(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 Lorraine Weaving, a beautiful 29 year old with hazel eyes, 5 foot 7 inches tall, athletically built and completely bald.
She was completely devoid of any hair at all, no eyebrows, body hair and as everyone was always asking her, nothing down there as well.
And the answer to the other question she was always being asked, was that she fell out of a tree when she was six.
Lorraine was originally born in Childean, but in her 29 years she had lived all over the Finchbottom Vale which nestles comfortably between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest to the south and the rolling Pepperstock Hills in the north, 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.
There were only three small bodies of water left in the Vale by the 21st Century, one in Mornington, and one in Childean and third of course was in Purplemere.
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 it was in agriculture that the Weaving family had earned their livings for centuries but Lorraine, who loved her family and the Vale in equal measure, decided pretty early on in her life that agriculture was not for her.
She could have chosen almost any Town or Village in the Vale to start her change of career but she chose Highfinch, partly because she had a great aunt living in the village who offered her a roof over her head but mainly because she held a particular affinity for the village because it was in Hawks Wood where she parted company with her hair.
She did a variety of menial jobs in her teens, but it was after she started working for the Lily Green Hollows Gold Club that her life really got going.
It was her willingness to do any job she was given without a word of complaint that got her noticed, and when there were functions and extra staff were needed she was always on the list, and after two years, David Pike, who was then the assistant manager offered her a full time job.
She stayed there for eight years before applying for the Practice Managers position at the Doctors surgery, which she got on the back of David Pikes recommendation.
(Part 02)
When Lorraine Weaving took over as practice manager of the Highfinch Surgery she quickly made new friends as she made her mark in her quiet and unassuming way and Lorraine was well liked by staff and patients alike and she firmly believed she had found her niche.
So she had a nice little house in the village a job that she loved and wonderful friends and she was as content as she had ever been, but all of that changed on the 1st of July.
The practice nurse/district nurse had returned from her very busy morning of home visits and was back in the surgery running the clinic and it was as Lorraine and Marina were walking towards reception that it happened.
As they approached the seating area Marina spotted her wounded soldier, who was waiting for his physio appointment.
“Come on Lorraine I’ll introduce you to my soldier”
“Oh ok” Lorraine retorted, who actually had no interest whatsoever in meeting Paul Russell, her wounded soldier, whom she suspected Marina thought of as more than her patient.
He had been severely wounded by an IED in Afghanistan his left leg had gone below the knee and his right just above it and Marina had nursed him to the point of falling in love with him.
“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 as he stared at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and the fact the she was completely bald didn’t detract from that in any way to his mind.
“I’ll take you through Paul” Marina said and left the Captain and Lorraine in reception still shaking hands.
After a minute or so they became aware of the fact they still had each other by the hand and let go as they both coloured up.
“Do you live locally?” she asked
“In a manner of speaking” he replied and when he saw the quizzical look on her face it was obvious to him that his answer was too vague by half, so he elaborated.
“My “Home” is with the regiment in Nettlefield but when I’m on leave as I am at present I stay with my parents in the Dulcets”
Before she could elicit any further information from him Marina returned and the nature of the converse changed and then after five minute she was called away for a telephone call and when she had finished Peter and Marina’s soldier were gone.
She did think she might quiz Marina about the Captain but she was out all day on Thursday and Friday was her day off.
Lorraine had Friday afternoon off herself to get ready for the Summer Ball.
So after lunch she went to Mazzone’s to have a manicure, pedicure and a facial which took most of the afternoon
(Part 03)
The Annual Finchbottom Vale Health Care Summer Ball was for health employees of the Vale and its environs and that year it was being held at the Clayton Manor Hotel in the village of Clayton.
It was always a grand affair, Dinner jackets and evening dresses were compulsory and tickets were always in great demand.
Each surgery in the Vale got an allocation and every year there was a tremendous excitement as to who would get them and that year Lorraine was one of the lucky ones.
Lorraine was wearing a knee length emerald green dress that hugged her figure beautifully,
She was a tall girl, athletically built with a lovely shape and stunning legs clad in black, and her shoes were green to match her dress.
“Hello” he said “its nurse Lorraine isn’t it?”
“Yes” she replied
Despite the fact she had only met him the once, and briefly at that, she recognised him instantly even in a dinner suit.
“Hello Captain”
“Call me Peter” he said
“No uniform tonight Peter?” she asked
“I love a man in uniform” and then she inexplicably blushed she never normally blushed, but then she wasn’t normally flirting.
In her head she chastised herself for behaving like a schoolgirl.
“You’re 29 for god’s sake so start acting like it, and whatever you do don’t ask…”
“Are you here with someone?” she asked
“Yes and no” he replied
Lorraine only heard the word yes and was very disappointed
“I’m here with my brother Bob” he continued.
“Bob?” she asked
“Yes Dr Loosemore”
“Oh I see” Lorraine said
She had heard the name but didn’t know the man personally.
That wasn’t important, the Captain was “alone” and that was.
“I was sorry to have missed you when you left the surgery the other day” she said
“Yes me too” he agreed “But I had to get back to camp, the Regiment is deploying again”
“Oh” she said “when?”
“Tomorrow” Peter replied
“Tomorrow?” she said disappointed again
“You can’t say where I suppose?”
“No”
“But nowhere nice?” She asked
“Definitely not somewhere nice” he agreed
A comfortable silence settled around them and Lorraine’s mind drifted.
She really liked him, if she didn’t like him so much she wouldn’t have been so dithery, but it had been a while since she had fancied anyone, and she was desperately trying to think how to proceed when he asked.
“Would you like to dance?”
“Love to” she replied with relief
Peter took her hand and led her to the dance floor and they danced through
“I’m not in love” by10cc
“James Blunts “You’re Beautiful”
Barbara Streisand’s “The way we were”
“I will always love you” by Whitney Houston
And Fleetwood Macs “Albatross”
When Peter was tapped on the shoulder, he reluctantly relinquished his hold on Lorraine and turned around
“Come on bro” a man said “it’s time”
“Ok Bob” he said “I’ll be right there”
Bob nodded and walked towards the door
“I’m afraid I need to go” Peter said
“I understand” she said
“It was nice seeing you again” he said
“Perhaps when I return I could call you?”
“Yes” Lorraine said “I’d like that”
And then he was gone.
(Part 04)
After dancing with Captain Loosemore at the Summer Ball she had been able to think of little else.
As the practice manager she was kept very busy but still her mind wandered so she was dreading the August Bank Holiday weekend so she spent the three days in her little house doing chores.
It had been eight weeks since she had danced the night away with her Captain and she still hadn’t heard from him.
Which was why when the Bank Holiday arrived she decided to spring clean the house from top to bottom to keep herself occupied.
She dusted, vacuumed, washed, mopped and polished, and all the bedding was washed as was every curtain.
So by Monday lunchtime the whole house was gleaming and she put the kettle on and stood back and admired her handiwork.
However once all the work was done she had too much time to think again, so wearing knee length blue and white striped dungarees over a white vest top she drove round to White Rose Cottage to ask Sgt Russell about Captain Loosemore but there was no one home so she went home again and switched on the TV and the lead story on the evening news was that six British soldiers had been killed in Afghanistan and she cried.
Her closest friend, Doctor Jade Flowers, had noticed she was a little down for a number of weeks, although she hadn’t been able to ascertain the reason, so when she was invited to a dinner Party at the Vicarage she took her along.
She knew everyone present, Jade Flowers obviously, Jenna Lawton, the de facto Vicar, The two redoubtable village good eggs, middle-aged buddies Vicki Paulding and Julia Thomas, and their best friend Cressida van Meeuwen.
Local celebrity TV presenter Nick Faulkner, furniture maker Farron Sutherland and Dentist Jonathon Walters.
They were a mixed bunch, varying ages and occupations, a mix of the Godly and the heathen, the old and the young the sublime and the ridiculous, then bang on 8 o’clock another Dentist Lianne Martin arrived and she was surprised to be told that she was the last.
“Come in” the Vicar said and handed her a menu “we’ve all chosen”
They had an excellent curry and a liberal quantity of beer and wine was consumed, apart from Jade who was on call.
The conversation ebbed and flowed and the overall atmosphere was very congenial and as the evening wore on the Trivial Pursuit appeared to universal acclaim.
Sadly after about an hour and with their team winning, Jade was paged and had to leave and so Lorraine left with her.
Jade and Lorraine were disappointed to have to leave, it was really good fun, but Lorraine’s mood improved after Jade dropped her home.
She went inside and put on the kettle and while she was waiting for it to boil she went on her tablet, which was when she discovered the email from her Captain.
(Part 05)
Lorraine’s head was in a spin after finally getting word from Captain Loosemore.
It was strange the effect of not hearing from him for so long had had on her, after all she had only met him twice, once briefly at the surgery and a second time at the Summer Ball.
Yet he had filled her thoughts every day since the Ball.
His regiment had left Afghanistan and because it had been a particularly bloody tour, which had cost 11 dead and 8 wounded from the Downshire’s it was currently in Germany for R&R before returning to the UK and this period prompted a flurry of emails between the two of them and they had begun the process of getting to know each other.
It was a kind of Q & A back and forth so they could slowly build up a picture of each other.
Peter told her that the thought of seeing her again had kept him going at his lowest moments and she told him how much she had looked forward to seeing him again.
She told him everything about herself and held nothing back she was not some little princess or in any way an innocent, which may not have fitted with the girl he stood on the pedestal.
She didn’t want any falsehoods about her past, which wasn’t as posh as his, she wanted whatever feelings, or the glimmer of feelings, that they might have for each other to be given every possible chance to mature.
Peter, despite being a soldier was not as worldly wise when it came to women and he had a much less colourful sex life than some of his comrades.
In fact he hadn’t been entirely truthful with her in that regard either, in fact he had rather exaggerated the number of his lovers.
He knew she was more experienced that he was and didn’t expect a woman approaching 30 to be unblemished and wasn’t blind to the fact that he had seen the ugly side of life and would not be naïve or an innocent.
The correspondence continued between them for several weeks while the regiment was in Germany.
The general content of their correspondence was the first date kind of stuff finding out each 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.
But there were anxieties as well because Lorraine was nervous about seeing him again, while being excited at the same time.
On the day of their date she was up early, way too early which under the circumstances was a mistake because it gave her far too much time to think.
She wanted the date to be so perfect and all she could think of was all the things that might go wrong.
(Part 06)
Lorraine was still nervous when she arrived in Purplemere on the evening of their date and despite her best efforts she was about half an hour early, which gave her half an hour in which to conceive of a thousand and one scenarios in which the evening could go horribly wrong.
But as she waited outside the Runcible Spoon Restaurant Lorraine was ridiculously happy, a happiness that she was meeting Captain Loosemore again.
She looked at her watch and the time was imminent and Lorraine had a strange feeling, she actually had butterflies in her tummy, she had never had that happen before except when she was a school girl, Lorraine Weaving was well and truly smitten.
She wondered if the effect of not hearing from him for so long had intensified her feelings, and the fear that he might have been killed or injured might have heightened them further.
After all she had only met him twice, once briefly at the surgery and a second time at the Summer Ball, but whatever the reason for it he had filled her thoughts every day since the Ball.
The last time Peter had seen her was at the Annual Finchbottom Vale Health Care Summer Ball annual Summer Ball the Clayton Manor Hotel in the village of Clayton when Lorraine was wearing a knee length emerald green dress that hugged her figure beautifully,
The image of the athletically built tall girl, with a lovely shape and stunning legs clad in black, and green shoes to match her dress was burned into his brain, unfortunately she wouldn’t be wearing that outfit to the restaurant, and that was his biggest fear, that he wouldn’t be able to recognise her.
He knew Lorraine was a tall girl, five feet seven inches tall, with a lovely shape and stunning legs.
But his great fear was that he wouldn’t recognize her out of context and then he remembered then that she was completely bald.
When Peter walked into the plaza there she was, Lorraine Weaving the beautiful practice manager with her glorious hairless head, standing nervously, looking vulnerable and childlike and every bit as beautiful as he remembered.
When she spotted him out of the corner of her eye her skin instantly flushed pink and she looked like she had been freshly scrubbed.
She daren’t turn around to watch him approach so she took a deep breath and resolutely looked in the opposite direction.
“Hello Lorraine” Peter said
“Oh hi” she said acting surprised
Any fears or apprehensions they may have had at the beginning had long since disappeared by the end of evening.
Lorraine thought he was even more handsome than she remembered and she really liked him, really, really liked him.
And she believed that by the way he was looking at her during the evening that he really liked her too.
But when they got to their cars much to her disappointment he just kissed her cheek and thanked her for a lovely evening and watched her drive away.
Further dates followed and they always went the same way they would have an immensely enjoyable evening ending with a kiss either by her car or on the doorstep of her house.
(Part 07)
Following their meal in Purplemere, there were further dates over the next few months and they always went the same way, they would have an immensely enjoyable evening ending with a kiss either by her car or on the doorstep of her house.
She knew that he fancied her as much as she did him so she didn’t understand why he hadn’t wanted to take it any further.
Admittedly the quality and quantity of kissing had increased exponentially with each successive date, but she wanted him to seduce her, she wanted to be wooed and courted but most of all she wanted him to make love to her.
But if she couldn’t get him into her house there was no chance of him getting her into her bed.
Now a woman of Lorraine’s undoubted self-confidence could easily have forced the issue if she chose but she wanted him to make the running and she wanted their first time to be perfect, she just didn’t know how long she could wait for perfection to put in an appearance.
So she had to seduce him in such a way that he would think he was seducing her, and she went about this by inviting Peter to her house for supper for their next date a week before Christmas.
After Peter accepted the invitation for supper Lorraine was faced with two problems.
The first one was that if she was to succeed in her goal then subtlety would be the order of the day which was not a quality she possessed in any significant quantity.
While the second was something rather more fundamental she couldn’t really cook, in fact she couldn’t cook at all.
However the second problem was easily solved in the end as her friend Jade Flowers was a great cook and when she asked her for advice on what to serve she volunteered to cook it for her and then she would just need to warm it through on the night and she even made the deserts.
Lorrain’s one and only contribution to the menu was to make the prawn cocktail starters and of course her other contribution was to make herself look gorgeous and eminently beddable.
So came the night and Lorraine looked stunning, wearing a simple little black dress and quite frankly looked as edible as any other offering on the menu.
The meal was a great success and was consumed heartily along with a quantity of wine.
They ended up on the sofa and Lorraine was burning with desire, Peter meanwhile was trying to summon up the courage to kiss her and was looking anxious.
Lorraine wanted him so badly and she was just coming to the conclusion that perfection wasn’t all it was cracked up to be when he leant over and kissed her.
The kissing on the sofa progressed very satisfactorily and she was getting increasingly hot, and increasingly impatient.
Their lips parted and Peter looked deeply into her eyes and said
“I want you”
“Thank you God” Lorraine screamed in her head, but out loud she just said
“I want you too”
(Part 08)
The kissing on the sofa progressed very satisfactorily and she was getting increasingly hot, and increasingly impatient.
Their lips parted and Peter looked deeply into her eyes and said
“I want you”
“Thank you God” Lorraine screamed in her head, but out loud she just said
“I want you too”
If she hadn’t wanted their first time to be special she would have made love with him on the sofa but she was nonetheless surprised to hear herself say
“Let me go up first and get ready”
She didn’t have a clue where it had come from but judging by the look on his face it seemed to have been well received by Peter.
Lorraine smiled and kissed him gently on the lips and added
“Give me five minutes”
She got up from the sofa and went upstairs slowly and controlled, but inside her head she was singing and dancing and the moment she got into her bedroom she stripped naked in thirty seconds flat.
The door closed behind him after he entered Lorraine’s room and he saw she was lying in bed with only her head and shoulders visible and was wearing as far as he could tell absolutely nothing.
When he got down to his pants he turned his back to her and quickly slipped into bed.
This act of shyness endeared him to her even more and she rolled over to greet him.
“It was the thought of this moment that kept me going in Afghanistan” He said
“Really?” she replied “I hope you’re not disappointed”
“So far so good” he said and cuddled up closer to her.
“Well hon I’ve been waiting for this moment too” Lorraine said
And in response he kissed her lips softly and when she responded the kiss grew in intensity as their tongues entwined and the pent up want and need was released as their hands explored and caressed each other’s bodies beneath the duvet.
As they lay panting in the afterglow Lorraine said breathlessly
“Oh Peter, I love you”
And in response he kissed her hot panting mouth and replied.
“I love you too”
That was an entirely unexpected outcome for Lorraine, the thought that she loved him had never even crossed her mind.
She knew that she liked him from the first moment she met him but was that love?
To her great relief Peter said that he loved her too, but did he?
In the post coital hours they discussed at length the implications of their declarations and the basis on which they made them.
The outcome of their deliberations was that they were indeed in love and were victims of love at first sight.
This was something they had both heard of but didn’t actually believe was possible in reality.
They thought it was just the stuff of Romantic comedies.
However the implications of their joint declarations were self-evident and before they made love for a second time Peter made and Lorraine accepted his proposal of marriage.
Saturday, 25 March 2017
Friday, 24 March 2017
Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (25) A Very Christmas Romance
(Part 01)
Tommy Weir’s cab arrived back at the Tipton Country Park Hotel in the North Downshire village of Tipton just as the snow began to fall again.
He paid the driver and then he and Danny walked into the plush panelled lobby of the hotel.
It had been a really nice evening out, a phenomenal meal and good company.
There were forty of them at the restaurant, colleagues from all over Europe some of them were strangers, some were close friends and some of them more so.
“Night cap?” Tommy asked
“No thanks’ mate I’m on the red eye in the morning” Danny replied.
Tommy looked at his watch and saw it was already morning.
“I’ll say goodnight then” he said and they shook hands and Danny headed for the desk.
Tom was definitely up for one, so he headed for the bar.
There were only a handful of people in there at that hour and as he caught the night porter’s eye he said “Southern Comfort please, a large one”
“Make that two” a voice said from behind him.
He recognised the voice immediately, those wonderful plummy tones were acutely familiar to him, perfect English, each vowel dripping with sexuality, so he said to the barman “Two”
Then he turned around and looked at the woman who had been the object of his lust for nine months and an unrequited love for three of those and very much requited for another three of them.
Justine Khan was his older woman, his cougar to use the modern parlance.
She was a few months on the wrong side of fifty but still beautiful in his eyes even though he was fifteen years younger.
Justine and Tommy had shared an office at Brocklington Broadcast International for over a year, and at first he loathed her, he thought she was vain, overbearing and manipulative and her opinion of him was much the same.
They even lived in the same village, Dulcet St Mary and attended the same church, St Mary of Bethany.
They sang in the same choir and sat on the same committees so there was no escape for him from the bloody woman.
But as the weeks changed into months his feelings for her changed with them.
Justine had an Egyptian father and an English mother which left her with a dark complexion and western features.
She was an exotic looking woman with jet black hair and large brown eyes.
Justine was a tall woman, slender and very well endowed with legs to die for.
He would surreptitiously watch her move around the office on her shapely legs, admiring the tightness of her skirt around her hips and buttocks as she bent.
And when she was sat at her desk his eyes would stray to her gaping blouse and the treasures contained within.
But it wasn’t until a grey overcast day in June, on an office beano to Epsom Downs that they showed each other in no uncertain terms how they felt, when as the Derby favourites thundered towards the finish line Justine and Tommy, away from prying eyes, kissed for the first time.
And as they kissed he unzipped her leather jacket and slipped his hands inside her shirt to caress her naked skin.
(Part 02)
Over the weeks that followed that first kiss on the racecourse, so did more sensual moments of intimacy, but they were really only tasters of what the two of them truly desired.
They had tried on several occasions to engineer an opportunity to take their burgeoning relationship to the next level.
One such opportunity was a three day trip to visit suppliers, which they got rubber stamped by management and booked appointments and hotels and they were feeling very pleased with themselves for their lustful scheming.
However an unseen hand dealt them a bitter blow when Justine went down with laryngitis.
Afterwards they tried to just arrange a simple dirty weekend away, Abbotsford, Abbeyvale, Applesford and even other places that didn’t begin with the letter A.
They even devised an intricate scenario for the benefit of Justine’s husband, Sammi, which he swallowed hook, line and sinker but then that failed at the eleventh hour when Tommy broke his wrist.
However even though it seemed like the fates were against them they decided they should have one last role of the dice.
So it was at the Brocklington Broadcast International Christmas Party weekend in Tipton that they planned to finally consummate their lust.
They had been out to a restaurant in Roespring called The Old School House and they had spent the evening sitting at the same table during the dinner, discreetly holding hands under the table, but as they left at the end of the evening they got separated and ended up in different cabs.
Tommy obviously thought that fate had interceded once again and their last chance had gone.
He supposed that it would be more devastating to him than to her because although he was single man, Justine was a married woman, which meant that for her there was some guilt involved, even if her husband Sammi was a complete waste of space.
But despite any perceived guilt Tommy was delighted to find Justine was waiting for him in the bar when he got back to the hotel.
He hadn’t taken into account that she would want it as bad as he did.
They sat in the corner of the bar and finished their drink.
“Another?” he asked
“I don’t think so” Justine said sharply and stood up, took his hand and dragged him to his feet.
“Let’s have the next one in my room” she said and led him by the hand through the plush reception area, with its brass fittings and oak wood paneling and green leather upholstery, up to the reception desk and collected their room keys.
With the key cards in hand Justine hurried him along the corridor and her wonderful plummy tones accompanied him all the way down the corridor until they finally arrived at their destination which was Justine’s room where they stood in the corridor and kissed.
At first it was the usual semi controlled kissing they had done so many times before but it quickly became hot and passionate as his hand sought out her breast, which was when she broke away and opened the door.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked
“God yes” Justine replied and pulled him into the room.
(Part 03)
Once inside the room he was eager to get started again and immediately tried to get inside her clothes.
Justine however put a stop to things and said
“Not so fast, I want everything to be just so”
“Sorry” he responded not quite sure what “just so” was.
But he needn’t have worried as it seemed that she wanted to amongst other things get the lighting right.
She was conscious of the age difference between them and didn’t want him to be disappointed with what she had to offer, because as a much younger man she thought he would have been more used to firmer flesh.
He wasn’t concerned with that what he felt for her had gone way beyond simple physical attraction so she really didn’t have to worry.
While she set the scene he was sent into the bathroom and while he was in there he thought it prudent to relieve himself while he had the opportunity.
However such a natural function normally simply rendered, is much more complicated when you are seriously aroused.
It necessitates adopting the posture of a ski jumper and even then it’s not always successful.
When he left the bathroom he found the room lighting very subdued and Justine wearing only a smile and a pair of white lace knickers showing in stark contrast against the gorgeous dark flesh.
“Are you disappointed?” She asked
“You’re even more gorgeous than I had hoped” he replied.
Justine had one arm draped across her breasts
“Good answer” she said as she walked towards him and lowered her arm at the last second and he got his first long lingering look at her large round breast that he had only previously dreamed of and then she was in his arms and began undressing him.
As they lay entwined in the afterglow, still breathing hard from their exertions.
Justine rested her head on his chest and sighed as he reflected that making love with her was everything he had hoped it would be and more and then they drifted off into a sweet post coital sleep.
After a short sleep he was awoken by Justine tenderly kissing his neck as her hand strove to awaken the rest of him and when all of him was fully awake they made love again.
The next day when the rest of their colleagues returned to their homes or in some cases their home countries Justine and Tommy put into effect their plan to stay on for another night and repeated the joyful pleasure of each other again and again.
Tommy would have gladly continued their unions well into the New Year but alas before the protracted Christmas break Justine dropped a bombshell on him when she took him to one side and to his great surprise ended the affair.
“But I love you” he said
“And I love you” Justine concurred
“Then why?” Tommy asked
“It has to end, not because I don’t love you” she said “But because despite everything I still love my husband, and I can’t cheat on him anymore”
(Part 04)
He didn’t take the news well and for the week between Justine dropping her bombshell and the office closing for Christmas he barely spoke a word to her and when the office closed for the Christmas break he left without saying goodbye, it was just too painful for him.
On Christmas Eve he spent the day laying on the sofa watching sentimental movies and eating comfort food.
However come the evening he snapped out of his torpor and walked through the snow to church.
As usual St Mary of Bethany was well attended for Midnight Mass, despite the bitter cold and everyone in attendance thoroughly enjoyed the service.
After the mass was over everyone gathered at the rear of the church and shared the peace which was when he saw her.
Tommy tried to get to the door but Justine anticipated his move and intercepted him.
“Happy Christmas Tommy” she said and then hugged him.
“I miss you” she whispered
“Me too” he replied as he hugged her.
After the hug Justine turned to leave and Tommy said
“Happy Christmas Justine”
She smiled and went home, to her husband and he went home alone.
Christmas morning began with a frosty glaze decorating the rooftops and lightly dusting the evergreens and then as the bells rang out to celebrate the birth of the Lord the joyous faithful arrived under a clear blue sky and the winter sun glistened on the layer of frost coating the previous day’s snow.
It was a most glorious Christmas morning and Tommy’s spirits were high.
Much higher than they had been for over a week.
He met Justine outside St Mary’s which raised his spirits even higher and he kissed her on each cheek in the sunshine before they went inside to join the rest of the congregation.
It was an excellent service with the Vicar at his very best.
Afterwards it took some while for the Church to empty as everyone wanted to share their best wishes with the Vicar and he was clearly getting over come with all the attention.
After he left the church and said his goodbyes he smiled at Justine and watched her walk away and then he spent the rest of the day missing her.
In the days preceding Christmas, Tommy had been inundated with invitations to share Christmas dinner and as usual he was quite overwhelmed by people’s kindness.
In the end he accepted his next door neighbour’s, the Daly’s, invitation and enjoyed a wonderful Christmas lunch with Victoria and Owen, where he ate too much, drank too much and left just before he over stayed his welcome and returned home very late that evening.
And although he was full of spirits from the Daly’s drinks cabinet his spirits were quiet low as he was alone.
And all that night his dreams were full of Justine and she was saying
“We have to end it”
“But I love you” he said
“And I love you” Justine concurred “But I can’t cheat on him anymore”
(Part 05)
On Boxing Day he spent much of the day in the Cross Keys and when he eventually got himself home it was dark.
He went in and switched the lights on and he had been home for about half an hour before he fell asleep in his armchair and was woken about an hour later by a loud banging on the front door.
So he dragged himself up from his comfortable chair and dragged himself to the door and opened it.
“Hello Tommy” Justine said
“Hi” he said groggily, not really believing it was her.
“Can I come in?” she asked with a shiver
“Of course, sorry, come in” he said
She pulled off her gloves and stuffed them in her pocket before slipping her boots off and then handed him her hat, coat and scarf.
Justine sat down on the sofa as far from his chair as it was possible to get and perched herself on the edge of the seat nervously.
She wasn’t glammed up like usual, there were no designer clothes, no silk blouse, no tailored skirt or expensive patterned tights and overpriced shoes.
She had wellingtons on her feet when she stepped in the house and as she sat on his sofa she had Tigger socks on her feet and wore loose fitting trousers and a baggy sweater.
“Do you love me?” she said suddenly
“You know that I do” he replied
“Yes but do you really love me, or is it just an infatuation?” She asked
“Do you love me, warts and all, and not just in a sympathetically lit hotel room, or when I’m dressed up to the nines, would you love me looking like this?”
“I love you with all my heart” he replied
“But only enough to have an affair with me” she said coldly
“That was all that was on offer” he pointed out
“But you would be content to continue with that though wouldn’t you?” she asked
“Only if it was that or nothing” he said
“I thought so” she retorted
“No you don’t understand, I want us to be together” he said “All the time, not just when we can connive and scheme for a stolen hour together or a dirty weekend”
“What do you mean?” Justine asked
“I want you to leave Sammi and be with me”
“Do you really mean that?” she asked with tears welling up in her eyes “You’re not just saying it, to get me into bed?”
“No of course not” he said and knelt beside her and held her hands.
“What about the age difference?” she asked “I was fifteen years of age when you were born, you are a young man”
“You say that like its news to me” she replied “I know you’re 15 years older me and I don’t care”
Tommy put his arms around her and just held her for the next five minutes.
“You may not still think that when you hear what I have to tell you” she said as she straightened up and looked at his face.
“Nothing you could possibly say could change the way I feel” he said confidently
“Don’t be so sure” Justine retorted
“I mean what I say” Tommy reiterated and then he watched the woman he loved take a deep breath before she spoke.
“I have left him” she said and his face immediately betrayed his true feelings for her and she gasped when she saw the look of joy on his face.
“You really do love me, for me” she said
By New Year’s Day everyone in the village knew they were a couple and they were a cause célèbre for a while but once Sammi had moved away and her house was sold things settled down and by the following Christmas no one gave them a second thought, which suited them down to the ground.
The Christmas after that they celebrated as a married couple.
Tommy Weir’s cab arrived back at the Tipton Country Park Hotel in the North Downshire village of Tipton just as the snow began to fall again.
He paid the driver and then he and Danny walked into the plush panelled lobby of the hotel.
It had been a really nice evening out, a phenomenal meal and good company.
There were forty of them at the restaurant, colleagues from all over Europe some of them were strangers, some were close friends and some of them more so.
“Night cap?” Tommy asked
“No thanks’ mate I’m on the red eye in the morning” Danny replied.
Tommy looked at his watch and saw it was already morning.
“I’ll say goodnight then” he said and they shook hands and Danny headed for the desk.
Tom was definitely up for one, so he headed for the bar.
There were only a handful of people in there at that hour and as he caught the night porter’s eye he said “Southern Comfort please, a large one”
“Make that two” a voice said from behind him.
He recognised the voice immediately, those wonderful plummy tones were acutely familiar to him, perfect English, each vowel dripping with sexuality, so he said to the barman “Two”
Then he turned around and looked at the woman who had been the object of his lust for nine months and an unrequited love for three of those and very much requited for another three of them.
Justine Khan was his older woman, his cougar to use the modern parlance.
She was a few months on the wrong side of fifty but still beautiful in his eyes even though he was fifteen years younger.
Justine and Tommy had shared an office at Brocklington Broadcast International for over a year, and at first he loathed her, he thought she was vain, overbearing and manipulative and her opinion of him was much the same.
They even lived in the same village, Dulcet St Mary and attended the same church, St Mary of Bethany.
They sang in the same choir and sat on the same committees so there was no escape for him from the bloody woman.
But as the weeks changed into months his feelings for her changed with them.
Justine had an Egyptian father and an English mother which left her with a dark complexion and western features.
She was an exotic looking woman with jet black hair and large brown eyes.
Justine was a tall woman, slender and very well endowed with legs to die for.
He would surreptitiously watch her move around the office on her shapely legs, admiring the tightness of her skirt around her hips and buttocks as she bent.
And when she was sat at her desk his eyes would stray to her gaping blouse and the treasures contained within.
But it wasn’t until a grey overcast day in June, on an office beano to Epsom Downs that they showed each other in no uncertain terms how they felt, when as the Derby favourites thundered towards the finish line Justine and Tommy, away from prying eyes, kissed for the first time.
And as they kissed he unzipped her leather jacket and slipped his hands inside her shirt to caress her naked skin.
(Part 02)
Over the weeks that followed that first kiss on the racecourse, so did more sensual moments of intimacy, but they were really only tasters of what the two of them truly desired.
They had tried on several occasions to engineer an opportunity to take their burgeoning relationship to the next level.
One such opportunity was a three day trip to visit suppliers, which they got rubber stamped by management and booked appointments and hotels and they were feeling very pleased with themselves for their lustful scheming.
However an unseen hand dealt them a bitter blow when Justine went down with laryngitis.
Afterwards they tried to just arrange a simple dirty weekend away, Abbotsford, Abbeyvale, Applesford and even other places that didn’t begin with the letter A.
They even devised an intricate scenario for the benefit of Justine’s husband, Sammi, which he swallowed hook, line and sinker but then that failed at the eleventh hour when Tommy broke his wrist.
However even though it seemed like the fates were against them they decided they should have one last role of the dice.
So it was at the Brocklington Broadcast International Christmas Party weekend in Tipton that they planned to finally consummate their lust.
They had been out to a restaurant in Roespring called The Old School House and they had spent the evening sitting at the same table during the dinner, discreetly holding hands under the table, but as they left at the end of the evening they got separated and ended up in different cabs.
Tommy obviously thought that fate had interceded once again and their last chance had gone.
He supposed that it would be more devastating to him than to her because although he was single man, Justine was a married woman, which meant that for her there was some guilt involved, even if her husband Sammi was a complete waste of space.
But despite any perceived guilt Tommy was delighted to find Justine was waiting for him in the bar when he got back to the hotel.
He hadn’t taken into account that she would want it as bad as he did.
They sat in the corner of the bar and finished their drink.
“Another?” he asked
“I don’t think so” Justine said sharply and stood up, took his hand and dragged him to his feet.
“Let’s have the next one in my room” she said and led him by the hand through the plush reception area, with its brass fittings and oak wood paneling and green leather upholstery, up to the reception desk and collected their room keys.
With the key cards in hand Justine hurried him along the corridor and her wonderful plummy tones accompanied him all the way down the corridor until they finally arrived at their destination which was Justine’s room where they stood in the corridor and kissed.
At first it was the usual semi controlled kissing they had done so many times before but it quickly became hot and passionate as his hand sought out her breast, which was when she broke away and opened the door.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked
“God yes” Justine replied and pulled him into the room.
(Part 03)
Once inside the room he was eager to get started again and immediately tried to get inside her clothes.
Justine however put a stop to things and said
“Not so fast, I want everything to be just so”
“Sorry” he responded not quite sure what “just so” was.
But he needn’t have worried as it seemed that she wanted to amongst other things get the lighting right.
She was conscious of the age difference between them and didn’t want him to be disappointed with what she had to offer, because as a much younger man she thought he would have been more used to firmer flesh.
He wasn’t concerned with that what he felt for her had gone way beyond simple physical attraction so she really didn’t have to worry.
While she set the scene he was sent into the bathroom and while he was in there he thought it prudent to relieve himself while he had the opportunity.
However such a natural function normally simply rendered, is much more complicated when you are seriously aroused.
It necessitates adopting the posture of a ski jumper and even then it’s not always successful.
When he left the bathroom he found the room lighting very subdued and Justine wearing only a smile and a pair of white lace knickers showing in stark contrast against the gorgeous dark flesh.
“Are you disappointed?” She asked
“You’re even more gorgeous than I had hoped” he replied.
Justine had one arm draped across her breasts
“Good answer” she said as she walked towards him and lowered her arm at the last second and he got his first long lingering look at her large round breast that he had only previously dreamed of and then she was in his arms and began undressing him.
As they lay entwined in the afterglow, still breathing hard from their exertions.
Justine rested her head on his chest and sighed as he reflected that making love with her was everything he had hoped it would be and more and then they drifted off into a sweet post coital sleep.
After a short sleep he was awoken by Justine tenderly kissing his neck as her hand strove to awaken the rest of him and when all of him was fully awake they made love again.
The next day when the rest of their colleagues returned to their homes or in some cases their home countries Justine and Tommy put into effect their plan to stay on for another night and repeated the joyful pleasure of each other again and again.
Tommy would have gladly continued their unions well into the New Year but alas before the protracted Christmas break Justine dropped a bombshell on him when she took him to one side and to his great surprise ended the affair.
“But I love you” he said
“And I love you” Justine concurred
“Then why?” Tommy asked
“It has to end, not because I don’t love you” she said “But because despite everything I still love my husband, and I can’t cheat on him anymore”
(Part 04)
He didn’t take the news well and for the week between Justine dropping her bombshell and the office closing for Christmas he barely spoke a word to her and when the office closed for the Christmas break he left without saying goodbye, it was just too painful for him.
On Christmas Eve he spent the day laying on the sofa watching sentimental movies and eating comfort food.
However come the evening he snapped out of his torpor and walked through the snow to church.
As usual St Mary of Bethany was well attended for Midnight Mass, despite the bitter cold and everyone in attendance thoroughly enjoyed the service.
After the mass was over everyone gathered at the rear of the church and shared the peace which was when he saw her.
Tommy tried to get to the door but Justine anticipated his move and intercepted him.
“Happy Christmas Tommy” she said and then hugged him.
“I miss you” she whispered
“Me too” he replied as he hugged her.
After the hug Justine turned to leave and Tommy said
“Happy Christmas Justine”
She smiled and went home, to her husband and he went home alone.
Christmas morning began with a frosty glaze decorating the rooftops and lightly dusting the evergreens and then as the bells rang out to celebrate the birth of the Lord the joyous faithful arrived under a clear blue sky and the winter sun glistened on the layer of frost coating the previous day’s snow.
It was a most glorious Christmas morning and Tommy’s spirits were high.
Much higher than they had been for over a week.
He met Justine outside St Mary’s which raised his spirits even higher and he kissed her on each cheek in the sunshine before they went inside to join the rest of the congregation.
It was an excellent service with the Vicar at his very best.
Afterwards it took some while for the Church to empty as everyone wanted to share their best wishes with the Vicar and he was clearly getting over come with all the attention.
After he left the church and said his goodbyes he smiled at Justine and watched her walk away and then he spent the rest of the day missing her.
In the days preceding Christmas, Tommy had been inundated with invitations to share Christmas dinner and as usual he was quite overwhelmed by people’s kindness.
In the end he accepted his next door neighbour’s, the Daly’s, invitation and enjoyed a wonderful Christmas lunch with Victoria and Owen, where he ate too much, drank too much and left just before he over stayed his welcome and returned home very late that evening.
And although he was full of spirits from the Daly’s drinks cabinet his spirits were quiet low as he was alone.
And all that night his dreams were full of Justine and she was saying
“We have to end it”
“But I love you” he said
“And I love you” Justine concurred “But I can’t cheat on him anymore”
(Part 05)
On Boxing Day he spent much of the day in the Cross Keys and when he eventually got himself home it was dark.
He went in and switched the lights on and he had been home for about half an hour before he fell asleep in his armchair and was woken about an hour later by a loud banging on the front door.
So he dragged himself up from his comfortable chair and dragged himself to the door and opened it.
“Hello Tommy” Justine said
“Hi” he said groggily, not really believing it was her.
“Can I come in?” she asked with a shiver
“Of course, sorry, come in” he said
She pulled off her gloves and stuffed them in her pocket before slipping her boots off and then handed him her hat, coat and scarf.
Justine sat down on the sofa as far from his chair as it was possible to get and perched herself on the edge of the seat nervously.
She wasn’t glammed up like usual, there were no designer clothes, no silk blouse, no tailored skirt or expensive patterned tights and overpriced shoes.
She had wellingtons on her feet when she stepped in the house and as she sat on his sofa she had Tigger socks on her feet and wore loose fitting trousers and a baggy sweater.
“Do you love me?” she said suddenly
“You know that I do” he replied
“Yes but do you really love me, or is it just an infatuation?” She asked
“Do you love me, warts and all, and not just in a sympathetically lit hotel room, or when I’m dressed up to the nines, would you love me looking like this?”
“I love you with all my heart” he replied
“But only enough to have an affair with me” she said coldly
“That was all that was on offer” he pointed out
“But you would be content to continue with that though wouldn’t you?” she asked
“Only if it was that or nothing” he said
“I thought so” she retorted
“No you don’t understand, I want us to be together” he said “All the time, not just when we can connive and scheme for a stolen hour together or a dirty weekend”
“What do you mean?” Justine asked
“I want you to leave Sammi and be with me”
“Do you really mean that?” she asked with tears welling up in her eyes “You’re not just saying it, to get me into bed?”
“No of course not” he said and knelt beside her and held her hands.
“What about the age difference?” she asked “I was fifteen years of age when you were born, you are a young man”
“You say that like its news to me” she replied “I know you’re 15 years older me and I don’t care”
Tommy put his arms around her and just held her for the next five minutes.
“You may not still think that when you hear what I have to tell you” she said as she straightened up and looked at his face.
“Nothing you could possibly say could change the way I feel” he said confidently
“Don’t be so sure” Justine retorted
“I mean what I say” Tommy reiterated and then he watched the woman he loved take a deep breath before she spoke.
“I have left him” she said and his face immediately betrayed his true feelings for her and she gasped when she saw the look of joy on his face.
“You really do love me, for me” she said
By New Year’s Day everyone in the village knew they were a couple and they were a cause célèbre for a while but once Sammi had moved away and her house was sold things settled down and by the following Christmas no one gave them a second thought, which suited them down to the ground.
The Christmas after that they celebrated as a married couple.
Mornington-By-Mere – (25) The Santa Express
(Part 01)
Mornington-By-Mere, is a small country village lying in the Finchbottom Vale nestled between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.
A quaint picturesque village, a chocolate box picturesque idyll, with a Manor House, 12th Century Church, a Coaching Inn, Windmills, an Old Forge, a Schoolhouse, a River and a Mere.
But it wasn’t just a quaint chocolate box English Village it was the beating heart of the Finchbottom Vale.
And although the village was the hub it was the surrounding farms and hamlets that were its life blood.
One such Farm was Manor Farm on the Western side of the village.
The Hargrave family had farmed the land at Manor Farm since the days when Napoleon was still a Corporal and they were showing no signs of bucking that trend.
The head of the Hargrave’s was Bruce though he leant heavily on his wife Karen.
They were in their mid-fifties and were looking forward to many more years at the helm.
There were three children the eldest at 32 was Mandy who along with her husband Jason McCabe had produced the first grandchild.
The second child was Norman who was two years younger than his sister and two years younger still was Michael and neither of them showed any sign of producing a little Hargrave.
Michael was a serious farmer, and a good one at that, but there was more to him than just farming.
Michael was very active in the church, at St Winfred’s as well as farther afield.
This involved among other things, being a greeter at the church services, delivering Parish Magazines, helping at the Christmas Bazaar, you name it and he did it and that was only in the village.
His wider good works included the Soup Kitchens in Finchbottom or Purplemere, who were always desperate for volunteers.
The Christmas Charity Wagon in Sharpington, which was an old Mornington Brewery dray pulled by two white shire horses.
The whole thing was bedecked with tinsel and lights and carried on the back a multi denominational choir.
Michael was not however among those going from door to door, as the wagon drove around the town, collecting donations in plastic buckets and handing out sweets to the excited children, no he was in the choir because he had the voice of an angel.
He was also volunteered for the Roving Angels which had been in existence for about two years and was similar to the Street Angels, Street Pastors and other groups that had sprung up all across the UK in the previous 12 or 15 years.
They had made a really positive impact on crime and antisocial behaviour in Finchbottom and Purplemere town centres over the first two years, particularly in the general vicinity of the bars and clubs.
They provide a calming presence on the streets late at night in situations where a police uniform might have the opposite effect.
In the two years since they began Roving Angels had contributed to a 29% fall in public place violence on the weekends.
It all began when Christian Churches in the area came together with the Police and the Borough Council’s to establish the Angels.
But it took people of Faith to make it work as with so many things in life.
Michael had been with them since the beginning.
But one of his favourite good deeds was to help out on the Santa Express, which was something to behold, and he loved it because it reminded him of his childhood.
(Part 02)
The Boddingtons were pig farmers at Saddleback Farm near the hamlet of Fallowacres, which was as near as damn it the center point of the Vale, though only geographically.
But they also had a number of butcher’s shops in and around the Vale.
The Mornington Estate heavily subsidised the businesses in the village among them were a General Store, Farm Shop, Bakers and of course a Boddington’s Butchers Shop.
It was only a small shop located on the River Brooke side of The Street next to Addison’s Baker’s.
As a result of it being a small shop located in a small village it hadn’t had a full time butcher since before RAF Mornington was mothballed at the end of the 90s.
However when the Mornington Estate exercised its option to purchase Mornington Field back from the MOD it also acquired all the buildings and infrastructure on the airfield itself as well as 29 houses in the village formally used as quarters for military personnel.
Once plans were drawn up to optimize the newly acquired assets and more people moved to the village all the businesses benefitted.
So everyone in the family did a stint in Mornington but no one wanted to make it permanent.
Eleanor Boddington was approaching her twenty fifth birthday and she was fed up with not having proper roots.
The longest she had in one place was a two year stint at the shop in Childean, which ended in disaster when her ex-boyfriend wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Since then she had been like a nomad, she would love to settle in Mornington with a particular farmer she was keen on, providing she could get him to notice her.
Which shouldn’t have been as difficult as it was proving to be. she was a typical Boddington, good looking, thick black curly hair and wild gypsy eyes and she flirted with him for all her worth.
Over the last few years she had had a lot of dealings with Manor Farm because they were a heritage farm and as well as breeding more exotic animals like llamas and ostrich, the farm produced quality meat.
And it was during her dealings with Manor Farm that she first met Michael Hargrave.
She liked that he was a tall man with broad shoulders and hands like shovels.
Ellie also liked his short brown hair, neatly trimmed beard and thick rimmed glasses.
But the things she loved the most about him were his hazel eyes and his infectious laugh.
He seemed to enjoy their conversations which were lengthy and diverse and she learned a lot about him and his interests.
And she admired him very much for all his voluntary work and she suggested she might join him some time but nothing ever came of it.
Until December came around and he suggested she join him on the Santa Express.
He had resisted previously because he wasn’t sure she genuinely wanted to help he thought her interest might be purely superficial.
“So if you’re really interested” he said “I will pick you up outside the shop at 1 o’clock on Wednesday”
“I’ll be there” she promised
(Part 03)
The Santa Express was a renovated steam engine and coaches, which ran from Sharping St Mary station to a secret location where Santa was waiting in his grotto.
It picked up the local children and their parents late afternoon so that they arrived at the grotto in darkness in order to make the most of the spectacular lights.
It was one of the high points of his year, he well remembered his parents taking him when he was a young lad and he liked to see other the kids as excited as he used to be at their age.
On Wednesday afternoon Eleanor was standing outside Boddington’s at 1 o’clock as promised and they talked the whole way as they drove to Sharping St Mary and when they got there the kids were going crazy with excitement and the excitement was quite infectious.
But Michael’s job on the trip was to make sure none of the over excited little darlings fell off the train.
John Cooper and his sister Lyndsey, and Bizzie Lizzie Florist Michelle Norman among others from the village were also present and at one point Michele managed to trap him between the carriages armed with a bunch of mistletoe and only when she had satisfied herself in the pagan ritual did she let him go.
Eleanor witnessed the kiss and she was not at all happy about it but she did enjoy the day as a whole.
Now if the kids were excited on the way to the grotto then judging by the decibel level they were even more so on the way back to the station.
When they disembarked and the children and their parents made their way home Michele Norman kissed Michaels cheek and said goodbye and then Michael and Eleanor went back to his car.
On the journey back to Mornington Eleanor barely spoke because she was sulking about all the kissing.
Back in Mornington he drove into Military Row and dropped her off outside number 7.
“Well did you enjoy the day?” he asked
“Most of it” she replied, kissed his cheek and got out of the car.
He had never believed in love at first sight or in soul mates he thought them rather fanciful notions the stuff of romantic fiction and sentimental movies.
That was until he met Eleanor and he was instantly smitten, and he thought she may have felt the same.
Even his mother had noticed and after she had seen them together she said
“You two are like two halves of a different whole, and that each of them was the missing piece in the others puzzle”
It wasn’t many months before when his mum was nagging him about getting a wife he had said
“I’m not looking for a life partner” well he thought he may have found one whether he was looking or not.
But after the Santa Express experience he was beginning to think he and his mother had misread the situation and over the following week that feeling was reinforced as she appeared to be avoiding him.
(Part 04)
On Christmas Eve local Vet Hayley Gwilym was at Manor Farm to look at a sick Lama and she happened to mention that her retired mentor Robin Jeffrey had been bending her ear all morning.
And during her visit she asked Michael if he would pop up to Dulcets Mill because he couldn’t get the web cam to work and he needed it functioning for Christmas Day so he could skype his kids and grandchildren.
They both knew it probably meant that he had disabled it by accident but she had tried to explain over the phone and failed miserably, she would have gone up to see him, but she had an extraordinarily long list of calls so she pleaded with him to go in her stead.
So later that afternoon he had to go out in the cold and trudge across the village through the snow just to tick a box.
As he suspected Robin had accidentally disabled the web cam so he worked his magic and went back out into the cold night and by the time he got to the road it had started snowing again and by the time he reached the Close it was coming down hard and fast.
In fact it was coming down so rapidly that visibility was reduced to zero.
It was so disorienting that he couldn’t have even found his way back to Robin’s despite being no more than 15 minutes away from Dulcets Mill.
So he inched his way along the footpath tucking up close to hedges, picket fences and garden walls so he didn’t wander off course.
When he reached the end of a row of houses he had to take a leap of faith, as he couldn’t see the other side of the road.
As he trudged onward he realised he had gone off course because he hadn’t reached the other side.
He had no idea how far he had gone as he had no point of reference, so he decided the best course of action was to veer left to try and find the footpath again.
Unfortunately he had no idea how far left to go or for that matter how far left he had already gone.
Michael was just beginning to panic when he tripped on a kerbstone and crashed into another lost soul and they fell to the floor in an untidy heap.
(Part 05)
When he had scrambled to his feet he found he was outside Boddington’s
“I’m saved” he thought as he envisaged taking refuge in the shop until the snow abated, but first he had to help the other poor customer he had left prostrate on the snowy ground.
“I’m so sorry” he said as he grabbed a handful of coat and pulled the stricken body to its feet.
The individual muttered incoherently under their breath as they brushed themselves off and he got the impression his apology was not accepted.
And when they began to turn in his direction he was bracing himself for a volley of abuse but to his great surprise he found the previously stricken figure to be Eleanor Boddington and the muttering scowling indignant face instantly changed to a beaming smile when she recognized the face of her assailant.
“Michael” she said excitedly then cautiously gave a long look in the direction of the shop doorway then in a quieter voice she continued
“I didn’t know it was you”
“Are you ok?” he asked
“I am now” she replied and glanced again at the door
He looked her up and down and realised why he hadn’t recognized her before, she was dressed in heavy duty winter clothes.
Her lovely thick black curls were completely covered by a red woolly hat, her dainty feet were in wellies and her slender figure was concealed by a puffer jacket.
She was still looking anxiously towards the shop doorway and then impulsively she steered him around the side of the building and kissed him as the snow fell steadily on them, which he reciprocated.
After a minute of mutually beneficial passion he said
“Does this mean you’re talking to me again?”
“That depends” she said enigmatically
“On what?”
“On whether you go around kissing Michelle Norman every five minutes or not” she said
“I see, you are referring to the mistletoe kiss on the train”
“I didn’t see any mistletoe” Eleanor said
“So you thought it was just a snog?” he asked
“Yes” she replied and looked down at her feet.
Michael lifted her chin so he could see her eyes and then he kissed her.
It was less prolonged than the first however because a voice called from the shop doorway
“Ellie?”
So Michael released her reluctantly and she called.
“I’ll be there in a moment Dad”
“I have to go” she said and kissed him again
“Perhaps we can pick it up again later” he said
“We’re going to Fallowacres”
“How long for?” he asked
“Until the New Year” she replied
“In which case I’m going to need another kiss before you go” Michael said and then they kissed one last time
“Happy Christmas Ellie” he said
“Happy Christmas” she echoed and she paused by the door and added
“I’ll bring you a present”
“You’re the only present I want” he said and she ran straight back into his arms.
Michael watched as they drove away from the shop and then turned around and continued his journey home as the snow abated.
And he spent all that Christmas looking forward to the New Year.
Mornington-By-Mere, is a small country village lying in the Finchbottom Vale nestled between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.
A quaint picturesque village, a chocolate box picturesque idyll, with a Manor House, 12th Century Church, a Coaching Inn, Windmills, an Old Forge, a Schoolhouse, a River and a Mere.
But it wasn’t just a quaint chocolate box English Village it was the beating heart of the Finchbottom Vale.
And although the village was the hub it was the surrounding farms and hamlets that were its life blood.
One such Farm was Manor Farm on the Western side of the village.
The Hargrave family had farmed the land at Manor Farm since the days when Napoleon was still a Corporal and they were showing no signs of bucking that trend.
The head of the Hargrave’s was Bruce though he leant heavily on his wife Karen.
They were in their mid-fifties and were looking forward to many more years at the helm.
There were three children the eldest at 32 was Mandy who along with her husband Jason McCabe had produced the first grandchild.
The second child was Norman who was two years younger than his sister and two years younger still was Michael and neither of them showed any sign of producing a little Hargrave.
Michael was a serious farmer, and a good one at that, but there was more to him than just farming.
Michael was very active in the church, at St Winfred’s as well as farther afield.
This involved among other things, being a greeter at the church services, delivering Parish Magazines, helping at the Christmas Bazaar, you name it and he did it and that was only in the village.
His wider good works included the Soup Kitchens in Finchbottom or Purplemere, who were always desperate for volunteers.
The Christmas Charity Wagon in Sharpington, which was an old Mornington Brewery dray pulled by two white shire horses.
The whole thing was bedecked with tinsel and lights and carried on the back a multi denominational choir.
Michael was not however among those going from door to door, as the wagon drove around the town, collecting donations in plastic buckets and handing out sweets to the excited children, no he was in the choir because he had the voice of an angel.
He was also volunteered for the Roving Angels which had been in existence for about two years and was similar to the Street Angels, Street Pastors and other groups that had sprung up all across the UK in the previous 12 or 15 years.
They had made a really positive impact on crime and antisocial behaviour in Finchbottom and Purplemere town centres over the first two years, particularly in the general vicinity of the bars and clubs.
They provide a calming presence on the streets late at night in situations where a police uniform might have the opposite effect.
In the two years since they began Roving Angels had contributed to a 29% fall in public place violence on the weekends.
It all began when Christian Churches in the area came together with the Police and the Borough Council’s to establish the Angels.
But it took people of Faith to make it work as with so many things in life.
Michael had been with them since the beginning.
But one of his favourite good deeds was to help out on the Santa Express, which was something to behold, and he loved it because it reminded him of his childhood.
(Part 02)
The Boddingtons were pig farmers at Saddleback Farm near the hamlet of Fallowacres, which was as near as damn it the center point of the Vale, though only geographically.
But they also had a number of butcher’s shops in and around the Vale.
The Mornington Estate heavily subsidised the businesses in the village among them were a General Store, Farm Shop, Bakers and of course a Boddington’s Butchers Shop.
It was only a small shop located on the River Brooke side of The Street next to Addison’s Baker’s.
As a result of it being a small shop located in a small village it hadn’t had a full time butcher since before RAF Mornington was mothballed at the end of the 90s.
However when the Mornington Estate exercised its option to purchase Mornington Field back from the MOD it also acquired all the buildings and infrastructure on the airfield itself as well as 29 houses in the village formally used as quarters for military personnel.
Once plans were drawn up to optimize the newly acquired assets and more people moved to the village all the businesses benefitted.
So everyone in the family did a stint in Mornington but no one wanted to make it permanent.
Eleanor Boddington was approaching her twenty fifth birthday and she was fed up with not having proper roots.
The longest she had in one place was a two year stint at the shop in Childean, which ended in disaster when her ex-boyfriend wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Since then she had been like a nomad, she would love to settle in Mornington with a particular farmer she was keen on, providing she could get him to notice her.
Which shouldn’t have been as difficult as it was proving to be. she was a typical Boddington, good looking, thick black curly hair and wild gypsy eyes and she flirted with him for all her worth.
Over the last few years she had had a lot of dealings with Manor Farm because they were a heritage farm and as well as breeding more exotic animals like llamas and ostrich, the farm produced quality meat.
And it was during her dealings with Manor Farm that she first met Michael Hargrave.
She liked that he was a tall man with broad shoulders and hands like shovels.
Ellie also liked his short brown hair, neatly trimmed beard and thick rimmed glasses.
But the things she loved the most about him were his hazel eyes and his infectious laugh.
He seemed to enjoy their conversations which were lengthy and diverse and she learned a lot about him and his interests.
And she admired him very much for all his voluntary work and she suggested she might join him some time but nothing ever came of it.
Until December came around and he suggested she join him on the Santa Express.
He had resisted previously because he wasn’t sure she genuinely wanted to help he thought her interest might be purely superficial.
“So if you’re really interested” he said “I will pick you up outside the shop at 1 o’clock on Wednesday”
“I’ll be there” she promised
(Part 03)
The Santa Express was a renovated steam engine and coaches, which ran from Sharping St Mary station to a secret location where Santa was waiting in his grotto.
It picked up the local children and their parents late afternoon so that they arrived at the grotto in darkness in order to make the most of the spectacular lights.
It was one of the high points of his year, he well remembered his parents taking him when he was a young lad and he liked to see other the kids as excited as he used to be at their age.
On Wednesday afternoon Eleanor was standing outside Boddington’s at 1 o’clock as promised and they talked the whole way as they drove to Sharping St Mary and when they got there the kids were going crazy with excitement and the excitement was quite infectious.
But Michael’s job on the trip was to make sure none of the over excited little darlings fell off the train.
John Cooper and his sister Lyndsey, and Bizzie Lizzie Florist Michelle Norman among others from the village were also present and at one point Michele managed to trap him between the carriages armed with a bunch of mistletoe and only when she had satisfied herself in the pagan ritual did she let him go.
Eleanor witnessed the kiss and she was not at all happy about it but she did enjoy the day as a whole.
Now if the kids were excited on the way to the grotto then judging by the decibel level they were even more so on the way back to the station.
When they disembarked and the children and their parents made their way home Michele Norman kissed Michaels cheek and said goodbye and then Michael and Eleanor went back to his car.
On the journey back to Mornington Eleanor barely spoke because she was sulking about all the kissing.
Back in Mornington he drove into Military Row and dropped her off outside number 7.
“Well did you enjoy the day?” he asked
“Most of it” she replied, kissed his cheek and got out of the car.
He had never believed in love at first sight or in soul mates he thought them rather fanciful notions the stuff of romantic fiction and sentimental movies.
That was until he met Eleanor and he was instantly smitten, and he thought she may have felt the same.
Even his mother had noticed and after she had seen them together she said
“You two are like two halves of a different whole, and that each of them was the missing piece in the others puzzle”
It wasn’t many months before when his mum was nagging him about getting a wife he had said
“I’m not looking for a life partner” well he thought he may have found one whether he was looking or not.
But after the Santa Express experience he was beginning to think he and his mother had misread the situation and over the following week that feeling was reinforced as she appeared to be avoiding him.
(Part 04)
On Christmas Eve local Vet Hayley Gwilym was at Manor Farm to look at a sick Lama and she happened to mention that her retired mentor Robin Jeffrey had been bending her ear all morning.
And during her visit she asked Michael if he would pop up to Dulcets Mill because he couldn’t get the web cam to work and he needed it functioning for Christmas Day so he could skype his kids and grandchildren.
They both knew it probably meant that he had disabled it by accident but she had tried to explain over the phone and failed miserably, she would have gone up to see him, but she had an extraordinarily long list of calls so she pleaded with him to go in her stead.
So later that afternoon he had to go out in the cold and trudge across the village through the snow just to tick a box.
As he suspected Robin had accidentally disabled the web cam so he worked his magic and went back out into the cold night and by the time he got to the road it had started snowing again and by the time he reached the Close it was coming down hard and fast.
In fact it was coming down so rapidly that visibility was reduced to zero.
It was so disorienting that he couldn’t have even found his way back to Robin’s despite being no more than 15 minutes away from Dulcets Mill.
So he inched his way along the footpath tucking up close to hedges, picket fences and garden walls so he didn’t wander off course.
When he reached the end of a row of houses he had to take a leap of faith, as he couldn’t see the other side of the road.
As he trudged onward he realised he had gone off course because he hadn’t reached the other side.
He had no idea how far he had gone as he had no point of reference, so he decided the best course of action was to veer left to try and find the footpath again.
Unfortunately he had no idea how far left to go or for that matter how far left he had already gone.
Michael was just beginning to panic when he tripped on a kerbstone and crashed into another lost soul and they fell to the floor in an untidy heap.
(Part 05)
When he had scrambled to his feet he found he was outside Boddington’s
“I’m saved” he thought as he envisaged taking refuge in the shop until the snow abated, but first he had to help the other poor customer he had left prostrate on the snowy ground.
“I’m so sorry” he said as he grabbed a handful of coat and pulled the stricken body to its feet.
The individual muttered incoherently under their breath as they brushed themselves off and he got the impression his apology was not accepted.
And when they began to turn in his direction he was bracing himself for a volley of abuse but to his great surprise he found the previously stricken figure to be Eleanor Boddington and the muttering scowling indignant face instantly changed to a beaming smile when she recognized the face of her assailant.
“Michael” she said excitedly then cautiously gave a long look in the direction of the shop doorway then in a quieter voice she continued
“I didn’t know it was you”
“Are you ok?” he asked
“I am now” she replied and glanced again at the door
He looked her up and down and realised why he hadn’t recognized her before, she was dressed in heavy duty winter clothes.
Her lovely thick black curls were completely covered by a red woolly hat, her dainty feet were in wellies and her slender figure was concealed by a puffer jacket.
She was still looking anxiously towards the shop doorway and then impulsively she steered him around the side of the building and kissed him as the snow fell steadily on them, which he reciprocated.
After a minute of mutually beneficial passion he said
“Does this mean you’re talking to me again?”
“That depends” she said enigmatically
“On what?”
“On whether you go around kissing Michelle Norman every five minutes or not” she said
“I see, you are referring to the mistletoe kiss on the train”
“I didn’t see any mistletoe” Eleanor said
“So you thought it was just a snog?” he asked
“Yes” she replied and looked down at her feet.
Michael lifted her chin so he could see her eyes and then he kissed her.
It was less prolonged than the first however because a voice called from the shop doorway
“Ellie?”
So Michael released her reluctantly and she called.
“I’ll be there in a moment Dad”
“I have to go” she said and kissed him again
“Perhaps we can pick it up again later” he said
“We’re going to Fallowacres”
“How long for?” he asked
“Until the New Year” she replied
“In which case I’m going to need another kiss before you go” Michael said and then they kissed one last time
“Happy Christmas Ellie” he said
“Happy Christmas” she echoed and she paused by the door and added
“I’ll bring you a present”
“You’re the only present I want” he said and she ran straight back into his arms.
Michael watched as they drove away from the shop and then turned around and continued his journey home as the snow abated.
And he spent all that Christmas looking forward to the New Year.
Downshire Diary – (25) The Girl in the White Silk Dress
(Part 01)
When Steve Berry proposed to Holly Davis in the Pig and Whistle in Abbeyvale on Easter Sunday, in front of a packed pub to great acclaim it set off an unstoppable chain of events which consumed not just Steve and Holly but everyone around them as well.
Rather unconventionally, instead of picking a date, or a number of dates, and then checking if the church was free, Holly went to see the Reverend Marshall to see what dates he had available with the intention of making her plans accordingly.
She was fully expecting St Mary’s to be fully booked right through the summer and she was correct in that assumption, but as luck would have it there had been a cancellation only that afternoon and September 20th was free.
It was cutting it a bit fine but she thought it was doable so even without checking with Steve first she booked it right there and then.
While Holly was at St Mary’s her fiancé Steve, ever the bean counter was supervising the installation of solar panels on the rear aspect roof which would make a significant reduction to their electricity bills.
Although in truth the term “supervising” was actually stretching it a bit, as all it actually involved him sitting on the patio looking up at them working while he drank a pint.
The Pig and Whistle was a big pub and as he sat looking up to the roof of the Victorian building it was patently obvious that it had once been a hotel.
When he and Holly finally got around to fully exploring the accommodation they were amazed at how many rooms there were.
There were some rooms upstairs that were used as little more than storage spaces.
In fact there were sufficient rooms for Holly and Steve to have a self-contained apartment and still make four decent size bed sitters.
“They could be a useful additional source of income” Steve suggested
“We could always offered them to the staff at a reduced rate” Holly suggested “We wouldn’t get as much revenue but we would get some”
“Hmmm” Steve responded
“Hospitality is not the best paid job in the world” Holly continued “and they’re paying ridiculous rents for rooms half the size on the other side of town”
“Well I can’t think of an argument why not” he said “So that’s agreed then”
So it was settled, they would offer the bedsits to the senior staff.
Petra and Ausra jumped at the chance as they were living in a very dodgy street in the seediest part of town with some very unsavoury neighbours, Stephanos was less keen until he realised the room was twice the size of the one he was renting for half the rent.
Debbie declined the offer however as she was already well fixed up living with her parents rent free and you couldn’t get cheaper than that.
So they were left with one unoccupied room that they could rent out for extra revenue.
But then Steph suggested
“Save it for when we get a chef”
(Part 02)
After Holly and Steve had offered the bedsitters to the staff they were left with one unoccupied room that they could rent out for extra revenue.
But then Steph suggested
“Save it for when we get a chef”
He and Steve had been doing the food between them since January but they wanted to get a chef.
“What do you mean?” Holly said
“Well I’m a good pub grub man” Steph said “But I’m not a chef”
“What do you think Steve?” Holly asked
“Well we can both cook ok, but our repertoire is limited, what we do, we do well” he replied “But what we need is a “chef” who can take us to the next level, expand the menu and broaden our horizons”
“Well I’ll put that on the list then” Holly said and grinned
Steve was taking a short break before the lunchtime rush while Holly was upstairs in their bedroom trying on her wedding dress.
The date was set for September 20th at St Mary’s church just down the road, followed by the reception at the Pig and Whistle which would help to keep the cost down.
While he sat down drinking his coffee he was thinking about the guest list, which wasn’t substantial, there weren’t many family guests on Holly’s side, her hippie parents, if they could be found, and two cousins, and none at all on Steve’s side.
The only relative he had was his father and apart from the fact he didn’t know if he was still alive or not he didn’t want him there anyway.
One person who would definitely not be there was Uncle Phil who had passed away two months before the wedding.
Up in Holly and Steve’s bedroom she was opening a large flat cardboard box, the kind where the lid fitted over the base like a very large jigsaw puzzle box and she was accompanied by her bridesmaids.
Petra and Ausra were cousins and had come to the Britain from Lithuania, they were the same age as Holly and they had known each other for almost ten years and the three of them were the best of friends.
When she had the lid off, she cast it aside and unfolded the tissue paper covering the contents.
Holly slipped her hands inside and removed the beautiful white silk wedding dress trimmed with Belgian lace.
“Wow that’s beautiful” Petra said “was it your mamas?
“No” Holly replied and laughed “my parents got married in a registry office and the bride wore denim”
“It’s lovely” Ausra added
“It was my grandmothers” Holly said proudly, and when she tried it on Holly looked stunning.
Meanwhile Steve’s thoughts had turned to his best man, six months earlier he wouldn’t have hesitated for a second.
His best friend Graham Chatfield would have been the obvious choice for best man.
But they had fallen out, as it was Graham who had been the most vociferous about him burning his bridges and ruining his life over some “silly tart” when he first fell in love with Holly.
At the point Graham referred to Holly as a “silly tart” Steve hit him and they hadn’t spoken since.
Which meant the obvious candidate was now Stephanos who he hadn’t actually got around to asking at that point so he went back into the kitchen
“Steph!” he called “I need a best man”
“Of course you do” he replied
“And you’re it” Steve said
“Cool” Steph responded so that was settled.
(Part 03)
Having returned the wedding dress to its box and safely hidden it from Steve’s prying eyes her thought returned to the day itself.
The wedding breakfast was problematic as the cooks were also the Groom and Best man and the waitresses were the bridesmaids.
Of course it was easy enough to get outside caterers for the day, Holly had enough contacts in the business to get someone that would do a good job and at a reasonable price.
It wasn’t in their budget but it looked like they didn’t really have a choice.
The other thing they couldn’t really afford to do was to have a honeymoon, in terms of time away from the pub as well as financially.
But their staff ganged up on them and insisted they go, if only for a day or two.
They could quite easily manage to run the place while they were away, so they agreed on a short break in Sharpington and staying in a B&B would keep it affordable.
A few weeks ahead of the big day Holly and Steve were in the apartment eating breakfast and going through the mail.
“I’m a bit worried Steve” she said
“What about?” he asked
“The wedding” she replied
“Why? Have we forgotten something?” Steve said
“No everything’s arranged, everything’s booked” Holly confirmed “Apart from my parents obviously”
“So what’s the matter?” Steve asked puzzled
“The cost” she said “its twice as much as we budgeted for”
“That’s because we budgeted next to nothing” he corrected her
“I’m still worried” she said stubbornly
“Well maybe this will set your mind at rest” Steve said and handed her a solicitor’s letter.
It was from Uncle Phil’s solicitors, Bramstock, Goodman, Crossfield and Bushe, in Abbottsford detailing a bequest and a cheque for the stated amount.
“That should cover it” Steve said and stood up and walked around the table and kissed the top of her head
“Now you can get back to worrying about whether I’m going to turn up or not” He said and left the room whistling
“What do you mean?” Holly said rushing after him
The week of the wedding was a little tense as Holly still hadn’t heard from her hippie parents.
She had left messages at their various stopping off points and with friends she knew they were regularly in touch with, but she had heard nothing back.
Also during that week were the Hen night and the Stag do, though neither of them were reckless exhibitionists so strippers and silly stunts were never on the cards.
On Wednesday night the boys went out for a meal and a few drinks while the girls held the fort and the following night they swapped.
On Friday night Steve took Holly out for a romantic dinner and after delivering her home he went across the road to the Abbeyvale Court Hotel for the night.
(Part 04)
Saturday arrived and Holly got ready at the pub while Steve dressed at the Hotel which would serve as his abode for his last night as a single man and his first as a married one, albeit in a different room for the nuptials.
The morning was very relaxed, he took a leisurely bath and performed his ablutions, but by lunch time when Steph arrived with his suit and shoes etc. the nerves had set in and the joke he made to Holly about not turning up was suddenly ringing hollow, as he though
“What if she doesn’t turn up?”
Holly despite having been a wreck all week was calmness personified, and she had resolved to enjoy and savour every single moment of their special day.
It was everyone else who were all at sixes and sevens.
But she managed to impress her calmness on everyone around her and they got through the morning unscathed.
Steve was sat at the front of the church with Stephanos and his stomach was doing somersaults.
“Have you got the ring?” he said
“Yes” Stephonos said “but if you ask me again I’m going to throw it out of the window”
“Sorry” he said “Nerves”
When they had arrived the Reverend Marshall had said
“Just sit down and relax, when its time I will walk past and touch your shoulder and that’s your cue. Ok?”
Steve just nodded
After about five minutes he heard the Vicars footsteps and then felt his hand on his shoulder which was his cue to get to his feet
“It’s alright I’m only kidding” he said “she’s not here yet”
Steve could have killed him at the time, but it actually stopped his stomach it its tracks.
The Vicar was on the dais when he caught Steve’s eye and nodded and the bridal march began and Steve and Steph got to their feet.
“This is it man” Steph said “now where’s that ring”
Steve just gave him a sideways glance.
He could hear Holly processing up the aisle and he was desperate to turn around and look at her, but he daren’t, he thought his legs would give way under him if he saw her.
Then he could see her in his peripheral vision, but just a splash of white.
Steve stepped to his left to join her and took a deep breath before he turned to look at her, and there she was standing before him, a vision of loveliness, in a dress of antique white silk.
“You look beautiful” he whispered and Holly smiled and giggled, then as they faced each other there was a crash at the back of the church and without taking their eyes off each other they said in unison
“The hippies”
Then after a second or two they both turned to look at a middle aged couple at the back of the church, Steve had no idea who they were but when Holly squeezed his hand he knew it was her parents.
On Sunday morning Mr and Mrs Berry left for their honeymoon in Sharpington, they were not however bound for a B&B, but were instead, courtesy of Uncle Phil’s bequest, headed to the Granite Hill Country House Hotel and when they returned to Abbeyvale a week later they brought with them a new chef.
When Steve Berry proposed to Holly Davis in the Pig and Whistle in Abbeyvale on Easter Sunday, in front of a packed pub to great acclaim it set off an unstoppable chain of events which consumed not just Steve and Holly but everyone around them as well.
Rather unconventionally, instead of picking a date, or a number of dates, and then checking if the church was free, Holly went to see the Reverend Marshall to see what dates he had available with the intention of making her plans accordingly.
She was fully expecting St Mary’s to be fully booked right through the summer and she was correct in that assumption, but as luck would have it there had been a cancellation only that afternoon and September 20th was free.
It was cutting it a bit fine but she thought it was doable so even without checking with Steve first she booked it right there and then.
While Holly was at St Mary’s her fiancé Steve, ever the bean counter was supervising the installation of solar panels on the rear aspect roof which would make a significant reduction to their electricity bills.
Although in truth the term “supervising” was actually stretching it a bit, as all it actually involved him sitting on the patio looking up at them working while he drank a pint.
The Pig and Whistle was a big pub and as he sat looking up to the roof of the Victorian building it was patently obvious that it had once been a hotel.
When he and Holly finally got around to fully exploring the accommodation they were amazed at how many rooms there were.
There were some rooms upstairs that were used as little more than storage spaces.
In fact there were sufficient rooms for Holly and Steve to have a self-contained apartment and still make four decent size bed sitters.
“They could be a useful additional source of income” Steve suggested
“We could always offered them to the staff at a reduced rate” Holly suggested “We wouldn’t get as much revenue but we would get some”
“Hmmm” Steve responded
“Hospitality is not the best paid job in the world” Holly continued “and they’re paying ridiculous rents for rooms half the size on the other side of town”
“Well I can’t think of an argument why not” he said “So that’s agreed then”
So it was settled, they would offer the bedsits to the senior staff.
Petra and Ausra jumped at the chance as they were living in a very dodgy street in the seediest part of town with some very unsavoury neighbours, Stephanos was less keen until he realised the room was twice the size of the one he was renting for half the rent.
Debbie declined the offer however as she was already well fixed up living with her parents rent free and you couldn’t get cheaper than that.
So they were left with one unoccupied room that they could rent out for extra revenue.
But then Steph suggested
“Save it for when we get a chef”
(Part 02)
After Holly and Steve had offered the bedsitters to the staff they were left with one unoccupied room that they could rent out for extra revenue.
But then Steph suggested
“Save it for when we get a chef”
He and Steve had been doing the food between them since January but they wanted to get a chef.
“What do you mean?” Holly said
“Well I’m a good pub grub man” Steph said “But I’m not a chef”
“What do you think Steve?” Holly asked
“Well we can both cook ok, but our repertoire is limited, what we do, we do well” he replied “But what we need is a “chef” who can take us to the next level, expand the menu and broaden our horizons”
“Well I’ll put that on the list then” Holly said and grinned
Steve was taking a short break before the lunchtime rush while Holly was upstairs in their bedroom trying on her wedding dress.
The date was set for September 20th at St Mary’s church just down the road, followed by the reception at the Pig and Whistle which would help to keep the cost down.
While he sat down drinking his coffee he was thinking about the guest list, which wasn’t substantial, there weren’t many family guests on Holly’s side, her hippie parents, if they could be found, and two cousins, and none at all on Steve’s side.
The only relative he had was his father and apart from the fact he didn’t know if he was still alive or not he didn’t want him there anyway.
One person who would definitely not be there was Uncle Phil who had passed away two months before the wedding.
Up in Holly and Steve’s bedroom she was opening a large flat cardboard box, the kind where the lid fitted over the base like a very large jigsaw puzzle box and she was accompanied by her bridesmaids.
Petra and Ausra were cousins and had come to the Britain from Lithuania, they were the same age as Holly and they had known each other for almost ten years and the three of them were the best of friends.
When she had the lid off, she cast it aside and unfolded the tissue paper covering the contents.
Holly slipped her hands inside and removed the beautiful white silk wedding dress trimmed with Belgian lace.
“Wow that’s beautiful” Petra said “was it your mamas?
“No” Holly replied and laughed “my parents got married in a registry office and the bride wore denim”
“It’s lovely” Ausra added
“It was my grandmothers” Holly said proudly, and when she tried it on Holly looked stunning.
Meanwhile Steve’s thoughts had turned to his best man, six months earlier he wouldn’t have hesitated for a second.
His best friend Graham Chatfield would have been the obvious choice for best man.
But they had fallen out, as it was Graham who had been the most vociferous about him burning his bridges and ruining his life over some “silly tart” when he first fell in love with Holly.
At the point Graham referred to Holly as a “silly tart” Steve hit him and they hadn’t spoken since.
Which meant the obvious candidate was now Stephanos who he hadn’t actually got around to asking at that point so he went back into the kitchen
“Steph!” he called “I need a best man”
“Of course you do” he replied
“And you’re it” Steve said
“Cool” Steph responded so that was settled.
(Part 03)
Having returned the wedding dress to its box and safely hidden it from Steve’s prying eyes her thought returned to the day itself.
The wedding breakfast was problematic as the cooks were also the Groom and Best man and the waitresses were the bridesmaids.
Of course it was easy enough to get outside caterers for the day, Holly had enough contacts in the business to get someone that would do a good job and at a reasonable price.
It wasn’t in their budget but it looked like they didn’t really have a choice.
The other thing they couldn’t really afford to do was to have a honeymoon, in terms of time away from the pub as well as financially.
But their staff ganged up on them and insisted they go, if only for a day or two.
They could quite easily manage to run the place while they were away, so they agreed on a short break in Sharpington and staying in a B&B would keep it affordable.
A few weeks ahead of the big day Holly and Steve were in the apartment eating breakfast and going through the mail.
“I’m a bit worried Steve” she said
“What about?” he asked
“The wedding” she replied
“Why? Have we forgotten something?” Steve said
“No everything’s arranged, everything’s booked” Holly confirmed “Apart from my parents obviously”
“So what’s the matter?” Steve asked puzzled
“The cost” she said “its twice as much as we budgeted for”
“That’s because we budgeted next to nothing” he corrected her
“I’m still worried” she said stubbornly
“Well maybe this will set your mind at rest” Steve said and handed her a solicitor’s letter.
It was from Uncle Phil’s solicitors, Bramstock, Goodman, Crossfield and Bushe, in Abbottsford detailing a bequest and a cheque for the stated amount.
“That should cover it” Steve said and stood up and walked around the table and kissed the top of her head
“Now you can get back to worrying about whether I’m going to turn up or not” He said and left the room whistling
“What do you mean?” Holly said rushing after him
The week of the wedding was a little tense as Holly still hadn’t heard from her hippie parents.
She had left messages at their various stopping off points and with friends she knew they were regularly in touch with, but she had heard nothing back.
Also during that week were the Hen night and the Stag do, though neither of them were reckless exhibitionists so strippers and silly stunts were never on the cards.
On Wednesday night the boys went out for a meal and a few drinks while the girls held the fort and the following night they swapped.
On Friday night Steve took Holly out for a romantic dinner and after delivering her home he went across the road to the Abbeyvale Court Hotel for the night.
(Part 04)
Saturday arrived and Holly got ready at the pub while Steve dressed at the Hotel which would serve as his abode for his last night as a single man and his first as a married one, albeit in a different room for the nuptials.
The morning was very relaxed, he took a leisurely bath and performed his ablutions, but by lunch time when Steph arrived with his suit and shoes etc. the nerves had set in and the joke he made to Holly about not turning up was suddenly ringing hollow, as he though
“What if she doesn’t turn up?”
Holly despite having been a wreck all week was calmness personified, and she had resolved to enjoy and savour every single moment of their special day.
It was everyone else who were all at sixes and sevens.
But she managed to impress her calmness on everyone around her and they got through the morning unscathed.
Steve was sat at the front of the church with Stephanos and his stomach was doing somersaults.
“Have you got the ring?” he said
“Yes” Stephonos said “but if you ask me again I’m going to throw it out of the window”
“Sorry” he said “Nerves”
When they had arrived the Reverend Marshall had said
“Just sit down and relax, when its time I will walk past and touch your shoulder and that’s your cue. Ok?”
Steve just nodded
After about five minutes he heard the Vicars footsteps and then felt his hand on his shoulder which was his cue to get to his feet
“It’s alright I’m only kidding” he said “she’s not here yet”
Steve could have killed him at the time, but it actually stopped his stomach it its tracks.
The Vicar was on the dais when he caught Steve’s eye and nodded and the bridal march began and Steve and Steph got to their feet.
“This is it man” Steph said “now where’s that ring”
Steve just gave him a sideways glance.
He could hear Holly processing up the aisle and he was desperate to turn around and look at her, but he daren’t, he thought his legs would give way under him if he saw her.
Then he could see her in his peripheral vision, but just a splash of white.
Steve stepped to his left to join her and took a deep breath before he turned to look at her, and there she was standing before him, a vision of loveliness, in a dress of antique white silk.
“You look beautiful” he whispered and Holly smiled and giggled, then as they faced each other there was a crash at the back of the church and without taking their eyes off each other they said in unison
“The hippies”
Then after a second or two they both turned to look at a middle aged couple at the back of the church, Steve had no idea who they were but when Holly squeezed his hand he knew it was her parents.
On Sunday morning Mr and Mrs Berry left for their honeymoon in Sharpington, they were not however bound for a B&B, but were instead, courtesy of Uncle Phil’s bequest, headed to the Granite Hill Country House Hotel and when they returned to Abbeyvale a week later they brought with them a new chef.
Thursday, 23 March 2017
Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (24) A Curious St Stephens Day
(Part 01)
Edward Carlisle and his brother George shared a flat in Jubilee Court, in Sharpington, they were twins, though not identical.
George was tall and blonde while Edward was shorter and darker.
In fact the only things they had in common were blue eyes and a surname.
In every other way they differed and the best way to sum them up would be to say that Edward had a heart and a brain whereas George possessed neither.
On Boxing Day they were invited to their Parents house in Brocklington for the day so they set off from the flat just after breakfast and stopped briefly by the pier to pick up George’s girlfriend Emily Clive, and as they pulled up to the curb side Edward had mixed feelings about taking her with them.
Emily wore her unruly red hair tied in a kind of loose arrangement on top of her head which gave the impression that she was taller than she actually was which she liked because she was only 4 foot 11.
Her mode of dress could best be described as interesting and there was nothing that could be in any way considered to be subdued in her apparel.
Emily generally went for the Tomboy look which she managed to pull off very well.
On St Stephens Day she wore a white sweater beneath a garishly bright multi-coloured striped coat, Yellow skinny trousers and Red converse shoes and she was dripping with jewellery, she loved jewellery, and Edward loved her.
Which was the reason for his mixed feelings.
Emily had lovely laughing green eyes which narrowed when she smiled, which was often, and her smile illuminated her face and that morning was no exception.
There was a house full at the Carlisle’s and they had a great day at their mums but due to a mix up between him and George as to who the designated driver was, they both got pissed and had to stay the night.
This caused a bit of a reshuffle on the accommodation front due to their mother’s insistence that George and Emily sleep in separate rooms.
Not just because there mother was a good Christian woman but for the simple reason that she didn’t think George could be relied upon not to disgrace himself and ravish Emily under her roof.
Then she proceeded to question Edwards’s manhood by saying that she would trust him to behave if she was his girlfriend.
Little did she know that he would have ravished Emily at the drop of a hat if she’d let him.
The result of the reshuffle meant that Emily shared the spare room with Cousin Lily while Edward was forced to endure his brother’s constant snoring and farting as they each slept on a sofa in the lounge.
Edward found it difficult to drop off, partly because of George and his horrendous snoring but also because his head was full of images of George’s girlfriend.
After tossing and turning for about an hour his attempts to drop off were further frustrated by an acute need to pee so he got up and tiptoed his way upstairs to the loo and relieved himself.
(Part 02)
Edward was yawning as he left the bathroom and stepped back onto the landing not really paying attention to what he was doing and he subsequently bumped into Emily coming the other way, who pushed him back into the bathroom and planted a wet sensual kiss on his lips.
“We shouldn’t be doing this” he said coming up for air
“Why? You were enjoying it” Emily said and kissed him anew
“That’s not the point” he protested
“So you admit you were enjoying it” she said “so let’s do it again”
“We mustn’t” he insisted and opened some distance between them
“But it’s really nice” Emily said wistfully
“I know but we can’t be doing it anymore” he said indignantly
“I know you like me” she continued as she sat on the side of the bath
“I’ve seen you looking at me when you think no one’s looking”
“Ah” he exclaimed and sat on the loo.
Emily had been going out with George for about three months and Edward fell in love with her the instant he brought her home.
But the thought never crossed his mind to do anything about it, he had a strong moral compass and you didn’t do things like that, it wasn’t cricket, even if his brother didn’t deserve her.
So he just worshipped her from afar.
“I’m sorry” he said
“Why are you sorry?” she asked
“For being too weak” he replied “I had no right to fall for you”
“I don’t think you’re weak” Emily said “Far from it, a weak person wouldn’t have stopped me kissing them”
“Maybe” he conceded
“Your brother wouldn’t have stopped” Emily added
“I’m not my brother” he pointed out
“I realize that only too well” she said and stood up
“I’d better go, but this is for Christmas” she said and kissed him gently
“Merry Christmas”
He went back downstairs and tried to sleep but he found it even more difficult after his encounter with Emily than he did before.
“This is a real Christmas surprise” he thought as he lay wide awake with only his brothers snoring for company.
When George rolled over onto his side he let out a ripping fart which was followed a minute or so later by a cloud of noxious gas which drifted over him and was so foul he decided to leave the room and take sanctuary in the kitchen.
He walked out into the hall and turned towards the kitchen and just as he reached the kitchen door a voice from behind said
“Hello again”
He turned around to see Emily sitting on the stairs.
“Hi Emily” he said “Are you stalking me?”
“Would you mind?” she asked
“No comment, do you want a drink?” he said and went into the kitchen and Emily followed on behind.
He made the drinks and sat down at the table opposite her.
“So you can’t sleep either then” he said
“I’m afraid not”
“Something on your mind” he asked
“Something” she agreed but didn’t elaborate so he didn’t pursue it any further.
But after five minutes she asked
“Would you ask me out if I wasn’t spoken for?”
“If you weren’t going out with George I would ask you in a heartbeat”
He replied
(Part 03)
“Would you ask me out if I wasn’t spoken for?” Emily asked
“If you weren’t going out with George I would ask you in a heartbeat”
He replied
“Why?” Emily added
“Why would I ask you out?” he said
“Where do I start? Your hair, your eyes, your smile, your laugh but most of all your heart”
Emily gave him a dazzling smile when he had finished his catalogue and said
“I’ve broken up with him”
“What?” he asked
“We broke up” she replied
“When?”
“Last week”
“But why?”
“Well partly because he was shagging my friend Rosie” she replied “or my ex best friend Rosie I should say”
“Was he?” he asked in disbelief
“You didn’t know then?”
“No I didn’t, honestly” he said “he wouldn’t tell me something like that because he knows I’d disapprove”
“No, that’s because you are a better human being” she said proudly
“I don’t know about that” Edward said “What was the rest of the reason?”
“What?”
“You said George and Rosie was only part of the reason”
“Oh yes I see” she said “well mostly I broke up with him because he wasn’t you”
Edward couldn’t believe his ears, did those words really come out of her mouth, it wasn’t possible that she was really attracted to him.
“So if you broke up with him last week why did you still come today?” he asked
“Because you’re here” she replied and walked around the table and sat on his lap and kissed him.
It was a long and lingering kiss and when it was over he enjoyed it so much he was feeling guilty.
“Does George know?”
“Yes” she said eager to resume
“So why didn’t he say something?” he asked “He’s crap at keeping secrets”
“Because I told him I’d cut his balls off if he did, especially if it spoiled my chances” she replied and kissed him again before he could speak anymore.
The prolonged kiss showed no sign of abating until a voice said
“What’s going on in here then?”
It was Cousin Lily who Emily was sharing the spare room with.
“She’s just wishing me a Happy Christmas?” Edward said
“Result” Lily remarked
She poured herself a glass of water and said
“I’ll leave you two alone”
“Good because I want to wish him a Happy New Year now” Emily replied
“I think that’s guaranteed” Edward said
They left his mums shortly after breakfast and had a clear run back to Sharpington.
Edward was driving and Emily rode shotgun while a rather fragile Feeling George lay snoring and farting on the back seat.
It was a very quiet and uneventful journey home with both of them lost in their own thoughts.
When they got back to Sharpington they had a quiet dozy day of television and slobbery at Emily’s parent’s bungalow on the sea front.
They were invited back to Brocklington for a New Year’s Eve party at his mum’s house but they decided on a different way to see the New Year in and retired early and made gentle tender love from one year to the next.
Edward Carlisle and his brother George shared a flat in Jubilee Court, in Sharpington, they were twins, though not identical.
George was tall and blonde while Edward was shorter and darker.
In fact the only things they had in common were blue eyes and a surname.
In every other way they differed and the best way to sum them up would be to say that Edward had a heart and a brain whereas George possessed neither.
On Boxing Day they were invited to their Parents house in Brocklington for the day so they set off from the flat just after breakfast and stopped briefly by the pier to pick up George’s girlfriend Emily Clive, and as they pulled up to the curb side Edward had mixed feelings about taking her with them.
Emily wore her unruly red hair tied in a kind of loose arrangement on top of her head which gave the impression that she was taller than she actually was which she liked because she was only 4 foot 11.
Her mode of dress could best be described as interesting and there was nothing that could be in any way considered to be subdued in her apparel.
Emily generally went for the Tomboy look which she managed to pull off very well.
On St Stephens Day she wore a white sweater beneath a garishly bright multi-coloured striped coat, Yellow skinny trousers and Red converse shoes and she was dripping with jewellery, she loved jewellery, and Edward loved her.
Which was the reason for his mixed feelings.
Emily had lovely laughing green eyes which narrowed when she smiled, which was often, and her smile illuminated her face and that morning was no exception.
There was a house full at the Carlisle’s and they had a great day at their mums but due to a mix up between him and George as to who the designated driver was, they both got pissed and had to stay the night.
This caused a bit of a reshuffle on the accommodation front due to their mother’s insistence that George and Emily sleep in separate rooms.
Not just because there mother was a good Christian woman but for the simple reason that she didn’t think George could be relied upon not to disgrace himself and ravish Emily under her roof.
Then she proceeded to question Edwards’s manhood by saying that she would trust him to behave if she was his girlfriend.
Little did she know that he would have ravished Emily at the drop of a hat if she’d let him.
The result of the reshuffle meant that Emily shared the spare room with Cousin Lily while Edward was forced to endure his brother’s constant snoring and farting as they each slept on a sofa in the lounge.
Edward found it difficult to drop off, partly because of George and his horrendous snoring but also because his head was full of images of George’s girlfriend.
After tossing and turning for about an hour his attempts to drop off were further frustrated by an acute need to pee so he got up and tiptoed his way upstairs to the loo and relieved himself.
(Part 02)
Edward was yawning as he left the bathroom and stepped back onto the landing not really paying attention to what he was doing and he subsequently bumped into Emily coming the other way, who pushed him back into the bathroom and planted a wet sensual kiss on his lips.
“We shouldn’t be doing this” he said coming up for air
“Why? You were enjoying it” Emily said and kissed him anew
“That’s not the point” he protested
“So you admit you were enjoying it” she said “so let’s do it again”
“We mustn’t” he insisted and opened some distance between them
“But it’s really nice” Emily said wistfully
“I know but we can’t be doing it anymore” he said indignantly
“I know you like me” she continued as she sat on the side of the bath
“I’ve seen you looking at me when you think no one’s looking”
“Ah” he exclaimed and sat on the loo.
Emily had been going out with George for about three months and Edward fell in love with her the instant he brought her home.
But the thought never crossed his mind to do anything about it, he had a strong moral compass and you didn’t do things like that, it wasn’t cricket, even if his brother didn’t deserve her.
So he just worshipped her from afar.
“I’m sorry” he said
“Why are you sorry?” she asked
“For being too weak” he replied “I had no right to fall for you”
“I don’t think you’re weak” Emily said “Far from it, a weak person wouldn’t have stopped me kissing them”
“Maybe” he conceded
“Your brother wouldn’t have stopped” Emily added
“I’m not my brother” he pointed out
“I realize that only too well” she said and stood up
“I’d better go, but this is for Christmas” she said and kissed him gently
“Merry Christmas”
He went back downstairs and tried to sleep but he found it even more difficult after his encounter with Emily than he did before.
“This is a real Christmas surprise” he thought as he lay wide awake with only his brothers snoring for company.
When George rolled over onto his side he let out a ripping fart which was followed a minute or so later by a cloud of noxious gas which drifted over him and was so foul he decided to leave the room and take sanctuary in the kitchen.
He walked out into the hall and turned towards the kitchen and just as he reached the kitchen door a voice from behind said
“Hello again”
He turned around to see Emily sitting on the stairs.
“Hi Emily” he said “Are you stalking me?”
“Would you mind?” she asked
“No comment, do you want a drink?” he said and went into the kitchen and Emily followed on behind.
He made the drinks and sat down at the table opposite her.
“So you can’t sleep either then” he said
“I’m afraid not”
“Something on your mind” he asked
“Something” she agreed but didn’t elaborate so he didn’t pursue it any further.
But after five minutes she asked
“Would you ask me out if I wasn’t spoken for?”
“If you weren’t going out with George I would ask you in a heartbeat”
He replied
(Part 03)
“Would you ask me out if I wasn’t spoken for?” Emily asked
“If you weren’t going out with George I would ask you in a heartbeat”
He replied
“Why?” Emily added
“Why would I ask you out?” he said
“Where do I start? Your hair, your eyes, your smile, your laugh but most of all your heart”
Emily gave him a dazzling smile when he had finished his catalogue and said
“I’ve broken up with him”
“What?” he asked
“We broke up” she replied
“When?”
“Last week”
“But why?”
“Well partly because he was shagging my friend Rosie” she replied “or my ex best friend Rosie I should say”
“Was he?” he asked in disbelief
“You didn’t know then?”
“No I didn’t, honestly” he said “he wouldn’t tell me something like that because he knows I’d disapprove”
“No, that’s because you are a better human being” she said proudly
“I don’t know about that” Edward said “What was the rest of the reason?”
“What?”
“You said George and Rosie was only part of the reason”
“Oh yes I see” she said “well mostly I broke up with him because he wasn’t you”
Edward couldn’t believe his ears, did those words really come out of her mouth, it wasn’t possible that she was really attracted to him.
“So if you broke up with him last week why did you still come today?” he asked
“Because you’re here” she replied and walked around the table and sat on his lap and kissed him.
It was a long and lingering kiss and when it was over he enjoyed it so much he was feeling guilty.
“Does George know?”
“Yes” she said eager to resume
“So why didn’t he say something?” he asked “He’s crap at keeping secrets”
“Because I told him I’d cut his balls off if he did, especially if it spoiled my chances” she replied and kissed him again before he could speak anymore.
The prolonged kiss showed no sign of abating until a voice said
“What’s going on in here then?”
It was Cousin Lily who Emily was sharing the spare room with.
“She’s just wishing me a Happy Christmas?” Edward said
“Result” Lily remarked
She poured herself a glass of water and said
“I’ll leave you two alone”
“Good because I want to wish him a Happy New Year now” Emily replied
“I think that’s guaranteed” Edward said
They left his mums shortly after breakfast and had a clear run back to Sharpington.
Edward was driving and Emily rode shotgun while a rather fragile Feeling George lay snoring and farting on the back seat.
It was a very quiet and uneventful journey home with both of them lost in their own thoughts.
When they got back to Sharpington they had a quiet dozy day of television and slobbery at Emily’s parent’s bungalow on the sea front.
They were invited back to Brocklington for a New Year’s Eve party at his mum’s house but they decided on a different way to see the New Year in and retired early and made gentle tender love from one year to the next.
Mornington-By-Mere – (24) Christmas Surprise
(Part 01)
There are four Windmill Cottages in the village of Mornington-By-Mere and they are as quaintly picturesque as is the rest of the village.
They stand detached in a neat row alongside the southern bank of the River Brooke situated between the East Bridge and Church Hall.
The Chapman family live in number 1 and Jo Williamson and her daughter Cassandra live next door at number 2.
Alan Chapman was a 50 year old widowed Farm Labourer and was very highly regarded and as such he was never out of work as a result and because of that he could easily pick and choose where he worked.
As a consequence of his outdoor life he was a lean fit man with a full head of sandy hair and a weathered complexion.
His daughter Lorraine didn’t live with him full time as she was a Nurse at the Winston Churchill Hospital in Abbottsford and rather than commute back and forth she shared a flat with two other Nurses, Jane Hall, and Rosie Parsons who also lived in Mornington and worked at the Churchill.
It wasn’t a huge flat and nor was it in the smartest part of town but it was perfect for them as it meant that they had a place to live that was close to work, which was ideal for them all as they worked shifts, and it meant that split between the three of them their expenses were less than their travelling would have been.
His 23 year old so James was also a Farm Labourer but he worked exclusively at Windmill Farm and the baby of the family Siobhan went to college and was well employed in the evenings babysitting.
So as a result of his children’s independent existences Alan spent a lot of his leisure time on his own.
He wasn’t altogether happy with that but he had been a widower for ten years so he was getting used to it.
He was not an unsociable man however and was well liked by those who knew him and he got on well with his neighbour’s.
One of those neighbour’s was Josephine Williamson who he knew very well and would have liked very much to have known her better.
But what held him back was that she was 8 years younger than him, so he admired her from a distance.
She was five foot eight with luscious thick ginger curls tumbling down onto her shoulders and mesmerizing green eyes, with a lovely figure, curvaceous and perfectly proportioned.
Jo was a divorcee but had raised her daughter single handed and had to stand on her own two feet, she had managed to get a full time job with one of the new firms up at Mornington Field, Paige Turners and things were going well for her so she was happy-ish.
But Caz was in her final year at University and when she graduated she was going to marry the love of her life, Alex Kincaid-Smith who lived at number 4 which meant Jo would truly be alone.
But she wouldn’t under any circumstances tell her daughter how scared she was of that prospect because she didn’t want to hold her back.
(Part 02)
Alan was in a much more positive frame of mind when December came around, because Christmas was just around the corner.
He liked Christmas and so did the kids so he was guaranteed they would all be around if only for a few days.
Alan had spent the whole week working up at Wood Hill Farm for the Newman’s but they had got on so well that they were finished by Friday lunchtime so Kashveena fed him a good lunch and sent him on his way with a full weeks wages.
Kash Newman was renowned in the area for her cooking and she didn’t stint on the portions either.
When he got home to an empty house he sat down in front of the TV and started watching “The Bishops Wife”, one of his all-time favourite Christmas movies, but with his stomach still full with Kash’s lunch he lasted no more than 10 minutes before the long blinks set in and as a result he spent the afternoon sleeping on the couch in a fitful dreamy sleep in which Loretta Young featured heavily.
It was just when he had woken from that long afternoons snoozing and surfaced from an erotic dreamland that he heard the sound of the doorbell.
The bell continued to ring as he made his way up the hall and when he opened the front door he found a rather tipsy Jo Williamson leaning against the doorframe.
“Alan darling” she slurred, “I am a damsel in distress”
“How can I help?” he said
“I’m locked out” Jo said “and Caz won’t be back for at least an hour”
Cassandra had gone to Abbottsford with friends to do her Christmas shopping.
“Could you be a dear and let me stay here until she gets home?”
“Yes of course” he said just being neighbourly “Come on in party girl”
“Thank you kind sir” she said as she almost fell through the door.
“Let’s get your coat off” he suggested which proved to be something of an effort, but they managed it in the end and when they had she adjusted her skirt and straightened her scarlet festive top.
He sat her on a chair in the hall while he pulled her boots off revealing her festive tights with a cute holly leaf motif.
“Come in the kitchen and I’ll put the kettle on” he said
“Wine will do” she suggested and fell against the wall giggling.
“Coffee I think” he replied
A couple of cups later and Jo had sobered considerably and she told him all about the Paige Turners Christmas lunch at the Old Mill Inn and how much she had enjoyed it.
Well he already knew how much she had enjoyed it by the way she fell in through the front door.
“Do you want another cup?” he asked
Jo checked her watch before replying
“Yes please, but I must have a pee first”
“Ok, I’ll take it through to the lounge” he said
(Part 03)
Alan was sitting on the sofa when she tottered into the lounge, make up repaired, outfit perfect, and in one hand she held a sprig of mistletoe.
“Look what I have found,” she said and as she reached him she raised it above her head.
So he stood up to face her, puckered up and gave her a Christmas kiss and as his lips touched hers her it was evident that it was a more intrusive kind of Christmas kiss she was interested in, which took him by surprise, but it was a nice surprise, so in the spirit of the season and just to be neighbourly he responded in kind.
Holding the bubbly redhead in his arms was something he had often imagined but never expected for a moment that it would actually happen.
She was gorgeous and felt so good in his arms and the smell of her hair and her perfumed skin intoxicated him.
He never for a second believed that she might view him in a similar light.
He supposed it must have been as a result of the over indulgent boozy lunch, but whatever the cause she was showing no signs of letting up and had consolidated her position by locking her arms tightly around his neck.
Jo and Alan lay silently in the afterglow in his bed and after a few minutes Jo turned her head to look at him.
“My goodness that was really powerful mistletoe” Jo said from beneath the duvet.
“It was that” he agreed
“This isn’t quiet how I envisaged the day going” she said
“Well we Chapmans take hospitality very seriously” he said
“I don’t make a habit of this” she said
“Nor do I” Alan said “And this isn’t something I envisaged happening either, but it’s something I pictured in my dreams, often”
He reached out and put his arm around her and she lay her head on his chest.
“Truly?” she asked
“Truly” he confirmed
“Mine too” Jo whispered and kissed his skin
“I’m sorry if it wasn’t as good as you dreamed” she said
“I’ve only ever been with… I had only ever been with my husband John”
“It was every bit as I dreamed it” he reassured her and she hugged him tightly
“I’m no serial philanderer” he confessed “There’s been no one since Eve, until now”
“I’m glad” she said and he felt her sighing breath on his chest
They lay entwined beneath the duvet and after about 5 minutes Jo broke the silence.
“I have to go” she said “Cassandra will be wondering where I am, and what I’m doing”
“I don’t want you to go” he said
“It won’t be forever” she reassured him
“I know” Alan said “I thought we could try another sprig of that mistletoe”
“Oh yes” she said “merry Christmas”
There are four Windmill Cottages in the village of Mornington-By-Mere and they are as quaintly picturesque as is the rest of the village.
They stand detached in a neat row alongside the southern bank of the River Brooke situated between the East Bridge and Church Hall.
The Chapman family live in number 1 and Jo Williamson and her daughter Cassandra live next door at number 2.
Alan Chapman was a 50 year old widowed Farm Labourer and was very highly regarded and as such he was never out of work as a result and because of that he could easily pick and choose where he worked.
As a consequence of his outdoor life he was a lean fit man with a full head of sandy hair and a weathered complexion.
His daughter Lorraine didn’t live with him full time as she was a Nurse at the Winston Churchill Hospital in Abbottsford and rather than commute back and forth she shared a flat with two other Nurses, Jane Hall, and Rosie Parsons who also lived in Mornington and worked at the Churchill.
It wasn’t a huge flat and nor was it in the smartest part of town but it was perfect for them as it meant that they had a place to live that was close to work, which was ideal for them all as they worked shifts, and it meant that split between the three of them their expenses were less than their travelling would have been.
His 23 year old so James was also a Farm Labourer but he worked exclusively at Windmill Farm and the baby of the family Siobhan went to college and was well employed in the evenings babysitting.
So as a result of his children’s independent existences Alan spent a lot of his leisure time on his own.
He wasn’t altogether happy with that but he had been a widower for ten years so he was getting used to it.
He was not an unsociable man however and was well liked by those who knew him and he got on well with his neighbour’s.
One of those neighbour’s was Josephine Williamson who he knew very well and would have liked very much to have known her better.
But what held him back was that she was 8 years younger than him, so he admired her from a distance.
She was five foot eight with luscious thick ginger curls tumbling down onto her shoulders and mesmerizing green eyes, with a lovely figure, curvaceous and perfectly proportioned.
Jo was a divorcee but had raised her daughter single handed and had to stand on her own two feet, she had managed to get a full time job with one of the new firms up at Mornington Field, Paige Turners and things were going well for her so she was happy-ish.
But Caz was in her final year at University and when she graduated she was going to marry the love of her life, Alex Kincaid-Smith who lived at number 4 which meant Jo would truly be alone.
But she wouldn’t under any circumstances tell her daughter how scared she was of that prospect because she didn’t want to hold her back.
(Part 02)
Alan was in a much more positive frame of mind when December came around, because Christmas was just around the corner.
He liked Christmas and so did the kids so he was guaranteed they would all be around if only for a few days.
Alan had spent the whole week working up at Wood Hill Farm for the Newman’s but they had got on so well that they were finished by Friday lunchtime so Kashveena fed him a good lunch and sent him on his way with a full weeks wages.
Kash Newman was renowned in the area for her cooking and she didn’t stint on the portions either.
When he got home to an empty house he sat down in front of the TV and started watching “The Bishops Wife”, one of his all-time favourite Christmas movies, but with his stomach still full with Kash’s lunch he lasted no more than 10 minutes before the long blinks set in and as a result he spent the afternoon sleeping on the couch in a fitful dreamy sleep in which Loretta Young featured heavily.
It was just when he had woken from that long afternoons snoozing and surfaced from an erotic dreamland that he heard the sound of the doorbell.
The bell continued to ring as he made his way up the hall and when he opened the front door he found a rather tipsy Jo Williamson leaning against the doorframe.
“Alan darling” she slurred, “I am a damsel in distress”
“How can I help?” he said
“I’m locked out” Jo said “and Caz won’t be back for at least an hour”
Cassandra had gone to Abbottsford with friends to do her Christmas shopping.
“Could you be a dear and let me stay here until she gets home?”
“Yes of course” he said just being neighbourly “Come on in party girl”
“Thank you kind sir” she said as she almost fell through the door.
“Let’s get your coat off” he suggested which proved to be something of an effort, but they managed it in the end and when they had she adjusted her skirt and straightened her scarlet festive top.
He sat her on a chair in the hall while he pulled her boots off revealing her festive tights with a cute holly leaf motif.
“Come in the kitchen and I’ll put the kettle on” he said
“Wine will do” she suggested and fell against the wall giggling.
“Coffee I think” he replied
A couple of cups later and Jo had sobered considerably and she told him all about the Paige Turners Christmas lunch at the Old Mill Inn and how much she had enjoyed it.
Well he already knew how much she had enjoyed it by the way she fell in through the front door.
“Do you want another cup?” he asked
Jo checked her watch before replying
“Yes please, but I must have a pee first”
“Ok, I’ll take it through to the lounge” he said
(Part 03)
Alan was sitting on the sofa when she tottered into the lounge, make up repaired, outfit perfect, and in one hand she held a sprig of mistletoe.
“Look what I have found,” she said and as she reached him she raised it above her head.
So he stood up to face her, puckered up and gave her a Christmas kiss and as his lips touched hers her it was evident that it was a more intrusive kind of Christmas kiss she was interested in, which took him by surprise, but it was a nice surprise, so in the spirit of the season and just to be neighbourly he responded in kind.
Holding the bubbly redhead in his arms was something he had often imagined but never expected for a moment that it would actually happen.
She was gorgeous and felt so good in his arms and the smell of her hair and her perfumed skin intoxicated him.
He never for a second believed that she might view him in a similar light.
He supposed it must have been as a result of the over indulgent boozy lunch, but whatever the cause she was showing no signs of letting up and had consolidated her position by locking her arms tightly around his neck.
Jo and Alan lay silently in the afterglow in his bed and after a few minutes Jo turned her head to look at him.
“My goodness that was really powerful mistletoe” Jo said from beneath the duvet.
“It was that” he agreed
“This isn’t quiet how I envisaged the day going” she said
“Well we Chapmans take hospitality very seriously” he said
“I don’t make a habit of this” she said
“Nor do I” Alan said “And this isn’t something I envisaged happening either, but it’s something I pictured in my dreams, often”
He reached out and put his arm around her and she lay her head on his chest.
“Truly?” she asked
“Truly” he confirmed
“Mine too” Jo whispered and kissed his skin
“I’m sorry if it wasn’t as good as you dreamed” she said
“I’ve only ever been with… I had only ever been with my husband John”
“It was every bit as I dreamed it” he reassured her and she hugged him tightly
“I’m no serial philanderer” he confessed “There’s been no one since Eve, until now”
“I’m glad” she said and he felt her sighing breath on his chest
They lay entwined beneath the duvet and after about 5 minutes Jo broke the silence.
“I have to go” she said “Cassandra will be wondering where I am, and what I’m doing”
“I don’t want you to go” he said
“It won’t be forever” she reassured him
“I know” Alan said “I thought we could try another sprig of that mistletoe”
“Oh yes” she said “merry Christmas”
Downshire Diary – (24) Never Judge a Book
(Part 01)
It was a beautiful June evening when Neil Etherington and his colleague Jonathon Hardman were sat by the river in the beer garden of the Mulberry Tree in the village of Brocklington, which was about six miles downstream of the River Deighton discussing the upcoming weekend.
The two friends both worked for a firm of architects called New Horizons whose head office was in Sharpington by Sea.
Neil had a cottage in the Village and Jon was staying with him while his house the Dulcets was being fumigated.
The reason they were discussing the weekend was because he had two tickets to the Downshire versus Surrey one day match at the Abbottsfield cricket ground.
The main topic of the conversation was whether they would drive to Abbottsford early on Saturday morning or go up the night before and stay at a hotel and they were on their third pint of Mornington Ale when Neil’s phone rang.
He picked it up and checked the caller ID and saw it was his boss Russ Evans.
“Hi Russ” Neil said
“Hi Neil, sorry to interrupt your evening, but I need you go to the Abbottsford Regents Hotel tomorrow morning to meet a potential new client” Russ explained
“Sure, who am I meeting” he asked
“Sam Barraclough” Russ replied “it could be a very lucrative commission, so use kid gloves”
After the call ended Neil’s mind was made up for him regarding the weekend because as he was going to be in Abbottsford all day on Friday it made perfect sense for him to stay at a hotel that night.
It was Friday morning and another glorious June day as Neil set off from the village and as he drove he planned his strategy for the meeting as Neil had been instructed to treat the potential new client with kid gloves.
An all-day meeting at a plus Hotel like the Regent was one of the few perks his job had to offer so why wouldn’t he jump at the chance and it meant as he would be out of the office most of the day he could dine the client at the Hotel on expenses, another rare perk.
It was an hour and a half drive from Brocklington to Abbottsford even on a good day and that Friday morning was apparently not a good day.
So as he sat in the queuing traffic his thoughts turned to his meeting, with his client, Russ hadn’t been very forthcoming with the detail so he wasn’t really sure what to expect, but with a name like Sam Barraclough, he was expecting to meet a Yorkshire man with whippet on a lead, with a copy of the pigeon fanciers weekly laying on his knee, so in short a dour Yorkshireman wearing a cloth cap and a tweed jacket.
Despite the horrendous traffic, he was only a few minutes late when he walked up to the grand entrance to the Regents Hotel, he hadn’t been in their before, it was a bit too rich for his blood, but as he got closer it became clear why it wasn’t in the £50 a night category.
But if Neil was unprepared for the grandeur of the Hotel he was doubly unprepared for what was to greet him inside.
(Part 02)
When Neil Etherington arrived a few minutes late at the Abbottsford Regents Hotel for a meeting with Sam Barraclough, he was totally unprepared for who it was that was waiting to greet him in reception, the whippet wielding Yorkshireman he was expecting, because of the name, turned out to be a very pretty young woman by the name of Samantha, who was a petite young blonde, and was stunningly beautiful, that would teach him to jump to conclusions or indeed to Judge a book by its cover.
“Hello” he said “I’m terribly sorry for my tardiness”
“That’s perfectly fine” she responded “I’m only on time myself because I’m staying at the hotel”
Neil was instantly spellbound by the delicious tones of her voice as she introduced herself with a broad smile and a hearty hello and in response he stuttered out his own introduction and the beautiful young woman offered her hand to him in greeting which he accepted gladly.
Her hand was soft and smooth like silk and it gripped his firmly and in his large paw her little hand was almost like that of a child.
In silence they continued to shake hands and they both smiled.
They continued to hold each other's gaze and hand perhaps slightly too long and they both laughed nervously and Samantha’s cheeks blushed brightly.
“I have a meeting room booked, do you want to follow me” She said and even her voice was beautiful, pure Carrington Chase educated perfection, Carrington Chase being Downshire’s version of Roedean, although those in Downshire thought it was the other way around.
It was certainly no chore for him to follow her, and he walked through a cloud of her exotic heady fragrance which was left in her beauteous wake.
She went out though the door and silently led him down a corridor in the direction of the meeting rooms and as he followed he was mesmerized by her perfect form and was happily admiring its perfection.
Even wearing four-inch heels he marvelled at her daintiness as even in heels she only reached the dizzy height of five foot three.
Her straight blonde hair cascaded softly onto the shoulders of her fitted silk blouse which perfectly complemented her waif like frame.
Samantha had the tiniest of waists and the slenderest of hips to swing and pert round buttocks contained within the expensive tailored skirt and then the shapely legs, clad in stockings unless he was mistaken, he hoped he wasn’t mistaken, and the overall effect was stunning and he was absolutely smitten.
As she passed an open door, sunlight illuminated her form through silk and cotton and the sudden transparency left nothing at all to Neil’s imagination, and he had a very vivid imagination, and she continued walking seemingly oblivious to the effect she had achieved on the red-blooded man in her wake.
Not out of conceit she just wouldn’t have believed it possible that she could leave grown men breathless, she just didn’t see herself as others saw her.
Samantha pushed open the meeting room door and held it open for Neil to enter.
(Part 03)
Samantha pushed open the meeting room door and held it open for Neil to enter.
“Thank you” he said and once again their eyes met and they held each other’s gaze a moment to long and once more they both blushed again.
Samantha stopped by a vacant seat and slowly turned towards him as the room was flooded with sunlight, which caused the illumination of the contents of her blouse for Neil to see, an opportunity he did not pass up, and the gentlemanly thing to do would have been to avert his gaze, but he couldn’t.
In the next instant the vent on her skirt caught momentarily on the arm of the chair as she prepared to seat herself and showed him a tantalising glimpse of lacy stocking top which to his delight confirmed the suspicion that he had earlier.
Effortlessly and elegantly she slipped into the vacant chair and gestured for him to sit beside her in the neighbouring one.
Samantha was neither coy nor reticent as she sat straight-backed, upright, confident and proud and her beautiful cultured voice was strangely hypnotic, clear, and crisp but not loud and once again he was completely enveloped in her intoxicating scent as she opened her briefcase and deftly removed the relevant documents.
She was like a precious work of art that he had admired from a distance on the way to the meeting room but sitting next to her he could examine her in finer detail, every brushstroke, and every nuance.
Her blonde hair cascaded onto her slim shoulders like fine golden rain and as she moved the sun was highlighting the strands like spun gold again and again.
The golden rain tumbled down to caress the nape of her neck and coming to rest on her soft white silk covered shoulders.
Neil could barely concentrate on the documents as he was transfixed by the vision of her golden hair framing her pretty face.
A face of pale alabaster, pale like the porcelain on a doll or like a Greek Grace and her eyes, stunning and captivating, were of translucent green and her nose was small and angular sat perfectly in its place.
Her mouth was small and narrow but her lips were full and luscious and as she spoke, her pale pink lips glistened moistly and sensuously.
When their eyes met, however fleetingly it might have been, they both blushed to their roots and then a smile danced about her mouth provocatively.
He left no element of the perfect whole unscrutinised and turned his attention to her slim pale arms, naked and bare where the suns illumination highlighted like white gold the downy hair upon them.
And her small delicate hands with fingers so elegant and slim, with no bitten or false nails just naturally well cared for and prim.
Also no rings adorned her fingers in fact there was no jewellery at all, but then to Neil’s mind no jewellery could ever improve on the perfection of her beauty.
Of course all of his admiration of her made it very difficult to concentrate, but fortunately she closed the blinds and turned off the lights and went on a Video and PowerPoint presentation which allowed him to get up to speed without distractions.
(Part 04)
Samantha Barraclough was approaching her 28th birthday and was a project consultant for the family business, Barraclough Ventures and the project that Samantha’s company was heading up was the regeneration of the former Industrial Power House of the county, Northchapel.
There was a large amount of derelict property as well as a large acreage of land that hadn’t been built on since the Germans bombed it, so it was to be a huge brownfield Development of residential, commercial and leisure and Samantha was one of several members of the company speaking to several noted firms of architect’s.
The presentation came to an end and Samantha stood up and switched on the lights.
“I think now might be a good time to break for lunch” she said
“We can recap on the key points when we return because I’m not sure you were really paying attention earlier” she added with a twinkle “Well not to my presentation anyway”
“No I’m sorry about that, I’m normally much more professional than this” he said as she slipped the documents back into her briefcase.
“That’s ok” She said “I’m not offended”
And then she snapped her briefcase shut and added
“I took the liberty of booking a table here at the Hotel, unless you had any other plans”
“No here would be perfect” he replied
It was a glorious June day and furthermore God had delivered the good people of the Downshire a very hot day, the hottest day of the year so far in fact, so they were fortunate to have a table on the terrace.
They were seated by the waiter and after they had ordered drinks Neil said
“So you’re not from Abbottsford then”
Remembering that she said earlier that she was staying at the Hotel.
“No I’m not” she said “I live in the Dulcets, Dulcet-on-Willow”
The Dulcets were a collection of villages and hamlets comprising of Dulcet Meadow, Dulcet St Mary, Dulcet Green and Dulcet-on-Brooke, to name but a few, and of course Dulcet-on-Willow which was a large sprawling village beside the gentle shallow River Willow, which ran unhurriedly from the Pepperstock Hills to the more vibrant River Brooke.
“Really?” he responded “I live in Brocklington”
“Oh quite close” she said and then she suddenly dropped her napkin and leant forwards to retrieve it causing her blouse to gape slightly, revealing a glimpse of breast, just the briefest glimpse however with a hint of lace and frill but enough to quicken the pulse and excite the senses.
But then she caught him looking at her and smiled as he averted his gaze, it amused her that it made him look like a naughty schoolboy, but then it was her milky white flesh that blushed in a crimson blaze.
The lunch lasted for over two hours and they chatted about everything imaginable other than the project.
“So do you always hold your meetings here?” he asked as they drank coffee
“Good heavens no” she replied “it was just convenient as I’m in Abbottsford for the weekend”
She didn’t elaborate as to the reason however.
(Part 05)
Sam and Neil went back to the meeting room and got back to business, and she recapped all the salient points while he tried his best not to be distracted by her beauty, which wasn’t easy.
Alas all too soon their business meeting was at a close
“We will have to arrange another meeting in a couple of weeks”
She said and he felt her soft delicate hand in his again but he was so blinded by her beauty and so intoxicated by her sweet perfume he could barely stammer out a sentence.
“Well now that the meeting is officially at an end I don’t feel that my professionalism is in anyway compromised can I invite you for a drink on the terrace before you go”
It was a bit bold for her, she normally just waited to be asked and because she was pretty, they normally did, but she felt a bit of a connection.
“Well um…I” he stammered
“I understand if you want to get away and beat the Friday rush hour” she said amiably, although she was disappointed
“No it’s not that” he said quickly “I’m actually staying in town tonight anyway”
“What you’re staying here?” she asked
“Sadly no, I’m at the Black Heart”
“That’s a nice Hotel though” she said “so do you have time for a drink? I’m not going out until 8 so I have loads of time”
She was suddenly feeling very nervous and a little bit vulnerable and as a result she spoke very quickly.
“I’d love to” he said feeling rather pleased with himself, he would never have found the courage to ask her and he was surprised that she asked him and he assumed it was just because she had time to kill.
Because Samantha was uncharacteristically nervous she drank more than was normal for her and subsequently she rather monopolized the conversation which Neil didn’t mind at all because he was to in awe of her to have joined in.
They both rather lost track of the time and when her phone rang at 7.05 she went into a panic, because she had gone from having loads of time on her hands to having no time at all.
“I’m sorry but I have to go” she said and Samantha went up on her tip toes and kissed his mouth, with her pale pink lips, soft and gentle like the touch of a butterfly’s wing and he was enveloped in her intoxicating perfume.
When she had gone he sat down and said to himself
“Did that just happen?”
As he began to get control of his faculties and tried to come to terms with the fact that she had just kissed him.
“Did a beautiful, intelligent, classy and quite frankly drop dead gorgeous young woman just kiss me?” he thought
“And not a peck on the cheek, or an air kiss but an actual lip to lip kiss?”
Things like that didn’t happen to him, if anyone had witnessed their embrace they would have unanimously said that he was punching well above his weight.
Not that he was a bad looking man, he wasn’t, but he wasn’t stunning, sexy or buff, he was middling.
He was an average man approaching his thirtieth birthday and he had just been kissed by an absolute beauty of three years younger.
He thought for a moment that he would have another drink before he left but instead decided to go and eat something to soak up the alcohol he had already had.
(Part 06)
Because he had had too much to drink Neil left his car in the Regents Hotel car park and he stopped at the first fast food that he came to which happened to be a an Emperor Burger Bar and ordered the biggest one he could see on the menu with fries.
Having sufficiently filled the hollow with reconstituted meat, saturated fats and carbohydrates he ambled his way to the Black Heart Hotel.
He would have liked to stay at the Regents but it was a bit rich for his blood so he booked into the Black Heart which was only half as good but a third of the price.
When he got to reception he checked in and as soon as he got to his room he crashed out.
On Saturday morning Neil was up very promptly due to his early night the previous evening, so he got himself ready and was the first one down for breakfast.
He was still in the restaurant at 9 o’clock when his friend Jonathon Hardman arrived.
Samantha Barraclough was also up early on Saturday morning despite having had a late night out with friends.
Her problem was that she couldn’t sleep, because she kept kicking herself for not getting his number the day before.
All was not lost of course, as her friends, whom she had bored rigid the night before with talk of him had told her, she could still get hold of him via New Horizons, but of course that wouldn’t be until Monday, whereas if she had had the presence of mind to get his number when she was under the influence of Picpoul, they might have been able to do something as they were both in Abbottsford.
But she hadn’t done that so she got herself ready and availed herself of the full English breakfast before leaving the Regents to meet up with her friends.
Because Neil was ready far too early and already breakfasted before Jonathon arrived they left for the cricket ground on foot.
On the way there Neil recounted all the details of the previous days encounter.
“Did you get her number?” Jonathon asked
“Erm no” was the reply
“Wouldn’t she give it to you?” Jon asked mockingly
“No, it wasn’t like that”
“But you did ask her?” Jonathon pressed him
“Well no I didn’t actually” he admitted
“You numpty” Jonathon said “you do realise that she might have been “the one””
“The thought did cross my mind” Neil admitted
“So you might well have blown it” Jon added
“Yes”
“So how do you feel?” Jon asked
“Like a complete numpty” Neil said
It was a glorious June day and there was a good crowd at the Cricket Ground and Neil and Jonathon went in as soon as the gates opened and after getting some refreshments they found their seats and took in the ambience as the ground began to fill.
Downshire won the toss and decided to bat first and they were in great form and the atmosphere was absolutely electric as Downshire went to work with the bat and they raced to 53-0 inside seven overs and declared on 225 for 7 after just 40 overs so the umpire called an early lunch, which pleased Neil no end because his breakfast had worn off.
(Part 07)
When Downshire declared on 225 for 7 and the umpires called lunch Neil and Jonathon joined the throng to use either the facilities or one of the many food and refreshment outlets.
While Jonathon queued for two pints of Mornington Special, Neil joined a separate queue for sandwiches and crisps.
Neil had just left the counter with his purchases and had begun navigating his way back to his seat when a large middle-aged man unceremoniously shoulder barged him and then a small woman wearing heels trod on his foot.
“Ow” he yelped and the woman said
“I’m so sorry”
“That’s ok really” he replied through gritted teeth thinking it definitely wasn’t ok when he actually caught sight of his assailant.
“Hello Samantha” he said
“Oh it’s you” Sam said “How funny, I was hoping to run into you”
“Well you certainly did that” Neil said
“I really am sorry though for treading on your foot” she said with a giggle
“I think I’ll probably survive” he said amiably
“Good” she said and squeezed his hand
“Anyway when you said you were in Abbottsford for the weekend I had no idea you were coming to the cricket” Neil said “I didn’t know you were a cricket fan”
“Oh yes I love cricket, I come often, the company have a box”
“That would make it a cricket box” he commented randomly
“Oh yes” she chuckled “I hadn’t thought of that”
“So you’re enjoying it then” he said “Oh yes I always do but today even more so”
“How come?”
“Because of David Ball, our wonderful new all-rounder” she said proudly
“Is that your boyfriend?”
“Goodness me no” she replied with a laugh
“Husband then?” he asked
“Of course not, now you’re just being silly” she chastised him
“He’s my stepbrother”
“Oh really” he expressed with relief
They had been walking slowly through the crowd as they chatted and when they arrived at the door to the executive boxes Sam showed the signs, for the first time that she was not quite as composed as she had appeared to be, because her hand was shaking as she fumbled in her bag for her key card.
Neil noticed her trembling hand, but having finally retrieved it from her bag Sam was having trouble with the electronic key.
“Would you like me to try?” he asked as Sam struggled with the lock.
But she just paused and took a deep breath and it worked, the light turned green, the lock clicked and the door opened and her shoulders relaxed and Samantha regained her composure and she gave him her business card, which was what she was actually fumbling for in her bag.
“My private number is on the back” she said and smiled before she strode purposefully in through the door.
“Oh yes” he said triumphantly when the door had closed and he headed quickly to find his seat.
“Did you have to make those sandwiches?” Jonathon said when Neil finally reached him.
“I have something better than sandwiches” he said and waved the business card under his nose
“Result” Jonathon said as he turned the card over in his hand “But I hope you got the sandwiches as well”
(Part 08)
She was delighted to have trodden on his toe and instigated a prolonged conversation and then after successfully giving her number to Neil by the door to the executive boxes Samantha was feeling very pleased with herself and immediately told her best friend Isabelle Decoene.
“Thank god for that” she said “Perhaps you’ll stop going on about him so much now you have his number”
“Oh bugger” Sam exclaimed
“You did get “His” number didn’t you?” Izzy asked
“Oh bugger” Sam said and plopped down in her seat
“Oh bugger” Isabelle echoed because she knew she was going to talk about her missed opportunity all afternoon.
He had no idea Samantha was among the crowd on that hot June day and once he knew that she was he could think of nothing else
So he wasn’t really fully paying attention when the 20-year-old Debutant, all-rounder David Ball joined the bowling attack and clean bowled Surrey’s star man Gillmore with his first ball, a dismissal that sparked a spectacular collapse.
Surrey were all out for 165 with 12 overs to spare and Downshire won the match by sixty runs and the delighted fans disgorged onto the streets of Abbottsford in great spirits even before the tea interval.
Jonathon and Neil decided to return to the Hotel on foot and planned to stop for a pint or two along the way, they made slow progress however and bypassed the first three pubs because of the huge crowds and their perseverance paid off as the crowds began to thin out as people started to disappear up side roads in search of their cars.
The two men were both tall and as the crowd thinned they could lengthen their stride.
They had decided on the Downshire Castle as their port of call and they were within sight of it and anticipating a refreshing pint when they were brought back to the moment by the sound of a car horn, a very persistent car horn.
They both turned around to investigate and Neil saw Samantha standing up in the passenger side of a red Audi TT Roadster convertible waving franticly and grinning.
Isabelle and Samantha had left the cricket ground from the members car park and were heading very slowly back to the Hotel when Samantha spotted Neil ahead of them on the pavement.
“It’s him, it’s him, it’s him” she squealed
“Where?” Isabelle asked
“Over there” she replied excitedly and pointed
“Toot your horn, toot it toot it toot it”
Having successful attracted his attention Samantha gave him her most dazzling smile and said
“Hello again”
“Hi”
“There’s a big garden party in the grounds of the Regents, we’re going back to there now” she said at a hundred miles an hour “do you and your friend want to come?”
“Yes we’d love to” he replied and then the traffic started moving and Isabelle had to drive off
“I’ll meet you in reception” she shouted
“Was that him?” Isabelle asked “the one you’ve been bending my ear about all weekend”
“Yes that’s him” Sam said proudly
“He’s a bit ordinary” Izzy said and Samantha frowned “His friend was alright though”
(Part 09)
“Was that him?” Isabelle asked “the one you’ve been bending my ear about all weekend”
“Yes that’s him” Sam said proudly
“He’s a bit ordinary” Izzy said and Samantha frowned “His friend was alright though”
Samantha sat in silence for the rest of the journey and digested what Izzy had said, she didn’t think he was ordinary, from the first moment she saw him she knew he was anything but ordinary.
She wasn’t inexperienced with men, but most of the experience’s she had had weren’t really memorable, or were memorable for the wrong reasons, looking as she did she had always attracted men, the problem was she chose the wrong ones, perhaps that was why she was attracted to Neil because he wasn’t the “type” of man she normally went for.
While Isabelle parked the car Samantha proceeded into the Hotel and rushed upstairs to her room to freshen up, so she would look her best when Neil arrived then she went back downstairs to reception.
“I don’t think he’s ordinary” she said to Izzy
“I know that” she said “But the way you were talking I thought he was going to look like Robert Redford”
“I wasn’t that bad” she protested
“You were and I’ve never known you to be so obviously smitten by a man before” she pointed out “and I’ve certainly never known you to chase one down the street”
“Yes but ….” She began, but didn’t finish because she saw Neil and his friend walking towards them.
Introductions were quickly made and Isabelle who had liked the look of Jonathon the first time she saw him, liked him even more at close quarters.
Neil could only look at Samantha in abject admiration, but he appreciated her for slightly longer that he should and Samantha became self-conscious and looked at her feet and blushed.
Jonathon suggested drinks and Isabelle volunteered to go with him leaving Neil and Sam alone.
“I’m sorry” Neil said “but you look so stunningly beautiful, I couldn’t take my eyes off you”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and said
“I want to apologize myself, well really I just want to say that this is completely out of character for me” she blurted out before she breathed deeply again
“And I don’t want you to think I make a habit of accosting men in the street, and being forward”
“You won’t hear me complaining as long as I’m the one you’re being forward with” he said and Samantha giggled and she was still giggling when Jonathon and Isabelle returned with the drink and they walked out onto the terrace and looked for a table.
There were no empty tables on the terrace but there was one with three vacant seats so they decided to take them, but everyone hovered not wanting to presume that they could have the chair so Neil put down his pint on the table and did the same with her wine and then he pirouetted quite gracefully and in one fluid movement sat himself on a chair and deposited Samantha on his lap.
“Problem solved” Neil said
“Nicely done” Samantha expressed and then she kissed him and afterwards she thought to herself as she looked at him
“That wasn’t ordinary, you’re a definite keeper”
Samantha giggled and then kissed him again to be doubly sure and then declared internally.
“Yes this time it will be memorable for the right reason”
And so it proved to be as that weekend in Abbottsford marked the start of a new chapter in Samantha and Neil’s lives as well as their friends.
It was a beautiful June evening when Neil Etherington and his colleague Jonathon Hardman were sat by the river in the beer garden of the Mulberry Tree in the village of Brocklington, which was about six miles downstream of the River Deighton discussing the upcoming weekend.
The two friends both worked for a firm of architects called New Horizons whose head office was in Sharpington by Sea.
Neil had a cottage in the Village and Jon was staying with him while his house the Dulcets was being fumigated.
The reason they were discussing the weekend was because he had two tickets to the Downshire versus Surrey one day match at the Abbottsfield cricket ground.
The main topic of the conversation was whether they would drive to Abbottsford early on Saturday morning or go up the night before and stay at a hotel and they were on their third pint of Mornington Ale when Neil’s phone rang.
He picked it up and checked the caller ID and saw it was his boss Russ Evans.
“Hi Russ” Neil said
“Hi Neil, sorry to interrupt your evening, but I need you go to the Abbottsford Regents Hotel tomorrow morning to meet a potential new client” Russ explained
“Sure, who am I meeting” he asked
“Sam Barraclough” Russ replied “it could be a very lucrative commission, so use kid gloves”
After the call ended Neil’s mind was made up for him regarding the weekend because as he was going to be in Abbottsford all day on Friday it made perfect sense for him to stay at a hotel that night.
It was Friday morning and another glorious June day as Neil set off from the village and as he drove he planned his strategy for the meeting as Neil had been instructed to treat the potential new client with kid gloves.
An all-day meeting at a plus Hotel like the Regent was one of the few perks his job had to offer so why wouldn’t he jump at the chance and it meant as he would be out of the office most of the day he could dine the client at the Hotel on expenses, another rare perk.
It was an hour and a half drive from Brocklington to Abbottsford even on a good day and that Friday morning was apparently not a good day.
So as he sat in the queuing traffic his thoughts turned to his meeting, with his client, Russ hadn’t been very forthcoming with the detail so he wasn’t really sure what to expect, but with a name like Sam Barraclough, he was expecting to meet a Yorkshire man with whippet on a lead, with a copy of the pigeon fanciers weekly laying on his knee, so in short a dour Yorkshireman wearing a cloth cap and a tweed jacket.
Despite the horrendous traffic, he was only a few minutes late when he walked up to the grand entrance to the Regents Hotel, he hadn’t been in their before, it was a bit too rich for his blood, but as he got closer it became clear why it wasn’t in the £50 a night category.
But if Neil was unprepared for the grandeur of the Hotel he was doubly unprepared for what was to greet him inside.
(Part 02)
When Neil Etherington arrived a few minutes late at the Abbottsford Regents Hotel for a meeting with Sam Barraclough, he was totally unprepared for who it was that was waiting to greet him in reception, the whippet wielding Yorkshireman he was expecting, because of the name, turned out to be a very pretty young woman by the name of Samantha, who was a petite young blonde, and was stunningly beautiful, that would teach him to jump to conclusions or indeed to Judge a book by its cover.
“Hello” he said “I’m terribly sorry for my tardiness”
“That’s perfectly fine” she responded “I’m only on time myself because I’m staying at the hotel”
Neil was instantly spellbound by the delicious tones of her voice as she introduced herself with a broad smile and a hearty hello and in response he stuttered out his own introduction and the beautiful young woman offered her hand to him in greeting which he accepted gladly.
Her hand was soft and smooth like silk and it gripped his firmly and in his large paw her little hand was almost like that of a child.
In silence they continued to shake hands and they both smiled.
They continued to hold each other's gaze and hand perhaps slightly too long and they both laughed nervously and Samantha’s cheeks blushed brightly.
“I have a meeting room booked, do you want to follow me” She said and even her voice was beautiful, pure Carrington Chase educated perfection, Carrington Chase being Downshire’s version of Roedean, although those in Downshire thought it was the other way around.
It was certainly no chore for him to follow her, and he walked through a cloud of her exotic heady fragrance which was left in her beauteous wake.
She went out though the door and silently led him down a corridor in the direction of the meeting rooms and as he followed he was mesmerized by her perfect form and was happily admiring its perfection.
Even wearing four-inch heels he marvelled at her daintiness as even in heels she only reached the dizzy height of five foot three.
Her straight blonde hair cascaded softly onto the shoulders of her fitted silk blouse which perfectly complemented her waif like frame.
Samantha had the tiniest of waists and the slenderest of hips to swing and pert round buttocks contained within the expensive tailored skirt and then the shapely legs, clad in stockings unless he was mistaken, he hoped he wasn’t mistaken, and the overall effect was stunning and he was absolutely smitten.
As she passed an open door, sunlight illuminated her form through silk and cotton and the sudden transparency left nothing at all to Neil’s imagination, and he had a very vivid imagination, and she continued walking seemingly oblivious to the effect she had achieved on the red-blooded man in her wake.
Not out of conceit she just wouldn’t have believed it possible that she could leave grown men breathless, she just didn’t see herself as others saw her.
Samantha pushed open the meeting room door and held it open for Neil to enter.
(Part 03)
Samantha pushed open the meeting room door and held it open for Neil to enter.
“Thank you” he said and once again their eyes met and they held each other’s gaze a moment to long and once more they both blushed again.
Samantha stopped by a vacant seat and slowly turned towards him as the room was flooded with sunlight, which caused the illumination of the contents of her blouse for Neil to see, an opportunity he did not pass up, and the gentlemanly thing to do would have been to avert his gaze, but he couldn’t.
In the next instant the vent on her skirt caught momentarily on the arm of the chair as she prepared to seat herself and showed him a tantalising glimpse of lacy stocking top which to his delight confirmed the suspicion that he had earlier.
Effortlessly and elegantly she slipped into the vacant chair and gestured for him to sit beside her in the neighbouring one.
Samantha was neither coy nor reticent as she sat straight-backed, upright, confident and proud and her beautiful cultured voice was strangely hypnotic, clear, and crisp but not loud and once again he was completely enveloped in her intoxicating scent as she opened her briefcase and deftly removed the relevant documents.
She was like a precious work of art that he had admired from a distance on the way to the meeting room but sitting next to her he could examine her in finer detail, every brushstroke, and every nuance.
Her blonde hair cascaded onto her slim shoulders like fine golden rain and as she moved the sun was highlighting the strands like spun gold again and again.
The golden rain tumbled down to caress the nape of her neck and coming to rest on her soft white silk covered shoulders.
Neil could barely concentrate on the documents as he was transfixed by the vision of her golden hair framing her pretty face.
A face of pale alabaster, pale like the porcelain on a doll or like a Greek Grace and her eyes, stunning and captivating, were of translucent green and her nose was small and angular sat perfectly in its place.
Her mouth was small and narrow but her lips were full and luscious and as she spoke, her pale pink lips glistened moistly and sensuously.
When their eyes met, however fleetingly it might have been, they both blushed to their roots and then a smile danced about her mouth provocatively.
He left no element of the perfect whole unscrutinised and turned his attention to her slim pale arms, naked and bare where the suns illumination highlighted like white gold the downy hair upon them.
And her small delicate hands with fingers so elegant and slim, with no bitten or false nails just naturally well cared for and prim.
Also no rings adorned her fingers in fact there was no jewellery at all, but then to Neil’s mind no jewellery could ever improve on the perfection of her beauty.
Of course all of his admiration of her made it very difficult to concentrate, but fortunately she closed the blinds and turned off the lights and went on a Video and PowerPoint presentation which allowed him to get up to speed without distractions.
(Part 04)
Samantha Barraclough was approaching her 28th birthday and was a project consultant for the family business, Barraclough Ventures and the project that Samantha’s company was heading up was the regeneration of the former Industrial Power House of the county, Northchapel.
There was a large amount of derelict property as well as a large acreage of land that hadn’t been built on since the Germans bombed it, so it was to be a huge brownfield Development of residential, commercial and leisure and Samantha was one of several members of the company speaking to several noted firms of architect’s.
The presentation came to an end and Samantha stood up and switched on the lights.
“I think now might be a good time to break for lunch” she said
“We can recap on the key points when we return because I’m not sure you were really paying attention earlier” she added with a twinkle “Well not to my presentation anyway”
“No I’m sorry about that, I’m normally much more professional than this” he said as she slipped the documents back into her briefcase.
“That’s ok” She said “I’m not offended”
And then she snapped her briefcase shut and added
“I took the liberty of booking a table here at the Hotel, unless you had any other plans”
“No here would be perfect” he replied
It was a glorious June day and furthermore God had delivered the good people of the Downshire a very hot day, the hottest day of the year so far in fact, so they were fortunate to have a table on the terrace.
They were seated by the waiter and after they had ordered drinks Neil said
“So you’re not from Abbottsford then”
Remembering that she said earlier that she was staying at the Hotel.
“No I’m not” she said “I live in the Dulcets, Dulcet-on-Willow”
The Dulcets were a collection of villages and hamlets comprising of Dulcet Meadow, Dulcet St Mary, Dulcet Green and Dulcet-on-Brooke, to name but a few, and of course Dulcet-on-Willow which was a large sprawling village beside the gentle shallow River Willow, which ran unhurriedly from the Pepperstock Hills to the more vibrant River Brooke.
“Really?” he responded “I live in Brocklington”
“Oh quite close” she said and then she suddenly dropped her napkin and leant forwards to retrieve it causing her blouse to gape slightly, revealing a glimpse of breast, just the briefest glimpse however with a hint of lace and frill but enough to quicken the pulse and excite the senses.
But then she caught him looking at her and smiled as he averted his gaze, it amused her that it made him look like a naughty schoolboy, but then it was her milky white flesh that blushed in a crimson blaze.
The lunch lasted for over two hours and they chatted about everything imaginable other than the project.
“So do you always hold your meetings here?” he asked as they drank coffee
“Good heavens no” she replied “it was just convenient as I’m in Abbottsford for the weekend”
She didn’t elaborate as to the reason however.
(Part 05)
Sam and Neil went back to the meeting room and got back to business, and she recapped all the salient points while he tried his best not to be distracted by her beauty, which wasn’t easy.
Alas all too soon their business meeting was at a close
“We will have to arrange another meeting in a couple of weeks”
She said and he felt her soft delicate hand in his again but he was so blinded by her beauty and so intoxicated by her sweet perfume he could barely stammer out a sentence.
“Well now that the meeting is officially at an end I don’t feel that my professionalism is in anyway compromised can I invite you for a drink on the terrace before you go”
It was a bit bold for her, she normally just waited to be asked and because she was pretty, they normally did, but she felt a bit of a connection.
“Well um…I” he stammered
“I understand if you want to get away and beat the Friday rush hour” she said amiably, although she was disappointed
“No it’s not that” he said quickly “I’m actually staying in town tonight anyway”
“What you’re staying here?” she asked
“Sadly no, I’m at the Black Heart”
“That’s a nice Hotel though” she said “so do you have time for a drink? I’m not going out until 8 so I have loads of time”
She was suddenly feeling very nervous and a little bit vulnerable and as a result she spoke very quickly.
“I’d love to” he said feeling rather pleased with himself, he would never have found the courage to ask her and he was surprised that she asked him and he assumed it was just because she had time to kill.
Because Samantha was uncharacteristically nervous she drank more than was normal for her and subsequently she rather monopolized the conversation which Neil didn’t mind at all because he was to in awe of her to have joined in.
They both rather lost track of the time and when her phone rang at 7.05 she went into a panic, because she had gone from having loads of time on her hands to having no time at all.
“I’m sorry but I have to go” she said and Samantha went up on her tip toes and kissed his mouth, with her pale pink lips, soft and gentle like the touch of a butterfly’s wing and he was enveloped in her intoxicating perfume.
When she had gone he sat down and said to himself
“Did that just happen?”
As he began to get control of his faculties and tried to come to terms with the fact that she had just kissed him.
“Did a beautiful, intelligent, classy and quite frankly drop dead gorgeous young woman just kiss me?” he thought
“And not a peck on the cheek, or an air kiss but an actual lip to lip kiss?”
Things like that didn’t happen to him, if anyone had witnessed their embrace they would have unanimously said that he was punching well above his weight.
Not that he was a bad looking man, he wasn’t, but he wasn’t stunning, sexy or buff, he was middling.
He was an average man approaching his thirtieth birthday and he had just been kissed by an absolute beauty of three years younger.
He thought for a moment that he would have another drink before he left but instead decided to go and eat something to soak up the alcohol he had already had.
(Part 06)
Because he had had too much to drink Neil left his car in the Regents Hotel car park and he stopped at the first fast food that he came to which happened to be a an Emperor Burger Bar and ordered the biggest one he could see on the menu with fries.
Having sufficiently filled the hollow with reconstituted meat, saturated fats and carbohydrates he ambled his way to the Black Heart Hotel.
He would have liked to stay at the Regents but it was a bit rich for his blood so he booked into the Black Heart which was only half as good but a third of the price.
When he got to reception he checked in and as soon as he got to his room he crashed out.
On Saturday morning Neil was up very promptly due to his early night the previous evening, so he got himself ready and was the first one down for breakfast.
He was still in the restaurant at 9 o’clock when his friend Jonathon Hardman arrived.
Samantha Barraclough was also up early on Saturday morning despite having had a late night out with friends.
Her problem was that she couldn’t sleep, because she kept kicking herself for not getting his number the day before.
All was not lost of course, as her friends, whom she had bored rigid the night before with talk of him had told her, she could still get hold of him via New Horizons, but of course that wouldn’t be until Monday, whereas if she had had the presence of mind to get his number when she was under the influence of Picpoul, they might have been able to do something as they were both in Abbottsford.
But she hadn’t done that so she got herself ready and availed herself of the full English breakfast before leaving the Regents to meet up with her friends.
Because Neil was ready far too early and already breakfasted before Jonathon arrived they left for the cricket ground on foot.
On the way there Neil recounted all the details of the previous days encounter.
“Did you get her number?” Jonathon asked
“Erm no” was the reply
“Wouldn’t she give it to you?” Jon asked mockingly
“No, it wasn’t like that”
“But you did ask her?” Jonathon pressed him
“Well no I didn’t actually” he admitted
“You numpty” Jonathon said “you do realise that she might have been “the one””
“The thought did cross my mind” Neil admitted
“So you might well have blown it” Jon added
“Yes”
“So how do you feel?” Jon asked
“Like a complete numpty” Neil said
It was a glorious June day and there was a good crowd at the Cricket Ground and Neil and Jonathon went in as soon as the gates opened and after getting some refreshments they found their seats and took in the ambience as the ground began to fill.
Downshire won the toss and decided to bat first and they were in great form and the atmosphere was absolutely electric as Downshire went to work with the bat and they raced to 53-0 inside seven overs and declared on 225 for 7 after just 40 overs so the umpire called an early lunch, which pleased Neil no end because his breakfast had worn off.
(Part 07)
When Downshire declared on 225 for 7 and the umpires called lunch Neil and Jonathon joined the throng to use either the facilities or one of the many food and refreshment outlets.
While Jonathon queued for two pints of Mornington Special, Neil joined a separate queue for sandwiches and crisps.
Neil had just left the counter with his purchases and had begun navigating his way back to his seat when a large middle-aged man unceremoniously shoulder barged him and then a small woman wearing heels trod on his foot.
“Ow” he yelped and the woman said
“I’m so sorry”
“That’s ok really” he replied through gritted teeth thinking it definitely wasn’t ok when he actually caught sight of his assailant.
“Hello Samantha” he said
“Oh it’s you” Sam said “How funny, I was hoping to run into you”
“Well you certainly did that” Neil said
“I really am sorry though for treading on your foot” she said with a giggle
“I think I’ll probably survive” he said amiably
“Good” she said and squeezed his hand
“Anyway when you said you were in Abbottsford for the weekend I had no idea you were coming to the cricket” Neil said “I didn’t know you were a cricket fan”
“Oh yes I love cricket, I come often, the company have a box”
“That would make it a cricket box” he commented randomly
“Oh yes” she chuckled “I hadn’t thought of that”
“So you’re enjoying it then” he said “Oh yes I always do but today even more so”
“How come?”
“Because of David Ball, our wonderful new all-rounder” she said proudly
“Is that your boyfriend?”
“Goodness me no” she replied with a laugh
“Husband then?” he asked
“Of course not, now you’re just being silly” she chastised him
“He’s my stepbrother”
“Oh really” he expressed with relief
They had been walking slowly through the crowd as they chatted and when they arrived at the door to the executive boxes Sam showed the signs, for the first time that she was not quite as composed as she had appeared to be, because her hand was shaking as she fumbled in her bag for her key card.
Neil noticed her trembling hand, but having finally retrieved it from her bag Sam was having trouble with the electronic key.
“Would you like me to try?” he asked as Sam struggled with the lock.
But she just paused and took a deep breath and it worked, the light turned green, the lock clicked and the door opened and her shoulders relaxed and Samantha regained her composure and she gave him her business card, which was what she was actually fumbling for in her bag.
“My private number is on the back” she said and smiled before she strode purposefully in through the door.
“Oh yes” he said triumphantly when the door had closed and he headed quickly to find his seat.
“Did you have to make those sandwiches?” Jonathon said when Neil finally reached him.
“I have something better than sandwiches” he said and waved the business card under his nose
“Result” Jonathon said as he turned the card over in his hand “But I hope you got the sandwiches as well”
(Part 08)
She was delighted to have trodden on his toe and instigated a prolonged conversation and then after successfully giving her number to Neil by the door to the executive boxes Samantha was feeling very pleased with herself and immediately told her best friend Isabelle Decoene.
“Thank god for that” she said “Perhaps you’ll stop going on about him so much now you have his number”
“Oh bugger” Sam exclaimed
“You did get “His” number didn’t you?” Izzy asked
“Oh bugger” Sam said and plopped down in her seat
“Oh bugger” Isabelle echoed because she knew she was going to talk about her missed opportunity all afternoon.
He had no idea Samantha was among the crowd on that hot June day and once he knew that she was he could think of nothing else
So he wasn’t really fully paying attention when the 20-year-old Debutant, all-rounder David Ball joined the bowling attack and clean bowled Surrey’s star man Gillmore with his first ball, a dismissal that sparked a spectacular collapse.
Surrey were all out for 165 with 12 overs to spare and Downshire won the match by sixty runs and the delighted fans disgorged onto the streets of Abbottsford in great spirits even before the tea interval.
Jonathon and Neil decided to return to the Hotel on foot and planned to stop for a pint or two along the way, they made slow progress however and bypassed the first three pubs because of the huge crowds and their perseverance paid off as the crowds began to thin out as people started to disappear up side roads in search of their cars.
The two men were both tall and as the crowd thinned they could lengthen their stride.
They had decided on the Downshire Castle as their port of call and they were within sight of it and anticipating a refreshing pint when they were brought back to the moment by the sound of a car horn, a very persistent car horn.
They both turned around to investigate and Neil saw Samantha standing up in the passenger side of a red Audi TT Roadster convertible waving franticly and grinning.
Isabelle and Samantha had left the cricket ground from the members car park and were heading very slowly back to the Hotel when Samantha spotted Neil ahead of them on the pavement.
“It’s him, it’s him, it’s him” she squealed
“Where?” Isabelle asked
“Over there” she replied excitedly and pointed
“Toot your horn, toot it toot it toot it”
Having successful attracted his attention Samantha gave him her most dazzling smile and said
“Hello again”
“Hi”
“There’s a big garden party in the grounds of the Regents, we’re going back to there now” she said at a hundred miles an hour “do you and your friend want to come?”
“Yes we’d love to” he replied and then the traffic started moving and Isabelle had to drive off
“I’ll meet you in reception” she shouted
“Was that him?” Isabelle asked “the one you’ve been bending my ear about all weekend”
“Yes that’s him” Sam said proudly
“He’s a bit ordinary” Izzy said and Samantha frowned “His friend was alright though”
(Part 09)
“Was that him?” Isabelle asked “the one you’ve been bending my ear about all weekend”
“Yes that’s him” Sam said proudly
“He’s a bit ordinary” Izzy said and Samantha frowned “His friend was alright though”
Samantha sat in silence for the rest of the journey and digested what Izzy had said, she didn’t think he was ordinary, from the first moment she saw him she knew he was anything but ordinary.
She wasn’t inexperienced with men, but most of the experience’s she had had weren’t really memorable, or were memorable for the wrong reasons, looking as she did she had always attracted men, the problem was she chose the wrong ones, perhaps that was why she was attracted to Neil because he wasn’t the “type” of man she normally went for.
While Isabelle parked the car Samantha proceeded into the Hotel and rushed upstairs to her room to freshen up, so she would look her best when Neil arrived then she went back downstairs to reception.
“I don’t think he’s ordinary” she said to Izzy
“I know that” she said “But the way you were talking I thought he was going to look like Robert Redford”
“I wasn’t that bad” she protested
“You were and I’ve never known you to be so obviously smitten by a man before” she pointed out “and I’ve certainly never known you to chase one down the street”
“Yes but ….” She began, but didn’t finish because she saw Neil and his friend walking towards them.
Introductions were quickly made and Isabelle who had liked the look of Jonathon the first time she saw him, liked him even more at close quarters.
Neil could only look at Samantha in abject admiration, but he appreciated her for slightly longer that he should and Samantha became self-conscious and looked at her feet and blushed.
Jonathon suggested drinks and Isabelle volunteered to go with him leaving Neil and Sam alone.
“I’m sorry” Neil said “but you look so stunningly beautiful, I couldn’t take my eyes off you”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and said
“I want to apologize myself, well really I just want to say that this is completely out of character for me” she blurted out before she breathed deeply again
“And I don’t want you to think I make a habit of accosting men in the street, and being forward”
“You won’t hear me complaining as long as I’m the one you’re being forward with” he said and Samantha giggled and she was still giggling when Jonathon and Isabelle returned with the drink and they walked out onto the terrace and looked for a table.
There were no empty tables on the terrace but there was one with three vacant seats so they decided to take them, but everyone hovered not wanting to presume that they could have the chair so Neil put down his pint on the table and did the same with her wine and then he pirouetted quite gracefully and in one fluid movement sat himself on a chair and deposited Samantha on his lap.
“Problem solved” Neil said
“Nicely done” Samantha expressed and then she kissed him and afterwards she thought to herself as she looked at him
“That wasn’t ordinary, you’re a definite keeper”
Samantha giggled and then kissed him again to be doubly sure and then declared internally.
“Yes this time it will be memorable for the right reason”
And so it proved to be as that weekend in Abbottsford marked the start of a new chapter in Samantha and Neil’s lives as well as their friends.
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