside she thought she had made an impression on him, he had certainly made one on her.
When she got into bed she lay in the dark thinking about the day which ended with her kissing his cheek.
“I should have snogged him” she slurred and fell asleep.
(Part 07)
“I should have snogged him” may well have been her last utterance before she went to sleep but the next morning Debbie had changed her tune.
“I should not have kissed his cheek” she said from beneath the duvet “And why the hell did you volunteer to help him again”
It was nice, she had a nice time, and he was good company, very good company in fact.
And after two years of living alone and eating alone it made a pleasant change but it was ridiculous to go around kissing a virtual stranger just because you’ve had a glass of wine and a slice of pizza.
“No I can’t be doing with all that at the moment” she said crossly and threw back the covers and headed for the shower.
The shower cleared her head and she decided that the best course of action was to knock on his front door and say that she had a prior commitment and she shouldn’t have volunteered her time.
“Yes I think that’s for the best”
Philip on the other hand started the day in an entirely different frame of mind and he very much wanted to spend the day with her again.
So he was up early and showered and shaved before eight o’clock and was waiting expectantly for her knock on the door.
A knock came at dead on 9 o’clock but when he opened the front door he found Susan Newbold his neighbour from number 13, with a housewarming gift of homemade Shortbread, she stayed for about 20 minutes and then 15 minutes later Shelley Larsen from number 15 with a large fruit cake and after half an hour of small talk she left.
The next knock on the door came at 10.15 and he was speculating with himself as to which neighbour was knocking this time and what they had in their Tupperware box.
But when he opened the door this time it was Debbie.
“Hi” he said brightly “come in”
“I’m sorry I’m late” she said and stepped in and this time he kissed her cheek.
As she walked down the road her resolve was steadfast she was going to tell him that she had a prior commitment.
She was determined to nip it in the bud before things got complicated.
Her change of heart came somewhere in between releasing the door knocker and Philip saying “Hi”
They spent another agreeable day together this time they worked together upstairs unpacking the children’s boxes and then Philip made omelettes for lunch which they ate outside and before they went back to work.
That evening as weariness set in she said
“Well I’m knackered”
“Me too” he agreed “and I’m starving, what do you fancy?”
There was an obvious answer to that question but she refrained from saying it.
“A curry” she said
“I’m not sure I have the stamina to cook a curry from scratch today” he replied
“No takeaway” she replied “The Bengal in Shallowfield do a great curry and they deliver too”
“Wow that’s a great idea”
“It’s my turn to pay this time though” she insisted
“But…” he began
“No argument” she said in her best stern deputy head voice
“Yes miss”
The curry was astoundingly good and so was the wine but the evening ended earlier than the previous one due to the accumulated fatigue.
“I’m on duty at the school in the morning” Debbie said
“I understand” he said as he stood up and walked her to the door
“Thanks again for everything”
“My pleasure” she said and leant in to kiss his cheek but instead she went straight for his lips.
And a long unhurried comfortable kiss ensued until she broke away with a look of alarm on her face.
“I don’t this is a good idea” she said
“Why not?”
“I’m your children’s teacher, what will people think?”
“Why would they think anything?” he asked
“I’m sorry but it’s all happening too quickly” Debbie said and rushed off towards home.
(Part 08)
She woke up on Friday morning in a black mood, she had made a fool of herself the night before.
“What was I thinking?” she shouted to herself
“It was a nice kiss though” she replied
“That’s hardly the point you stupid woman” she rebuked
Her mood had not improved when she got to school that morning where she was on duty with 24 year old Amy Hoddinott.
Who despite her tender years could tell there was something on her mind and asked.
“So what’s up?”
“What?”
“There’s something on your mind, what is it?” Amy pressed her
“Nothing”
“No, it’s definitely something” she persisted
“I kissed Philip Welch” she said finally giving in.
“The new guy at number 14?” she asked
“Yes”
“But he only moved in two days ago” Amy pointed out
“I know”
“Respect” Amy said and patted her on the back
“So what’s wrong, wasn’t it very good?”
“No it was lovely” Debbie replied
“So didn’t he like it then?” Amy asked
“I don’t know I just said “I don’t this is a good idea” and ran off” she confessed
“What did you do that for?” Amy said
“I panicked” Debbie said
“Oh Debbie you plank”
“What am I going to do?” Debbie asked
“I don’t know” she replied “But you had better tell me everything”
Debbie spent the next hour telling Amy every detail of the previous two days leaving nothing out and Amy listened intently without interruption and at the end of it Debbie turned to her and asked
“So is it hopeless? It’s hopeless isn’t it? Oh God it really is hopeless”
“Stop talking now” Amy said
“Ok”
“Now answer me this question, do you like this man?” Amy asked
“Yes” she replied without hesitation
“How much?” Amy asked
“Very much”
“Then go and get him”
“But how?” Debbie begged “I don’t know how”
“You need to woo him” Amy replied
“I don’t know how to woo” she said pathetically
“A dinner party” Amy said “invite him to dinner”
“He won’t come” she said
“Leave that to me” Amy instructed “All you need to do is cook dinner and look drop dead gorgeous by 8 o’clock on Saturday night”
“Well the former I can manage” she replied
“Well I promise to get him to your house for eight but after that you’re on your own” Amy said
On Friday afternoon just as Debbie walked the long way round to the Boddingtons Butchers to pick up something special for Saturday night, Amy was knocking on Philips front door with an invitation.
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea” he said
“There was some awkwardness the last time we met”
“Yes I know” Amy said
“She told you?” Philip asked
“Yes and she really regrets what happened”
“What part?” he asked
“The running away part”
“Not the kissing part?” he asked hopefully
“No”
“I still don’t think it’s a good idea” he said but Amy just gave him a cold stare
“You’re not going to take no for an answer are you?”
“No” she replied flatly
“Ok, what time?”
“8 o’clock” she said and walked back up the path.
“Who else is going?” he called after her.
“You’ll see”
It was with mixed feelings that he walked up the road to number one on Saturday evening.
He really liked Debbie, he “really” liked her, and she was the first one since his wife that he had, and then of course there was the kiss, the wonderful passionate and sensual kiss.
So he was desperate to see her again but that was tempered by the fact that he didn’t really know how she felt about him.
He nervously knocked on the door with butterflies performing somersaults in the pit of his stomach and after a few momenta the door opened and he gasped at the sight of Debbie in and low cut backless evening dress.
“Wow” he said when he could speak at all
“Am I the first one?” he asked as he followed her into the lounge
“You’re the only one” she replied as she turned to face him and then she stepped in close and kissed him.
“Not that I’m complaining but I thought you said this wasn’t a good idea” he said “Because you’re my children’s teacher”
“I may have been a little hasty” she replied and kissed him again
“I think you may well have been” he agreed when she relinquished her hold on him
“And Technically I’m not their teacher until September” she said
“That’s a very valid point” he said kissed her again.
Debbie Dunlop was the Deputy Headmistress of The Mornington School, where she had taught for the whole of her professional life.
She lived and worked in Mornington-By-Mere which is a small country village lying in the Finchbottom Vale nestled between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.
The Mornington School catered for students from years 1 to 13 which they had managed to do quite successfully with just four teaching staff and some imaginative use of technological teaching aids and live video links to Finchbottom Grammar School, but with the Military Row properties fully occupied and new residential properties gradually being let out they were seeing an increase in numbers, so the school had employed another two teachers
31 year old Debbie Dunlop was also a resident of Military Row where she lived alone, though that wasn’t always the case.
She had been married, she still was married for that matter, but not for much longer.
She had been separated from her husband Ian for two years at his suggestion and she was still angry about it.
It had come completely out of the blue, she loved the very bones of him and she thought he felt the same about her but she was clearly mistaken because he left her.
And her abandonment became the second great sadness of her life.
The first one being her inability to conceive a child which eventually led to the second.
Ian saw his wife’s inability to give him a child as a personal slight which diminished him as a man.
Debbie pointed out to him that there were other options like fertility treatment or adoption, but he refused point blank even to consider adoption as that would undermine his manhood even further and to even suggest that he participate in IVF was an insult to him and how dare she suggest he humiliate himself.
So he left her and his vehemence and anger rang in her ears for days after.
Although he spoke of separation as he packed his bags, after the angry outburst she knew that it was only ever going to end in divorce.
Even in the unlikely event that he wanted to return she could never forgive his aggressive behaviour or the things he said to her, demeaning and belittling her.
She could have left Mornington herself and started afresh somewhere new but she loved Mornington and its chocolate box picturesque quaintness.
She loved the Manor House, the 12th Century Church, the Coaching Inn, the Windmills, the River the Mere and of course the Old School House.
Like the Headmistress Cynthia Sharp, Debbie began at the school fresh out of Winchester Teacher Training College and quickly made herself indispensable.
Until after five years she was offered the Deputy Head’s position.
She loved the school and the children and they loved her back.
The people in the village liked her and she had made many lasting friendships inside and outside of the Church.
There was no way she was going to give up on Mornington for the sake of her soon to be ex-husband.
(Part 02)
Philip Welch was 33 years old and by profession was an accountant and would have become a junior partner at Brady and Clare, the firm of accountants he worked for in Abbeyvale had his wife not died.
Her death came at a time that should have been a very happy one. Gemma was in labour at home about to give birth to Carly, their third child, but there were complications and she was rushed to hospital for an emergency caesarean, where Carly was delivered safely but Gemma died on the operating table.
He married Gemma straight after university and they were married for a year before Stephen was born but five years and two children later he was a single parent and had to give up work to look after his children.
He and Gemma were both originally from Nottingham so living in Abbeyvale he was a long way from his support network.
His baby sister Mandy moved down to live with him for three years.
Which enabled him to take a part time job but then she met and fell in love with someone and got married which put paid to the job.
But when Carly started school he was left with a stark choice to make.
He could either move the family up to Nottingham to be close to their family or try and find a job locally with flexible hours.
When he was left alone to raise the family his role was as far removed from his former professional life as it was possible to get and when he was able to do some part time work, that also bore no relation to his accountancy roots, but he wasn’t a proud man and his family came first no matter what.
He had set himself the target of them being wherever they were going in time for the kids to start at their new schools in September.
But by the beginning of June he still hadn’t decided where it was going to be.
However he was tending toward Nottingham until the day, quite by chance, he ran into Jonathon Springthorpe while he was walking through the Abbeyvale Mall.
Jonathon knew Philip from when he worked for Brady and Clare who were the auditors for O’Sullivan and Springthorpe Auctioneers.
He was walking through the town with his head down, deep in thought.
“Philip! Is that you?” he asked bringing him back to the moment.
“Oh hello Mr Springthorpe”
“Just Jonathon” he said “you look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders”
“You could say that” he replied
They spent the next 45 minutes in the Calypso Coffee House where Philip explained the reason for his dark demeanour.
“I’m sorry I didn’t know about you wife” Jonathon said
“Why would you” Philip said “No need to apologize”
“But it’s not that, that’s weighing you down right now is it?”
“No” Philip replied and went on to explain at length the full details of his current dilemma.
“So what’s your preference?” Jonathon asked “Go north or stay local?”
“Stay local” he replied
“And what about work?” he asked
“Anything I can get that pays the rent and fits in with the kids school hours”
“Well I don’t know if this is local enough but I have something in Mornington” Jonathon suggested
“It’s a bit of a commute” Philip remarked
“No need to commute, there are properties to rent and priority is given to families and the village school is excellent”
“It all sounds too good to be true” Philip said
(Part 03)
On the 12th of August the Welch family moved in to 14, Military Row but it was not the Philips first time there.
Jonathon Springthorpe was one of the partners in O’Sullivan and Springthorpe Auctioneers in Shallowfield but he was also a resident in Mornington, living at the Old Forge, and he was also a close friend of Baron St George and his family.
So as a result he was able to pull a few strings to get Philip moved up the waiting list for a house.
So at the end of June he had his sister drive him over to the village, he was there for two reasons, the first was to meet with Tallulah St George about renting a house and the second was a meeting at the Mornington School.
The Headmistress, Cynthia Sharp, was away on that day so he met with her deputy Debbie Dunlop.
“Mr. Welch?” Debbie said offering her hand “Mrs. Dunlop deputy head”
“Pleased to meet you” she said taking his hand
Philip was by his own admission a rather odd looking sort, tall and scrawny with big feet and unruly straw coloured hair.
And with the strains put on him, physically, mentally and emotionally since his wife passed he looked older than his thirty three years.
But if Debbie was shocked by what she saw she didn’t show it.
Jonathon and Debbie were friends and he had warned her what to expect and filled her in regarding his circumstances.
But even if he had not, Debbie was not the judgemental type after all she wasn’t perfect herself, far from it in fact.
She was a rather plain almost emaciated looking girl, stick thin with straight shoulder length blonde hair and as she never wore make up at work she looked five years older than the thirty one she actually was.
She was by nature a bit of a tomboy and wore quite masculine looking clothes which led some to think she might be a lesbian.
Philip’s first impression of her came as he sat opposite her in her office as she began filling in some forms.
Even though her features were plain there was something about her that shone through from within, now whether it was her eyes which were the most stunning green or a smile that could melt the hardest heart it was difficult to know, but he liked what he saw.
Whether or not she would prove to be as nice as he thought she looked remained to be seen.
He surprised himself somewhat because he had not looked at anyone in that way since Gemma died.
He hadn’t dated or even thought about dating, not that he would have had the time even if he had.
But then he chastised himself for forgetting the reason he was there at the school, namely his children.
But that didn’t stop him noticing that she wasn’t married, but he had noticed faintest tan lines indicating where a ring once resided.
“So where are you moving from?” she asked suddenly looking up from her desk.
“Abbeyvale” he replied
“And how many children do you have?”
“Three” he replied proudly
“Ok, can you give me their names and how old they will be when term starts in September?”
“Stephen is 11, Emily 9 and Carly 6”
(Part 04)
Debbie continued firing questions at him for the next ten minutes and after the formalities were complete she said
“Well that’s everything I need, do you have any questions for me?”
“Only one really” he replied “is there an after school club”
“Yes we have a breakfast club and an after school” she replied “We also run a club during the summer holidays”
He left the School and went off to find his sister who had texted to say she was in the pub.
He was very encouraged, not about getting the children enrolled, that was a given, what encouraged Philip was that for the first time in six years he had looked at a woman with an appraising eye.
Not that he had any intention of doing anything about it, but it was significant, it was a breakthrough and finally he was making progress.
Debbie watched him walking across the playground and thought what a nice man he was and she wondered it that was because she felt sorry for him.
She had been a single woman for two years and quite content to be so during that time, she had not met the right person to begin again with and she was in no hurry to, possibly because she doubted her judgement in such matters after Ian.
So she drained her coffee and made her way to the staff room to prepare for her next class.
When Philip got back home he told the kids about the school and were very happy about it as it meant they could go into the after school club with the new best friends they hoped to make.
On the 12th of August a small Here, There & Everywhere removals van pulled up in Military Row outside number 14 and two men climbed out and went to the back and opened the shutter.
At the same time Debbie Dunlop, who lived at number 1, saw the van pull up as she was walking down to the shops.
But as she got close to the van there was no sign of Philip Welch or his children.
It was about an hour later by the time she had done all her errands and was walking home.
The truck was still outside the house but still no sign of the new tenant.
However as she was about level with the tail lift a figure suddenly jumped down and made her jump out of her skin.
“Oh God” she exclaimed “You almost gave me a heart attack”
“I’m so sorry” Philip said and then recognised who it was he had almost frightened to death
“Oh Mrs Dunlop” he said
“Debbie” she panted
“Excuse me?”
“Debbie” she said still slightly breathless “Call me Debbie”
“Oh ok I’m sorry I startled you Debbie” Philip said “I should say it’s been a good while since I took a girls breath away”
“I’m scarcely a girl Mr Welch”
“Philip” he said
“What?”
““I’m scarcely a girl” Philip” he said
“Oh yes I see” She said and laughed
“So are the children not with you?” she asked looking around and about “I would love to meet them”
“No they’ve gone up to Nottingham to stay with my parents for a couple of weeks while I get the house straight” he replied
“Oh that’s a shame” she said “but it makes sense”
“Where does this one go?” a middle-aged man in H, T & E uniform asked
“Bedroom two” he replied
“I’ll leave you to it” Debbie said
“Oh ok” he said “Bye”
He watched Debbie as she walked up to her house as the two removal men carried a small wardrobe into the house and thought.
“That’s a shame”
He was enjoying their little interaction and he wasn’t sure, due to his being out of practise, but he thought there was some flirting.
(Part 05)
All the teaching staff devoted some of their time to the Holiday Club, in a supervisory capacity only, as most of the activities were run by students from the village.
So during the school holidays Debbie worked at the school two or three days a week.
The day that Philip Welch moved in to Military Row however she was not working.
Since that day back in June when he enrolled his children she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him, which she thought was a bit silly really, and it surprised her, firstly because she didn’t believe in instant attraction and secondly because he wasn’t her type, not even close to it.
She liked tall, dark and handsome and although Philip was tall he was also scrawny with unruly straw coloured hair.
But he wasn’t unpleasant looking though and he had a good sense of humour.
So in the spirit of neighbourliness after she returned home and put her shopping away she made some sandwiches, and put them in a bag with some bags of crisps and a couple of bottles of Mornington Ale from the fridge and walked down the road.
“Perfect timing” she thought as The Here, There & Everywhere removals truck was just driving off.
She knocked on the door and waited a moment and suddenly felt a little foolish and decided to go just as the door opened.
“Mrs Dunlop! I mean Debbie, do Come in” Philip said “You’ll have to excuse the mess”
“I didn’t expect spotless with the truck just leaving” she remarked
“You’re just in time, the kettle has just boiled” he said
“Well I brought beer” she said “And sandwiches”
“That’s really kind” Philip said and looked around at the piles of boxes and black sacks.
“Well as you can see I’m very well organised so I think we should go out on the patio, I haven’t made a mess out there yet”
“Good idea” she agreed
Philip led the way out to the patio and Debbie put her bag on the table.
“I wasn’t sure what you liked” she said “So I have Ham salad, Cheese and Pickle, and Tuna Mayo”
“Oh lovely, I like all of those” he said “I’ll get plates”
“Excellent” she said and then she reached into her bag and produces two bottles “and I have Mornington Ale”
“Wonderful, I’ll get glasses as well”
“This was very kind of you” he said when they had finished the sandwiches
“It was my pleasure” Debbie said
“So how long have you lived in Mornington” he asked
“Ten years” she replied “But only a year in Military Row, I lived on Purplemere Road before then”
There were a number of cottages and small houses on Purplemere road in the part of the village known as Manorside.
“So is there a Mr Dunlop?” he asked casually
“There is or more accurately I should say there was”
“Divorced then” he presumed
“Very nearly” Debbie replied sadly
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to pry” Philip said
“It’s ok really” she said as she gathered up the dirty plates and glasses and took them to the kitchen and Philip cursed himself for being so pushy.
When she reappeared at the kitchen door she said
“Listen I have no plans this afternoon, I would be happy to help out”
“Oh I couldn’t possibly let you to do that”
“Nonsense” she said in an authoritative voice “Put me to work”
(Part 06)
Philip and Debbie worked all afternoon and by the end of it they had made a significant dent in the unpacking, Philip in the lounge while Debbie organised the kitchen and she was quite impressed by the array of implements.
“Do you do a lot of cooking?” she asked
“Yes quite a lot” he asked “Do you not?”
“Me? No, not anymore” she replied “I can, but I don’t bother so much just for me”
“Why don’t you let me cook for you tonight” he suggested “As a thank you”
“I would like that but another time” Debbie said “I think ordering a Pizza would be a better idea”
“That sounds good” he agreed “My treat though”
“Oh ok” she conceded “Vale Farm in Shallowfield deliver”
“What all the way out here?” he asked
“Yes” she replied “I’ll go and grab a menu”
The pizza box lay empty on the floor and an empty Pinot bottle accompanied it and the two of them sat on the sofa quietly content and both reflected on a day well spent.
With two rooms completed, pleasant company, excellent pizza and lots of laughter.
He couldn’t remember when he last laughed as much as he had that day.
Time passed so quickly in his amiable company and she felt so at ease with him and the experience had awakened feelings in her that had lain dormant for two years.
It was Debbie who finally broke the silence
“I think I had better make a move”
“No not yet” he said unable to hide his disappointment “Have another drink”
“I really should go” she said
“I haven’t enjoyed myself so much for ages” he said “proper intelligent grown up conversation is a real treat”
“I’ve enjoyed it too” she exclaimed, “Ok, one more drink, but if I fall asleep and dribble down myself you’ve only got yourself to blame”
“I will do the gentlemanly thing and pretend I didn’t notice” Philip said
“Fair enough” she said and held out her glass for a refill
As it turned out they both found their second wind so neither of them fell asleep and they finished the second bottle.
But as the clock hands reached ten o’clock they both knew it was time to call it a night.
“Well thank you for all your help” he said
“Nonsense you more than made up for it with a very pleasant evening” Debbie replied “I’m free again tomorrow, so have the kettle on early”
And before he had chance to protest she kissed his cheek.
As she walked a little unsteadily up the road to her house she was feeling rather pleased with herself which was possibly due to the bottle of wine she had drunk.
But that aside she thought she had made an impression on him, he had certainly made one on her.
When she got into bed she lay in the dark thinking about the day which ended with her kissing his cheek.
“I should have snogged him” she slurred and fell asleep.
(Part 07)
“I should have snogged him” may well have been her last utterance before she went to sleep but the next morning Debbie had changed her tune.
“I should not have kissed his cheek” she said from beneath the duvet “And why the hell did you volunteer to help him again”
It was nice, she had a nice time, and he was good company, very good company in fact.
And after two years of living alone and eating alone it made a pleasant change but it was ridiculous to go around kissing a virtual stranger just because you’ve had a glass of wine and a slice of pizza.
“No I can’t be doing with all that at the moment” she said crossly and threw back the covers and headed for the shower.
The shower cleared her head and she decided that the best course of action was to knock on his front door and say that she had a prior commitment and she shouldn’t have volunteered her time.
“Yes I think that’s for the best”
Philip on the other hand started the day in an entirely different frame of mind and he very much wanted to spend the day with her again.
So he was up early and showered and shaved before eight o’clock and was waiting expectantly for her knock on the door.
A knock came at dead on 9 o’clock but when he opened the front door he found Susan Newbold his neighbour from number 13, with a housewarming gift of homemade Shortbread, she stayed for about 20 minutes and then 15 minutes later Shelley Larsen from number 15 with a large fruit cake and after half an hour of small talk she left.
The next knock on the door came at 10.15 and he was speculating with himself as to which neighbour was knocking this time and what they had in their Tupperware box.
But when he opened the door this time it was Debbie.
“Hi” he said brightly “come in”
“I’m sorry I’m late” she said and stepped in and this time he kissed her cheek.
As she walked down the road her resolve was steadfast she was going to tell him that she had a prior commitment.
She was determined to nip it in the bud before things got complicated.
Her change of heart came somewhere in between releasing the door knocker and Philip saying “Hi”
They spent another agreeable day together this time they worked together upstairs unpacking the children’s boxes and then Philip made omelettes for lunch which they ate outside and before they went back to work.
That evening as weariness set in she said
“Well I’m knackered”
“Me too” he agreed “and I’m starving, what do you fancy?”
There was an obvious answer to that question but she refrained from saying it.
“A curry” she said
“I’m not sure I have the stamina to cook a curry from scratch today” he replied
“No takeaway” she replied “The Bengal in Shallowfield do a great curry and they deliver too”
“Wow that’s a great idea”
“It’s my turn to pay this time though” she insisted
“But…” he began
“No argument” she said in her best stern deputy head voice
“Yes miss”
The curry was astoundingly good and so was the wine but the evening ended earlier than the previous one due to the accumulated fatigue.
“I’m on duty at the school in the morning” Debbie said
“I understand” he said as he stood up and walked her to the door
“Thanks again for everything”
“My pleasure” she said and leant in to kiss his cheek but instead she went straight for his lips.
And a long unhurried comfortable kiss ensued until she broke away with a look of alarm on her face.
“I don’t this is a good idea” she said
“Why not?”
“I’m your children’s teacher, what will people think?”
“Why would they think anything?” he asked
“I’m sorry but it’s all happening too quickly” Debbie said and rushed off towards home.
(Part 08)
She woke up on Friday morning in a black mood, she had made a fool of herself the night before.
“What was I thinking?” she shouted to herself
“It was a nice kiss though” she replied
“That’s hardly the point you stupid woman” she rebuked
Her mood had not improved when she got to school that morning where she was on duty with 24 year old Amy Hoddinott.
Who despite her tender years could tell there was something on her mind and asked.
“So what’s up?”
“What?”
“There’s something on your mind, what is it?” Amy pressed her
“Nothing”
“No, it’s definitely something” she persisted
“I kissed Philip Welch” she said finally giving in.
“The new guy at number 14?” she asked
“Yes”
“But he only moved in two days ago” Amy pointed out
“I know”
“Respect” Amy said and patted her on the back
“So what’s wrong, wasn’t it very good?”
“No it was lovely” Debbie replied
“So didn’t he like it then?” Amy asked
“I don’t know I just said “I don’t this is a good idea” and ran off” she confessed
“What did you do that for?” Amy said
“I panicked” Debbie said
“Oh Debbie you plank”
“What am I going to do?” Debbie asked
“I don’t know” she replied “But you had better tell me everything”
Debbie spent the next hour telling Amy every detail of the previous two days leaving nothing out and Amy listened intently without interruption and at the end of it Debbie turned to her and asked
“So is it hopeless? It’s hopeless isn’t it? Oh God it really is hopeless”
“Stop talking now” Amy said
“Ok”
“Now answer me this question, do you like this man?” Amy asked
“Yes” she replied without hesitation
“How much?” Amy asked
“Very much”
“Then go and get him”
“But how?” Debbie begged “I don’t know how”
“You need to woo him” Amy replied
“I don’t know how to woo” she said pathetically
“A dinner party” Amy said “invite him to dinner”
“He won’t come” she said
“Leave that to me” Amy instructed “All you need to do is cook dinner and look drop dead gorgeous by 8 o’clock on Saturday night”
“Well the former I can manage” she replied
“Well I promise to get him to your house for eight but after that you’re on your own” Amy said
On Friday afternoon just as Debbie walked the long way round to the Boddingtons Butchers to pick up something special for Saturday night, Amy was knocking on Philips front door with an invitation.
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea” he said
“There was some awkwardness the last time we met”
“Yes I know” Amy said
“She told you?” Philip asked
“Yes and she really regrets what happened”
“What part?” he asked
“The running away part”
“Not the kissing part?” he asked hopefully
“No”
“I still don’t think it’s a good idea” he said but Amy just gave him a cold stare
“You’re not going to take no for an answer are you?”
“No” she replied flatly
“Ok, what time?”
“8 o’clock” she said and walked back up the path.
“Who else is going?” he called after her.
“You’ll see”
It was with mixed feelings that he walked up the road to number one on Saturday evening.
He really liked Debbie, he “really” liked her, and she was the first one since his wife that he had, and then of course there was the kiss, the wonderful passionate and sensual kiss.
So he was desperate to see her again but that was tempered by the fact that he didn’t really know how she felt about him.
He nervously knocked on the door with butterflies performing somersaults in the pit of his stomach and after a few momenta the door opened and he gasped at the sight of Debbie in and low cut backless evening dress.
“Wow” he said when he could speak at all
“Am I the first one?” he asked as he followed her into the lounge
“You’re the only one” she replied as she turned to face him and then she stepped in close and kissed him.
“Not that I’m complaining but I thought you said this wasn’t a good idea” he said “Because you’re my children’s teacher”
“I may have been a little hasty” she replied and kissed him again
“I think you may well have been” he agreed when she relinquished her hold on him
“And Technically I’m not their teacher until September” she said
“That’s a very valid point” he said kissed her again.
Downshire Diary – (17) Healing Hands
(Part 01)
The village of Highfinch sits just on the edge of the Pepperstock Hills and the Lily Green Hollows Golf Club separates the village from the Hamlet of Lily Green, and the combination of those two and Kingfisherbridge made up the parish of St Martins.
Among the residents of Highfinch was Marina Salem who was one of the practise nurses, at the Highfinch Doctors Surgery.
She was a tall and slender girl with jet black hair and alabaster complexion and part of her duties involved home visits, because the district nursing teams in Purplemere and Finchbottom wouldn’t go that far out into the Vale.
The Finchbottom Vale which nestles comfortably between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest to the south and the rolling Pepperstock Hills in the north, and those who are lucky enough to live there think 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 the 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, the result of the reclamation of the Vale was a large and sparsely populated area.
The Dancingdean Health Centre in Shallowfield covered much of the Southern Vale, Childean serviced the East and Purplemere and Finchbottom, the North.
But the Western end of the Vale was made up of sizable Villages with their own Doctors Surgeries so they fended for themselves.
Which was why Marina did home visits and on one seemingly normal day, her final call was in Kingfisherbridge at White Rose Cottage.
Marina was twenty seven years old but looked much younger but professionally she was a first class nurse despite her age.
Her patient that day was Paul Russell, a sergeant in the Downshire Light Infantry.
He had been severely wounded by an IED in Afghanistan his left leg had gone below the knee and his right just above and his physical wounds had all but healed, but that wasn’t where his real problems lay.
Marina’s job was to manage his medication and massage what remained of his legs or more accurately his stumps and to try and raise his spirits.
She knocked on the door and a moment or so later Mrs Russell, the patient’s mother answered the door.
“Hello dear” she said
“Hello Mrs Russell” Marina said “How’s the patient today?”
“The same” she said blankly “I don’t know how to help him”
“Just be supportive” She said
“It’s hard though dear” she said putting on her coat and going to the foot of the stairs.
“Paul! The nurse is here” she shouted up the stairs “the pretty one with the black hair”
Marina smiled and Mrs Russell said
“You can go up when you’re ready, I need to do some shopping”
(Part 02)
The Taliban may have been responsible for taking his legs but Paul Russell’s other problems were of his own making.
It was no wonder his mother was so exasperated as his self-esteem had been blown away along with his legs in fact it was less than zero as he never ventured out of his room and he hid from the world.
He drove his fiancé Karen away because he thought she was only staying with him out of pity, which she wasn’t.
But over the six months she had been seeing him she had seen a small improvement.
Marina walked up the stairs and found Paul lying on his bed with his eyes closed as if he’d fallen asleep in front of the TV and he never stirred even when she knocked on the door.
She knew he was awake, it was a game he played on some of her visits, pretending to sleep and so as not having to engage in any kind of conversation.
“Hello Paul” she said but there was no response.
“So we’re playing that game again are we? Very well if that’s what you want”
It had been a long tedious shift so she was in no mood to take any shit from him.
Over the months she had been visiting him, twice a week, sometimes three times, she had got quite good at reading him and she thought she was making progress but then he started with the silent treatment again.
She pulled back the covers roughly to expose his mutilations and she noticed his body tense.
As usual he was only wearing a t-shirt and a pair of army green boxer shorts.
She opened her bag and took out a tube of bio oil and began to massage it into the skin on his stumps and thighs.
She continued to chat to him all the while she was massaging him even though she got no response.
When she had finished she recovered the remains of his legs and said
“Ok Paul I’m all done, I won’t be coming again I’ll get Eileen to take over”
At this point, Paul vocalized for the first time
“No don’t do that”
“Oh he speaks” Marina taunted “but I’m afraid it’s too late”
“No please” he begged
“You’ll like Eileen she doesn’t do small talk either” she said “so you’ll get on like a house on fire”
“But I want you” he insisted
“Why?” he said “When you lie there pretending to be asleep all the time I’m here”
“Because…”
“Because what?” she pressed him
“Because I’ll miss you if you stop coming” he replied
“Well if you keep your eyes shut you can pretend it’s me” Marina said
“I’ll know” he said
“How?” she scoffed “How exactly would you know?”
“Because of your footfalls on the stairs, the sound of your breathing, your perfume and your gentle touch” he said “that’s how I’d know”
“Well that’s an eye opener” she thought
They spent the next half an hour chatting it through and she said she wouldn’t go through with her threat to hand his case on to Eileen on condition that he engaged with her and started to wear his prosthetic’s.
He promised her that he would, and she took him at his word.
By rights she should have reported Paul’s declaration to Lorraine Weaving, the practice manager, and taken herself off his case, but she didn’t, and at first she wasn’t sure why, any emotional attachment with patients was strictly a no no.
(Part 03)
They spent the half an hour after his disclosure that he would miss her if she stopped seeing him, chatting it through and she said she wouldn’t go through with her threat to hand his case on to Eileen on condition that he engaged with her and started to wear his prosthetic’s.
He promised her that he would, and she took him at his word.
By rights she should have reported Paul’s declaration to Lorraine Weaving, the practice manager, and taken herself off his case, but she didn’t, and at first she wasn’t sure why, any emotional attachment with patients was strictly a no no.
As she walked down the path towards the lane Marina thought that was a job well done and she was feeling very pleased with herself as she made her way to the car, because she felt she had made real progress and that mattered to her a lot, and more than any other patient for some reason.
When she reached the bottom the car Mrs Russell was just coming up the lane.
“Hello Mrs Russell” Marina said
“Are you off dear?” she asked “How’s the boy?”
“You know, I think we may have turned a corner” she replied
“Oh I do hope so dear” Mrs Russell said with a sigh
“He has promised to start wearing his legs” Marina said
“Really?” his mum said “That is progress”
“A bit of gentle nagging may be required” Marina said
“Oh I think I can manage that dear” she said
Over the following weeks Paul was good to his word and he engage fully with her and he had been wearing his legs more and the evidence of that was clear to see on his stumps.
He had also started going to the Downshire Light Infantry barracks in Nettlefield once a week.
So he was making tremendous progress and she knew that she would have to discharge him very soon and she should have been happy about that.
Throughout its history the Finchbottom Vale was largely dependent on agriculture and so it remained into the 21st century but many and varied occupations and endeavour’s thrived alongside the traditional rural livelihood’s but whichever path Paul chose in the future it was going to be a difficult one, but one thing was for certain his military career was over.
Marina’s job was to manage Paul’s medication and massage what remained of his legs or more accurately his stumps, but when she visited him her biggest challenge was to cure his near terminal case of self-pity and low self-esteem.
One day her schedule was lighter than usual so she was expecting a prolonged visit with Paul, as she walked along the path to white Rose Cottage a couple were just leaving the house next door and as was her habit she smiled and said
“Good morning”
And she genuinely expected the customary response of echoing the greeting but instead got something quite different.
“I’ll give you good morning you skinny slut” she bawled
“You keep your eyes off my husband”
(Part 04)
One day her schedule was lighter than usual so she was expecting a prolonged visit with Paul, as she walked along the path to white Rose Cottage a couple were just leaving the house next door and as was her habit she smiled and said
“Good morning”
And genuinely expected the customary response of echoing the greeting but instead got something quite different.
“I’ll give you good morning you skinny slut” she bawled
“You keep your eyes off my husband”
Marina was not, despite her slender stature, averse to the idea or indeed the execution of launching the gobby bitch over the hedge into the lupines but instead chose something that would enrage her even more.
She did think to say that if she wanted her husband she’d have him but thought that might be too inflammatory.
So instead, as she stood on the doorstep waiting for Mrs. Russell to answer the door.
She gave the husband another smile, this was accompanied by a long appraising stare followed by a wink and the man’s wife launched into a tirade of abuse which was made worse by the fact Marina smiled at the woman as she was raging.
The poor husband had to physically restrain her and manhandle her towards their car.
The last thing she was expecting when she said good morning to them was to be verbally abused and warned to stay away from her husband by her patient’s gobby neighbour
In truth Marina hadn’t really looked at her husband and when she did look him over after the event she didn’t think he was anything special, besides her interests lay elsewhere.
Mrs Russell opened the door.
“Hello dear” she said
“I see you’ve met the new neighbours”
“Yes” Marina said still smiling “she’s a colourful character”
“Well her language certainly is” Mrs R said and then added “He’s nice though”
After having done the usual massage treatment in the lounge they sat on the patio and she said
“You’re doing really well so I’m going to have to cut you down to one visit a week, but you need to build up the muscle in your right hip and thigh, so in addition to your sessions in Nettlefield I want you to see the physio at the surgery once a week”
“I’d rather go fishing” he said which Marina thought was encouraging but not as important to his recovery.
“You won’t get your muscles stronger sitting on a river bank” she said
“Lake” he corrected her
“What?”
“I prefer lakes to rivers” he said
“Well Sgt pedantic my answer is still the same” Marina said, looked at her watch and drained her cup and was about to leave when she had a thought
“I will do a deal with you” she said “If you do, let’s say 4 physio sessions I’ll take you fishing”
“Deal” he said and held out his hand to shake, which she took and the pair only released each other’s hands when Mrs Russell emerged from the house to collect the cups.
When she left the Russell’s after about forty minutes she saw the angry neighbour’s husband walking back towards her.
Despite her smiley response to the initial assault Marina was actually quite hurt.
She’d never thought of herself as a slut, in fact she had only had three sexual partners and she had never even kissed another woman’s man.
She was a bit angrier now the insults had sunk in and she was up for a fight so she braced herself.
“I’m sorry about earlier” he said completely disarming her. “My wife is very jealous and it makes her a bit crazy”
“Where is she now?” she asked
“At work” he replied
“Come in for a coffee, by way of an apology”
Although she had plenty of time she politely declined his offer because she had something on her mind.
(Part 05)
It was on the 1st of July and although her schedule was very heavy in the morning she would make sure she got her full allotted time with Sgt Russell, but it was with a little sadness that she approached the Russell’s Cottage for the final time.
There was no confrontation with the neighbor’s on that occasion as she walked along the path, though she did notice the curtain twitch, so Marina turned and smiled.
There was no repeat of the verbal abused by the neighbour’s wife who had previously, and completely unprovoked, called her vile names and warned her to keep away from her husband.
“Good morning” she said when Mrs. Russell answered the door
“Hello dear” she said “my word its busy this morning”
“Yes?” Marina said
“Oh yes dear” she confirmed “We have a real house full”
“Well it’s my last visit today” Freya said
“I know dear” Mrs R said “We’ll miss you”
When Marina went inside she found the patio was full of soldiers and she got a very rousing welcome.
That afternoon she was back in the surgery running the clinic and she was walking towards reception with practice manager Lorraine Weaving, who was completely bald.
But as she approached the seating area she spotted her wounded soldier, obviously waiting for his 4th physio appointment.
“Come on Lorraine I’ll introduce you to my soldier”
“Oh ok” Lorraine retorted, who actually had no interest whatsoever in meeting her soldier.
“Hello serge” Marina said and then realised he was not alone
“Hi Marina, this if my CO” Paul said “Captain Loosemore”
“Pleased to meet you Captain” Marina said “This is my colleague Lorraine Weaving”
“Peter” he said and shook Lorraine’s hand
Lorraine liked him, his handshake was firm, his handsome face was warm and open and his voice was like honey on her ears.
“Peter” she said
“I’ll take you through Paul” Marina said and left the Captain and Lorraine in reception still shaking hands.
As she walked with him to the Physio room he said
“You know this is session number 4”
“I do”
“So you know what that means then” he added
“Yes, I have to take you fishing” Marina said
“So?”
“So it’s my day off on Friday” she replied so I’ll pick you up at nine”
“Great” he said and put his hand on the doorknob
“Oh what should I wear?” she asked as an afterthought
“It doesn’t matter you’ll look great whatever you wear” Paul replied “But no heels”
There were only three small bodies of water left in the Vale by the 21st Century, one in Mornington, one in Childean and third of course was in Purplemere.
And it was Purplemere that they headed for, it wasn’t his favourite of the Mere’s but it was the most accessible to him until he got better on his legs.
But although it wasn’t his favourite lake he did have a favourite pitch at Purplemere.
It was a warm sunny July day by the mere so he set up the folding chairs on the little peninsula where they could fish beneath the shade of his favourite old oak tree.
Once they had set up he showed her the basic principle of casting and then he said
“Come and stand in front of me and look towards the water”
Marina did as she was told and he was stood behind her holding the rod in his right hand but before he could show her any more she turned around and kissed him and after a full minute she said
“Look what I caught”
In response Paul dropped his rod and wrapped his arms around her and returned her kiss.
The village of Highfinch sits just on the edge of the Pepperstock Hills and the Lily Green Hollows Golf Club separates the village from the Hamlet of Lily Green, and the combination of those two and Kingfisherbridge made up the parish of St Martins.
Among the residents of Highfinch was Marina Salem who was one of the practise nurses, at the Highfinch Doctors Surgery.
She was a tall and slender girl with jet black hair and alabaster complexion and part of her duties involved home visits, because the district nursing teams in Purplemere and Finchbottom wouldn’t go that far out into the Vale.
The Finchbottom Vale which nestles comfortably between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest to the south and the rolling Pepperstock Hills in the north, and those who are lucky enough to live there think 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 the 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, the result of the reclamation of the Vale was a large and sparsely populated area.
The Dancingdean Health Centre in Shallowfield covered much of the Southern Vale, Childean serviced the East and Purplemere and Finchbottom, the North.
But the Western end of the Vale was made up of sizable Villages with their own Doctors Surgeries so they fended for themselves.
Which was why Marina did home visits and on one seemingly normal day, her final call was in Kingfisherbridge at White Rose Cottage.
Marina was twenty seven years old but looked much younger but professionally she was a first class nurse despite her age.
Her patient that day was Paul Russell, a sergeant in the Downshire Light Infantry.
He had been severely wounded by an IED in Afghanistan his left leg had gone below the knee and his right just above and his physical wounds had all but healed, but that wasn’t where his real problems lay.
Marina’s job was to manage his medication and massage what remained of his legs or more accurately his stumps and to try and raise his spirits.
She knocked on the door and a moment or so later Mrs Russell, the patient’s mother answered the door.
“Hello dear” she said
“Hello Mrs Russell” Marina said “How’s the patient today?”
“The same” she said blankly “I don’t know how to help him”
“Just be supportive” She said
“It’s hard though dear” she said putting on her coat and going to the foot of the stairs.
“Paul! The nurse is here” she shouted up the stairs “the pretty one with the black hair”
Marina smiled and Mrs Russell said
“You can go up when you’re ready, I need to do some shopping”
(Part 02)
The Taliban may have been responsible for taking his legs but Paul Russell’s other problems were of his own making.
It was no wonder his mother was so exasperated as his self-esteem had been blown away along with his legs in fact it was less than zero as he never ventured out of his room and he hid from the world.
He drove his fiancé Karen away because he thought she was only staying with him out of pity, which she wasn’t.
But over the six months she had been seeing him she had seen a small improvement.
Marina walked up the stairs and found Paul lying on his bed with his eyes closed as if he’d fallen asleep in front of the TV and he never stirred even when she knocked on the door.
She knew he was awake, it was a game he played on some of her visits, pretending to sleep and so as not having to engage in any kind of conversation.
“Hello Paul” she said but there was no response.
“So we’re playing that game again are we? Very well if that’s what you want”
It had been a long tedious shift so she was in no mood to take any shit from him.
Over the months she had been visiting him, twice a week, sometimes three times, she had got quite good at reading him and she thought she was making progress but then he started with the silent treatment again.
She pulled back the covers roughly to expose his mutilations and she noticed his body tense.
As usual he was only wearing a t-shirt and a pair of army green boxer shorts.
She opened her bag and took out a tube of bio oil and began to massage it into the skin on his stumps and thighs.
She continued to chat to him all the while she was massaging him even though she got no response.
When she had finished she recovered the remains of his legs and said
“Ok Paul I’m all done, I won’t be coming again I’ll get Eileen to take over”
At this point, Paul vocalized for the first time
“No don’t do that”
“Oh he speaks” Marina taunted “but I’m afraid it’s too late”
“No please” he begged
“You’ll like Eileen she doesn’t do small talk either” she said “so you’ll get on like a house on fire”
“But I want you” he insisted
“Why?” he said “When you lie there pretending to be asleep all the time I’m here”
“Because…”
“Because what?” she pressed him
“Because I’ll miss you if you stop coming” he replied
“Well if you keep your eyes shut you can pretend it’s me” Marina said
“I’ll know” he said
“How?” she scoffed “How exactly would you know?”
“Because of your footfalls on the stairs, the sound of your breathing, your perfume and your gentle touch” he said “that’s how I’d know”
“Well that’s an eye opener” she thought
They spent the next half an hour chatting it through and she said she wouldn’t go through with her threat to hand his case on to Eileen on condition that he engaged with her and started to wear his prosthetic’s.
He promised her that he would, and she took him at his word.
By rights she should have reported Paul’s declaration to Lorraine Weaving, the practice manager, and taken herself off his case, but she didn’t, and at first she wasn’t sure why, any emotional attachment with patients was strictly a no no.
(Part 03)
They spent the half an hour after his disclosure that he would miss her if she stopped seeing him, chatting it through and she said she wouldn’t go through with her threat to hand his case on to Eileen on condition that he engaged with her and started to wear his prosthetic’s.
He promised her that he would, and she took him at his word.
By rights she should have reported Paul’s declaration to Lorraine Weaving, the practice manager, and taken herself off his case, but she didn’t, and at first she wasn’t sure why, any emotional attachment with patients was strictly a no no.
As she walked down the path towards the lane Marina thought that was a job well done and she was feeling very pleased with herself as she made her way to the car, because she felt she had made real progress and that mattered to her a lot, and more than any other patient for some reason.
When she reached the bottom the car Mrs Russell was just coming up the lane.
“Hello Mrs Russell” Marina said
“Are you off dear?” she asked “How’s the boy?”
“You know, I think we may have turned a corner” she replied
“Oh I do hope so dear” Mrs Russell said with a sigh
“He has promised to start wearing his legs” Marina said
“Really?” his mum said “That is progress”
“A bit of gentle nagging may be required” Marina said
“Oh I think I can manage that dear” she said
Over the following weeks Paul was good to his word and he engage fully with her and he had been wearing his legs more and the evidence of that was clear to see on his stumps.
He had also started going to the Downshire Light Infantry barracks in Nettlefield once a week.
So he was making tremendous progress and she knew that she would have to discharge him very soon and she should have been happy about that.
Throughout its history the Finchbottom Vale was largely dependent on agriculture and so it remained into the 21st century but many and varied occupations and endeavour’s thrived alongside the traditional rural livelihood’s but whichever path Paul chose in the future it was going to be a difficult one, but one thing was for certain his military career was over.
Marina’s job was to manage Paul’s medication and massage what remained of his legs or more accurately his stumps, but when she visited him her biggest challenge was to cure his near terminal case of self-pity and low self-esteem.
One day her schedule was lighter than usual so she was expecting a prolonged visit with Paul, as she walked along the path to white Rose Cottage a couple were just leaving the house next door and as was her habit she smiled and said
“Good morning”
And she genuinely expected the customary response of echoing the greeting but instead got something quite different.
“I’ll give you good morning you skinny slut” she bawled
“You keep your eyes off my husband”
(Part 04)
One day her schedule was lighter than usual so she was expecting a prolonged visit with Paul, as she walked along the path to white Rose Cottage a couple were just leaving the house next door and as was her habit she smiled and said
“Good morning”
And genuinely expected the customary response of echoing the greeting but instead got something quite different.
“I’ll give you good morning you skinny slut” she bawled
“You keep your eyes off my husband”
Marina was not, despite her slender stature, averse to the idea or indeed the execution of launching the gobby bitch over the hedge into the lupines but instead chose something that would enrage her even more.
She did think to say that if she wanted her husband she’d have him but thought that might be too inflammatory.
So instead, as she stood on the doorstep waiting for Mrs. Russell to answer the door.
She gave the husband another smile, this was accompanied by a long appraising stare followed by a wink and the man’s wife launched into a tirade of abuse which was made worse by the fact Marina smiled at the woman as she was raging.
The poor husband had to physically restrain her and manhandle her towards their car.
The last thing she was expecting when she said good morning to them was to be verbally abused and warned to stay away from her husband by her patient’s gobby neighbour
In truth Marina hadn’t really looked at her husband and when she did look him over after the event she didn’t think he was anything special, besides her interests lay elsewhere.
Mrs Russell opened the door.
“Hello dear” she said
“I see you’ve met the new neighbours”
“Yes” Marina said still smiling “she’s a colourful character”
“Well her language certainly is” Mrs R said and then added “He’s nice though”
After having done the usual massage treatment in the lounge they sat on the patio and she said
“You’re doing really well so I’m going to have to cut you down to one visit a week, but you need to build up the muscle in your right hip and thigh, so in addition to your sessions in Nettlefield I want you to see the physio at the surgery once a week”
“I’d rather go fishing” he said which Marina thought was encouraging but not as important to his recovery.
“You won’t get your muscles stronger sitting on a river bank” she said
“Lake” he corrected her
“What?”
“I prefer lakes to rivers” he said
“Well Sgt pedantic my answer is still the same” Marina said, looked at her watch and drained her cup and was about to leave when she had a thought
“I will do a deal with you” she said “If you do, let’s say 4 physio sessions I’ll take you fishing”
“Deal” he said and held out his hand to shake, which she took and the pair only released each other’s hands when Mrs Russell emerged from the house to collect the cups.
When she left the Russell’s after about forty minutes she saw the angry neighbour’s husband walking back towards her.
Despite her smiley response to the initial assault Marina was actually quite hurt.
She’d never thought of herself as a slut, in fact she had only had three sexual partners and she had never even kissed another woman’s man.
She was a bit angrier now the insults had sunk in and she was up for a fight so she braced herself.
“I’m sorry about earlier” he said completely disarming her. “My wife is very jealous and it makes her a bit crazy”
“Where is she now?” she asked
“At work” he replied
“Come in for a coffee, by way of an apology”
Although she had plenty of time she politely declined his offer because she had something on her mind.
(Part 05)
It was on the 1st of July and although her schedule was very heavy in the morning she would make sure she got her full allotted time with Sgt Russell, but it was with a little sadness that she approached the Russell’s Cottage for the final time.
There was no confrontation with the neighbor’s on that occasion as she walked along the path, though she did notice the curtain twitch, so Marina turned and smiled.
There was no repeat of the verbal abused by the neighbour’s wife who had previously, and completely unprovoked, called her vile names and warned her to keep away from her husband.
“Good morning” she said when Mrs. Russell answered the door
“Hello dear” she said “my word its busy this morning”
“Yes?” Marina said
“Oh yes dear” she confirmed “We have a real house full”
“Well it’s my last visit today” Freya said
“I know dear” Mrs R said “We’ll miss you”
When Marina went inside she found the patio was full of soldiers and she got a very rousing welcome.
That afternoon she was back in the surgery running the clinic and she was walking towards reception with practice manager Lorraine Weaving, who was completely bald.
But as she approached the seating area she spotted her wounded soldier, obviously waiting for his 4th physio appointment.
“Come on Lorraine I’ll introduce you to my soldier”
“Oh ok” Lorraine retorted, who actually had no interest whatsoever in meeting her soldier.
“Hello serge” Marina said and then realised he was not alone
“Hi Marina, this if my CO” Paul said “Captain Loosemore”
“Pleased to meet you Captain” Marina said “This is my colleague Lorraine Weaving”
“Peter” he said and shook Lorraine’s hand
Lorraine liked him, his handshake was firm, his handsome face was warm and open and his voice was like honey on her ears.
“Peter” she said
“I’ll take you through Paul” Marina said and left the Captain and Lorraine in reception still shaking hands.
As she walked with him to the Physio room he said
“You know this is session number 4”
“I do”
“So you know what that means then” he added
“Yes, I have to take you fishing” Marina said
“So?”
“So it’s my day off on Friday” she replied so I’ll pick you up at nine”
“Great” he said and put his hand on the doorknob
“Oh what should I wear?” she asked as an afterthought
“It doesn’t matter you’ll look great whatever you wear” Paul replied “But no heels”
There were only three small bodies of water left in the Vale by the 21st Century, one in Mornington, one in Childean and third of course was in Purplemere.
And it was Purplemere that they headed for, it wasn’t his favourite of the Mere’s but it was the most accessible to him until he got better on his legs.
But although it wasn’t his favourite lake he did have a favourite pitch at Purplemere.
It was a warm sunny July day by the mere so he set up the folding chairs on the little peninsula where they could fish beneath the shade of his favourite old oak tree.
Once they had set up he showed her the basic principle of casting and then he said
“Come and stand in front of me and look towards the water”
Marina did as she was told and he was stood behind her holding the rod in his right hand but before he could show her any more she turned around and kissed him and after a full minute she said
“Look what I caught”
In response Paul dropped his rod and wrapped his arms around her and returned her kiss.
Wednesday, 15 March 2017
Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (16) The Highfinch Curate
(Part 01)
The village of Highfinch sat just on the edge of the Pepperstock Hills and Lily Green Hollows Golf Club separated the village from the Hamlet of Lily Green and since moving there in January, Nick Faulkner, had completely immersed himself in Village life and they welcomed him with open arms such was the nature of celebrity.
Nick was a TV presenter on a popular sports show and was immediately given membership to the ultra-exclusive Lily Green Hollows Golf Club.
It was a very exclusive Golf Club with a large number of grand House’s in both village and hamlet backing on to it.
It was not widely known but the Golf Club and all the plush dwelling attached to the course belonged to the Mornington Estate.
It came into their ownership in the late 1980’s when a developer tried to buy it to create a luxury housing estate, Gabriel St George’s father, Valentine, who was the then Baron, stepped in and saved it.
Because it was so exclusive the membership fees were exorbitant but they had to be because the Golf Club and all the properties that surrounded it had to pay their own way.
Gabriel hated the fact that the club was strictly for the rich but it was a necessary evil to preserve it and protect it from the developers and Nick Faulkner’s celebrity status didn’t exempt him from the fees.
He also joined the congregation at St Martins Church which was where he got his first glimpse of Jenna Lawton, the curate who was the de facto Vicar of St Martins while the Reverend Mortimer was recovering from a heart attack.
Reverend Mortimer’s standing Vicar was an attractive woman by any measure, with a warm open manner, a willowy thirty something, nearer to forty than not, with shoulder length brunette hair, intelligent green laughing eyes and a broad toothy smile, altogether he thought a very pleasant demeanour.
Nick had moved to the country for the peace and quiet in order to write his book but it didn’t work out that way.
Apart from joining the Golf Club and the regular attendance at the Church he was also persuaded to sit on the parish council, which he thought might be akin to a scene from the “Vicar of Dibley” but in reality it was nothing of the sort and was actually quite rewarding and it brought him in close proximity to the lovely curate.
And it was she who was fairly instrumental in press ganging him into giving talks and live readings to the Women’s Institute, the Round Table and the Rotary Club et al.
He also helped with planning the Summer Fete, numerous Fund raising events and Quiz nights and by the time Easter was finished he had already been penciled in for duties at Halloween, bonfire night and Christmas.
However he had really taken to village life and the village had taken to him but he was in a quandary because somewhere along the way the work on his book had stalled and he had managed to fall in love with the Curate come Vicar, Jenna Lawton which undoubtedly contributed greatly to the ease in which she managed to press gang him, and she had absolutely no idea of the effect she had on him.
(Part 02)
Nick was knocking on the door of his 40th birthday but he still had all his own hair and not too much middle aged spread.
On Sunday morning he was making his way to St Martins Church when Julia Thomas caught up with him.
She was a rotund lady in her fifties who sat on the parish council with him and was his next door neighbour.
“Nicholas darling” she said and took him by the arm as they walked down the street.
He had known her and her husband Charles, for many years and it was Julia who had encouraged him to move to Highfinch, when he mentioned he was looking for a rural idyll.
“Charles has left” she said blandly
“I’m sorry,” he said though in truth he was glad
He really liked Julia but he didn’t like her husband Charles, he thought he was a hard drinking womanising arsehole.
“Don’t be” she said “it’s for the best”
“The boys threw him out you know” she announced proudly
“You can do better than him” He said squeezing her hand “you deserve better than him”
Julia squeezed his hand back
“Thank you”
Just then a voice called to them
“Wait for me”
They stopped and looked back to see Vicki Paulding
Hurrying after them.
“Hello you two” she said, “are you going to Church?”
“Yes” they said in unison
Vicki suddenly noticed Judith’s arm through his and gave him a look.
“I have a spare arm,” he offered
“Well that’s ok then” she said and quickly took his arm.
As they cordially strolled, arm in arm towards the church they did elicit the occasional sideways glance.
“You do know that you two will be the talk of the village?” he said and they both looked at him a little old fashioned.
“You’ll be the two jezebels hanging off the arms of the local TV star”
They were still laughing as they reached the door of the church where Curate Jenna Lawton, the object of his desire, was at the door as they approached, doing the meet and greet.
Her warm open face was smiling as were her green eyes and the willowy thirty something’s shoulder length brunette hair was being stirred by the breeze.
“Aren’t you worried about your reputation?” she called
“No I have broad shoulders Jenna” he replied
“Not you, you are tarnished beyond all hope” she said smiling
“I was speaking to your companions”
“That’s most unfair and only goes to show how misunderstood I am,” he said feigning injury.
“I have merely made it my mission in life to save fallen women, and I’m saving these two for later”
Jenna laughed, Julia punched him on the arm and Vicki blushed and then they went inside.
It was a good service, short on sermonising and long on rejoicing, as usual the mix of hymns was a balance of the old and traditional with a sprinkling of the modern and happy clappy.
Jenna Lawton kept the sermon short and sweet and never ever over egged the pudding and at the end of the service he felt invigorated and refreshed.
There was a coffee and mingle at the end where those who wanted to could chat and catch up with members of the congregation, he had hoped to use it as an opportunity to rub shoulders with Jenna but he couldn’t get close to her.
He had known her for more than 8 months and he still didn’t know how to get close to her.
(Part 03)
Nick, Julia and Vicki all did the rounds amongst the congregants and then said their goodbyes, he for one was in the mood to socialise so as they were leaving he said,
“Do you two need to rush off?”
“I don’t have any plans” Vicki replied
“No nor me” said Julia
“How about lunch then? At The Downshire Arms?” he suggested “my treat”
“I’m on” chirped Vicki
“Me too” Julia said brightly
Just then they arrived at the door where Jenna was seeing the faithful out the door.
“What's he up to now?” she said to Nicks companions
“Lunch” said Vicki
“Why don’t you join us?” he added “At The Downshire Arms”
she looked blank for a moment as she processed the invitation almost as if she had been asked a question in English but had to translate it into German before she could answer.
“You know what? I would love too,” she said beaming
“I will have to meet you there though”
“No problem” He said and the three of them made their way through the village to the pub.
They had a very pleasant lunch and Jenna was an absolute delight very down to earth and very witty.
He had obviously met her many times at the Church, parish council meetings, various local events and things like the soup kitchen but it was the first time they had socialised.
Vicki had earlier pencilled the Curate in as a sherry drinker and she was shocked to the core when Jenna asked for a pint of Guinness and when she noticed the look on Vicki’s face she said
“They don’t do it in half’s”
Vicki nodded understandingly in response, and then the penny dropped and she laughed
At the end of an excellent lunch Jenna reluctantly declined a third pint of the black stuff stating that she had to prepare for the evening service.
They walked through the gate in the pleasant afternoon sunshine of a September Sunday when the Curate paused
“Thank you for the lunch Nick” she said “But thank you so much all of you for the companionship”
Then she added
“No one ever invites me to the pub, and I do like a drink and a chat”
“We will bear that in mind for the future Jenna” he said and
Julia and Vicki heartily agreed
When they reached the Vicarage thanks were muttered and immediately dismissed, cheeks were kissed and blessings exchanged.
Promises of doing it again soon were made and would not be broken.
Jenna had genuinely enjoyed lunch, as had the rest of them, but none of them envied Jenna having to spend the rest of the afternoon in preparation of that evening’s service while the rest of them would be dosing off in their respective garden chairs and sleeping off their lunches.
Having safely delivered his luncheon companions to their respective front doors, where cheeks were kissed etcetera he returned to his house and was asleep ten minutes later dreaming of Jenna.
(Part 04)
Nick was still doing his weekly sports show while he was trying to write his book, which wasn’t going well, partly because he’d allowed himself to be distracted by committees and good works and his infatuation with the Curate.
Frustrated by his inability to put pen to paper, so to speak, he decided to take a walk into the village despite the steady rain, where he chanced upon Jenna Lawton.
“Thank you God” he said to himself but aloud he said
“Good afternoon Jenna”
“Hello Nick” she replied “What’s brought you out into the rain”
“Writers block” he said “And you?”
“Well I’m stuck on my sermon” she replied “so I feel your pain”
“I think we need to be fortified” he said “The Downshire Arms?”
“I have a better suggestion” she said “Rather too many of my parishioners drink in the Arms”
“So where do you have in mind?” he queried
“The Kingfisher” she replied
“I’ve never heard of it” he said
“It’s in Kingfisherbridge” she said “it’s about a mile and a half walk, but it’s worth it, are you game?”
“Why not” he retorted
Due to the inclement weather the village was deserted as they walked towards Hawks Wood.
While they walked they unloaded their burdens on each other.
Nick detailed the constant nagging from his publishers demanding another chapter, and another and another and Jenna talked at length about certain sections of the congregation who had still not really accepted her as Reverend Mortimer’s stand in.
When they reached the pub, to make her feel better, he told her some particularly scandalous tales about the most vociferous of her protagonists which he thought would make her feel a little better, which they did, and in a spirit of quid pro quo she told him a few disgraceful tit bits that he hadn’t heard before.
He had hoped that the beer would suppress his inhibitions and allow him to ask her out on a date.
When they were on their second drink Jenna began to reveal some things about herself but soon regained control and talked about the community instead.
“Well this is very fortifying” she said as she drained he second pint.
“Yes but we’ll be fortified as newts if we don’t eat something”
Nick pointed out.
Nick asked at the bar about food only to find that they didn’t do hot food only sandwiches.
“Sandwiches it is” they both agreed.
After devouring the sandwiches and washing them down with another pint they had to trudge the mile and a half back to the village.
There wasn’t any chance of him asking her out on the homeward journey as she never stopped talking but with the sound of the pouring rain he missed most of what she was saying.
He managed to catch the odd phrase, like time running out and sand running through her fingers but as he missed everything else he had no context.
As they were walking through Hawk Wood he was concentrating so much on trying to hear what she was saying that they didn’t notice the mad cyclist approaching them from behind.
In fact they only knew he was there when he shouted
“GET OUT OF THE WAY, I’M NOT STOPPING”
They jumped sideway just in the nick of time.
“You Godless heathen” she yelled at the errant cyclist
Nick was falling backwards and instinctively reached out to grab something while he was falling but the only thing in reach was Jenna so he landed on his back in the wet bracken and she landed on top of him.
They lay there nose to nose on the wet ground for a full minute before she said
“This is awkward, and not a little compromising for a woman of the cloth”
“Indeed” he agreed desperate to reach up the infinitesimal distance to her lovely lips and plant a kiss on them
“A less gentlemanly man than I would probably take advantage of the situation”
Then he rolled her over onto her back and pushed himself up and helped Jenna to do the same, “But alas I am”
“Trust my luck to find myself lying in the undergrowth with the only gentleman in Highfinch”
And a smile began around her green eyes and a broad toothy smile spread across her pleasant demeanour.
(Part 05)
“A “Godless heathen”?” he said after they had brushed the debris off each other.
“That wasn’t a very christen response”
“Turning the other cheek doesn’t extend to cyclists” she retorted and laughed.
When they arrived outside the Vicarage she said
“Well that was very pleasant”
“Yes it was very enjoyable” he agreed “And has it cured the problem regarding your sermon?”
“Oh yes I think I know exactly what subject to talk on”
She replied
“And that is?”
“Well you’ll have to wait until Sunday” she replied
“Unfortunately I won’t be here on Sunday in fact I won’t be back until November”
He said
“Oh what a shame you’ll miss the harvest festival” she said falteringly “Are you going anywhere nice?”
“London, The Chelsea Harbour Hotel” he replied
“My TV station has exclusive rights to the Rugby World Cup”
“Well I’ll see you in November then” she said “Thanks again for lunch”
As she walked down the path to her front door he realised that it would be his chance so Nick took a deep breath and said
“When I get back, perhaps we could have dinner”
She turned around and gave him the full radiance of her lovely toothy smile
“Yes that would be lovely”
With the question asked and answered to his satisfaction he was able to clear his head of “what ifs” and got some significant writing done for the first time in weeks.
Nick decided very early on that he would spend the duration of the Rugby World Cup at The Chelsea Harbour Hotel, to cut down on the repetitive commutes.
Once he had checked in he began to regret that decision when it dawned on him how much he was going to miss seeing Jenna over the following 7 weeks.
However on the upside it left him a lot of time alone in his room away from distractions where he could work on the book.
Despite his longing to return to Highfinch he enjoyed the World Cup immensely, from the opening game between England and Fiji up to the final between New Zealand and Australia and he was kept exceptionally busy by it, there was also a considerable amount of socializing which he found less enjoyable.
He had missed the Harvest Festival and All Hallows Eve vigil at St Martins and spent All Hallows Eve at a huge end of tournament party in stark contrast to the quiet solemn time where he would have lit a candle for his dead loved ones.
The partying had begun on Saturday night and went on all through Sunday and well into Monday morning.
But despite only getting 4 hours sleep he left the hotel straight after breakfast on the 2nd of November and drove at breakneck speed along the Pepperstock Express Way and his only thought was to get back and see Jenna as quickly as possible.
He pulled onto his drive and without even unloading his bag he set off on foot to the Vicarage.
Nick was in such a hurry to get to see her that he rushed headlong round a corner and met Jenna coming the other way and they both ended up on their backsides on the cold pavement.
“I’m so sorry” He said getting quickly to his feet and proffering a hand to the prostrate Curate, which she gratefully accepted.
“Nonsense” she replied, “I wasn’t looking where I was going my mind was elsewhere”.
“Mine too” he said “are you ok? Are you hurt?”
“No, Only my pride” she replied
They dusted themselves off and there was a brief moment of awkwardness as they finally looked at each other properly.
“Anyway” she said “Duties to perform”
“Yes” he agreed “things to do”
And then possibly because he hadn’t had enough sleep and wasn’t thinking clearly or maybe just because he’d missed her so much and he was only thinking of her he pulled her close to him and kissed her which she graciously welcomed.
“How clever of you to know where my mind was” she said and returned the compliment.
The village of Highfinch sat just on the edge of the Pepperstock Hills and Lily Green Hollows Golf Club separated the village from the Hamlet of Lily Green and since moving there in January, Nick Faulkner, had completely immersed himself in Village life and they welcomed him with open arms such was the nature of celebrity.
Nick was a TV presenter on a popular sports show and was immediately given membership to the ultra-exclusive Lily Green Hollows Golf Club.
It was a very exclusive Golf Club with a large number of grand House’s in both village and hamlet backing on to it.
It was not widely known but the Golf Club and all the plush dwelling attached to the course belonged to the Mornington Estate.
It came into their ownership in the late 1980’s when a developer tried to buy it to create a luxury housing estate, Gabriel St George’s father, Valentine, who was the then Baron, stepped in and saved it.
Because it was so exclusive the membership fees were exorbitant but they had to be because the Golf Club and all the properties that surrounded it had to pay their own way.
Gabriel hated the fact that the club was strictly for the rich but it was a necessary evil to preserve it and protect it from the developers and Nick Faulkner’s celebrity status didn’t exempt him from the fees.
He also joined the congregation at St Martins Church which was where he got his first glimpse of Jenna Lawton, the curate who was the de facto Vicar of St Martins while the Reverend Mortimer was recovering from a heart attack.
Reverend Mortimer’s standing Vicar was an attractive woman by any measure, with a warm open manner, a willowy thirty something, nearer to forty than not, with shoulder length brunette hair, intelligent green laughing eyes and a broad toothy smile, altogether he thought a very pleasant demeanour.
Nick had moved to the country for the peace and quiet in order to write his book but it didn’t work out that way.
Apart from joining the Golf Club and the regular attendance at the Church he was also persuaded to sit on the parish council, which he thought might be akin to a scene from the “Vicar of Dibley” but in reality it was nothing of the sort and was actually quite rewarding and it brought him in close proximity to the lovely curate.
And it was she who was fairly instrumental in press ganging him into giving talks and live readings to the Women’s Institute, the Round Table and the Rotary Club et al.
He also helped with planning the Summer Fete, numerous Fund raising events and Quiz nights and by the time Easter was finished he had already been penciled in for duties at Halloween, bonfire night and Christmas.
However he had really taken to village life and the village had taken to him but he was in a quandary because somewhere along the way the work on his book had stalled and he had managed to fall in love with the Curate come Vicar, Jenna Lawton which undoubtedly contributed greatly to the ease in which she managed to press gang him, and she had absolutely no idea of the effect she had on him.
(Part 02)
Nick was knocking on the door of his 40th birthday but he still had all his own hair and not too much middle aged spread.
On Sunday morning he was making his way to St Martins Church when Julia Thomas caught up with him.
She was a rotund lady in her fifties who sat on the parish council with him and was his next door neighbour.
“Nicholas darling” she said and took him by the arm as they walked down the street.
He had known her and her husband Charles, for many years and it was Julia who had encouraged him to move to Highfinch, when he mentioned he was looking for a rural idyll.
“Charles has left” she said blandly
“I’m sorry,” he said though in truth he was glad
He really liked Julia but he didn’t like her husband Charles, he thought he was a hard drinking womanising arsehole.
“Don’t be” she said “it’s for the best”
“The boys threw him out you know” she announced proudly
“You can do better than him” He said squeezing her hand “you deserve better than him”
Julia squeezed his hand back
“Thank you”
Just then a voice called to them
“Wait for me”
They stopped and looked back to see Vicki Paulding
Hurrying after them.
“Hello you two” she said, “are you going to Church?”
“Yes” they said in unison
Vicki suddenly noticed Judith’s arm through his and gave him a look.
“I have a spare arm,” he offered
“Well that’s ok then” she said and quickly took his arm.
As they cordially strolled, arm in arm towards the church they did elicit the occasional sideways glance.
“You do know that you two will be the talk of the village?” he said and they both looked at him a little old fashioned.
“You’ll be the two jezebels hanging off the arms of the local TV star”
They were still laughing as they reached the door of the church where Curate Jenna Lawton, the object of his desire, was at the door as they approached, doing the meet and greet.
Her warm open face was smiling as were her green eyes and the willowy thirty something’s shoulder length brunette hair was being stirred by the breeze.
“Aren’t you worried about your reputation?” she called
“No I have broad shoulders Jenna” he replied
“Not you, you are tarnished beyond all hope” she said smiling
“I was speaking to your companions”
“That’s most unfair and only goes to show how misunderstood I am,” he said feigning injury.
“I have merely made it my mission in life to save fallen women, and I’m saving these two for later”
Jenna laughed, Julia punched him on the arm and Vicki blushed and then they went inside.
It was a good service, short on sermonising and long on rejoicing, as usual the mix of hymns was a balance of the old and traditional with a sprinkling of the modern and happy clappy.
Jenna Lawton kept the sermon short and sweet and never ever over egged the pudding and at the end of the service he felt invigorated and refreshed.
There was a coffee and mingle at the end where those who wanted to could chat and catch up with members of the congregation, he had hoped to use it as an opportunity to rub shoulders with Jenna but he couldn’t get close to her.
He had known her for more than 8 months and he still didn’t know how to get close to her.
(Part 03)
Nick, Julia and Vicki all did the rounds amongst the congregants and then said their goodbyes, he for one was in the mood to socialise so as they were leaving he said,
“Do you two need to rush off?”
“I don’t have any plans” Vicki replied
“No nor me” said Julia
“How about lunch then? At The Downshire Arms?” he suggested “my treat”
“I’m on” chirped Vicki
“Me too” Julia said brightly
Just then they arrived at the door where Jenna was seeing the faithful out the door.
“What's he up to now?” she said to Nicks companions
“Lunch” said Vicki
“Why don’t you join us?” he added “At The Downshire Arms”
she looked blank for a moment as she processed the invitation almost as if she had been asked a question in English but had to translate it into German before she could answer.
“You know what? I would love too,” she said beaming
“I will have to meet you there though”
“No problem” He said and the three of them made their way through the village to the pub.
They had a very pleasant lunch and Jenna was an absolute delight very down to earth and very witty.
He had obviously met her many times at the Church, parish council meetings, various local events and things like the soup kitchen but it was the first time they had socialised.
Vicki had earlier pencilled the Curate in as a sherry drinker and she was shocked to the core when Jenna asked for a pint of Guinness and when she noticed the look on Vicki’s face she said
“They don’t do it in half’s”
Vicki nodded understandingly in response, and then the penny dropped and she laughed
At the end of an excellent lunch Jenna reluctantly declined a third pint of the black stuff stating that she had to prepare for the evening service.
They walked through the gate in the pleasant afternoon sunshine of a September Sunday when the Curate paused
“Thank you for the lunch Nick” she said “But thank you so much all of you for the companionship”
Then she added
“No one ever invites me to the pub, and I do like a drink and a chat”
“We will bear that in mind for the future Jenna” he said and
Julia and Vicki heartily agreed
When they reached the Vicarage thanks were muttered and immediately dismissed, cheeks were kissed and blessings exchanged.
Promises of doing it again soon were made and would not be broken.
Jenna had genuinely enjoyed lunch, as had the rest of them, but none of them envied Jenna having to spend the rest of the afternoon in preparation of that evening’s service while the rest of them would be dosing off in their respective garden chairs and sleeping off their lunches.
Having safely delivered his luncheon companions to their respective front doors, where cheeks were kissed etcetera he returned to his house and was asleep ten minutes later dreaming of Jenna.
(Part 04)
Nick was still doing his weekly sports show while he was trying to write his book, which wasn’t going well, partly because he’d allowed himself to be distracted by committees and good works and his infatuation with the Curate.
Frustrated by his inability to put pen to paper, so to speak, he decided to take a walk into the village despite the steady rain, where he chanced upon Jenna Lawton.
“Thank you God” he said to himself but aloud he said
“Good afternoon Jenna”
“Hello Nick” she replied “What’s brought you out into the rain”
“Writers block” he said “And you?”
“Well I’m stuck on my sermon” she replied “so I feel your pain”
“I think we need to be fortified” he said “The Downshire Arms?”
“I have a better suggestion” she said “Rather too many of my parishioners drink in the Arms”
“So where do you have in mind?” he queried
“The Kingfisher” she replied
“I’ve never heard of it” he said
“It’s in Kingfisherbridge” she said “it’s about a mile and a half walk, but it’s worth it, are you game?”
“Why not” he retorted
Due to the inclement weather the village was deserted as they walked towards Hawks Wood.
While they walked they unloaded their burdens on each other.
Nick detailed the constant nagging from his publishers demanding another chapter, and another and another and Jenna talked at length about certain sections of the congregation who had still not really accepted her as Reverend Mortimer’s stand in.
When they reached the pub, to make her feel better, he told her some particularly scandalous tales about the most vociferous of her protagonists which he thought would make her feel a little better, which they did, and in a spirit of quid pro quo she told him a few disgraceful tit bits that he hadn’t heard before.
He had hoped that the beer would suppress his inhibitions and allow him to ask her out on a date.
When they were on their second drink Jenna began to reveal some things about herself but soon regained control and talked about the community instead.
“Well this is very fortifying” she said as she drained he second pint.
“Yes but we’ll be fortified as newts if we don’t eat something”
Nick pointed out.
Nick asked at the bar about food only to find that they didn’t do hot food only sandwiches.
“Sandwiches it is” they both agreed.
After devouring the sandwiches and washing them down with another pint they had to trudge the mile and a half back to the village.
There wasn’t any chance of him asking her out on the homeward journey as she never stopped talking but with the sound of the pouring rain he missed most of what she was saying.
He managed to catch the odd phrase, like time running out and sand running through her fingers but as he missed everything else he had no context.
As they were walking through Hawk Wood he was concentrating so much on trying to hear what she was saying that they didn’t notice the mad cyclist approaching them from behind.
In fact they only knew he was there when he shouted
“GET OUT OF THE WAY, I’M NOT STOPPING”
They jumped sideway just in the nick of time.
“You Godless heathen” she yelled at the errant cyclist
Nick was falling backwards and instinctively reached out to grab something while he was falling but the only thing in reach was Jenna so he landed on his back in the wet bracken and she landed on top of him.
They lay there nose to nose on the wet ground for a full minute before she said
“This is awkward, and not a little compromising for a woman of the cloth”
“Indeed” he agreed desperate to reach up the infinitesimal distance to her lovely lips and plant a kiss on them
“A less gentlemanly man than I would probably take advantage of the situation”
Then he rolled her over onto her back and pushed himself up and helped Jenna to do the same, “But alas I am”
“Trust my luck to find myself lying in the undergrowth with the only gentleman in Highfinch”
And a smile began around her green eyes and a broad toothy smile spread across her pleasant demeanour.
(Part 05)
“A “Godless heathen”?” he said after they had brushed the debris off each other.
“That wasn’t a very christen response”
“Turning the other cheek doesn’t extend to cyclists” she retorted and laughed.
When they arrived outside the Vicarage she said
“Well that was very pleasant”
“Yes it was very enjoyable” he agreed “And has it cured the problem regarding your sermon?”
“Oh yes I think I know exactly what subject to talk on”
She replied
“And that is?”
“Well you’ll have to wait until Sunday” she replied
“Unfortunately I won’t be here on Sunday in fact I won’t be back until November”
He said
“Oh what a shame you’ll miss the harvest festival” she said falteringly “Are you going anywhere nice?”
“London, The Chelsea Harbour Hotel” he replied
“My TV station has exclusive rights to the Rugby World Cup”
“Well I’ll see you in November then” she said “Thanks again for lunch”
As she walked down the path to her front door he realised that it would be his chance so Nick took a deep breath and said
“When I get back, perhaps we could have dinner”
She turned around and gave him the full radiance of her lovely toothy smile
“Yes that would be lovely”
With the question asked and answered to his satisfaction he was able to clear his head of “what ifs” and got some significant writing done for the first time in weeks.
Nick decided very early on that he would spend the duration of the Rugby World Cup at The Chelsea Harbour Hotel, to cut down on the repetitive commutes.
Once he had checked in he began to regret that decision when it dawned on him how much he was going to miss seeing Jenna over the following 7 weeks.
However on the upside it left him a lot of time alone in his room away from distractions where he could work on the book.
Despite his longing to return to Highfinch he enjoyed the World Cup immensely, from the opening game between England and Fiji up to the final between New Zealand and Australia and he was kept exceptionally busy by it, there was also a considerable amount of socializing which he found less enjoyable.
He had missed the Harvest Festival and All Hallows Eve vigil at St Martins and spent All Hallows Eve at a huge end of tournament party in stark contrast to the quiet solemn time where he would have lit a candle for his dead loved ones.
The partying had begun on Saturday night and went on all through Sunday and well into Monday morning.
But despite only getting 4 hours sleep he left the hotel straight after breakfast on the 2nd of November and drove at breakneck speed along the Pepperstock Express Way and his only thought was to get back and see Jenna as quickly as possible.
He pulled onto his drive and without even unloading his bag he set off on foot to the Vicarage.
Nick was in such a hurry to get to see her that he rushed headlong round a corner and met Jenna coming the other way and they both ended up on their backsides on the cold pavement.
“I’m so sorry” He said getting quickly to his feet and proffering a hand to the prostrate Curate, which she gratefully accepted.
“Nonsense” she replied, “I wasn’t looking where I was going my mind was elsewhere”.
“Mine too” he said “are you ok? Are you hurt?”
“No, Only my pride” she replied
They dusted themselves off and there was a brief moment of awkwardness as they finally looked at each other properly.
“Anyway” she said “Duties to perform”
“Yes” he agreed “things to do”
And then possibly because he hadn’t had enough sleep and wasn’t thinking clearly or maybe just because he’d missed her so much and he was only thinking of her he pulled her close to him and kissed her which she graciously welcomed.
“How clever of you to know where my mind was” she said and returned the compliment.
Mornington-By-Mere – (16) The Morehouse Galloper
(Part 01)
Elspeth St George was the business brain for the Mornington Estate, a role that only got busier with the reacquisition of the Old RAF Base, Mornington Field.
She relished the extra work however as she liked to be pushed to the limit.
Like all the St Georges she was tall, blonde and quite striking but despite that she had no one special in her life and to be honest she wasn’t really looking.
Her last serious boyfriend was Scott Collier who was a local architect who did a lot of work for the estate.
They dated for a while just after University but it didn’t really work out, he thought of her more as a sister, and she felt the same way, as a result they were still the best of friends but no more than that and never likely to be.
Her elder brother Gabriel was the Lord of the Manor but she and her three sisters Tallulah, Cordelia and Corliss all played a part in the Estates running, along with Philomena Cruickshank better known as Aunty Phil and she and the girls were very close.
Shortly after the death of her father, Valentine, and Gabriel had taken over the running of the estate, her mother Persephone was taken seriously ill.
It was a bitter blow for the family and hit everyone very hard, it felt to them like they had been knocked to floor by their father’s death and were then being kicked while they were on the ground.
So Persephone’s younger sister Philomena moved into the Manor to help nurse her and organize the family at the same time.
In the turbulent two year period of Persie’s decline Aunty Phil became invaluable to the St George family, she was the glue that held the fracturing family together, with her stoical strength and practicality and she needed every ounce of her not inconsiderable strength of character to achieve it because even she couldn’t prevent the inevitable.
And during that time a strong bond was formed between Philomena and the St George Children.
The Baron, Gabriel St George like his father before him was a man with a strong sense of history and his stewardship of the Mornington Estate wasn’t restricted just to the land and properties within the Finchbottom Vale.
In addition to the Mornington Estate they also owned, either outright or in part, a number of historically significant buildings that had been under threat from modernizers, in Sharpington-By-Sea.
The jewels in the crown that the St George’s had already saved from the Philistines were the Sharpington Pier, the yacht club, the Seaview Hotel and the Fun Park as well as a number of shops and businesses in the historic town.
They also had as part of their portfolio a significant number of properties in Highfinch including the Lily Green Hollows Golf Club.
Elspeth’s job for the Estate was to balance the books and make sure every single element of the estate paid their way so they could continue to subsidise the village.
2014 was a very costly year for the estate, there were phenomenal financial implications to the reacquisition of the old airfield and the renovations, conversions and general improvements to the infrastructure and the first business rents from Mornington Field didn’t start repaying the not inconsiderable outlaid expenditure until January 2015.
But as Elspeth sat in the kitchen at the Manor drinking her coffee and absentmindedly brushing sugar off her leggings she was blissfully unaware that at that precise moment events that would change her life forever were taking place.
(Part 02)
Although the estate rescued the Sharpington properties from the developers the business’s had to pay their own way.
Although as listed buildings there were some grants available to help towards that but they weren’t enough.
Fortunately Sharpington as a town was doing well and had steady visitor numbers.
They were blessed with a good stretch of beach, unique and original attractions and a very business savvy chamber of commerce.
They had a host of seasonal events, like the St Patrick’s Day Parade in March and another on Sharpington Day on the August Bank Holiday then there were the illumination and a Christmas Pageant as well as summer season entertainments.
So there were a lot of reasons throughout the year to visit the town, the trick was to get them inside the attractions and spend their money while they were there.
However even when things were going well there were unforeseen problem so for those eventualities there was an extraordinary purchase fund available for the business’s to draw on when some unforeseen expense loomed.
It was a discretionary fund for which Elspeth was the first port of call if you wished to request help.
Which was why she got an unexpected call from Peter Philips, who was the General Manager of the Sharpington Fun Park.
He was by profession an engineer but when he heard the Park was under threat he took a huge pay cut to take the GM’s job.
He was from Sharpington and as a child Peter virtually lived at the Park and he knew every ride and attraction intimately.
Which was just as well because since becoming General Manager he spent most of his time using his engineering skills just to keep things going.
It was the Tuesday after the Easter Weekend and it was raining hard as she and Gabriel drove through the countryside of the Vale to the seaside town of Sharpington.
Gabriel was driving and was unusually quiet as he was concentrating so hard in the poor visibility.
It wasn’t a particularly pleasant drive for the passenger either but she always enjoyed getting out of the office, she didn’t often get the chance, and when she had spoken to Peter Philips on the phone she found him very interesting and he sounded very nice so she was looking forward to meeting him.
But most of all she loved going to Sharpington, she had done since she was a little girl.
They used to all pile into her dads classic Citroën Safari, all seven of them and off they went, English seaside towns are not the most sophisticated of destinations but they always had a great time by the sea, running along the Pier, "kiss me quick” hats, amusement arcades and of course the Sharpington Fun Park.
The Fun Park was the first purpose built amusement park to open in Britain, which had an assortment of rides, like the Rotor and the Wild Mouse, The Cyclone and the Morehouse Galloper, all very tame compared to a 21st century roller coaster and suchlike but she and her family loved it.
Once they arrived Gabriel parked on the promenade as close as he could get to the Fun Park.
The rain hadn’t abated a bit when they got out of the car so Gabriel quickly locked the car and they ran across the road.
“You can drive back” he said
(Part 03)
Gabriel and Elspeth ran across the road and after she had shaken her umbrella dry they walked into reception and were greeted by a middle aged balding man in a cheap suit.
“I hope that’s not him” she said to herself more than a little disappointed.
“Good morning.” He said offering his hand “Clifford Reed assistant manager”
“Oh good it’s not him” she thought
“Good morning, I’m Gabriel St George” he said shaking the offered hand.
“And this is Elspeth” He said gesturing toward her.
“Hello” She said also shaking hands.
“Pleased to meet you both” he said “Shall we go through?”
When they were shown into the General Managers office and sat by the desk was an immaculately dressed man of sixty.
“Good morning, Mr Philips” He said walking towards him.
“Goodness me no.” He said with a hint of a smile. “My name is Brian Tyler”
“He’s our finance manager” Clifford elaborated and then the door opened behind her and a tall, lean shabbily dressed man in his early thirties entered.
He had what looked like a necktie hanging from his trouser pocket and his shirt was un-tucked.
What must once have been a clean white shirt was now smeared with grease and dirt and his sleeves were rolled up exposing his skinny white arms which were also smeared with dirt and his trousers were dirty and torn and he was wiping dirt off his hands with a handkerchief.
“I’m sorry I’ve kept you waiting” He said politely “A problem with the Galloper”
“The Galloper?” she asked
“The Morehouse Galloper” Clifford Reed explained “it’s the only carousel still in regular use anywhere in the world”
“We are well acquainted with the Galloper” she said
“We do have maintenance people to do that” Brian Tyler said in a fatherly way.
“He can’t help interfering” he said addressing the two St Georges
“He gets carried away sometimes”
“Nobody knows her like me” Peter said as he inspected his right hand briefly and offered it to Gabriel to shake.
“Peter Philips” He said.
“Gabriel”
“And this is Ms St….” Clifford began
“Elspeth” She interrupted
“What a lovely name.” Peter said taking her hand and gazing at her.
“Chosen by God”
“Or consecrated by God” Elspeth said and held his gaze and his hand for longer than was entirely necessary.
“Coffee?” Clifford suggested and broke the spell.
Peter and Elspeth broke away with a little embarrassment and they both blushed.
“Yes a good idea” Peter answered.
“Or tea if you would prefer?” he added looking at Elspeth again.
“Coffee would be fine for me” Gabriel said
“Please sit down,” He offered with a sweeping Gesture.
“Tea would be very nice thank you Mr. Philips” Elspeth said almost coyly.
“Please call me Peter”
“Ok Peter” She said and giggled.
She was not accustomed to showing that side of herself to strangers though being acutely feminine and giggly was not entirely out of character.
(Part 04)
While they drank coffee in Peter’s office the purpose for the meeting took over the conversation.
“So we understand the Galloper is the problem” Elspeth said
“I take it that is the reason we’re here” Gabriel added
“Yes it is” he said “but The Gallopers uniqueness is part of the problem, it’s so important to us because it’s one of the nostalgia rides, it’s one of the attractions that no one else has, and visitors come here expecting so see it in operation”
“So what’s the answer?” Gabriel asked
“Well I have located another Galloper” he said
“Another one?” she asked
“Yes” Peter replied
“Excellent” Elspeth said “Where is it?”
“Australia” he said
“Australia?” she repeated
“Yes it’s in Melbourne” he said “Have you ever been?”
“No I haven’t but I’ve heard it’s very lovely” she said
“Oh it really is” he agreed
“What about the Galloper?” Gabriel said reminding them they were not alone
“Well I haven’t seen it yet” he said “And we haven’t talked money, but he is keen to move quite quickly”
“So what do you need from us?” Gabriel asked
“Well just an agreement in principle to sanction the loan” he said
“But you don’t know how much you will need” Gabriel pointed out
“Well I don’t want to spend more the £30,000” he said
“I just don’t want to waste their time or my own for that matter if we can’t borrow the money to fund the acquisition and the shipping”
The meeting continued for an hour with Brian Tyler detailing the Fun Park’s financial status and the St George’s were satisfied the business was healthy.
They also discussed the practicalities of transporting a piece of fairground hardware half way around the world.
Although he hadn’t seen the Australian Galloper Peter had a large quantity of detailed pictures which indicated it was the real deal.
When the meeting was over the St Georges had guaranteed a loan up to the value of £50,000”
Verification would need to be provided of its authenticity as a Morehouse and full details of how complete it was before the funds were transferred but Peter Philips had the loan agreed in principle.
“Well, keep us posted with your progress” Gabriel said
“Thank you Mr St George” Brian Tyler said as Gabriel stood up.
“Yes thank you” Peter Philips said and tore his attention away from Elspeth and stood up proffering his hand.
“And thank you also Ms St George”
“Yes thank you Elspeth” Peter said taking her hand again.
“I think they need to be going now Peter” Clifford said slapping Peter firmly on the back so he reluctantly let go of Elspeth’s hand and they both blushed again.
“You know how to contact us” Gabriel said and handed a business card to Peter and Elspeth handed hers to him and to Gabriel’s amazement she giggled again.
Elspeth and Gabriel didn’t say a word on the short walk back to the car but when she walked to the passenger side Gabriel broke the silence.
“Oy dolly daydream.” He shouted. “You’re driving remember”
She jumped. “Sorry Gabe I was miles away.”
“Yes I know and further more I know where you were and who you were with”
He said and she flushed red
“Shut up and get in the car” she said
(Part 05)
Spring had come early to Downshire and although she was enjoying the unseasonably warm weather Elspeth had spent the two weeks after her visit to Sharpington slightly depressed and more than a little bewildered.
She had been awaiting, no expecting, a phone call, from Peter Philips, she was convinced that they had hit it off, or connected, or something and she just couldn’t understand why he hadn’t rung her or sent her a text or even emailed her.
This was new territory for Elspeth because normally she was not short of admirers, though not in any way inundated, and most of them she felt complete indifference towards, but typically it was they who did the waiting by the phone.
She was not used to wanting someone to call and to have someone she was attracted to, fancied even, not call her.
Indeed it was something of a novelty, which she was neither accustomed to nor would wish to become accustomed to.
She had even committed the cardinal sin, something she had never done before or for that matter ever contemplated doing, in fact she had never needed to consider.
Elspeth had called his office, not once, nor twice but three times.
She was told on all three occasions that he was not available.
Peter Philips was not available!
“Bloody cheek” She thought
Elspeth was a bit of party girl when she was at University and was considered very good company.
She had slowed down a bit since then but she was still popular and had a large circle of friends which she still met up with regularly, but she hadn’t been able to enjoy herself since she met that bloody Fun Park man.
And for the previous week she hadn’t been out at all or met up with anyone.
All because of that bloody, bloody man.
As another week passed and May came to the Vale Elspeth St George continued to discharge her duties in a state of anxious bewilderment because he still hadn’t called.
What was wrong with the man? Or was it her? Had she just misread the situation? How could she have got it so wrong?
After all she thought he was besotted with her, he really seemed to be, she was now beginning to think it was merely conceit on her part, to assume that he liked her.
Elspeth was certainly besotted with him and that had never happened before, and she wasn’t sure she liked it at all.
So she took the unprecedented step of actually going to the Fun Park, on the pretext of further discussions on the loan, but in reality she went to see Peter Philips only to be told he was not available.
“I have never ever been treated so shabbily” she thought to herself indignantly and then chastised herself because she realized she was just being given a taste of her own medicine.
“I need to talk to someone?” she said “But who?”
“Gabriel? No that wouldn’t work, he’d laugh, my sisters? No they would be unsympathetic, no it has to be Aunty Phil, I will talk to Aunty Phil”
(Part 06)
Elspeth St George was anxiously stalking Aunty Phil through the village as she went around the parish delivering Church magazines.
She had tried several times to approach her at the Manor but she was frustrated by the constant interruptions, either by someone else butting in or by the telephone ringing.
She even tried to catch her in the Manor grounds walking her dog, biscuit, but just when she got close her fiancé the Vicar got to her first.
Which was why after a week she was reduced to stalking her Aunt like a criminal.
Elspeth had followed her to every house in the village and then tracked her from shop to shop.
By the time Philomena reached Legg’s Farm shop; Elspeth was desperate, even though she had no idea what she would say.
When Aunty Phil was inside Legg’s, Elspeth waited until Aunty Phil had paid for her fruit and veg and seized her chance to make her move.
“Hi Aunty, can I help with your bags you look a bit over loaded?”
“Hi, Thanks El, I have over done it a bit. It’s a good job I’ve finished” she replied and Elspeth took a few of the heavier bags from her.
“Are you heading back home now?” She asked “Have you finished your shopping?”
“Oh yes it was lucky you ran into me I’m not sure I would have made it back on my own” she replied
Philomena had been aware of Elspeth at the Manor and suspected she was trying to talk to her, she had even noticed her around the village a couple of times and looking at her pensive expression she suddenly realized it was not a chance meeting.
“Do you know what I could do with?” Aunty Phil said
Elspeth shook her head.
“A drink” She answered indicating the Old Mill Inn with her eyes. “Do you fancy one?”
“Yes, I’d love one” Elspeth said and visibly brightened.
Once they were settled at a table Elspeth sat fiddling with a napkin and trying to think of what to say and Philomena stirred her coffee while she looked on, rather enjoying her nieces’ discomfiture while Elspeth tortured herself, and Philomena smiled to herself, but finally she could stand it no longer.
“So what’s on your mind El?”
“Eh?” She exclaimed and had an expression on her face like a rabbit caught in the headlights of an approaching car.
“Something’s bothering you, what is it?”
Elspeth took a deep breath.
“Oh Aunty Phil, I’ve been dying to talk to someone” She said
“But I feel so silly and I don’t know where to start.”
“At the beginning is a good place.” Philomena said simply.
“Well you know Gabriel and I went over to the Sharpington Fun Park a month ago?”
Aunty Phil nodded and sipped her coffee.
“Well we finished up in the General Manager’s office and we met”
“Peter Philips” Phil interrupted.
“Yes, how did you know?” she asked
“Gabriel told me, he said you were smitten” Aunty Phil said and smiled broadly.
“Gabriel?”
“Yes, he said he was a nice guy. So what’s the problem?”
“He hasn’t called me. That’s the problem. I gave him my card and he hasn’t called”
“Well that’s curious” Philomena said
“No its infuriating is what it is” Elspeth corrected her
“Wait a minute, you did throw away all of those misprinted cards you had? Didn’t you? The one’s with the Manor Farm phone number on”
“Oh God I hadn’t thought of that” Elspeth said and was horrified.
“Have you called him?”
“Yes several times, I even went there to see him but I was told he wasn’t available” She said
“I can’t believe he wouldn’t see you or speak to you if he was there, he seemed too nice for that.” Philomena said finishing her coffee.
“Have you met him then?” she asked urgently.
“Not to talk to, but he was at the Manor one day talking to Gabriel” Aunty Phil replied. “I assumed it was something to do with the loan”
“I didn’t get a message” she said
“That doesn’t mean that he didn’t leave one” Philomena pointed out “Have you spoken to Gabriel?”
(Part 07)
The moment Elspeth and Aunty Phil returned to the Manor and she had carried the bags to the kitchen, she went in search of her brother Gabriel.
She found him in his office in conversation, well he was on the telephone anyway in a form of conversation with her sister Tallulah about a potential tenant up at Mornington Field.
“Ok give me a call later” he said and hung up.
“Gabriel?” Elspeth said “Have you got a minute?”
“What is it El?” He asked.
“I’ve been trying to get in touch with Peter Philips but I’m not having any luck, but Aunty Phil said he came here to the Manor about a month ago and spoke to you”
“Yes he did” he replied
“Did he leave a message?” Asked Elspeth.
“A message?” he asked with a smile
“I don’t know about a message, but he left some documents”
“What documents?” She snapped “It’s very important.”
“They’re in your office” he replied “I put them in the file on your desk”
“Thanks Gabe” she said rushing out the door.
She ran up the stairs and straight into her office and when she got inside she closed the door and sat down at her desk.
She quickly searched her desk and located the relevant file and when she opened it she located the envelope which was simply addressed to Elspeth.
She sat at her desk for what seemed like an hour, although it was only a few minutes in reality, staring at the envelope.
What if it was another set of photos of the Galloper or minutes of their meeting or a basic thank you for granting the loan.
She steeled herself, took a deep breath and ripped open the envelope.
Inside, folded in half, was a sheet of A5 notepaper.
She took another deep breath and chastised herself for behaving like a silly schoolgirl and unfolded the sheet of notepaper.
On the paper was a short hand written note in very neat style of handwriting.
And she read:
Miss Elspeth St George
I have to apologize for contacting you in this rather forward manner, but I have been trying to speak with you for the last few days and I have tried several times to phone you on the mobile number you provided.
This was however to no avail as all I managed to do was to get a rather rude and abusive gentleman whose comments I could not bring myself to commit to paper.
I understand from your brother that you are out of the office so I am leaving this note.
I am now going to be out of the country for the next few weeks.
The reason I have been so anxious to contact you is that I would very much like to take you to dinner, which will now have to be on my return.
I look forward to hearing from you, and I hope very much that you will honor me with your company.
My very best regards.
Peter
At the bottom of the page, also in his very neat hand, were two phone numbers and an email address.
She was up on her feet and dancing when the door opened and Philomena walked in having been attracted by the noise and Elspeth raced over and hugged her.
“Its good news then?” she said
“Yes, yes” was all Elspeth could manage.
“Good” Aunty Phil said “but don’t hug too tight though because I need a wee”
(Part 08)
Elspeth was feeling much happier with the world, not only had she, if belatedly, received and read the letter from Peter Philips but after doing the preliminary monthly accounts the revenues from Mornington Field had set a new high, so she was on top of the world.
And on Friday Michelle Norman from Bizzie Lizzies delivered a bouquet of flowers and she managed to corner Aunty Phil in the kitchen just as she returned from walking biscuit.
“Hi Aunty these are for you” she said
“They’re lovely” she said “but what are they for?”
“They are to say thanks for your help with ... well you know what”
“Thanks El, that’s really sweet”
It was three days since she had received and read the letter and it was also three days since she had begun trying to contact him on the two phone numbers and the email address he had included in the letter.
Peter kept two mobile phones, one for business and one for private use.
When she dialed the mobile phone numbers all she got was the answer phone, so she left message, after message, after message.
When that failed she emailed, several times, but also to no avail.
So during those three days she had gone through every emotion between elation and black despair.
Her inability to contact him caused her to doubt the evidence contained in the letter, which had led her to believe his interest in her was more than professional and she even began to doubt his motives for wanting to dine with her.
She even wondered if he had actually left the country and thought it might be a trick, why she thought that she didn’t know.
He wrote in his letter that he was going to be out of the country, Australia obviously, but irrationally she thought he might merely playing some kind of sadistic game with her.
But she played her part in the game by phoning and emailing at regular intervals and she even resorted to phoning Peters assistant Manager Clifford Reed.
He told her the last time he spoke with Peter he was in transit to Australia but that had been over two weeks ago and he had heard nothing since.
That was when she became even more irrational and began to wonder if he had been killed and that was the reason nobody could reach him.
Or maybe he was lying in a coma somewhere in a filthy foreign hospital.
After a disturbed and restless night she awoke early the next morning, around four o’clock, she picked up her Laptop and went to the kitchen and made herself a hot drink.
Once her cocoa was made she sat silently at the table and switched on her Laptop to check her emails.
As she logged on she expected to find her mailbox empty as usual and she was right it was empty but for two pieces of junk mail.
One was asking her if she had ever been miss sold PPI and the second, as if to add insult on to injury, was an invitation to join a dating site.
Which was when she cursed herself for abandoning her carefree existence and allowing herself to be diverted by the stupid man.
(Part 09)
She had never sought a soul mate or a life partner she had an abundance of friends with whom she had fun and sitting alone in the kitchen at 4 am was not fun.
What her friends must be thinking of her she could hardly imagine all she could do was put the previous month down as a temporary aberration she would tell her friends she had been unwell but that she was much better now.
Elspeth reached out and picked up her address book and flicked through it.
It was time to put all this love nonsense behind her, it was not for her, and now she had to get on with her life.
Finishing her drink she made herself another mug and returned to the Laptop and was about to switch off.
But before she shut it down she heard a distinctive ping!
She had mail.
“What this time” she said, “free books, Jesus saves, stripper’s r us, porn, penis enhancement’s or another lonely-hearts site”
So she ignored it and prepared to hit shut down.
“But what if?” she said
“No! I’m not going there again” she said to herself.
“But what if?” she repeated
“Oh enough now with the “What ifs”, no! I’ve made my decision, it’s over, and I’m cured” she said but she hesitated, her hand poised over the power switch.
“Shit!” She muttered as she sat down again and opened her mailbox all the time cursing herself for weakening.
But there was a new email from an address she didn’t recognize and so she moved it to trash without opening it.
“Why am I doing this to myself?” She said to herself walking towards her bedroom.
“Why didn’t I just trust my own judgment in the first place?” she asked herself and then stopped suddenly.
“AU!” she shouted, “It ended AU.”
Elspeth ran back to the kitchen and switched on the laptop and quickly recovered the email from the trash.
Elspeth took a deep breath and opened the email and discovered it was from Peter.
As she eagerly read the mail all her doubts and fears dissolved away.
Peter was indeed in Australia and he had had a series of misadventures first of all he dropped his business mobile in the departure lounge at Heathrow Airport and then on arrival in Sydney he had the bag containing his laptop stolen and it was only when he tried to use his second mobile phone to report the theft of his laptop that he realized it was also in the bag with his laptop so that was why Elspeth had been unable to contact him.
The reason for his protracted visit was that after he had viewed the Galloper and secured its purchase he heard that there was another collection of vintage amusement park spares.
The only problem was that they were a few hundred miles the other side of the back of beyond where there was no mobile phone coverage and the internet was a little more than a dream.
However once he was back in Sydney, staying at the home of a close friend he availed himself of his friend’s computer.
He still had a few lose ends to tie up but he was hoping to be back in England by the end of the following week and Elspeth was overjoyed.
She replied to the mail immediately and was rewarded a few minutes later with a reply of her own.
The tit for tat emails continued for the next two hours until she glanced at the clock and reluctantly dragged herself away to get ready for work but then she realized it was Saturday so she took her laptop up to her room.
Elspeth spent much of a bright spring Saturday in her room dressed in “Sloppy Joes” and glued to her computer trading emails with Peter Philips in Australia.
The general content of their correspondence was first date stuff finding out the other’s likes and dislikes their backgrounds and their aspirations.
This was interspersed with outrageous flirtation and even a degree of lovemaking.
This was a new experience certainly for her and she hoped for him also, she had not had Internet sex before, it was nice.
Even so she couldn’t wait for him to come home.
(Part 10)
A week later Elspeth St George’s attractive figure trembled as she looked up at the board to see that flight BA145 from Sydney had landed.
On Sunday Morning she had arrived at the airport two hours before the flight was due and then the flight was delayed a further ninety minutes.
Elspeth had spent a sleepless night and rose early and even spending two hours getting ready hadn’t eaten into the time as much as she thought it would so Elspeth decided she might as well waste the time at the airport rather than at home.
But that turned out to be a big mistake.
She had thought that there would be more distractions at a busy international airport and the time would not hang so heavy.
The problem with that theory was that almost everywhere she looked at the airport there was a clock or time display of some nature.
She had bought magazines, she tried reading a book, and she drank endless cups of coffee and made endless visits to the toilets.
As a result Elspeth felt as though she had been at the damned airport for days.
But when she saw on the display board that the plane had landed she was trembling.
Elspeth turned on her heels and rushed to the nearest toilets.
After emptying her bladder for the umpteenth time she stood in front of the mirror and surveyed her reflection.
She was, by her own admission, a rather good looking girl, blonde hair with rather striking features, the most stunning eyes and even better legs.
As she stood before the mirror she combed her shoulder length blonde hair and then touched up her makeup.
She wore a short floral dress, showing off her legs, she liked her legs, then turned side on to admire herself in the mirror then she stood on her tiptoes to get a better look at her legs, and then she nodded to herself.
Having viewed herself from every possible angle she gave herself a quick spray of perfume and put her things away in her bag.
After stopping briefly for one last look in the mirror and then she said out loud.
“Yes you will do very nicely”
Elspeth nodded to herself and made her way back to the arrivals hall.
As Elspeth reached the arrivals gate the first of the passengers were beginning to dribble through.
And as more and more passengers streamed through the gate she began to panic.
“What if he doesn’t recognize me now I’m not dressed in a business suit” She thought “or what if I don’t recognize him?”
When she calmed herself down she thought.
“I hope this blokes worth all this, my life’s been a complete disaster since the moment we first met” she said to herself
She need not have worried, the moment she saw him she knew him, and it was not the shabbily dressed man she had first met.
But the tall, lean thirty something that entered the concourse it was unmistakable Peter Philips.
He was wearing chinos and a sweatshirt and she thought he looked great.
There was tiredness around the eyes but apart from that he looked good enough to eat.
He paused for a moment to glance at the sea of faces then he looked straight into her exceptional eyes, smiled and walked toward her.
She pointed towards the exit and they began walking that way, both on different sides of the barrier and never averting their gaze and totally oblivious to anyone else’s presence.
When they reached the exit in the barrier they continued walking still gazing at each other until they were out of the main flow of travelers and they were facing each other.
“Hello” Peter said.
“Hello” She answered coyly and then they kissed and all the panic and self-doubt she had felt, just melted away.
“This man is worth it” she thought “this man is my soul mate”
Elspeth St George was the business brain for the Mornington Estate, a role that only got busier with the reacquisition of the Old RAF Base, Mornington Field.
She relished the extra work however as she liked to be pushed to the limit.
Like all the St Georges she was tall, blonde and quite striking but despite that she had no one special in her life and to be honest she wasn’t really looking.
Her last serious boyfriend was Scott Collier who was a local architect who did a lot of work for the estate.
They dated for a while just after University but it didn’t really work out, he thought of her more as a sister, and she felt the same way, as a result they were still the best of friends but no more than that and never likely to be.
Her elder brother Gabriel was the Lord of the Manor but she and her three sisters Tallulah, Cordelia and Corliss all played a part in the Estates running, along with Philomena Cruickshank better known as Aunty Phil and she and the girls were very close.
Shortly after the death of her father, Valentine, and Gabriel had taken over the running of the estate, her mother Persephone was taken seriously ill.
It was a bitter blow for the family and hit everyone very hard, it felt to them like they had been knocked to floor by their father’s death and were then being kicked while they were on the ground.
So Persephone’s younger sister Philomena moved into the Manor to help nurse her and organize the family at the same time.
In the turbulent two year period of Persie’s decline Aunty Phil became invaluable to the St George family, she was the glue that held the fracturing family together, with her stoical strength and practicality and she needed every ounce of her not inconsiderable strength of character to achieve it because even she couldn’t prevent the inevitable.
And during that time a strong bond was formed between Philomena and the St George Children.
The Baron, Gabriel St George like his father before him was a man with a strong sense of history and his stewardship of the Mornington Estate wasn’t restricted just to the land and properties within the Finchbottom Vale.
In addition to the Mornington Estate they also owned, either outright or in part, a number of historically significant buildings that had been under threat from modernizers, in Sharpington-By-Sea.
The jewels in the crown that the St George’s had already saved from the Philistines were the Sharpington Pier, the yacht club, the Seaview Hotel and the Fun Park as well as a number of shops and businesses in the historic town.
They also had as part of their portfolio a significant number of properties in Highfinch including the Lily Green Hollows Golf Club.
Elspeth’s job for the Estate was to balance the books and make sure every single element of the estate paid their way so they could continue to subsidise the village.
2014 was a very costly year for the estate, there were phenomenal financial implications to the reacquisition of the old airfield and the renovations, conversions and general improvements to the infrastructure and the first business rents from Mornington Field didn’t start repaying the not inconsiderable outlaid expenditure until January 2015.
But as Elspeth sat in the kitchen at the Manor drinking her coffee and absentmindedly brushing sugar off her leggings she was blissfully unaware that at that precise moment events that would change her life forever were taking place.
(Part 02)
Although the estate rescued the Sharpington properties from the developers the business’s had to pay their own way.
Although as listed buildings there were some grants available to help towards that but they weren’t enough.
Fortunately Sharpington as a town was doing well and had steady visitor numbers.
They were blessed with a good stretch of beach, unique and original attractions and a very business savvy chamber of commerce.
They had a host of seasonal events, like the St Patrick’s Day Parade in March and another on Sharpington Day on the August Bank Holiday then there were the illumination and a Christmas Pageant as well as summer season entertainments.
So there were a lot of reasons throughout the year to visit the town, the trick was to get them inside the attractions and spend their money while they were there.
However even when things were going well there were unforeseen problem so for those eventualities there was an extraordinary purchase fund available for the business’s to draw on when some unforeseen expense loomed.
It was a discretionary fund for which Elspeth was the first port of call if you wished to request help.
Which was why she got an unexpected call from Peter Philips, who was the General Manager of the Sharpington Fun Park.
He was by profession an engineer but when he heard the Park was under threat he took a huge pay cut to take the GM’s job.
He was from Sharpington and as a child Peter virtually lived at the Park and he knew every ride and attraction intimately.
Which was just as well because since becoming General Manager he spent most of his time using his engineering skills just to keep things going.
It was the Tuesday after the Easter Weekend and it was raining hard as she and Gabriel drove through the countryside of the Vale to the seaside town of Sharpington.
Gabriel was driving and was unusually quiet as he was concentrating so hard in the poor visibility.
It wasn’t a particularly pleasant drive for the passenger either but she always enjoyed getting out of the office, she didn’t often get the chance, and when she had spoken to Peter Philips on the phone she found him very interesting and he sounded very nice so she was looking forward to meeting him.
But most of all she loved going to Sharpington, she had done since she was a little girl.
They used to all pile into her dads classic Citroën Safari, all seven of them and off they went, English seaside towns are not the most sophisticated of destinations but they always had a great time by the sea, running along the Pier, "kiss me quick” hats, amusement arcades and of course the Sharpington Fun Park.
The Fun Park was the first purpose built amusement park to open in Britain, which had an assortment of rides, like the Rotor and the Wild Mouse, The Cyclone and the Morehouse Galloper, all very tame compared to a 21st century roller coaster and suchlike but she and her family loved it.
Once they arrived Gabriel parked on the promenade as close as he could get to the Fun Park.
The rain hadn’t abated a bit when they got out of the car so Gabriel quickly locked the car and they ran across the road.
“You can drive back” he said
(Part 03)
Gabriel and Elspeth ran across the road and after she had shaken her umbrella dry they walked into reception and were greeted by a middle aged balding man in a cheap suit.
“I hope that’s not him” she said to herself more than a little disappointed.
“Good morning.” He said offering his hand “Clifford Reed assistant manager”
“Oh good it’s not him” she thought
“Good morning, I’m Gabriel St George” he said shaking the offered hand.
“And this is Elspeth” He said gesturing toward her.
“Hello” She said also shaking hands.
“Pleased to meet you both” he said “Shall we go through?”
When they were shown into the General Managers office and sat by the desk was an immaculately dressed man of sixty.
“Good morning, Mr Philips” He said walking towards him.
“Goodness me no.” He said with a hint of a smile. “My name is Brian Tyler”
“He’s our finance manager” Clifford elaborated and then the door opened behind her and a tall, lean shabbily dressed man in his early thirties entered.
He had what looked like a necktie hanging from his trouser pocket and his shirt was un-tucked.
What must once have been a clean white shirt was now smeared with grease and dirt and his sleeves were rolled up exposing his skinny white arms which were also smeared with dirt and his trousers were dirty and torn and he was wiping dirt off his hands with a handkerchief.
“I’m sorry I’ve kept you waiting” He said politely “A problem with the Galloper”
“The Galloper?” she asked
“The Morehouse Galloper” Clifford Reed explained “it’s the only carousel still in regular use anywhere in the world”
“We are well acquainted with the Galloper” she said
“We do have maintenance people to do that” Brian Tyler said in a fatherly way.
“He can’t help interfering” he said addressing the two St Georges
“He gets carried away sometimes”
“Nobody knows her like me” Peter said as he inspected his right hand briefly and offered it to Gabriel to shake.
“Peter Philips” He said.
“Gabriel”
“And this is Ms St….” Clifford began
“Elspeth” She interrupted
“What a lovely name.” Peter said taking her hand and gazing at her.
“Chosen by God”
“Or consecrated by God” Elspeth said and held his gaze and his hand for longer than was entirely necessary.
“Coffee?” Clifford suggested and broke the spell.
Peter and Elspeth broke away with a little embarrassment and they both blushed.
“Yes a good idea” Peter answered.
“Or tea if you would prefer?” he added looking at Elspeth again.
“Coffee would be fine for me” Gabriel said
“Please sit down,” He offered with a sweeping Gesture.
“Tea would be very nice thank you Mr. Philips” Elspeth said almost coyly.
“Please call me Peter”
“Ok Peter” She said and giggled.
She was not accustomed to showing that side of herself to strangers though being acutely feminine and giggly was not entirely out of character.
(Part 04)
While they drank coffee in Peter’s office the purpose for the meeting took over the conversation.
“So we understand the Galloper is the problem” Elspeth said
“I take it that is the reason we’re here” Gabriel added
“Yes it is” he said “but The Gallopers uniqueness is part of the problem, it’s so important to us because it’s one of the nostalgia rides, it’s one of the attractions that no one else has, and visitors come here expecting so see it in operation”
“So what’s the answer?” Gabriel asked
“Well I have located another Galloper” he said
“Another one?” she asked
“Yes” Peter replied
“Excellent” Elspeth said “Where is it?”
“Australia” he said
“Australia?” she repeated
“Yes it’s in Melbourne” he said “Have you ever been?”
“No I haven’t but I’ve heard it’s very lovely” she said
“Oh it really is” he agreed
“What about the Galloper?” Gabriel said reminding them they were not alone
“Well I haven’t seen it yet” he said “And we haven’t talked money, but he is keen to move quite quickly”
“So what do you need from us?” Gabriel asked
“Well just an agreement in principle to sanction the loan” he said
“But you don’t know how much you will need” Gabriel pointed out
“Well I don’t want to spend more the £30,000” he said
“I just don’t want to waste their time or my own for that matter if we can’t borrow the money to fund the acquisition and the shipping”
The meeting continued for an hour with Brian Tyler detailing the Fun Park’s financial status and the St George’s were satisfied the business was healthy.
They also discussed the practicalities of transporting a piece of fairground hardware half way around the world.
Although he hadn’t seen the Australian Galloper Peter had a large quantity of detailed pictures which indicated it was the real deal.
When the meeting was over the St Georges had guaranteed a loan up to the value of £50,000”
Verification would need to be provided of its authenticity as a Morehouse and full details of how complete it was before the funds were transferred but Peter Philips had the loan agreed in principle.
“Well, keep us posted with your progress” Gabriel said
“Thank you Mr St George” Brian Tyler said as Gabriel stood up.
“Yes thank you” Peter Philips said and tore his attention away from Elspeth and stood up proffering his hand.
“And thank you also Ms St George”
“Yes thank you Elspeth” Peter said taking her hand again.
“I think they need to be going now Peter” Clifford said slapping Peter firmly on the back so he reluctantly let go of Elspeth’s hand and they both blushed again.
“You know how to contact us” Gabriel said and handed a business card to Peter and Elspeth handed hers to him and to Gabriel’s amazement she giggled again.
Elspeth and Gabriel didn’t say a word on the short walk back to the car but when she walked to the passenger side Gabriel broke the silence.
“Oy dolly daydream.” He shouted. “You’re driving remember”
She jumped. “Sorry Gabe I was miles away.”
“Yes I know and further more I know where you were and who you were with”
He said and she flushed red
“Shut up and get in the car” she said
(Part 05)
Spring had come early to Downshire and although she was enjoying the unseasonably warm weather Elspeth had spent the two weeks after her visit to Sharpington slightly depressed and more than a little bewildered.
She had been awaiting, no expecting, a phone call, from Peter Philips, she was convinced that they had hit it off, or connected, or something and she just couldn’t understand why he hadn’t rung her or sent her a text or even emailed her.
This was new territory for Elspeth because normally she was not short of admirers, though not in any way inundated, and most of them she felt complete indifference towards, but typically it was they who did the waiting by the phone.
She was not used to wanting someone to call and to have someone she was attracted to, fancied even, not call her.
Indeed it was something of a novelty, which she was neither accustomed to nor would wish to become accustomed to.
She had even committed the cardinal sin, something she had never done before or for that matter ever contemplated doing, in fact she had never needed to consider.
Elspeth had called his office, not once, nor twice but three times.
She was told on all three occasions that he was not available.
Peter Philips was not available!
“Bloody cheek” She thought
Elspeth was a bit of party girl when she was at University and was considered very good company.
She had slowed down a bit since then but she was still popular and had a large circle of friends which she still met up with regularly, but she hadn’t been able to enjoy herself since she met that bloody Fun Park man.
And for the previous week she hadn’t been out at all or met up with anyone.
All because of that bloody, bloody man.
As another week passed and May came to the Vale Elspeth St George continued to discharge her duties in a state of anxious bewilderment because he still hadn’t called.
What was wrong with the man? Or was it her? Had she just misread the situation? How could she have got it so wrong?
After all she thought he was besotted with her, he really seemed to be, she was now beginning to think it was merely conceit on her part, to assume that he liked her.
Elspeth was certainly besotted with him and that had never happened before, and she wasn’t sure she liked it at all.
So she took the unprecedented step of actually going to the Fun Park, on the pretext of further discussions on the loan, but in reality she went to see Peter Philips only to be told he was not available.
“I have never ever been treated so shabbily” she thought to herself indignantly and then chastised herself because she realized she was just being given a taste of her own medicine.
“I need to talk to someone?” she said “But who?”
“Gabriel? No that wouldn’t work, he’d laugh, my sisters? No they would be unsympathetic, no it has to be Aunty Phil, I will talk to Aunty Phil”
(Part 06)
Elspeth St George was anxiously stalking Aunty Phil through the village as she went around the parish delivering Church magazines.
She had tried several times to approach her at the Manor but she was frustrated by the constant interruptions, either by someone else butting in or by the telephone ringing.
She even tried to catch her in the Manor grounds walking her dog, biscuit, but just when she got close her fiancé the Vicar got to her first.
Which was why after a week she was reduced to stalking her Aunt like a criminal.
Elspeth had followed her to every house in the village and then tracked her from shop to shop.
By the time Philomena reached Legg’s Farm shop; Elspeth was desperate, even though she had no idea what she would say.
When Aunty Phil was inside Legg’s, Elspeth waited until Aunty Phil had paid for her fruit and veg and seized her chance to make her move.
“Hi Aunty, can I help with your bags you look a bit over loaded?”
“Hi, Thanks El, I have over done it a bit. It’s a good job I’ve finished” she replied and Elspeth took a few of the heavier bags from her.
“Are you heading back home now?” She asked “Have you finished your shopping?”
“Oh yes it was lucky you ran into me I’m not sure I would have made it back on my own” she replied
Philomena had been aware of Elspeth at the Manor and suspected she was trying to talk to her, she had even noticed her around the village a couple of times and looking at her pensive expression she suddenly realized it was not a chance meeting.
“Do you know what I could do with?” Aunty Phil said
Elspeth shook her head.
“A drink” She answered indicating the Old Mill Inn with her eyes. “Do you fancy one?”
“Yes, I’d love one” Elspeth said and visibly brightened.
Once they were settled at a table Elspeth sat fiddling with a napkin and trying to think of what to say and Philomena stirred her coffee while she looked on, rather enjoying her nieces’ discomfiture while Elspeth tortured herself, and Philomena smiled to herself, but finally she could stand it no longer.
“So what’s on your mind El?”
“Eh?” She exclaimed and had an expression on her face like a rabbit caught in the headlights of an approaching car.
“Something’s bothering you, what is it?”
Elspeth took a deep breath.
“Oh Aunty Phil, I’ve been dying to talk to someone” She said
“But I feel so silly and I don’t know where to start.”
“At the beginning is a good place.” Philomena said simply.
“Well you know Gabriel and I went over to the Sharpington Fun Park a month ago?”
Aunty Phil nodded and sipped her coffee.
“Well we finished up in the General Manager’s office and we met”
“Peter Philips” Phil interrupted.
“Yes, how did you know?” she asked
“Gabriel told me, he said you were smitten” Aunty Phil said and smiled broadly.
“Gabriel?”
“Yes, he said he was a nice guy. So what’s the problem?”
“He hasn’t called me. That’s the problem. I gave him my card and he hasn’t called”
“Well that’s curious” Philomena said
“No its infuriating is what it is” Elspeth corrected her
“Wait a minute, you did throw away all of those misprinted cards you had? Didn’t you? The one’s with the Manor Farm phone number on”
“Oh God I hadn’t thought of that” Elspeth said and was horrified.
“Have you called him?”
“Yes several times, I even went there to see him but I was told he wasn’t available” She said
“I can’t believe he wouldn’t see you or speak to you if he was there, he seemed too nice for that.” Philomena said finishing her coffee.
“Have you met him then?” she asked urgently.
“Not to talk to, but he was at the Manor one day talking to Gabriel” Aunty Phil replied. “I assumed it was something to do with the loan”
“I didn’t get a message” she said
“That doesn’t mean that he didn’t leave one” Philomena pointed out “Have you spoken to Gabriel?”
(Part 07)
The moment Elspeth and Aunty Phil returned to the Manor and she had carried the bags to the kitchen, she went in search of her brother Gabriel.
She found him in his office in conversation, well he was on the telephone anyway in a form of conversation with her sister Tallulah about a potential tenant up at Mornington Field.
“Ok give me a call later” he said and hung up.
“Gabriel?” Elspeth said “Have you got a minute?”
“What is it El?” He asked.
“I’ve been trying to get in touch with Peter Philips but I’m not having any luck, but Aunty Phil said he came here to the Manor about a month ago and spoke to you”
“Yes he did” he replied
“Did he leave a message?” Asked Elspeth.
“A message?” he asked with a smile
“I don’t know about a message, but he left some documents”
“What documents?” She snapped “It’s very important.”
“They’re in your office” he replied “I put them in the file on your desk”
“Thanks Gabe” she said rushing out the door.
She ran up the stairs and straight into her office and when she got inside she closed the door and sat down at her desk.
She quickly searched her desk and located the relevant file and when she opened it she located the envelope which was simply addressed to Elspeth.
She sat at her desk for what seemed like an hour, although it was only a few minutes in reality, staring at the envelope.
What if it was another set of photos of the Galloper or minutes of their meeting or a basic thank you for granting the loan.
She steeled herself, took a deep breath and ripped open the envelope.
Inside, folded in half, was a sheet of A5 notepaper.
She took another deep breath and chastised herself for behaving like a silly schoolgirl and unfolded the sheet of notepaper.
On the paper was a short hand written note in very neat style of handwriting.
And she read:
Miss Elspeth St George
I have to apologize for contacting you in this rather forward manner, but I have been trying to speak with you for the last few days and I have tried several times to phone you on the mobile number you provided.
This was however to no avail as all I managed to do was to get a rather rude and abusive gentleman whose comments I could not bring myself to commit to paper.
I understand from your brother that you are out of the office so I am leaving this note.
I am now going to be out of the country for the next few weeks.
The reason I have been so anxious to contact you is that I would very much like to take you to dinner, which will now have to be on my return.
I look forward to hearing from you, and I hope very much that you will honor me with your company.
My very best regards.
Peter
At the bottom of the page, also in his very neat hand, were two phone numbers and an email address.
She was up on her feet and dancing when the door opened and Philomena walked in having been attracted by the noise and Elspeth raced over and hugged her.
“Its good news then?” she said
“Yes, yes” was all Elspeth could manage.
“Good” Aunty Phil said “but don’t hug too tight though because I need a wee”
(Part 08)
Elspeth was feeling much happier with the world, not only had she, if belatedly, received and read the letter from Peter Philips but after doing the preliminary monthly accounts the revenues from Mornington Field had set a new high, so she was on top of the world.
And on Friday Michelle Norman from Bizzie Lizzies delivered a bouquet of flowers and she managed to corner Aunty Phil in the kitchen just as she returned from walking biscuit.
“Hi Aunty these are for you” she said
“They’re lovely” she said “but what are they for?”
“They are to say thanks for your help with ... well you know what”
“Thanks El, that’s really sweet”
It was three days since she had received and read the letter and it was also three days since she had begun trying to contact him on the two phone numbers and the email address he had included in the letter.
Peter kept two mobile phones, one for business and one for private use.
When she dialed the mobile phone numbers all she got was the answer phone, so she left message, after message, after message.
When that failed she emailed, several times, but also to no avail.
So during those three days she had gone through every emotion between elation and black despair.
Her inability to contact him caused her to doubt the evidence contained in the letter, which had led her to believe his interest in her was more than professional and she even began to doubt his motives for wanting to dine with her.
She even wondered if he had actually left the country and thought it might be a trick, why she thought that she didn’t know.
He wrote in his letter that he was going to be out of the country, Australia obviously, but irrationally she thought he might merely playing some kind of sadistic game with her.
But she played her part in the game by phoning and emailing at regular intervals and she even resorted to phoning Peters assistant Manager Clifford Reed.
He told her the last time he spoke with Peter he was in transit to Australia but that had been over two weeks ago and he had heard nothing since.
That was when she became even more irrational and began to wonder if he had been killed and that was the reason nobody could reach him.
Or maybe he was lying in a coma somewhere in a filthy foreign hospital.
After a disturbed and restless night she awoke early the next morning, around four o’clock, she picked up her Laptop and went to the kitchen and made herself a hot drink.
Once her cocoa was made she sat silently at the table and switched on her Laptop to check her emails.
As she logged on she expected to find her mailbox empty as usual and she was right it was empty but for two pieces of junk mail.
One was asking her if she had ever been miss sold PPI and the second, as if to add insult on to injury, was an invitation to join a dating site.
Which was when she cursed herself for abandoning her carefree existence and allowing herself to be diverted by the stupid man.
(Part 09)
She had never sought a soul mate or a life partner she had an abundance of friends with whom she had fun and sitting alone in the kitchen at 4 am was not fun.
What her friends must be thinking of her she could hardly imagine all she could do was put the previous month down as a temporary aberration she would tell her friends she had been unwell but that she was much better now.
Elspeth reached out and picked up her address book and flicked through it.
It was time to put all this love nonsense behind her, it was not for her, and now she had to get on with her life.
Finishing her drink she made herself another mug and returned to the Laptop and was about to switch off.
But before she shut it down she heard a distinctive ping!
She had mail.
“What this time” she said, “free books, Jesus saves, stripper’s r us, porn, penis enhancement’s or another lonely-hearts site”
So she ignored it and prepared to hit shut down.
“But what if?” she said
“No! I’m not going there again” she said to herself.
“But what if?” she repeated
“Oh enough now with the “What ifs”, no! I’ve made my decision, it’s over, and I’m cured” she said but she hesitated, her hand poised over the power switch.
“Shit!” She muttered as she sat down again and opened her mailbox all the time cursing herself for weakening.
But there was a new email from an address she didn’t recognize and so she moved it to trash without opening it.
“Why am I doing this to myself?” She said to herself walking towards her bedroom.
“Why didn’t I just trust my own judgment in the first place?” she asked herself and then stopped suddenly.
“AU!” she shouted, “It ended AU.”
Elspeth ran back to the kitchen and switched on the laptop and quickly recovered the email from the trash.
Elspeth took a deep breath and opened the email and discovered it was from Peter.
As she eagerly read the mail all her doubts and fears dissolved away.
Peter was indeed in Australia and he had had a series of misadventures first of all he dropped his business mobile in the departure lounge at Heathrow Airport and then on arrival in Sydney he had the bag containing his laptop stolen and it was only when he tried to use his second mobile phone to report the theft of his laptop that he realized it was also in the bag with his laptop so that was why Elspeth had been unable to contact him.
The reason for his protracted visit was that after he had viewed the Galloper and secured its purchase he heard that there was another collection of vintage amusement park spares.
The only problem was that they were a few hundred miles the other side of the back of beyond where there was no mobile phone coverage and the internet was a little more than a dream.
However once he was back in Sydney, staying at the home of a close friend he availed himself of his friend’s computer.
He still had a few lose ends to tie up but he was hoping to be back in England by the end of the following week and Elspeth was overjoyed.
She replied to the mail immediately and was rewarded a few minutes later with a reply of her own.
The tit for tat emails continued for the next two hours until she glanced at the clock and reluctantly dragged herself away to get ready for work but then she realized it was Saturday so she took her laptop up to her room.
Elspeth spent much of a bright spring Saturday in her room dressed in “Sloppy Joes” and glued to her computer trading emails with Peter Philips in Australia.
The general content of their correspondence was first date stuff finding out the other’s likes and dislikes their backgrounds and their aspirations.
This was interspersed with outrageous flirtation and even a degree of lovemaking.
This was a new experience certainly for her and she hoped for him also, she had not had Internet sex before, it was nice.
Even so she couldn’t wait for him to come home.
(Part 10)
A week later Elspeth St George’s attractive figure trembled as she looked up at the board to see that flight BA145 from Sydney had landed.
On Sunday Morning she had arrived at the airport two hours before the flight was due and then the flight was delayed a further ninety minutes.
Elspeth had spent a sleepless night and rose early and even spending two hours getting ready hadn’t eaten into the time as much as she thought it would so Elspeth decided she might as well waste the time at the airport rather than at home.
But that turned out to be a big mistake.
She had thought that there would be more distractions at a busy international airport and the time would not hang so heavy.
The problem with that theory was that almost everywhere she looked at the airport there was a clock or time display of some nature.
She had bought magazines, she tried reading a book, and she drank endless cups of coffee and made endless visits to the toilets.
As a result Elspeth felt as though she had been at the damned airport for days.
But when she saw on the display board that the plane had landed she was trembling.
Elspeth turned on her heels and rushed to the nearest toilets.
After emptying her bladder for the umpteenth time she stood in front of the mirror and surveyed her reflection.
She was, by her own admission, a rather good looking girl, blonde hair with rather striking features, the most stunning eyes and even better legs.
As she stood before the mirror she combed her shoulder length blonde hair and then touched up her makeup.
She wore a short floral dress, showing off her legs, she liked her legs, then turned side on to admire herself in the mirror then she stood on her tiptoes to get a better look at her legs, and then she nodded to herself.
Having viewed herself from every possible angle she gave herself a quick spray of perfume and put her things away in her bag.
After stopping briefly for one last look in the mirror and then she said out loud.
“Yes you will do very nicely”
Elspeth nodded to herself and made her way back to the arrivals hall.
As Elspeth reached the arrivals gate the first of the passengers were beginning to dribble through.
And as more and more passengers streamed through the gate she began to panic.
“What if he doesn’t recognize me now I’m not dressed in a business suit” She thought “or what if I don’t recognize him?”
When she calmed herself down she thought.
“I hope this blokes worth all this, my life’s been a complete disaster since the moment we first met” she said to herself
She need not have worried, the moment she saw him she knew him, and it was not the shabbily dressed man she had first met.
But the tall, lean thirty something that entered the concourse it was unmistakable Peter Philips.
He was wearing chinos and a sweatshirt and she thought he looked great.
There was tiredness around the eyes but apart from that he looked good enough to eat.
He paused for a moment to glance at the sea of faces then he looked straight into her exceptional eyes, smiled and walked toward her.
She pointed towards the exit and they began walking that way, both on different sides of the barrier and never averting their gaze and totally oblivious to anyone else’s presence.
When they reached the exit in the barrier they continued walking still gazing at each other until they were out of the main flow of travelers and they were facing each other.
“Hello” Peter said.
“Hello” She answered coyly and then they kissed and all the panic and self-doubt she had felt, just melted away.
“This man is worth it” she thought “this man is my soul mate”
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