(Part 01)
Copper Beech Farm is in the Dulcets, and the Dulcets consist of a collection of villages and hamlets such as Dulcet Meadow, Dulcet St Mary, Dulcet Green and Dulcet-on-Brooke to name but a few and
After moving up to Copper Beech farm Lynda Radcliffe’s riding School went from strength to strength.
So much so that she increased her stable of horses from six to nine and in addition to the short term girls she employed from the local village she took on an old friend, Hazel Morris, to manage things at the yard for her.
The farm belonged to Anthony Holmes though he was not a farmer and never would be, he was a computer geek and a fairly successful one at that.
He employed a skinny young woman named Charlotte Clode as manager but inadvertently they fell in love and became a couple just before Christmas.
Hazel Morris had fallen on hard times and as luck would have it her arrival at the farm came only a few weeks after Charlotte had moved into the farmhouse with Anthony so she was able to live on site in the converted part of the stable block which had previously been Charlotte’s home.
It had a bedroom, a sitting room, a small kitchen area and a toilet and shower, which suited her needs very well.
It was a very significant moment for Charlotte as it drew a line under her old life and committed her to her future with Anthony.
But Hazel’s arrival also gave them an ally in their quest to finally unite Lynda Radcliffe and Elliott Browning.
She had known Lynda for many years and could think of no one else who deserved happiness more than she did.
Hazel was in a bind financially and all her money was going straight to her debtors even though the debts were her ex-husbands.
Their house was repossessed, as was their car and most of her possessions were sold to pay creditors.
She was left with a modest selection of clothes and two small boxes of photos, family papers and precious mementoes.
As time went on Hazel became friends with Anthony and Charlotte and they were able to help her out by giving her addition work on the farm and in exchange they didn’t charge her rent for her rooms, and as that was her largest personal expenditure she was able to pay off her debts even quicker.
The task of fixing up 28 year old Spinster Lynda Radcliffe with the gregarious larger than life Dr Elliott Browning proved a more prolonged endeavour than anticipated.
Anthony and Charlotte had decided to give the Doctor the gift of six riding lessons as a thank you for the treatment Charlotte received when she was struck down with a very nasty fever the previous autumn.
But although the gift was made in January the earliest opening in the Riding Club diary wasn’t until the beginning of March.
Hazel Morris kept the identity of Lynda’s final Wednesday afternoon pupil a secret.
They had booked Elliott in as the last one of the day in the hope that they would drift seamlessly into a date after the event.
As it turned out it wasn’t until Elliott’s next lesson, three days later, that the big jovial doctor and the good hearted spinster were discovered in the barn locked in a passionate embrace.
(Part 02)
Hazel was almost 29 years old and had thought by the time she reached that age she would have been starting a family or perhaps had already started one and maybe that might have happened had her husband not gambled everything away.
She was fairly slim, slimmer certainly since she had to watch every penny, with bright orange hair which was thick and unruly.
She desperately needed to pay a visit to a hairdressers but it wasn’t something she could afford while she still owed money.
So she kept it tied in a ponytail, which she always thought quite apt for her line of work.
“Six more months” she said to herself meaning she would be debt free and then she could treat herself, and by the time she reached her milestone 30th birthday the following year her life would have begun again.
After the three inhabitants of Copper Beach Farm had succeeded in their match making scheme things on the farm settled down to a peaceful rhythm and by the beginning of June Hazel began to take on extra work in her spare time to train horses.
Her ambition in the long term was to have a sanctuary for old horses and ponies, even donkeys for that matter.
So when a local man Chris Harper approached her with a proposition to train a horse or in particularly an older horse, which required retraining, as he had been ridden, she jumped at the chance.
He was a retired racehorse and like so many others when their racing days were over they were thrown on to the scrapheap, they weren’t even put out to pasture.
Chris Harper was a therapist who used horses to help physically and mentally handicapped people of all ages and his philosophy was that it would be therapeutic for the horses as well to help people.
They just had to unlearn some of the things they had learned in their former lives and that was where Hazel came in.
It was not an easy fix and it took time and infinite patience, which she had plenty of.
Chris had already passed his 29th birthday and was knocking loudly on the door of his 30th.
He was quite rugged looking with weathered skin and sandy hair and he stood an inch or two taller than Hazel.
He hadn’t always been a therapist in fact until two years earlier he had been a serving officer in the Downshire Light Infantry and until his discharge he had never ridden a horse.
Lynda Radcliffe soon remedied that however.
He became interested after a friend of his from the regiment was brain damaged by a road side bomb in Afghanistan.
He was greatly shocked by the severity of his handicap when he first went to visit him.
But a year later when he saw him again at a rehabilitation facility in Nettlefield he was amazed by the connection he had formed with a horse.
When he shared his amazement with his friends doctor.
“It’s such a great therapy” Doctor Martin agreed
“It’s just a shame we don’t have enough horses or therapists”
During his final year he resolved after his discharge he would rectify the situation.
(Part 03)
Chris Harper was from a wealthy Tipton family in the north of the county whose business was making money, lots of money, and they didn’t care what they had to do to make more.
His father wanted to put him in harness the moment he left University.
But he turned his back on the family and the business he despised and instead of University he joined the army.
His father cut him off without a penny and never spoke to him again but he stayed in touch with his mum and his sister via email.
The rest of them didn’t bother to contact him and nor he them and in the Downshire Light Infantry he found a new family.
However when he was 25 years old he got the surprise of his life after the death of his Grandfather.
In his will Chris was left a very large bequest much to his father’s disgust but in an accompanying letter he explained how much he admired Chris’s decision to follow his dream, and how he wished he’d had the courage to follow his own.
He didn’t touch the bequest though despite the sentiments behind it, he had managed without the family’s money for the best part of eight years and saw no reason to change, and so he just banked it until he could decide what to do with it for the best.
But he never quite got around to making any decision until the moment he spoke with the Army Doctors and he knew exactly what he should do with his legacy.
So after he had completed his 12 years in uniform he resigned his commission and set off on the path of his new career.
But it was to prove to be a solitary journey as his fiancé Bella did not share his vision for the future.
He found a suitable piece of land in the Dulcets with the right sized property on it with stables and out buildings that would suit his needs.
It was once upon a time known as Larkspur Farm but for the previous 30 years it had seen no farming done on it and it was gentrified for some city gent and his family to use on weekends.
But the particular gent who owned it lost his shirt in the financial crash and had to sell quickly just at the time Chris was in the market.
It was perfect for his needs, plenty of space and easy access to Brownhill Woods and as luck would happen the inhabitants of Copper Beach Farm were his nearest neighbours.
It wasn’t an easy project to get off the ground but with a lot of help from some good people that he met along the way he did it.
His contact from the Army served him well firstly by securing him 4 retired army horses and then a recommendation from Dr Martin at the rehab facility.
The Downshire’s had pledged to give him first refusal on any retiring horses but as the therapy was for all ages he needed other horses and ponies as well.
As Lynda Radcliffe had a Riding school at Copper Beech he employed her services to teach the novices to ride, this she did at Copper Beach and Larkspur and the two of them became friends.
It was through that relationship and the affable conversations they shared that Lynne suggested using Hazel to retrain his newest acquisitions.
(Part 04)
Hazel’s first days training at Larkspur was on the afternoon of the 1st of June.
She was so grateful to Lynne for recommending her, it was perfect for her as the distance between her front door and the stables at Larkspur was less than a mile.
She met Chris first and was very impressed as he very much lived up to Lynne’s billing and they chatted briefly before she went in to meet her new charge.
He was a chestnut named Spartan and he was a former racehorse. There was a lot more to his name than Spartan but in his new career he would have to settle for the shortened form.
Her first session of training with Spartan was just a bonding exercise which involved grooming him and simply talking to him and while she worked Chris watched on from the shadows with admiration for her labours and found that he was rather taken by the skinny girl with the mad red hair.
Over the week that followed it was more of the same with Hazel grooming Spartan and Chris watching from a distance.
He liked to watch her working with the horse, although having said that he would probably have like to watch her do just about anything.
For Hazel’s part, she had noticed him in her peripheral vision once or twice over her first week and that made her smile.
But flattered though she was she would have to put a stop to it, she liked him well enough, and in fact she liked him a lot.
He was a nice man and he was doing great work but she thought her husband Bob was nice before she married him and that turned out to be a complete disaster.
So she was in no hurry to set foot on the rocky road of romance any time soon.
After 7 straight days of bonding she decided it was time to get him out in the paddock on the longe line.
It was important to get him to trot around with his head up and not as he had been accustomed to with his head down and focused on speed.
Despite her misgivings about Chris she found that she was disappointed when he didn’t appear to watch her at work with Spartan.
In fact he didn’t appear all the time she was there that day which disappointed her even more, but what she didn’t know was that he was in Nettlefield at the Downshire Light Infantry HQ to look at his latest potential recruit and furthermore she didn’t know that the level of disappointment he felt at not seeing her far outweighed her own.
He left Nettlefield having agreed to take on a gentle giant of a horse called Inkerman, though his name had been shortened to Inky which was quite appropriate as he was jet black.
Hazel finished with Spartan in the paddock and as he behaved himself she let him have a bit of a frolic around in the paddock before taking him in to be groomed, then she filled in the log book and left for home.
When he returned to Larkspur he arrived just in time to see Hazel disappear into the distance.
“Damn” he said and banged his hand on the steering wheel, he was hoping to share his news with her.
“Oh well there’s always tomorrow”
He parked in the yard and before going in the house he went and checked on the horses and read Hazels entry in the log.
(Part 05)
The pattern of training continued for another week and after the 15th day with him she announced to Chris.
“I think he’s ready to be ridden again”
“Excellent” Chris said “then you’ll be ready to take on Inky”
“Yes” she agreed “Anytime now”
“Well why don’t you come over to Nettlefield with me next week to pick him up”
“I’d love to” Hazel said
“Good, next Thursday afternoon then”
Almost at that exact moment back in the yard at Copper Beach Farm Lynne Radcliffe and Charlotte Clode were discussing what to get Hazel for her upcoming birthday which was only two days away.
“What do you get for the girl who has nothing?” Lynne asked in exasperation
“It should be so easy” Charlotte said
“I know but it’s not is it?”
“Then we’re just going to have to ask her outright” Charlotte responded
“I suppose so but there’s no surprise that way” Lynne said resignedly.
They were still in the yard discussing it when Hazel returned to the yard and she was smiling to herself when she heard Lynne call to her
“Hazel”
“What are you two up to?”
“Nothing” Charlotte said innocently
“We were just wondering what you would like for your upcoming birthday”
“Nothing” Hazel said
“That’s not an option” Lynne stated
“I mean it” Hazel said “You don’t need to get me anything”
“Nonsense” Lynne countered “We want to, so what would you like more than anything in the world?”
Hazel thought for a moment and smiled and then replied
“A cut, wash and blow dry”
“Is that all?” Lynne asked
“Is that all? That would be absolute heaven” Hazel retorted and grinned
“Ok then” Lynne said “I suppose that’s settled”
But to herself she added
“Well I think we can do slightly better than that though”
It was Hazel’s birthday two days later and the day began the same as any other with mucking out the stables with the other girls but when she returned to her rooms at 9 o’clock and opened the door she was met with a chorus of “Happy Birthday”.
Lynne, Charlotte and Anthony were sitting at her dining table
They bought her a gift voucher for Mazzone’s Hairdressers in Mornington which she was thrilled with but they also gave her a Spa day, so the three girls could go to the Dancingdean Spa Hotel together.
There were also a pile of birthday cards and a bouquet of flowers from Chris Harper.
She wasted no time in cashing in her voucher at Mazzone’s hairdressers in Mornington to sort out her thick, unruly bright orange hair, and afterwards she felt wonderful and it was every bit as good as she was expecting it to be.
After close to three years after splitting with her husband she had resigned herself to the fact that she would never see or hear from him again, and she was perfectly happy about that, so nobody was more surprised than she was when Charlotte called her over to the office after she returned from Mornington.
“Hazel! Phone call”
“For me?” she called back
“Hello?” she said
“Hello Haze” a voice responded
It was quite a shock for her to hear Bobs voice after all the time that had passed.
“How did you get this number?” she snapped
“Comme ci comme ça” he retorted
“What do you want Bob?”
“Oh don’t be like that babe” he said
“Don’t you dare babe me you bastard”
“Alright calm down” he said and she hung up but a minute later the phone rang again.
(Part 06)
After she found out about Bobs gambling Hazel’s world fell apart, as one by one the bricks that formed the foundations of her life and their relationship were removed.
The roof over her head was repossessed, their car was taken off their drive in the dead of night, and bailiffs took away all their possessions.
Credit cards had been maxed out and bank accounts emptied and insurance policies cashed in.
But as if that wasn’t bad enough it then transpired that it wasn’t only their money he was gambling with, he had stolen from the company he worked for.
And during the time the bailiffs were removing her belongings she had a visit from a Sgt Griffin and a DC Deacon from Sharpington CID who were looking for her husband in relation to the theft.
All she could say was that she hadn’t seen him for more than a week and when she did they would have to investigate his murder.
But she never saw him again or even heard from him for that matter though the police were still anxious to speak with him.
So getting a call out of the blue from him shocked her to the core.
“Don’t you dare babe me you bastard” she snapped
“Alright calm down” he said and she hung up but a minute later the phone rang again.
She let it ring three times before she picked it up again.
“That wasn’t very friendly” he said
“What do you want Bob I’m busy?”
“I need my share of the house” he said and she laughed out loud
“The bank has your half of the house along with my half plus the car and every stitch of furniture we owned”
“Well you must have a few quid tucked away” he said “you could give a stake for old time’s sake”
She was so angry that his antics had pulled the rug from under her and left her to cope with the fall out on her own so her first thought was to tell him in no uncertain terms where to go, and she was actually on the brink of saying it when she said
“Ok for old time’s sake, a one off, never to be repeated payment, give me an address and I’ll send you a cheque” she said
“I’d rather do it face to face” he said
“Ok” she said “Where?”
“There’s a pub in Sharpington called the Ancient Mariner I’ll meet you there at 12 on Friday”
“Ok” she said and hung up.
On Thursday she travelled over to Nettlefield in the horse box with Chris Harper.
Although she had been looking forward to the trip she was in pensive mood on the journey over.
When they arrived he introduced her to Inky and then left them to get acquainted while he touched base with a few of his ex-colleagues and then they got him on board the horsebox and settled before setting off on the return journey to the Dulcets.
She was a little more conversant on the way back so Chris chanced his arm and asked her out to dinner.
“Oh I don’t know” she said “my life is a bit complicated at the moment”
“Another time perhaps” he said and she nodded then after a few minutes she said
“Could I ask you a favour?”
“Of course” he replied and she proceeded to explain the complications in her life
On Friday Chris Harper drove a pensive Hazel to Sharpington and waited a discreet distance away and watched Hazel as she sat alone at a table and continued to watch as a shifty looking man joined her but he couldn’t hear what was said.
“Hello Haze” Bob said and moved to embrace her “it’s good to see you”
“It’s not mutual” she said and evaded his embrace
“Well without being indelicate how much have you got for me?” he asked
“Nothing” she replied “but they’ve got something for you”
And when he turned around Sgt Griffin and Detective Deacon were there and quickly took him into custody.
A tirade of abuse was levelled at her as the police handcuffed him.
“You ugly ginger bitch” he screamed “You won’t find anyone better than me”
“I already have” she shouted back and ran to where Chris was standing and buried her face in his chest and he wrapped his arms around her and after a few minutes she said
“My life just got a lot less complicated, so is the offer of dinner still on?”
Saturday, 1 April 2017
Mornington-By-Mere – (33) For the Love of Gardening
(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.
It is a quaint picturesque village, a proper 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 Mornington-By-Mere is not just a quaint chocolate box English Village it is the beating heart of the Finchbottom Vale and there were a number of cottages and small houses on the Purplemere road and Dulcets Lane which formed the part of Mornington Village known as Manorside and George Harding lived at number 1 Dulcet Mill Lane in the house he was raised in along with his sister Mariana by his Aunt Julia.
George had just settled himself down in his armchair when he heard the sound of the front doorbell.
“Oh Bollocks” he said in response and struggled to his feet to answer it.
He grabbed his crutches and headed slowly towards the door just as it rang again
“Alright, I’m coming” he said
When he opened the door he found a man and woman in their early thirties, standing the other side of it.
“I’m Zachary” the man said proudly thrusting his chest out “I do the garden”
“Oh” he responded
The attractive woman who was standing just behind him said
“What he means is that he is a very good gardener and he’s looking for work”
Zachary, he ascertained had a learning disability of some sort and the woman with him he presumed was his care giver.
George wondered how many houses they had visited in Mornington before his and how many times she had had to explain.
“Well” He said and he saw her shoulders slump as she anticipated another rejection.
“I am sorely in need of a gardener”
And she straightened up and the broadest smile crossed her face and Zachary looked at her and smiled
“Thank you” she said and squeezed Zachary’s arm proudly
“Thank you” Zachary said and held out his hand for George to shake
“I can’t afford to pay you a lot” George said
“That’s not a problem” she replied for him
“And you may not want the job when you see the state of garden, it’s a real mess” George added
“I will do it” Zachary said holding his head high “I don’t mind hard work”
“Ok then go through the side gate and I will meet you out the back” he said
He closed the door and made his way slowly to the back door which he had just opened, when Zachary and his carer walked through the side gate.
“Oh dear” she said as the young woman saw the overgrown jungle that was George Harding’s garden
“Lots of work for me” Zachary said enthusiastically and went exploring in the undergrowth.
“Thank you” she said
“What for?” George asked
“For giving my brother a chance” she replied
“Nonsense I should be thanking you” he said and winced
“Are you ok?” She asked
“Yes, it’s just that I’m not supposed to be putting my weight on it” he replied
“Then you need to go in and sit” she said with authority
“I’ll be find” George replied
“Sit” she insisted “We don’t tell patients to keep their weight off for no reason”
“We?” George queried
“I’m a nurse” Jeanne said and wouldn’t take no for an answer so she encouraged him inside and then she settled him in his chair
“Now stay there and rest your leg”
“Yes nurse” he responded
“Jeanne” she corrected him
“I’m George”
“Can I make you a drink?” she asked
“Only if you’re going to join me” George replied
“I thought you’d never ask” she said “We’ve been walking around all morning and people have been very nice but….”
“Great” he replied “Black coffee for me please”
Jeanne nodded and went into the kitchen.
(Part 02)
Jeanne Swann went to the kitchen in George Harding’s house and returned a few minutes later with the drinks which she set down on the small table and then she sat in the vacant chair.
“So what happened?” she asked indicating his leg
“Car versus lorry” he said “guess which one I was driving”
“How long ago?”
“Two years” George replied “and several operations”
“Any more planned?” Asked Jeanne
“No they have done everything they can so whatever I have when this has healed I will have to live with” He said soberly
“Is that why the garden is so overgrown?” she asked
“Only partly” he replied “My Aunt Julia was the gardener of the family, who sadly spent the last three years of her life in a home, and as neither my sister Mariana or I have green fingers so it was already fairly overgrown when she died, but it was only two months after that when I had the accident, so it’s at least six years since anything meaningful has been done out there, however I don’t know how much better it would be if I hadn’t had the accident”
“Nor me” she said “but Zachary is a whizz”
George looked at her and saw the pride in her pretty smile as she mentioned Zachary.
“Zachary loves gardening, when he lived with mum he was always out there pottering about or working in the greenhouse”
Jeanne almost cried at the thought of a happier time in their lives George could see her eyes begin to moisten.
Just at that moment through the French window he saw Zachary reappeared from the wilderness and he was grinning broadly.
“He looks so happy” Jeanne said and she almost cried again.
George edged forward on his seat in readiness to stand.
“And where do you think you’re going?” Jeanne said sternly “You need to stay seated”
“Yes nurse” he said obediently and he watched Jeanne with an appraising eye as she walked to the French doors and opened them.
Zachary immediately stepped forward and hugged his sister
“Well what do you think?” George asked while still admiring Jeanne’s figure.
“It’s big Jeanne” he said laughing
“Can you help me with then?” George asked
“Oh yes” Zachary replied eagerly
“Then come and shake on it” George said and Zachary strode forward and shook Georges hand as Jeanne looked on proudly.
“The only snag is that I don’t have much in the way of tools” George admitted
“I have tools” Zachary said proudly
“Ok then, when would you like to start?” George asked
“Now” he replied “I can start now”
“I think tomorrow would be better as we have disturbed Mr...”
“Harding” George said “But please call me George”
“We have disturbed Mr. Harding enough for today” she continued
“Ok Jeanne” Zachary agreed
“Tomorrow then” George said
“Tomorrow then” Zachary echoed
“We will see you Tomorrow then, we’ll let ourselves out” Jeanne said and steered Zachary out the door “because George needs to rest his leg” She directed her eyes in George’s direction as she said it and George said
“Yes nurse”
(Part 03)
On Saturday morning George got himself going much earlier than usual and showered and shaved and put on a smart shirt as he wanted to give a better impression of himself than he had the day before if Jeanne was going to be coming with Zachary again.
He was sure he remembered her say “We will see you tomorrow” but then by the time nine o’clock came and went he began to think he had imagined it.
But at 9.15 he heard the side gate rattle so he got up and opened the French doors.
And with the aid of his crutches he stepped ungracefully onto the patio just as the lovely Jeanne walked through the gate.
She was wearing a bright floral summer dress presumably as it was going to be a nice day.
Whatever the reason he was pleased with the outcome.
She stepped to one side and held the gate open as the front wheel of a wheel barrow appeared followed by the wheel barrow itself, full of tools, and Zachary, who was pushing it.
“My word you are well equipped” George said and blushed as he realized he was looking at Jeanne as he said it.
“Yes I am” replied Zachary with pride
“We’re not too early are we?” Jeanne asked “He’s been ready since 7 o’clock”
“No not at all” George replied
“Did you have to wheel those tools far?”
“No, only from Dulcets Road Cottages” Jeanne replied
“Really?” he said with surprise
“Yes, we’ve not been in the village long” she replied.
Zachary was wearing work boots and overalls and was raring to go, Jeanne on the other hand, dressed in her summer frock and sandals was clearly not and George hoped desperately that she was staying.
“So are you gardening or cheering him on from the sidelines?” George asked hopefully
“I’m definitely cheering him on” she replied with a giggle.
“Well we can sit out here if you’d like I’ve got chairs and stuff in the garage” George suggested
“That would be lovely but let me and Zachary get the chairs” she said
“Ok I’ll put the kettle on” he said
“If you must” she said disapprovingly
The kettle had just boiled when Jeanne came in to the kitchen
“Ok, you can leave that to me now” she said and ushered him out onto the patio again where he found Zachary had just finished dusting down the chairs.
George found himself unable to fathom out the best way to seat himself in the chair, it was one of those chairs that when seated you lifted the arm rests and the back went down and the foot rest came up.
But he couldn’t get the chair to stand still while he lowered himself into it.
“Haven’t you sat down yet?” Jeanne asked
“No but it’s not for the want of trying” George replied and she laughed as he tried again and failed.
“Zachary will help” she said “Give me your crutches”
He complied with the nurses instruction and then Zachary scooped him up in his arms like he was a child, he was immensely strong, and lowered him gently into the chair.
(Part 04)
Jeanne and George sat on the patio and chatted as Zachary toiled in the jungle, they knew he was there even though they couldn’t see him, as there were tell-tale sounds of a man at work.
In truth George initially listened more than conversed as his mind wandered and he ended up just looking at her.
He thought she had a pretty face and he loved her bobbed soft brown hair and the way it framed her face perfectly.
He also looked at her eyes and pronounced them internally to be hazel.
“So you’re a nurse” he said as she caught him watching her
“Yes” she replied taking a sip of her tea.
“I’m a nurse at Oak Dale”
Oak Dale was a Retirement Village and Nursing home in Dulcets Green.
“That was where Aunt Julia spent her last few years” he responded “Is Alexandra Barrileau still in charge?”
“Yes she is”
“I liked her very much” he said “She really cares for the patients”
“She’s very dedicated” Jeanne agreed
“So have you been there long?” he asked
“Only about six months” she replied “I was in the Emergency Department at the Winston Churchill for five years, dealing with the same people time and time again having done the same thing that got them in there the previous time and knowing that after you patched them up they would be back again the next month for the same reason, it was very disheartening”
“So what prompted the change?” George asked
“It was when my mum was in The Hedgerley Court Hospice in Applesford and I saw the dignified way they dealt with the poor souls who were on the edge of the abyss and the comfort they bestowed upon them as they slipped away, and I thought that a much more important role than patching up the drunks and addicts, and that’s my role at Oak Dale”
“And when you’re not working you help your brother” George said
“I try to” she said
“He has a real passion for gardening and he’s good at it, really good, but you’re the first person to give him a chance, I can’t tell you how grateful I am”
“I’ll be honest with you Jeanne when I said yes it was because I could see how your spirits sank when you thought I was going to say no, but also I thought that well the garden is such a mess, what harm could he do, not a particularly noble reason”
“Being honest is noble” she said
After a few moments of silence George asked
“So how did he come to be living with you?”
“Well my dad worked all his adult life for the St George family, in Highfinch, as a chauffeur, amongst other things and when he died mum stay on in the tied house until her death”
Jeanne paused to take another sip of her tea.
“When Mum died Zachary had to leave, but the St Georges weren’t prepared to put him out on the street so they offered him a cottage in Mornington and so I moved in with him and got the job at Oak Dale”
“Well that sounds almost perfect” George said
“Almost, the only downside is that the cottage only has a very small garden and Zachary is used to something a lot bigger to keep him occupied”
“Do you have any other family?”
“Yes I have an older brother, Danny, but he’s a real waster, I wouldn’t have let Zachary go to him even if Danny had suggested it, which he didn’t” she said frankly
“What about you? Any family”
“Yes I have a younger sister, Marianna” he said “But she’s in New Zealand and I haven’t seen her since Aunt Julia’s funeral”
“I’m sorry to hear that” she said
“I really miss her” he confessed “But we skype every week and email in between”
(Part 05)
“Aunt Julia loved her garden and she would hate to see it like this” George said
“But here we are, about to restore it to its former glory” She said positively
Just then he looked at his watch and realized it was time for lunch
“Oh look at the time let me go and make some lunch” George suggested
“Nonsense you need to stay off the leg, I’ll go and get something”
She offered
George opened his mouth to protest but Jeanne gave him a look that said her mind was made up, then she leant towards him and whispered
“Zachary will want a meat pie anyway”
“Oh” George said
“What do you want for lunch Zack?” she shouted
“Meat Pie” he replied instantly
“Well that’s settled then” George said “I’ll get my wallet”
Jeanne gave him another look so he settled back into his chair and she walked into the village to Addison’s Bakers to pick up lunch.
After lunch Zachary went back to work and Jeanne and George resumed their conversation.
“What about an allotment” George suggested “For Zachary I mean”
“We tried that” Jeanne said “The nearest ones are in Shallowfield but they said they were full, but I know they were lying”
George raised an eyebrow and gave her a doubtful look.
“They are still advertising for new members on the internet, they just didn’t want a retard in their society”
She almost cried but she managed to compose herself.
“So what do you do?” she asked
“I’m a web design consultant” George said
“And who do you work for” she asked having no idea what a web design consultant was.
“I’m a freelance” he said “so fortunately I can work from home”
“Well that’s handy” she said encouragingly
“Yes but I’ve lost a lot of work because of this” he said patting his leg “with operation’s or hospital appointment and physio”
“That’s not so good” Jeanne said
“No, but I’m lucky really” George said “I have some regular clients who have been very understanding and of course I’m even luckier not to be dead”
By the end of the afternoon Zachary had made significant progress cutting back the shrubbery but there was still a long way to go.
It was a big garden as you would expect with a Victorian detached house, it was 60 feet wide and more than treble that in length
George’s Aunt Julia always had it in very good order and it was her pride and joy.
Zachary was loading his tools back into his wheelbarrow
“Put your tools in the garage Zachary” George said
“Then you won’t need to bring them with you every day”
“That’s a good idea isn’t it Zachary?” Jeanne said
“Yes it is” he agreed
“Will I see you both again tomorrow?” George asked hopefully
George was quite sad to see her go at the end of the day it had been such a pleasant day, it had been quite a while since he had had any meaningful conversation and even longer with such lovely company.
“Yes if that ok” Jeanne said
“I’ll see you both tomorrow then” he said and smiled
The next day was Sunday and was spent in the same pleasant fashion as the first one was with Jeanne and George relaxing and poor Zachary doing all the work and all three of them loving every minute of it.
(Part 06)
Jeanne didn’t go with Zachary every day, she still had to work and if she was on nights then she would be sleeping during the day.
Then there were days when she had housework to do or errands to run, shopping, paying bills etc. and those were the days George came to dislike intently.
Some days of course George wouldn’t be at the house to see her if she were there because he had errands to run himself or hospital appointments or physio.
But they both secretly loved it when they were both there together.
After a few weeks Zachary had cleared the garden right down to the end and cut all the weeds bramble and nettles down to ground level and was left with two enormous piles of garden rubbish one of them being the decapitated shrubbery.
“What now?” Jeanne asked
“Well I suppose we can compost the green stuff” he said “In the bottom corner”
Zachary nodded enthusiastically
“What about the rest? Can we burn it?” Jeanne asked
“Well we could but I think we’ll hire a chipper” George replied
“A what?” she queried
“A wood chipper” he said
“What’s that?”
“Well it’s a machine that you stick the woody stuff in at one end and it mashes it all up into chips which come out the other” George said
“Zack likes chips” Zachary said and laughed and George and Jeanne joined in.
“So it’s a big boy’s toy” Jeanne said when they had stopped laughing
“Yes pretty much” George admitted “but you can have a go”
“Ok, where do we get one?” she said
As the weeks had gone by George had grown more and more fond of Jeanne and at the same time his mobility had improved to the point that he was able to ditch the crutches in favour of a single walking stick and it was when he was at that stage when he was at his least gimpy that he chose to ask Jeanne out.
It was a very hot day in the middle of July and he was sweating, but it wasn’t the heat that was responsible for him sweating it was because he had decided that he would ask her that day, Zachary was way down the end of the garden sorting the compost and George was pacing up and down the patio, she had phoned earlier to say she was coming straight round from work.
So when Jeanne arrived she was still wearing her uniform, not one of the sexy “Carry on Nurse” type uniforms but it was still very nice, which merely made him sweat even more.
“Would you like a drink Jeanne?” he asked “There’s wine in the fridge”
“I’d love one” she said and plonked herself down in a chair.
George got the wine from the fridge and poured two glasses instantly drained one and filled it again.
He took the drinks outside and they sat on the patio in the evening sunshine drinking their wine
“Jeanne I was wondering” he began
“Wondering what?” she replied and took a long sip on her wine.
“Well I was wondering if, and feel free to say no, but um I thought that well um, if you were erm, not on nights or busy or anything, that maybe, if you were free then perhaps um, we might um, well you know, go out for dinner, maybe on Friday”
She had been staring at him for every tortuous second of his inept babbling, looking at him like he was a gibbering idiot, which of course wasn’t far from the truth and then she smiled.
“I’d love to” Jeanne replied putting him out of his misery
“I thought you were never going to ask”
“Well I’ve been meaning to for a while” George explained
“What made you ask me now?” she asked “Was it the uniform?”
(Part 07)
George and Jeanne made love for the first time after their second date which didn’t altogether go as planned, because at a crucial point in the preceding’s George’s bad leg suddenly cramped up and he fell out of bed.
When Jeanne had stopped laughing and George’s leg had returned to some semblance of normality they tried again.
“I’ll go on top this time” Jeanne suggested
“Good idea” George agreed “then if you get cramp, you can fall out of bed, and I can laugh at you”
They finally completed the act an hour later.
It was after they had been going out together for a couple of months, when summer had given way to autumn, when there was a ring on the doorbell.
George was working on his laptop in the lounge while Zachary was laying turf in the garden.
George got up from his seat and paused briefly to marvel at what a great job Zachary had done before heading towards the front door.
He opened it to find a short emaciated man standing there, he was pretty sure he didn’t know him but there was something familiar about him.
“Yes” George said
“My name is Danny Swann” he said “Can I come in”
George realised why there was something familiar about the man he was Jeanne’s older brother.
“No I don’t think so” George said
“Ok I’ll say what I have to say on the door step” Danny said
“Go on then” George said
“I hear you’re exploiting my brother Zachary” he said “Using him like a slave”
“Well not that it’s any of your business” George said “But I pay Zachary to do my garden”
“You can’t give him money he’s not responsible enough to have money” he said
“Is that right?” George asked
“Yes so you can pay it to me in future” he said “and I will look after it for him”
“I don’t think so” George replied
Danny Swann leant in towards George and whispered
“You will pay the money to me, unless you want all your neighbours to know you’re taking advantage of a mong”
“A mong?” George said with disgust “you have no idea who or what your brother is, do you? Now get lost”
George slammed the door shut and immediately phoned Jeanne.
They didn’t hear from Danny anymore after that day and they assumed that was the end of the matter until two months later.
It was Jeanne’s day off and she and George were looking forward to spending the day together, in truth George was just contemplating a cosy siesta with the lovely Miss Swann when the doorbell rang.
George opened the door and was greeted by a rather rotund middle aged woman with ridiculous hair.
“Maureen Dunne” she said holding up an ID badge “Social services, can I come in”
George invited her in and when Jeanne had made drinks they all sat in the lounge.
“We have had a report that you are using a vulnerable person as slave labour” Mrs Dunne stated
(Part 08)
“We have had a report that you are using a vulnerable person as slave labour” Mrs Dunne stated
“I can guess who that was” Jeanne said with disgust “my brother Danny”
“I can’t divulge the name of the complainant” she said
“Bloody nerve” George said “He was here demanding that I pay Zachary’s wages to him, and I refused which is why he’s made a complaint”
“So Zachary Swann hasn’t done work for you?” Mrs Dunne asked
“Oh yes he has worked for me, but I pay him” George said
“And how much do you pay him?” she asked
“He gets minimum wage” Jeanne interjected
“Can you prove that?” She asked
“As a matter of fact I can” George said and stood up “I am a bit OCD when it comes to records, so yes I can”
George reached up to the top shelf and took down an A5 note book.
“This shows everything” George said “This lists all his hours, how much he earned and at the back are the receipts for the deposits into his account”
“As you can see at the beginning” Jeanne said “He did a lot more hours but they have tailed off now because he is only doing maintenance”
“We have before and after pictures which shows how much he has achieved” George said
“What are these figures in red?” Mrs Dunne asked
Jeanne and George both laughed
“Do you see that jar on the sideboard” George said indicating a China fruit jar
“That contains the money I overpay him, if I pay him for more hours than he has worked, he puts it in the jar”
“And those are the figures in red” Jeanne said “he is no fool and he only wants to be paid for the work he has done”
Mrs Dunne was silent for a moment as she studied the rest of the book and then she asked
“And how many hours is he working today?”
“Oh he’s not working for me today” George said
“But isn’t that him in the garden?” Mrs Dunne asked
“Yes that’s Zachary” Jeanne said
“And he’s gardening” Mrs Dunne persisted
“Oh yes always” George replied
“For you” She said
“No” George replied “Today he’s gardening for himself”
“I don’t understand” said Mrs Dunne
“Jeanne and Zachary live in a cottage and have a very small garden, the local Shallowfield allotment society won’t rent him a plot because he has learning difficult so I have given him half of the garden to work for himself, in fact its Zachary’s garden now, not mine”
“As you can see he loves gardening” Jeanne said proudly
“I can see that, but you must appreciate how it looks, a man giving half of his garden to a virtual stranger” Mrs Dunne said with eyebrows raised
“What if he was going to be my brother in law?” George said looking at Jeanne
“What?” Mrs Dunne asked a little confused
“Are you proposing to me?” Jeanne asked
“What?” Mrs Dunne asked again even more confused
“Yes” George said
“Not the most romantic way to be asked” Jeanne added
“Well I’ve been trying to ask all week and couldn’t get it out” George said
“You know what I’m like”
“Well in that case” she said “I will have to marry you”
“You will?” George said and they stood in the middle of the room and kissed
“Case closed then” Mrs Dunne said
There only remained one obstacle to Jeanne and George’s engagement.
If Zachary wasn’t happy then Jeanne couldn’t marry him and she was adamant about that.
So it was on a crisp autumn morning that George and Jeanne chose to ask Zachary a question and when they were all sitting in the lounge, Zachary was a little fidgety as he wanted to get back to the garden and his eyes kept wandering to the window
“Would you like to live here Zachary?” George asked
“No” he replied very definitely
“Why not?” he asked
“Jeanne will be lonely without me” Zachary said “I don’t want her to be lonely”
“I don’t want her to be lonely either Zachary” George said
“Which is why I thought it would be nice if we all lived here together”
“Ok then” he said and went back to his garden
George turned to Jeanne and said “Ok then”
“Ok then” Jeanne said “Let’s get married”
Mornington-By-Mere is a small country village lying in the Finchbottom Vale nestled between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.
It is a quaint picturesque village, a proper chocolate box picturesque idyll, with a Manor House, 12th Century Church, a Coaching Inn, Windmills, an Old Forge, a Schoolhouse, a River and a Mere.
But Mornington-By-Mere is not just a quaint chocolate box English Village it is the beating heart of the Finchbottom Vale and there were a number of cottages and small houses on the Purplemere road and Dulcets Lane which formed the part of Mornington Village known as Manorside and George Harding lived at number 1 Dulcet Mill Lane in the house he was raised in along with his sister Mariana by his Aunt Julia.
George had just settled himself down in his armchair when he heard the sound of the front doorbell.
“Oh Bollocks” he said in response and struggled to his feet to answer it.
He grabbed his crutches and headed slowly towards the door just as it rang again
“Alright, I’m coming” he said
When he opened the door he found a man and woman in their early thirties, standing the other side of it.
“I’m Zachary” the man said proudly thrusting his chest out “I do the garden”
“Oh” he responded
The attractive woman who was standing just behind him said
“What he means is that he is a very good gardener and he’s looking for work”
Zachary, he ascertained had a learning disability of some sort and the woman with him he presumed was his care giver.
George wondered how many houses they had visited in Mornington before his and how many times she had had to explain.
“Well” He said and he saw her shoulders slump as she anticipated another rejection.
“I am sorely in need of a gardener”
And she straightened up and the broadest smile crossed her face and Zachary looked at her and smiled
“Thank you” she said and squeezed Zachary’s arm proudly
“Thank you” Zachary said and held out his hand for George to shake
“I can’t afford to pay you a lot” George said
“That’s not a problem” she replied for him
“And you may not want the job when you see the state of garden, it’s a real mess” George added
“I will do it” Zachary said holding his head high “I don’t mind hard work”
“Ok then go through the side gate and I will meet you out the back” he said
He closed the door and made his way slowly to the back door which he had just opened, when Zachary and his carer walked through the side gate.
“Oh dear” she said as the young woman saw the overgrown jungle that was George Harding’s garden
“Lots of work for me” Zachary said enthusiastically and went exploring in the undergrowth.
“Thank you” she said
“What for?” George asked
“For giving my brother a chance” she replied
“Nonsense I should be thanking you” he said and winced
“Are you ok?” She asked
“Yes, it’s just that I’m not supposed to be putting my weight on it” he replied
“Then you need to go in and sit” she said with authority
“I’ll be find” George replied
“Sit” she insisted “We don’t tell patients to keep their weight off for no reason”
“We?” George queried
“I’m a nurse” Jeanne said and wouldn’t take no for an answer so she encouraged him inside and then she settled him in his chair
“Now stay there and rest your leg”
“Yes nurse” he responded
“Jeanne” she corrected him
“I’m George”
“Can I make you a drink?” she asked
“Only if you’re going to join me” George replied
“I thought you’d never ask” she said “We’ve been walking around all morning and people have been very nice but….”
“Great” he replied “Black coffee for me please”
Jeanne nodded and went into the kitchen.
(Part 02)
Jeanne Swann went to the kitchen in George Harding’s house and returned a few minutes later with the drinks which she set down on the small table and then she sat in the vacant chair.
“So what happened?” she asked indicating his leg
“Car versus lorry” he said “guess which one I was driving”
“How long ago?”
“Two years” George replied “and several operations”
“Any more planned?” Asked Jeanne
“No they have done everything they can so whatever I have when this has healed I will have to live with” He said soberly
“Is that why the garden is so overgrown?” she asked
“Only partly” he replied “My Aunt Julia was the gardener of the family, who sadly spent the last three years of her life in a home, and as neither my sister Mariana or I have green fingers so it was already fairly overgrown when she died, but it was only two months after that when I had the accident, so it’s at least six years since anything meaningful has been done out there, however I don’t know how much better it would be if I hadn’t had the accident”
“Nor me” she said “but Zachary is a whizz”
George looked at her and saw the pride in her pretty smile as she mentioned Zachary.
“Zachary loves gardening, when he lived with mum he was always out there pottering about or working in the greenhouse”
Jeanne almost cried at the thought of a happier time in their lives George could see her eyes begin to moisten.
Just at that moment through the French window he saw Zachary reappeared from the wilderness and he was grinning broadly.
“He looks so happy” Jeanne said and she almost cried again.
George edged forward on his seat in readiness to stand.
“And where do you think you’re going?” Jeanne said sternly “You need to stay seated”
“Yes nurse” he said obediently and he watched Jeanne with an appraising eye as she walked to the French doors and opened them.
Zachary immediately stepped forward and hugged his sister
“Well what do you think?” George asked while still admiring Jeanne’s figure.
“It’s big Jeanne” he said laughing
“Can you help me with then?” George asked
“Oh yes” Zachary replied eagerly
“Then come and shake on it” George said and Zachary strode forward and shook Georges hand as Jeanne looked on proudly.
“The only snag is that I don’t have much in the way of tools” George admitted
“I have tools” Zachary said proudly
“Ok then, when would you like to start?” George asked
“Now” he replied “I can start now”
“I think tomorrow would be better as we have disturbed Mr...”
“Harding” George said “But please call me George”
“We have disturbed Mr. Harding enough for today” she continued
“Ok Jeanne” Zachary agreed
“Tomorrow then” George said
“Tomorrow then” Zachary echoed
“We will see you Tomorrow then, we’ll let ourselves out” Jeanne said and steered Zachary out the door “because George needs to rest his leg” She directed her eyes in George’s direction as she said it and George said
“Yes nurse”
(Part 03)
On Saturday morning George got himself going much earlier than usual and showered and shaved and put on a smart shirt as he wanted to give a better impression of himself than he had the day before if Jeanne was going to be coming with Zachary again.
He was sure he remembered her say “We will see you tomorrow” but then by the time nine o’clock came and went he began to think he had imagined it.
But at 9.15 he heard the side gate rattle so he got up and opened the French doors.
And with the aid of his crutches he stepped ungracefully onto the patio just as the lovely Jeanne walked through the gate.
She was wearing a bright floral summer dress presumably as it was going to be a nice day.
Whatever the reason he was pleased with the outcome.
She stepped to one side and held the gate open as the front wheel of a wheel barrow appeared followed by the wheel barrow itself, full of tools, and Zachary, who was pushing it.
“My word you are well equipped” George said and blushed as he realized he was looking at Jeanne as he said it.
“Yes I am” replied Zachary with pride
“We’re not too early are we?” Jeanne asked “He’s been ready since 7 o’clock”
“No not at all” George replied
“Did you have to wheel those tools far?”
“No, only from Dulcets Road Cottages” Jeanne replied
“Really?” he said with surprise
“Yes, we’ve not been in the village long” she replied.
Zachary was wearing work boots and overalls and was raring to go, Jeanne on the other hand, dressed in her summer frock and sandals was clearly not and George hoped desperately that she was staying.
“So are you gardening or cheering him on from the sidelines?” George asked hopefully
“I’m definitely cheering him on” she replied with a giggle.
“Well we can sit out here if you’d like I’ve got chairs and stuff in the garage” George suggested
“That would be lovely but let me and Zachary get the chairs” she said
“Ok I’ll put the kettle on” he said
“If you must” she said disapprovingly
The kettle had just boiled when Jeanne came in to the kitchen
“Ok, you can leave that to me now” she said and ushered him out onto the patio again where he found Zachary had just finished dusting down the chairs.
George found himself unable to fathom out the best way to seat himself in the chair, it was one of those chairs that when seated you lifted the arm rests and the back went down and the foot rest came up.
But he couldn’t get the chair to stand still while he lowered himself into it.
“Haven’t you sat down yet?” Jeanne asked
“No but it’s not for the want of trying” George replied and she laughed as he tried again and failed.
“Zachary will help” she said “Give me your crutches”
He complied with the nurses instruction and then Zachary scooped him up in his arms like he was a child, he was immensely strong, and lowered him gently into the chair.
(Part 04)
Jeanne and George sat on the patio and chatted as Zachary toiled in the jungle, they knew he was there even though they couldn’t see him, as there were tell-tale sounds of a man at work.
In truth George initially listened more than conversed as his mind wandered and he ended up just looking at her.
He thought she had a pretty face and he loved her bobbed soft brown hair and the way it framed her face perfectly.
He also looked at her eyes and pronounced them internally to be hazel.
“So you’re a nurse” he said as she caught him watching her
“Yes” she replied taking a sip of her tea.
“I’m a nurse at Oak Dale”
Oak Dale was a Retirement Village and Nursing home in Dulcets Green.
“That was where Aunt Julia spent her last few years” he responded “Is Alexandra Barrileau still in charge?”
“Yes she is”
“I liked her very much” he said “She really cares for the patients”
“She’s very dedicated” Jeanne agreed
“So have you been there long?” he asked
“Only about six months” she replied “I was in the Emergency Department at the Winston Churchill for five years, dealing with the same people time and time again having done the same thing that got them in there the previous time and knowing that after you patched them up they would be back again the next month for the same reason, it was very disheartening”
“So what prompted the change?” George asked
“It was when my mum was in The Hedgerley Court Hospice in Applesford and I saw the dignified way they dealt with the poor souls who were on the edge of the abyss and the comfort they bestowed upon them as they slipped away, and I thought that a much more important role than patching up the drunks and addicts, and that’s my role at Oak Dale”
“And when you’re not working you help your brother” George said
“I try to” she said
“He has a real passion for gardening and he’s good at it, really good, but you’re the first person to give him a chance, I can’t tell you how grateful I am”
“I’ll be honest with you Jeanne when I said yes it was because I could see how your spirits sank when you thought I was going to say no, but also I thought that well the garden is such a mess, what harm could he do, not a particularly noble reason”
“Being honest is noble” she said
After a few moments of silence George asked
“So how did he come to be living with you?”
“Well my dad worked all his adult life for the St George family, in Highfinch, as a chauffeur, amongst other things and when he died mum stay on in the tied house until her death”
Jeanne paused to take another sip of her tea.
“When Mum died Zachary had to leave, but the St Georges weren’t prepared to put him out on the street so they offered him a cottage in Mornington and so I moved in with him and got the job at Oak Dale”
“Well that sounds almost perfect” George said
“Almost, the only downside is that the cottage only has a very small garden and Zachary is used to something a lot bigger to keep him occupied”
“Do you have any other family?”
“Yes I have an older brother, Danny, but he’s a real waster, I wouldn’t have let Zachary go to him even if Danny had suggested it, which he didn’t” she said frankly
“What about you? Any family”
“Yes I have a younger sister, Marianna” he said “But she’s in New Zealand and I haven’t seen her since Aunt Julia’s funeral”
“I’m sorry to hear that” she said
“I really miss her” he confessed “But we skype every week and email in between”
(Part 05)
“Aunt Julia loved her garden and she would hate to see it like this” George said
“But here we are, about to restore it to its former glory” She said positively
Just then he looked at his watch and realized it was time for lunch
“Oh look at the time let me go and make some lunch” George suggested
“Nonsense you need to stay off the leg, I’ll go and get something”
She offered
George opened his mouth to protest but Jeanne gave him a look that said her mind was made up, then she leant towards him and whispered
“Zachary will want a meat pie anyway”
“Oh” George said
“What do you want for lunch Zack?” she shouted
“Meat Pie” he replied instantly
“Well that’s settled then” George said “I’ll get my wallet”
Jeanne gave him another look so he settled back into his chair and she walked into the village to Addison’s Bakers to pick up lunch.
After lunch Zachary went back to work and Jeanne and George resumed their conversation.
“What about an allotment” George suggested “For Zachary I mean”
“We tried that” Jeanne said “The nearest ones are in Shallowfield but they said they were full, but I know they were lying”
George raised an eyebrow and gave her a doubtful look.
“They are still advertising for new members on the internet, they just didn’t want a retard in their society”
She almost cried but she managed to compose herself.
“So what do you do?” she asked
“I’m a web design consultant” George said
“And who do you work for” she asked having no idea what a web design consultant was.
“I’m a freelance” he said “so fortunately I can work from home”
“Well that’s handy” she said encouragingly
“Yes but I’ve lost a lot of work because of this” he said patting his leg “with operation’s or hospital appointment and physio”
“That’s not so good” Jeanne said
“No, but I’m lucky really” George said “I have some regular clients who have been very understanding and of course I’m even luckier not to be dead”
By the end of the afternoon Zachary had made significant progress cutting back the shrubbery but there was still a long way to go.
It was a big garden as you would expect with a Victorian detached house, it was 60 feet wide and more than treble that in length
George’s Aunt Julia always had it in very good order and it was her pride and joy.
Zachary was loading his tools back into his wheelbarrow
“Put your tools in the garage Zachary” George said
“Then you won’t need to bring them with you every day”
“That’s a good idea isn’t it Zachary?” Jeanne said
“Yes it is” he agreed
“Will I see you both again tomorrow?” George asked hopefully
George was quite sad to see her go at the end of the day it had been such a pleasant day, it had been quite a while since he had had any meaningful conversation and even longer with such lovely company.
“Yes if that ok” Jeanne said
“I’ll see you both tomorrow then” he said and smiled
The next day was Sunday and was spent in the same pleasant fashion as the first one was with Jeanne and George relaxing and poor Zachary doing all the work and all three of them loving every minute of it.
(Part 06)
Jeanne didn’t go with Zachary every day, she still had to work and if she was on nights then she would be sleeping during the day.
Then there were days when she had housework to do or errands to run, shopping, paying bills etc. and those were the days George came to dislike intently.
Some days of course George wouldn’t be at the house to see her if she were there because he had errands to run himself or hospital appointments or physio.
But they both secretly loved it when they were both there together.
After a few weeks Zachary had cleared the garden right down to the end and cut all the weeds bramble and nettles down to ground level and was left with two enormous piles of garden rubbish one of them being the decapitated shrubbery.
“What now?” Jeanne asked
“Well I suppose we can compost the green stuff” he said “In the bottom corner”
Zachary nodded enthusiastically
“What about the rest? Can we burn it?” Jeanne asked
“Well we could but I think we’ll hire a chipper” George replied
“A what?” she queried
“A wood chipper” he said
“What’s that?”
“Well it’s a machine that you stick the woody stuff in at one end and it mashes it all up into chips which come out the other” George said
“Zack likes chips” Zachary said and laughed and George and Jeanne joined in.
“So it’s a big boy’s toy” Jeanne said when they had stopped laughing
“Yes pretty much” George admitted “but you can have a go”
“Ok, where do we get one?” she said
As the weeks had gone by George had grown more and more fond of Jeanne and at the same time his mobility had improved to the point that he was able to ditch the crutches in favour of a single walking stick and it was when he was at that stage when he was at his least gimpy that he chose to ask Jeanne out.
It was a very hot day in the middle of July and he was sweating, but it wasn’t the heat that was responsible for him sweating it was because he had decided that he would ask her that day, Zachary was way down the end of the garden sorting the compost and George was pacing up and down the patio, she had phoned earlier to say she was coming straight round from work.
So when Jeanne arrived she was still wearing her uniform, not one of the sexy “Carry on Nurse” type uniforms but it was still very nice, which merely made him sweat even more.
“Would you like a drink Jeanne?” he asked “There’s wine in the fridge”
“I’d love one” she said and plonked herself down in a chair.
George got the wine from the fridge and poured two glasses instantly drained one and filled it again.
He took the drinks outside and they sat on the patio in the evening sunshine drinking their wine
“Jeanne I was wondering” he began
“Wondering what?” she replied and took a long sip on her wine.
“Well I was wondering if, and feel free to say no, but um I thought that well um, if you were erm, not on nights or busy or anything, that maybe, if you were free then perhaps um, we might um, well you know, go out for dinner, maybe on Friday”
She had been staring at him for every tortuous second of his inept babbling, looking at him like he was a gibbering idiot, which of course wasn’t far from the truth and then she smiled.
“I’d love to” Jeanne replied putting him out of his misery
“I thought you were never going to ask”
“Well I’ve been meaning to for a while” George explained
“What made you ask me now?” she asked “Was it the uniform?”
(Part 07)
George and Jeanne made love for the first time after their second date which didn’t altogether go as planned, because at a crucial point in the preceding’s George’s bad leg suddenly cramped up and he fell out of bed.
When Jeanne had stopped laughing and George’s leg had returned to some semblance of normality they tried again.
“I’ll go on top this time” Jeanne suggested
“Good idea” George agreed “then if you get cramp, you can fall out of bed, and I can laugh at you”
They finally completed the act an hour later.
It was after they had been going out together for a couple of months, when summer had given way to autumn, when there was a ring on the doorbell.
George was working on his laptop in the lounge while Zachary was laying turf in the garden.
George got up from his seat and paused briefly to marvel at what a great job Zachary had done before heading towards the front door.
He opened it to find a short emaciated man standing there, he was pretty sure he didn’t know him but there was something familiar about him.
“Yes” George said
“My name is Danny Swann” he said “Can I come in”
George realised why there was something familiar about the man he was Jeanne’s older brother.
“No I don’t think so” George said
“Ok I’ll say what I have to say on the door step” Danny said
“Go on then” George said
“I hear you’re exploiting my brother Zachary” he said “Using him like a slave”
“Well not that it’s any of your business” George said “But I pay Zachary to do my garden”
“You can’t give him money he’s not responsible enough to have money” he said
“Is that right?” George asked
“Yes so you can pay it to me in future” he said “and I will look after it for him”
“I don’t think so” George replied
Danny Swann leant in towards George and whispered
“You will pay the money to me, unless you want all your neighbours to know you’re taking advantage of a mong”
“A mong?” George said with disgust “you have no idea who or what your brother is, do you? Now get lost”
George slammed the door shut and immediately phoned Jeanne.
They didn’t hear from Danny anymore after that day and they assumed that was the end of the matter until two months later.
It was Jeanne’s day off and she and George were looking forward to spending the day together, in truth George was just contemplating a cosy siesta with the lovely Miss Swann when the doorbell rang.
George opened the door and was greeted by a rather rotund middle aged woman with ridiculous hair.
“Maureen Dunne” she said holding up an ID badge “Social services, can I come in”
George invited her in and when Jeanne had made drinks they all sat in the lounge.
“We have had a report that you are using a vulnerable person as slave labour” Mrs Dunne stated
(Part 08)
“We have had a report that you are using a vulnerable person as slave labour” Mrs Dunne stated
“I can guess who that was” Jeanne said with disgust “my brother Danny”
“I can’t divulge the name of the complainant” she said
“Bloody nerve” George said “He was here demanding that I pay Zachary’s wages to him, and I refused which is why he’s made a complaint”
“So Zachary Swann hasn’t done work for you?” Mrs Dunne asked
“Oh yes he has worked for me, but I pay him” George said
“And how much do you pay him?” she asked
“He gets minimum wage” Jeanne interjected
“Can you prove that?” She asked
“As a matter of fact I can” George said and stood up “I am a bit OCD when it comes to records, so yes I can”
George reached up to the top shelf and took down an A5 note book.
“This shows everything” George said “This lists all his hours, how much he earned and at the back are the receipts for the deposits into his account”
“As you can see at the beginning” Jeanne said “He did a lot more hours but they have tailed off now because he is only doing maintenance”
“We have before and after pictures which shows how much he has achieved” George said
“What are these figures in red?” Mrs Dunne asked
Jeanne and George both laughed
“Do you see that jar on the sideboard” George said indicating a China fruit jar
“That contains the money I overpay him, if I pay him for more hours than he has worked, he puts it in the jar”
“And those are the figures in red” Jeanne said “he is no fool and he only wants to be paid for the work he has done”
Mrs Dunne was silent for a moment as she studied the rest of the book and then she asked
“And how many hours is he working today?”
“Oh he’s not working for me today” George said
“But isn’t that him in the garden?” Mrs Dunne asked
“Yes that’s Zachary” Jeanne said
“And he’s gardening” Mrs Dunne persisted
“Oh yes always” George replied
“For you” She said
“No” George replied “Today he’s gardening for himself”
“I don’t understand” said Mrs Dunne
“Jeanne and Zachary live in a cottage and have a very small garden, the local Shallowfield allotment society won’t rent him a plot because he has learning difficult so I have given him half of the garden to work for himself, in fact its Zachary’s garden now, not mine”
“As you can see he loves gardening” Jeanne said proudly
“I can see that, but you must appreciate how it looks, a man giving half of his garden to a virtual stranger” Mrs Dunne said with eyebrows raised
“What if he was going to be my brother in law?” George said looking at Jeanne
“What?” Mrs Dunne asked a little confused
“Are you proposing to me?” Jeanne asked
“What?” Mrs Dunne asked again even more confused
“Yes” George said
“Not the most romantic way to be asked” Jeanne added
“Well I’ve been trying to ask all week and couldn’t get it out” George said
“You know what I’m like”
“Well in that case” she said “I will have to marry you”
“You will?” George said and they stood in the middle of the room and kissed
“Case closed then” Mrs Dunne said
There only remained one obstacle to Jeanne and George’s engagement.
If Zachary wasn’t happy then Jeanne couldn’t marry him and she was adamant about that.
So it was on a crisp autumn morning that George and Jeanne chose to ask Zachary a question and when they were all sitting in the lounge, Zachary was a little fidgety as he wanted to get back to the garden and his eyes kept wandering to the window
“Would you like to live here Zachary?” George asked
“No” he replied very definitely
“Why not?” he asked
“Jeanne will be lonely without me” Zachary said “I don’t want her to be lonely”
“I don’t want her to be lonely either Zachary” George said
“Which is why I thought it would be nice if we all lived here together”
“Ok then” he said and went back to his garden
George turned to Jeanne and said “Ok then”
“Ok then” Jeanne said “Let’s get married”
Downshire Diary – (33) The Slow Burn
(Part 01)
It was a beautiful June evening when Jonathon Hardman and his colleague Neil Etherington 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 which made up their minds for them.
The call was from their boss Russ Evans and he wanted Neil to go to an all-day meeting in Abbottsford the next day and he needed Jonathon in the office in Sharpington.
As a result 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.
For Jonathon however it wasn’t an option as he wouldn’t get to Abbottsford until really late because of the Friday night traffic so he decided he would leave Brocklington early on Saturday and meet Neil at the Hotel.
While Jonathon and Neil were enjoying a drink or three, someone as yet unknown to them was just returning home to the village of Highfinch which sits just on the edge of the Pepperstock Hills where 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 Isabelle Decoene, a very slim and attractive girl, tall and slender and very well endowed with legs to die for.
She was an exotic looking woman and had beautiful long dark brown hair and dark skin, reflecting her heritage as did her large brown eyes.
In her ancestry she had French, Filipino and Spanish blood but she was born and bred in Britain and at the age of 29 she still lived with her parents.
It was a bit of a joke among her friends but she didn’t care, it suited her and it wouldn’t be forever.
She worked as an accountant for Barraclough Ventures who’s head offices were in Abbottsford but they had satellite offices all over the county and beyond, and she had to visit them all during the course of her job so she subsequently had to do a lot of traveling which was why she treated herself to her pride and joy, an Audi TT Roadster convertible in red.
However for Friday she had made sure she would end her week in Abbottsford where she would meet up with her best friend Samantha Barraclough at the Abbottsford Regents Hotel, for the start for what would prove to be a life changing weekend.
(Part 02)
It was Friday morning and another glorious June day as John set off from the village it was an hour and a half drive from Brocklington to Abbottsford even on a good day and that Saturday morning was apparently a very good day and he arrived at the Black Heart Hotel bang on time to find Neil was still in the restaurant and it was 9 o’clock.
At that precise moment Isabelle was also having breakfast but she was at the Abbottsford Regents with her friend Samantha Barraclough.
And Izzy was feeling a little fragile as she had rather over indulge the night before and didn’t get to bed until late after having had a late night out with friends.
Her problem was that she had drunk so much to try and drown out Samantha’s constant wittering about a great man she had met and how she was kicking herself for not getting his number or at the very least giving him hers.
Because Neil was ready, as he had already breakfasted before Jonathon arrived they left for the cricket ground on foot and on the way there Neil recounted all the details of the previous days encounter with a drop dead gorgeous girl.
“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 Jonathon no end because he missed breakfast.
Neil and Jonathon joined the throng to use either the facilities or one of the many food and refreshment outlets.
While Neil queued for sandwiches and crisps Jonathon joined a separate queue for two pints of Mornington Special.
Jonathon got the beers and returned to his seat and waited for Neil to appear and he waited, and waited, and waited.
“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.
Neil had met the girl he had been enthusing about and she had given him her number.
“Result” Jonathon said as he turned the card over in his hand “But I hope you got the sandwiches as well”
(Part 03)
Samantha Barraclough was in one of the executive boxes, as was Isabelle and when Sam returned to the box she couldn’t wait to tell her best friend Isabelle Decoene that she had given Neil her number.
“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 again and plopped down in her seat
“Oh bugger” Isabelle echoed because she knew she was going to talk about her missed opportunity all afternoon.
When the cricket resumed Samantha’s 20-year-old step brother, who was Downshire’s 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 04)
“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.
Isabelle went and parked the car and 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 and Izzy was waiting in reception for her and when Samantha came back she said to Izzy
“I don’t think he’s ordinary”
“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’ve never seen her like that before” Izzy said
“Well Neil is totally smitten, I don’t think he even realised the cricket had started again after he saw Samantha at lunch”
“She was the same” Izzy said “Absolutely besotted”
“Should we do anything to help?” Jon asked
“I don’t think we need to intervene” she replied “I don’t even think they’ll notice we’re even there”
Samantha was giggling when Jonathon and Isabelle returned with the drinks 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 and Samantha ended up sitting on Neil’s lap and then they only had eyes for one another which left Jonathon and Isabelle to keep each other amused.
Which was ok but there’s was a distinct lack of an instant attraction between them, in fact it was more of a slow burner, they liked the look of one another and they enjoyed the time the spent together but there was no spark.
There was definitely a friendly vibe between them but that was all and when they said goodbye they did hope to see each other again because they had enjoyed the day very much.
(Part 05)
The love that bloomed between Samantha Barraclough and Neil Etherington in Abbottsford in June went from strength to strength and as their closest friends Jonathon Hardman and Isabelle Decoene assumed that they would see each other on a regular basis.
But it didn’t work out that way they only actually only met a handful of times in June and July and then nothing for months.
It wasn’t by design however it was just the way it worked out, it was either holidays, or illness, or work commitments that conspired to keep them apart and the longer the separation the greater their desire to see the other as the slow burn continued.
But it wasn’t until September when it ignited.
Isabelle Decoene looked in the mirror and smiled at her reflection, she was an exotic looking woman and had beautiful long dark brown hair and dark skin, reflecting her heritage as did her large brown eyes.
In her ancestry she had French, Filipino and Spanish blood but she was born and bred in Britain and still lived with her parents.
Isabelle was thirty years old to the very day and for the first time in years she was going out with all of her besties on her birthday.
The previous five years of birthdays there was always someone who couldn’t make it, but that year there was a full complement and she was really looking forward to it.
For her 30th birthday Samantha had arranged the birthday evening for Isabelle and her best friends which started with a fabulous meal at a Lebanese Restaurant which had been named rather unimaginatively as Beirut.
None of them had eaten Lebanese before, so guided by the waiter they ordered the house special platter which consisted of a large range of meat, not at all unlike kebab meat but with much more sophisticated spicing.
They all enjoyed the meal very much and copious quantities of wine along with it and after settling the bill they all headed to a club called the Pull Zone.
As Isabelle was the first of her closest friends to reach her milestone birthday there was a lot of age related teasing.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright dancing with the young people dear?”
“It might be a bit noisy old girl”
“If you keep to the shadows you won’t look too out of place”
“Oh yes very funny just watch and learn as I put it to the test and see just how much of a “Pull Zone” it actually is” She boasted amidst derisive laughter although they all knew she would pull, because Samantha had arranged it.
While Isabelle and her friends were enjoying Lebanese food at the Beirut, Neil Etherington and Jonathon Hardman were in the same street eating Italian at a Restaurant called Roberto’s and when they had finished Neil suggested going to a club.
“Oh I don’t know about that” Jon replied
“Come on lets live a little” Neil insisted “When was the last time we went to a club?”
“Aren’t we a bit old?” Jon asked
“Too old?” Neil retorted “now we are definitely going to a club”
The club he took his friend to was of course Pull Zone and once they walked inside Neil sent a text message to Samantha.
“The Eagle has landed”
(Part 06)
Despite it being her birthday Isabelle hadn’t been her normal sparky self that day, the first thing that brought her down was that she still hadn’t managed to hook up with Jonathon Hardman and the second thing was that she didn’t have him or any other significant other in her life.
However she had enjoyed the evening immensely and had not been given any time to think, the next day would be a different matter.
Once inside the club, Isabelle’s party were immediately targeted by the lounge lizards but there flirtations were quickly brushed aside
The second wave reached them at the bar and with the necessity of prolonged exchanges of flirting, in her case with someone called Adrian, but then she caught sight of a familiar face further along the bar and then she had eyes and ears for no one else because as far as she was concerned Jonathon was the best looking and the best dressed man in the whole place.
However on the dance floor his dancing left a lot to be desired, until the slow dancing started and then things went to a whole new level.
Just on one o’clock she was starting to flag and told everyone she was leaving and Jonathon was going to walk her to the taxi rank.
“I told you I’d pull” she said to her friends
“He doesn’t count” one of them replied
“Why not?” she asked affronted
“Because you know him for one thing and you two have fancied each other for ages” was the reply
After they left the club they were walking arm in arm down the high street when Isabella suddenly turned left without any warning.
“That’s the wrong way” Jonathon said
“No it isn’t” she insisted
“It is” he said “the taxi rank is the other way”
“I need to go this way” she replied and walked into the church square. “In here” she ordered and led him into a courtyard and pushed him back against the church wall and kissed him and after a prolonged and passionate kiss she said
“Happy birthday to me”
“I hope I don’t have to wait until your next birthday to do that again” he said
“You don’t have to worry about that” she said and kissed him again and then afterwards she said
“Now we can go back to the club”
“I thought you wanted to go home” he said
“No, I just wanted our first kiss to be in private and I’ve got my second wind now” she replied
“So you really want to suffer more of my dancing?” he asked
“Well I was thinking more along the lines of canoodling in the corner with my new boyfriend” she replied coyly
“Oh well that I can do” he agreed and put his arm around her as they walked back to the club.
It was a beautiful June evening when Jonathon Hardman and his colleague Neil Etherington 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 which made up their minds for them.
The call was from their boss Russ Evans and he wanted Neil to go to an all-day meeting in Abbottsford the next day and he needed Jonathon in the office in Sharpington.
As a result 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.
For Jonathon however it wasn’t an option as he wouldn’t get to Abbottsford until really late because of the Friday night traffic so he decided he would leave Brocklington early on Saturday and meet Neil at the Hotel.
While Jonathon and Neil were enjoying a drink or three, someone as yet unknown to them was just returning home to the village of Highfinch which sits just on the edge of the Pepperstock Hills where 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 Isabelle Decoene, a very slim and attractive girl, tall and slender and very well endowed with legs to die for.
She was an exotic looking woman and had beautiful long dark brown hair and dark skin, reflecting her heritage as did her large brown eyes.
In her ancestry she had French, Filipino and Spanish blood but she was born and bred in Britain and at the age of 29 she still lived with her parents.
It was a bit of a joke among her friends but she didn’t care, it suited her and it wouldn’t be forever.
She worked as an accountant for Barraclough Ventures who’s head offices were in Abbottsford but they had satellite offices all over the county and beyond, and she had to visit them all during the course of her job so she subsequently had to do a lot of traveling which was why she treated herself to her pride and joy, an Audi TT Roadster convertible in red.
However for Friday she had made sure she would end her week in Abbottsford where she would meet up with her best friend Samantha Barraclough at the Abbottsford Regents Hotel, for the start for what would prove to be a life changing weekend.
(Part 02)
It was Friday morning and another glorious June day as John set off from the village it was an hour and a half drive from Brocklington to Abbottsford even on a good day and that Saturday morning was apparently a very good day and he arrived at the Black Heart Hotel bang on time to find Neil was still in the restaurant and it was 9 o’clock.
At that precise moment Isabelle was also having breakfast but she was at the Abbottsford Regents with her friend Samantha Barraclough.
And Izzy was feeling a little fragile as she had rather over indulge the night before and didn’t get to bed until late after having had a late night out with friends.
Her problem was that she had drunk so much to try and drown out Samantha’s constant wittering about a great man she had met and how she was kicking herself for not getting his number or at the very least giving him hers.
Because Neil was ready, as he had already breakfasted before Jonathon arrived they left for the cricket ground on foot and on the way there Neil recounted all the details of the previous days encounter with a drop dead gorgeous girl.
“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 Jonathon no end because he missed breakfast.
Neil and Jonathon joined the throng to use either the facilities or one of the many food and refreshment outlets.
While Neil queued for sandwiches and crisps Jonathon joined a separate queue for two pints of Mornington Special.
Jonathon got the beers and returned to his seat and waited for Neil to appear and he waited, and waited, and waited.
“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.
Neil had met the girl he had been enthusing about and she had given him her number.
“Result” Jonathon said as he turned the card over in his hand “But I hope you got the sandwiches as well”
(Part 03)
Samantha Barraclough was in one of the executive boxes, as was Isabelle and when Sam returned to the box she couldn’t wait to tell her best friend Isabelle Decoene that she had given Neil her number.
“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 again and plopped down in her seat
“Oh bugger” Isabelle echoed because she knew she was going to talk about her missed opportunity all afternoon.
When the cricket resumed Samantha’s 20-year-old step brother, who was Downshire’s 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 04)
“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.
Isabelle went and parked the car and 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 and Izzy was waiting in reception for her and when Samantha came back she said to Izzy
“I don’t think he’s ordinary”
“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’ve never seen her like that before” Izzy said
“Well Neil is totally smitten, I don’t think he even realised the cricket had started again after he saw Samantha at lunch”
“She was the same” Izzy said “Absolutely besotted”
“Should we do anything to help?” Jon asked
“I don’t think we need to intervene” she replied “I don’t even think they’ll notice we’re even there”
Samantha was giggling when Jonathon and Isabelle returned with the drinks 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 and Samantha ended up sitting on Neil’s lap and then they only had eyes for one another which left Jonathon and Isabelle to keep each other amused.
Which was ok but there’s was a distinct lack of an instant attraction between them, in fact it was more of a slow burner, they liked the look of one another and they enjoyed the time the spent together but there was no spark.
There was definitely a friendly vibe between them but that was all and when they said goodbye they did hope to see each other again because they had enjoyed the day very much.
(Part 05)
The love that bloomed between Samantha Barraclough and Neil Etherington in Abbottsford in June went from strength to strength and as their closest friends Jonathon Hardman and Isabelle Decoene assumed that they would see each other on a regular basis.
But it didn’t work out that way they only actually only met a handful of times in June and July and then nothing for months.
It wasn’t by design however it was just the way it worked out, it was either holidays, or illness, or work commitments that conspired to keep them apart and the longer the separation the greater their desire to see the other as the slow burn continued.
But it wasn’t until September when it ignited.
Isabelle Decoene looked in the mirror and smiled at her reflection, she was an exotic looking woman and had beautiful long dark brown hair and dark skin, reflecting her heritage as did her large brown eyes.
In her ancestry she had French, Filipino and Spanish blood but she was born and bred in Britain and still lived with her parents.
Isabelle was thirty years old to the very day and for the first time in years she was going out with all of her besties on her birthday.
The previous five years of birthdays there was always someone who couldn’t make it, but that year there was a full complement and she was really looking forward to it.
For her 30th birthday Samantha had arranged the birthday evening for Isabelle and her best friends which started with a fabulous meal at a Lebanese Restaurant which had been named rather unimaginatively as Beirut.
None of them had eaten Lebanese before, so guided by the waiter they ordered the house special platter which consisted of a large range of meat, not at all unlike kebab meat but with much more sophisticated spicing.
They all enjoyed the meal very much and copious quantities of wine along with it and after settling the bill they all headed to a club called the Pull Zone.
As Isabelle was the first of her closest friends to reach her milestone birthday there was a lot of age related teasing.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright dancing with the young people dear?”
“It might be a bit noisy old girl”
“If you keep to the shadows you won’t look too out of place”
“Oh yes very funny just watch and learn as I put it to the test and see just how much of a “Pull Zone” it actually is” She boasted amidst derisive laughter although they all knew she would pull, because Samantha had arranged it.
While Isabelle and her friends were enjoying Lebanese food at the Beirut, Neil Etherington and Jonathon Hardman were in the same street eating Italian at a Restaurant called Roberto’s and when they had finished Neil suggested going to a club.
“Oh I don’t know about that” Jon replied
“Come on lets live a little” Neil insisted “When was the last time we went to a club?”
“Aren’t we a bit old?” Jon asked
“Too old?” Neil retorted “now we are definitely going to a club”
The club he took his friend to was of course Pull Zone and once they walked inside Neil sent a text message to Samantha.
“The Eagle has landed”
(Part 06)
Despite it being her birthday Isabelle hadn’t been her normal sparky self that day, the first thing that brought her down was that she still hadn’t managed to hook up with Jonathon Hardman and the second thing was that she didn’t have him or any other significant other in her life.
However she had enjoyed the evening immensely and had not been given any time to think, the next day would be a different matter.
Once inside the club, Isabelle’s party were immediately targeted by the lounge lizards but there flirtations were quickly brushed aside
The second wave reached them at the bar and with the necessity of prolonged exchanges of flirting, in her case with someone called Adrian, but then she caught sight of a familiar face further along the bar and then she had eyes and ears for no one else because as far as she was concerned Jonathon was the best looking and the best dressed man in the whole place.
However on the dance floor his dancing left a lot to be desired, until the slow dancing started and then things went to a whole new level.
Just on one o’clock she was starting to flag and told everyone she was leaving and Jonathon was going to walk her to the taxi rank.
“I told you I’d pull” she said to her friends
“He doesn’t count” one of them replied
“Why not?” she asked affronted
“Because you know him for one thing and you two have fancied each other for ages” was the reply
After they left the club they were walking arm in arm down the high street when Isabella suddenly turned left without any warning.
“That’s the wrong way” Jonathon said
“No it isn’t” she insisted
“It is” he said “the taxi rank is the other way”
“I need to go this way” she replied and walked into the church square. “In here” she ordered and led him into a courtyard and pushed him back against the church wall and kissed him and after a prolonged and passionate kiss she said
“Happy birthday to me”
“I hope I don’t have to wait until your next birthday to do that again” he said
“You don’t have to worry about that” she said and kissed him again and then afterwards she said
“Now we can go back to the club”
“I thought you wanted to go home” he said
“No, I just wanted our first kiss to be in private and I’ve got my second wind now” she replied
“So you really want to suffer more of my dancing?” he asked
“Well I was thinking more along the lines of canoodling in the corner with my new boyfriend” she replied coyly
“Oh well that I can do” he agreed and put his arm around her as they walked back to the club.
Friday, 31 March 2017
Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (32) It Happened at the Seaview Hotel
(Part 01)
It was towards the end of June when Iain Akhurst drove along the promenade at Sharpington-by-Sea.
It always made him smile when he visited the traditional seaside resort which he was pleased to see still boasted a Victorian Pier, The Palladium ballroom, and of course the Sharpington Fun Park.
He liked it because it was like stepping back in time with the illuminations, crazy golf, and the amusement arcades in fact all the usual things to have a great time by the seaside
He parked the car and walked along the promenade and paused to sit in the well maintained gardens and looked out to sea.
As he left the gardens after a few minutes he looked across to the Sharpington Fun Park.
It was the first purpose built amusement park to open in Britain, and had an assortment of rides, like the Rotor and the Wild Mouse, The Cyclone and the Morehouse Galloper, all very tame compared to a 21st century roller coaster but was still great fun, and he spent many a happy hour in there during his youth.
He toyed with the idea of going in but instead headed towards the seafront hotels.
After checking in he sat in the lounge bar of the Seaview Hotel and was enjoying a pint when she walked in.
He didn’t recognise her at first and he had to do a bit of double take.
She was still as beautiful as ever but her lustrous brown hair that used to be cut in a tidy bob now flowed in brunette waves over her narrow shoulders and the business suit she customarily used to wear had been replaced by faded denim jeans, a pink top and a long flowing cardigan cut in the style of an Afghan coat with fake fur trim and bright brocade panels.
Francine Delise looked so different from the young woman he had last seen 18 months earlier at their mutual friend Ran Michaeli’s New Year party.
Her eyes were sharp and intelligent behind her gold rimmed spectacles that sat on her aquiline nose and with her finely chiselled features she was the attractive side of beautiful but only for the fact she wasn’t wearing a scrap of make-up.
But despite the hair, the clothes and a lack of makeup, the eyes and the smile could not be disguised.
It was a case of “what you see is what you get with Francine” just as it was the first day she walked into the office straight out of University.
That was eight years earlier and as the old man of the team at 33 he adopted the role of the avuncular and took her under his wing and showed her the ropes and of course try as he might, not to, and despite the 12 year age difference he fell in love with her.
There was no double take for Francine, she recognised him instantly and she beamed a broad smile and he realized as she walked towards him that he was still in love with her.
“Iain Akhurst! She said “What are you doing here?”
(Part 02)
She was never a tall girl but in her flat shoes she had to stand on tip toes and he had to stoop so they could properly embrace.
“I had to see a client locally” Iain said “It ran on later than expected so I decided to put up here for the night”
In truth he always liked booking a meeting late on a Friday and then he could stay at a local hotel for the night, two if it suited him.
“Not Brocklington Broadcast International?” she said “I’ve been trying to nick him off you for two years”
“I know, keep your hands off, BBI is my pension”
Iain said and they both laughed
“Anyway what about you?” he asked “What brings you here?”
“My sister lives in Sharpington” Francine replied “and she’s just had twins”
“Wow Aunty Francine” he said “that still doesn’t explain why you’re here”
“Because I’ve only been an aunty for five days and I’m exhausted”
She said and slumped down in her chair
“Oh dear” he said “No stamina, you youngsters”
“Honestly if I don’t get a good night’s sleep before I drive home I won’t make it” she explained
“So this is as far as you got?” he asked
“I so need a good night’s sleep” Francine said and hugged the cushion to her chest and Iain found himself feeling so jealous of that cushion
“Do you think you might stay awake long enough to have dinner?”
Iain asked
“It depends who’s paying” Francine answered peering over the top of the cushion.
“My treat” he said and it really was a treat to see Francine again and he knew in that moment he was still hopelessly in love with her.
Iain’s hand was shaking as he was stood at the bathroom sink to shave and he paused to look at his reflection.
“Who am I trying to kid?”
Since he’d last seen her 18 months earlier she hadn’t aged a day while he thought he looked as if he’d aged 10 years and that he stood less chance of getting her than ever.
He did nothing about his attraction toward her in the years he worked with her but imagine.
There was a near miss beneath the mistletoe at the last office Christmas party she attended.
But as every man in the office had the hots for her they didn’t give her a moments peace, and the sought after kiss beneath the mistletoe never happened.
The following year at Ran Michaeli’s New Year’s Eve party he found her on the dance floor and once again they had a moment but once again it came to nothing and like smoke it slipped away and she slipped through his fingers and that was the last time he had seen her which was 18 months previously.
So understandably he felt that it would never be.
Despite his misgivings he shaved and showered and made the best of what he had, such as it was, and he went downstairs to the bar to wait for her.
When he got there she was already sitting at the bar perched on a barstool waiting for him.
(Part 03)
Francine was still wearing jeans but she now wore a white smock top decorated with tiny pink roses and she was made up to perfection and was already halfway through a large glass of white wine.
“Hi” he said as he leant in and kissed her cheek
Her hair was freshly washed and was subtly scented with the fragrance of apples, while her skin exuded the aroma of coconut and he lingered by her cheek, perhaps a little longer than he should have.
While he was in such close proximity to her his senses were assailed by the scent of just a little too much Channel, which was unusual for her, she was normally more subtle than that.
She was always a very subtle girl, or at least she had been when he’d worked with her.
“You look lovely” he said when he had come up for air.
“And you smell good enough to eat” he added to himself
“This is the only thing I had left that didn’t smell of baby sick” She confessed “but to make doubly sure I doused myself with perfume”
Well that cleared up for him the little mystery of the unsubtle scenting.
“You smell delicious” he said “not a hint of baby sick”
“Honestly?” she asked
“Honestly” he replied just as he caught the barman’s eye “Do you want another?”
“Hmm yes please” she replied and drained her glass
When the drinks appeared they made their way to the restaurant, it was a walk they had done many times before during his mentoring days.
It was a favourite of Iain’s and they had stayed at the Seaview Hotel many times before and had eaten in the restaurant more often than not.
But that was in the distant days when he was mentoring her in his avuncular role and fancying the pants off her.
Iain and Frankie sat in the restaurant and as they ate their starters they talked about the old days, the colleagues they both knew, mutual friends and how both their careers were going.
However what Iain really wanted to talk about was her, the personal stuff, what she had been up to in her life over the 18 months since they had last met and the two years since they worked together, and more importantly who was in her life.
“What about you?” she asked taking him by surprise as he tried to frame that same question in his own head.
“What?” he asked
“What about you?” she repeated this time with more than a hint of a slur “are you spoken for”
To his amusement he watched as she appeared to rerun the question in her head and seemed alarmed by her realization of what she had actually said
“What I meant to say is… um… err… are you… erm…”
It tickled him to watch her struggle and getting more flustered but decided to put her out of her misery.
“I’m still single”
“Oh” she responded trying to appear indifferent “still not met the right girl?
“I wouldn’t say that exactly” he replied but didn’t elaborate, the truth of the matter was he had met the right girl but she didn’t want him.
“What about you then?” he asked
“Still footloose and fancy free” Francine replied
(Part 04)
Dinner came and went as did desert and all the time their glasses were refreshed, but it wasn’t until they were having liqueurs that he plucked up the courage to say what was on his mind.
“I’ve really missed you”
She seemed both surprised and pleased by the revelation and Iain wondered if she heard him correctly or if it was just the effect of the wine on her processing ability
“I’m sorry” she replied
“Why did you go?” he asked “I never understood why you left”
“I had to” she replied earnestly
“But why?” he asked more emphatically
“Because I knew how you felt about me” Francine confessed
“You knew?” he asked aghast
“Yes”
“You knew and you said nothing?” Iain asked angrily
She nodded
“That was cruel” he said and then there was an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes as the waiter cleared the empty glasses from the table, when he had gone she said
“I thought it was for the best”
The waiter hovered just out of earshot of them but made it obvious that as they were the last two diners and he was ready for them to leave.
“I think we have out stayed our welcome” he said flatly and got up and Francine followed suit.
“Goodnight” he said to the waiter and headed towards reception leaving Frankie in his wake.
“Let me explain” Francine said as she trotted behind him but Iain ignored her and pressed on along the corridor, but she caught up with him as he stopped to allow an elderly lady to go through the fire doors.
"I thought if I put some space between us, you would stop caring about me" she said from behind him and Iain spun round on her in response
"You thought my feelings were so fickle, so insincere that they would just evaporate away if I couldn’t see you?"
“No” she snapped at him crossly
“I did it because I thought that mine would”
“What?” he said doubting his own hearing
“I left because I was falling for you” she said
“And did it help?” he asked
“No” she said and fell in to his arms “I fell for you anyway”
“So you made us both unhappy” Iain said gently and held her close to him
“Yes” she replied and then Francine began to cry
“Don’t cry honey” he said and in response she looked up at him through tear filled eyes and he kissed her, a kiss he had longed for and dreamt of for eight years and when it was over he was not disappointed.
After their long awaited magical first kiss they walked hand in hand to the door of his room where they kissed again and then Iain unlocked the door and pushed it open but Francine paused in the doorway.
“Before we go any further” she said “I have a confession to make”
“You don’t have to say anything honey” Iain replied
“I really do” she insisted
“Ok” he replied a little concerned at what might follow, some revelation that would undermine the gravity of the moment, so he waited as Francine took a deep breath and blurted out
“I haven’t shaved my legs since the twins were born”
It was towards the end of June when Iain Akhurst drove along the promenade at Sharpington-by-Sea.
It always made him smile when he visited the traditional seaside resort which he was pleased to see still boasted a Victorian Pier, The Palladium ballroom, and of course the Sharpington Fun Park.
He liked it because it was like stepping back in time with the illuminations, crazy golf, and the amusement arcades in fact all the usual things to have a great time by the seaside
He parked the car and walked along the promenade and paused to sit in the well maintained gardens and looked out to sea.
As he left the gardens after a few minutes he looked across to the Sharpington Fun Park.
It was the first purpose built amusement park to open in Britain, and had an assortment of rides, like the Rotor and the Wild Mouse, The Cyclone and the Morehouse Galloper, all very tame compared to a 21st century roller coaster but was still great fun, and he spent many a happy hour in there during his youth.
He toyed with the idea of going in but instead headed towards the seafront hotels.
After checking in he sat in the lounge bar of the Seaview Hotel and was enjoying a pint when she walked in.
He didn’t recognise her at first and he had to do a bit of double take.
She was still as beautiful as ever but her lustrous brown hair that used to be cut in a tidy bob now flowed in brunette waves over her narrow shoulders and the business suit she customarily used to wear had been replaced by faded denim jeans, a pink top and a long flowing cardigan cut in the style of an Afghan coat with fake fur trim and bright brocade panels.
Francine Delise looked so different from the young woman he had last seen 18 months earlier at their mutual friend Ran Michaeli’s New Year party.
Her eyes were sharp and intelligent behind her gold rimmed spectacles that sat on her aquiline nose and with her finely chiselled features she was the attractive side of beautiful but only for the fact she wasn’t wearing a scrap of make-up.
But despite the hair, the clothes and a lack of makeup, the eyes and the smile could not be disguised.
It was a case of “what you see is what you get with Francine” just as it was the first day she walked into the office straight out of University.
That was eight years earlier and as the old man of the team at 33 he adopted the role of the avuncular and took her under his wing and showed her the ropes and of course try as he might, not to, and despite the 12 year age difference he fell in love with her.
There was no double take for Francine, she recognised him instantly and she beamed a broad smile and he realized as she walked towards him that he was still in love with her.
“Iain Akhurst! She said “What are you doing here?”
(Part 02)
She was never a tall girl but in her flat shoes she had to stand on tip toes and he had to stoop so they could properly embrace.
“I had to see a client locally” Iain said “It ran on later than expected so I decided to put up here for the night”
In truth he always liked booking a meeting late on a Friday and then he could stay at a local hotel for the night, two if it suited him.
“Not Brocklington Broadcast International?” she said “I’ve been trying to nick him off you for two years”
“I know, keep your hands off, BBI is my pension”
Iain said and they both laughed
“Anyway what about you?” he asked “What brings you here?”
“My sister lives in Sharpington” Francine replied “and she’s just had twins”
“Wow Aunty Francine” he said “that still doesn’t explain why you’re here”
“Because I’ve only been an aunty for five days and I’m exhausted”
She said and slumped down in her chair
“Oh dear” he said “No stamina, you youngsters”
“Honestly if I don’t get a good night’s sleep before I drive home I won’t make it” she explained
“So this is as far as you got?” he asked
“I so need a good night’s sleep” Francine said and hugged the cushion to her chest and Iain found himself feeling so jealous of that cushion
“Do you think you might stay awake long enough to have dinner?”
Iain asked
“It depends who’s paying” Francine answered peering over the top of the cushion.
“My treat” he said and it really was a treat to see Francine again and he knew in that moment he was still hopelessly in love with her.
Iain’s hand was shaking as he was stood at the bathroom sink to shave and he paused to look at his reflection.
“Who am I trying to kid?”
Since he’d last seen her 18 months earlier she hadn’t aged a day while he thought he looked as if he’d aged 10 years and that he stood less chance of getting her than ever.
He did nothing about his attraction toward her in the years he worked with her but imagine.
There was a near miss beneath the mistletoe at the last office Christmas party she attended.
But as every man in the office had the hots for her they didn’t give her a moments peace, and the sought after kiss beneath the mistletoe never happened.
The following year at Ran Michaeli’s New Year’s Eve party he found her on the dance floor and once again they had a moment but once again it came to nothing and like smoke it slipped away and she slipped through his fingers and that was the last time he had seen her which was 18 months previously.
So understandably he felt that it would never be.
Despite his misgivings he shaved and showered and made the best of what he had, such as it was, and he went downstairs to the bar to wait for her.
When he got there she was already sitting at the bar perched on a barstool waiting for him.
(Part 03)
Francine was still wearing jeans but she now wore a white smock top decorated with tiny pink roses and she was made up to perfection and was already halfway through a large glass of white wine.
“Hi” he said as he leant in and kissed her cheek
Her hair was freshly washed and was subtly scented with the fragrance of apples, while her skin exuded the aroma of coconut and he lingered by her cheek, perhaps a little longer than he should have.
While he was in such close proximity to her his senses were assailed by the scent of just a little too much Channel, which was unusual for her, she was normally more subtle than that.
She was always a very subtle girl, or at least she had been when he’d worked with her.
“You look lovely” he said when he had come up for air.
“And you smell good enough to eat” he added to himself
“This is the only thing I had left that didn’t smell of baby sick” She confessed “but to make doubly sure I doused myself with perfume”
Well that cleared up for him the little mystery of the unsubtle scenting.
“You smell delicious” he said “not a hint of baby sick”
“Honestly?” she asked
“Honestly” he replied just as he caught the barman’s eye “Do you want another?”
“Hmm yes please” she replied and drained her glass
When the drinks appeared they made their way to the restaurant, it was a walk they had done many times before during his mentoring days.
It was a favourite of Iain’s and they had stayed at the Seaview Hotel many times before and had eaten in the restaurant more often than not.
But that was in the distant days when he was mentoring her in his avuncular role and fancying the pants off her.
Iain and Frankie sat in the restaurant and as they ate their starters they talked about the old days, the colleagues they both knew, mutual friends and how both their careers were going.
However what Iain really wanted to talk about was her, the personal stuff, what she had been up to in her life over the 18 months since they had last met and the two years since they worked together, and more importantly who was in her life.
“What about you?” she asked taking him by surprise as he tried to frame that same question in his own head.
“What?” he asked
“What about you?” she repeated this time with more than a hint of a slur “are you spoken for”
To his amusement he watched as she appeared to rerun the question in her head and seemed alarmed by her realization of what she had actually said
“What I meant to say is… um… err… are you… erm…”
It tickled him to watch her struggle and getting more flustered but decided to put her out of her misery.
“I’m still single”
“Oh” she responded trying to appear indifferent “still not met the right girl?
“I wouldn’t say that exactly” he replied but didn’t elaborate, the truth of the matter was he had met the right girl but she didn’t want him.
“What about you then?” he asked
“Still footloose and fancy free” Francine replied
(Part 04)
Dinner came and went as did desert and all the time their glasses were refreshed, but it wasn’t until they were having liqueurs that he plucked up the courage to say what was on his mind.
“I’ve really missed you”
She seemed both surprised and pleased by the revelation and Iain wondered if she heard him correctly or if it was just the effect of the wine on her processing ability
“I’m sorry” she replied
“Why did you go?” he asked “I never understood why you left”
“I had to” she replied earnestly
“But why?” he asked more emphatically
“Because I knew how you felt about me” Francine confessed
“You knew?” he asked aghast
“Yes”
“You knew and you said nothing?” Iain asked angrily
She nodded
“That was cruel” he said and then there was an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes as the waiter cleared the empty glasses from the table, when he had gone she said
“I thought it was for the best”
The waiter hovered just out of earshot of them but made it obvious that as they were the last two diners and he was ready for them to leave.
“I think we have out stayed our welcome” he said flatly and got up and Francine followed suit.
“Goodnight” he said to the waiter and headed towards reception leaving Frankie in his wake.
“Let me explain” Francine said as she trotted behind him but Iain ignored her and pressed on along the corridor, but she caught up with him as he stopped to allow an elderly lady to go through the fire doors.
"I thought if I put some space between us, you would stop caring about me" she said from behind him and Iain spun round on her in response
"You thought my feelings were so fickle, so insincere that they would just evaporate away if I couldn’t see you?"
“No” she snapped at him crossly
“I did it because I thought that mine would”
“What?” he said doubting his own hearing
“I left because I was falling for you” she said
“And did it help?” he asked
“No” she said and fell in to his arms “I fell for you anyway”
“So you made us both unhappy” Iain said gently and held her close to him
“Yes” she replied and then Francine began to cry
“Don’t cry honey” he said and in response she looked up at him through tear filled eyes and he kissed her, a kiss he had longed for and dreamt of for eight years and when it was over he was not disappointed.
After their long awaited magical first kiss they walked hand in hand to the door of his room where they kissed again and then Iain unlocked the door and pushed it open but Francine paused in the doorway.
“Before we go any further” she said “I have a confession to make”
“You don’t have to say anything honey” Iain replied
“I really do” she insisted
“Ok” he replied a little concerned at what might follow, some revelation that would undermine the gravity of the moment, so he waited as Francine took a deep breath and blurted out
“I haven’t shaved my legs since the twins were born”
Mornington-By-Mere – (32) Be My Guest
(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.
It is a quaint picturesque village, a proper 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 Mornington-By-Mere is not just a quaint chocolate box English Village it is the beating heart of the Finchbottom Vale.
Corner House aptly stood on the corner of Purplemere Road and West Gate Road in the part of Mornington Village known as Manorside.
There were a number of cottages and small houses on the Purplemere road and Dulcets Lane, but Corner House was a large 8 bedroom Victorian monstrosity which had at one time been the home of the master brewer of the Mornington Brewery.
It was now the Corner Guest House run by affable landlady Kay Richardson assisted by her children Paul 24 and Stephanie 23.
For 5 years Kay had her nephew Calvin Chance living with her as well, and while he was there he managed to build up a reputation locally as a solid and reliable worker.
As a result of that reputation he got regular work at Mereside Farm renovating an old cottage which was where he met and fell in love with April Hoddinott.
They worked together from autumn till spring unable to show their feelings for each other but they eventually went on their first date appropriately in April.
It was a whirlwind affair after that, they Married in June and had their first child Carrie in the following February and the new family lived together in the cottage they had renovated together.
So as a result of her nephew starting his new family she had another room to rent out.
Which was very beneficial as there was never any shortage of guest’s requiring a room such was Corner House’s reputation.
Kay Richardson had worked very hard over the years running the Guest House to build up that reputation as well as raising her children as a single parent.
Her husband abandoned her and the children when Steph was only a few weeks old so she and her mother ran the guest house but she died suddenly just at the point when things should have begun to get easier when both children were at school full time.
But that wasn’t to be.
There were of course no shortage of willing hands in the village to help but she couldn’t afford to employ a lot of outside help.
As Paul and Steph grew up they were able to help out as well as long as it didn’t conflict with their schoolwork.
She wanted her children to have options that she never had and make their decisions accordingly.
As it turned out neither Paul nor Stephanie wanted to leave the village they loved it there too much, so when they left school Kay took them on full time and they earned their livings from the guest house which was always busy.
It was also at that time that her nephew Calvin moved in which gave her another pair of hands.
But as steady as the trade was she always closed Corner House at Christmas so she and the children could have a proper Christmas.
The last guests would check out on the 23rd and the earliest check-in was 3 o’clock on the 27th.
It wasn’t a big break but they made the most of it.
(Part 02)
Throughout the year Corner House was always busy if not fully booked, and even at the quietest times they had more money coming in than they had going out.
It was mixed trade, at weekends they were Birders, Ramblers or fishermen and weekdays they were mainly business guests.
However when the Mornington Estate exercised its option to purchase Mornington Field from the MOD the conversion of all the buildings and infrastructure on the airfield to commercial premises brought in a much steadier weekday business trade.
And it was the commercial space on Mornington Field which was what brought Robert Gregory to the village.
He was a manufacturer of handmade toys who was interested in taking on one of the converted units to use as a workshop and storage area and between Christmas and Easter he had stayed at the Guest House at least one day every week more often in fact than he really needed to.
Because he was a toymaker, The Richardson’s called him Santa because apart from making toys he was also stout, jolly and had a white beard and hair to match.
He was not as old as his hair colouring suggested, he had white blonde hair when he was a child which darkened slightly when he reached adulthood before turning white again in his late thirties.
As the year reached the Easter weekend he was actually 47 years old, his wife died when his children were very young and it was to amuse his children that he began to make toys.
As the children grew up he found he had more time to indulge what was at that time a hobby.
But when he had a garage full of his creations and the children were more interested in Xboxes and Playstation’s his sister Janice suggested he take them to a car boot sale.
Janice did some research online to gauge the prices to see what they could ask and then the two of them went off early one Sunday morning to the Nettlefield Antiques Fair and Car Boot Sale with a carful of toys and they set up their stall and had sold out by midday.
It was after that first successful day in Nettlefield which planted the seed of what was to become a very successful business employing almost 50 staff.
But now he was in his late forties, the children had all left home and two of them had children of their own, and he thought it was time for a new chapter in his life.
So when he arrived at the Corner House Guest House in January and first met the voluptuous Kay Richardson he thought the Gods had smiled on him.
So while he was totally committed to setting up another workshop in Mornington his primary reason for visiting quite so frequently was to see Kay.
He was taken with her the very first time he saw her and that feeling had not diminished since.
In fact his feelings had deepened it was just that he wasn’t able to put those feelings into words when he was with her.
He had a whole speech, carefully rehearsed in the car on the drive to Mornington but the moment he saw her and his brain turned to mush.
(Part 03)
Kay Richardson had been alone since her husband absconded leaving her at the age of 21 with two small children.
Kay was still an attractive woman though fast approaching her 45th birthday.
She had the same facial features as her daughter Stephanie but she had a fuller figure than Steph, who she resembled in every other way, but she carried it well.
Robert looked at her and saw a voluptuous woman but when she looked in the mirror all she saw was fat.
She had fair hair with just a hint of grey and striking green eyes.
And because she had been alone for over 20 years, she was lonely, she had her family around her and she loved them dearly but that wasn’t the same as having someone to snuggle up to at the end of the day or someone to share the mundane minutiae of the day.
Kay had loved Gerry and she hadn’t really felt whole since he left, not that she missed him in the slightest and she felt no love for him but she needed someone, she deserve someone because she was a warm and loving person.
But she didn’t dwell on it or feel sorry for herself, she had always had to be strong for everyone since her mother died and she had built a stable home for her children as well as running the B&B to great effect.
Kay was proud of her children as well they had grown up into nice people, good and kind.
In Paul Richardson’s case he had literally grown up, he was very tall, almost six foot six, and stick thin with mousy hair and big feet.
He was a hard working lad and what leisure time he had, and there wasn’t much, was split between his hobby of birdwatching, and his girlfriend Cally Wilson.
Cally was only 21 and was a trainee chef at the Old Mill Inn and they were perfect together because she stood six feet tall herself with short curly auburn hair, and a very large bust, lovely eyes and a nice smile and Paul loved her very much.
At 23 Stephanie was a year younger than her brother and eight inches shorter but other than that they were very alike, stick thin, big feet, mousy hair and good hearts.
The week began with a normal Monday at the Guest House for Paul who along with his sister were cleaning the vacated rooms of the weekenders.
Monday was normally the worst day of the week for them because after the weekend visitors had checked out the rooms needed servicing before the Monday afternoon arrivals.
That Monday however they had Cally helping as Monday was her day off and the sooner Paul got finished servicing the rooms then the sooner he could do the same to her.
With the extra pair of hands they made great progress and had all the rooms completed and the landings hovered by 1 pm.
And it was as they were on their way to the kitchen for lunch that Paul noticed Robert Gregory’s car pull into the car park.
“Is that a guest arriving already?” Steph asked
“Yes its Mr Gregory” he replied
“Oh he’s the one your mum fancies” Cally said as they looked out of the window and when she turned around Paul and Steff were staring at her open mouthed.
(Part 04)
“Oh he’s the one your mum fancies” Cally said as they looked out of the window and when she turned around Paul and Steff were staring at her open mouthed.
“What do you mean?” Paul asked breaking the silence
“Your mum fancies Mr Gregory” Cally said in surprise and was met again with stony silence.
“Blimey do you two go around with your eyes shut”
“You’re wrong” Paul said with a half laugh
“Trust me she fancies him” Cally reiterated
“No she doesn’t” Steph chimed
“I know he likes her but then why shouldn’t he,
Mum’s still an attractive woman”
“I agree” said Paul “She’s just being friendly, like she’s friendly to all the guests”
“Ok then if you don’t believe me just look at her face when he walks in and then tell me that she thinks he’s just another guest” Cally challenged them
“Alright then” Paul said accepting the challenge and all three of them positioned themselves on the stairs so they could peer through the spindles at the door where Kay would immerge to greet the arrival of a guest.
They heard the front door open and Robert Gregory’s footsteps as he walked up the hall to the reception desk.
He put down his suitcase, straightened his tie and rang the bell.
A few moments later the staff only door opened and Kay stepped through it into reception and her face broke into the broadest smile.
“Oh Hello Robert” she said fiddling with her hair
“Hello dear lady, you’re looking as lovely as ever”
“Flattery will get you everywhere” she replied and she played with her hair again.
They watched on from the stairs in silence as the scene unfolded before their eyes but when Robert headed for the stairs they moved quickly up the stairs ahead of him and hid until he had passed by then Paul exclaimed
“My God you’re right Cal she does fancy him”
“How did we not notice?” Stephanie asked
“I told you so” Cally said
“Alright Miss Marple there’s no need to gloat” Paul said “But mum is clearly smitten”
“I think it’s mutual” Steph added
“Then it’s obvious what you need to do” Cally said
“What?” the Richardson’s replied in unison
“We must breathe on the embers” she replied
“What does that mean Sherlock?” Paul asked
“We have to play cupid” she replied
“Oh no I don’t think so” Paul said forcefully “we shouldn’t get involved”
“Why not?” Cally asked “Is it because you would like it if they got together?”
“No of course not, she deserves to have someone in her life other than us” he replied
“So why don’t you want to get involved?” Cally asked
“I just think we should let nature take its course” Paul said
“But that’s not working is it?” she said “they’ve been flirting with each other since January and they’re still no closer to doing anything about it”
“Cally’s right” Steph said “it’s time for an intervention”
“Ok then what do you suggest?” Paul conceded
“Well a birthday dinner obviously” she replied
It was Kays birthday the following Monday which gave them a week to put their plan into action.
(Part 05)
Normally Robert only stayed for a day or two every week but as Block C on Mornington Field was formerly being handed over to him the following day he was planning to be on site all week overseeing the fit out so he was staying all week and into the weekend.
And he was determined to make his time at Corner House count by asking Kay out for dinner unaware he had three allies who would assist in his endeavour.
Kay for her part was delighted to have him there all week but it happened to be a week when they were fully booked and he was busy in the new unit so they didn’t see as much of each other as either of them had hoped.
The fact that they were attracted to each other was an unexpected development for Paul and Steph and they had never had the slightest intention of becoming match-makers until Cally had pointed out what was happening under their noses, or not happening as was actually the case, and since Cally’s revelation they had been disappointed with the couple’s progress.
So when Paul, Steph and Cally came across Kay and Robert talking in reception on Friday afternoon they took their chance to move things along.
“I need to extend my stay until Tuesday, possibly even Wednesday” Robert was explaining
“The work is taking longer than anticipated”
“Oh dear” Kay expressed trying to sound sympathetic
“Did you say you have to stay on a bit longer?” Paul asked
“Yes we’ve hit a bit of a snag” he replied
“Well that’s handy, it’s Mum’s birthday on Monday” Steph said
“Is it really?” Robert said “And might I be indelicate by asking which one”
“Forty five” Kay confessed
“Surely not, I don’t think you look a day over 40” Robert said kindly and touched her hand
“Flatterer” she said and smiled
“Sounds like serendipity to me” Steph continued “Why don’t you have dinner together”
“Stephanie!” Kay said crossly “Don’t be so forward”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea” Robert said “perhaps we could go to the Old Mill”
“The restaurant doesn’t open on Mondays” Cally said
“Oh that’s a shame, in that case perhaps we could go to Shallowfield instead”
“Yes but if you go all the way over there you won’t be able to have a drink” Cally pointed out “But I could make a special birthday meal here”
“That’s very sweet of you Cally but I have the other guests to consider remember” Kay said
“That’s ok I can cook for them as well” she replied
“Well that sounds like a plan to me” Robert said
“Well under the circumstances I can’t really refuse, so thank you Cally that will be lovely” Kay conceded
Afterwards Paul, Steph and Cally were feeling very pleased with themselves for their cunning and Cally was singled out for special praise for her quick thinking.
Robert wasn’t quite sure how it had all happened but he was delighted with the outcome and as for Kay she knew that she had been railroaded by her children but she was happier than she had been for many years until it sank in and she started to panic and called her best friend.
“Phil!” she said “Come quick I need help”
(Part 06)
Kay’s best friend was Philomena Cruickshank and she was best known as Aunty Phil, the matriarch of the St George family, who were the custodians of the Vale, and the residents of Mornington Manor.
They had been friends for the five years since Phil first moved to the village from her home in Tipton, in the north of the county, when her sister was taken ill.
She was wise and brimming with stoical strength and practicality and Kay was to be her matron of honour when Phil was to be married to the Vicar of St Winifred’s, Peter Cockcroft next April.
“So what exactly is the trouble?” Philomena asked
“I’m having dinner on Monday” Kay replied
“Ok” Phil said “but I’m not seeing anything life or death yet”
“With Robert”
“Really? That’s brilliant news” Phil said “About time, tell me everything, when did he asked you?”
“Well he didn’t actually”
“So you asked him, good girl” Phil said
“Well no I didn’t ask him either”
“Ok now I’m officially confused” Philomena said
Kay then went on to explain how the children and Cally had cajoled them both into having dinner together on her birthday.
“But that’s rather wonderful isn’t it?” Phil asked
“You’ve been wanting him to ask you since the first time he stayed here”
“I know, but now it’s happening” Kay announced “And what if I blow it, what if I bore him to tears, it might easily happen, I’m not a very interesting person, in fact I’m quite boring”
“What nonsense, you are witty, charming, intelligent and articulate” Philomena corrected her “Not to mention attractive and sexy”
“Now you’re just being silly” Kay said
On Monday because it was her birthday Paul and Stephanie gave their mum the day off and took care of everything between them while Cally and her best friend from the restaurant Tegan got going in the kitchen.
When they had finished servicing the rooms and had hoovered and dusted throughout they set up a table for two in the private dining room for an intimate candlelit dinner.
While they busied themselves at Corner House, Philomena Cruickshank was getting Kay spruced up at Mazzone’s Beauty Salon in the village.
They didn’t normally open on a Monday but when Phil phoned Antonella Gardelli over the weekend and explained the situation she had no hesitation in offering to open the shop just for her.
Kay had been very kind to Antonella when she first moved to Mornington, she helped her out with part time work when she was struggling to make ends meet and later to get one of the Brewery Cottages by lending her the first months rent and so she had great affection for Kay.
Antonella went to town on Kay doing her hair, nails, eyebrows and a facial and by the time she and Philomena left Mazzone’s she felt like a new woman.
Which meant she just needed to put on her best frock and a bit of bling.
(Part 07)
Kay left her room wearing a cocktail dress and her mum’s best jewellery and she looked stunning and Steph met her on the landing and they stood together, to the casual observer they couldn’t have been anything other than mother and daughter, Kay was just a curvier version of Stephanie.
“Wow mum you look lovely” Steph said
“I’m not sure I needed to dress up” Kay replied
“Of course you did” Steph said “How often do you get the chance to dress up mum?”
“I know but….”
“Why wouldn’t you want to look your best” Stephanie said
“I should have worn jeans” Kay said “this looks like I’m trying to hard”
“Nonsense, you’ll knock him sideways” she said and kissed her mum
They walked down the stairs together arm in arm and then Kay put her hand on the dining room door handle but Steph stopped her
“No not in there you’re in the private dining room”
“Don’t be silly we don’t need to eat in there, Robert and I can eat with the other guests”
“Do as you’re told mother” Steph said
“When did you get so bossy?”
Stephanie opened the door to the private dining room and Robert was sitting at the candle lit table.
“Hello” she said
“Wow you look stunning” he said and kissed her cheek “Happy birthday”
“Thank you but I think it must be the candle light”
“You’re far too modest” he said
“Thank you”
Cally and Tegan had worked tirelessly all day to produce the finest gourmet meal for Kay and Robert to make it a memorable occasion.
The food was wonderful and during the course of the meal, the conversation flowed along with the wine and they both shared things about their lives that they had never shared with anyone outside their inner circles of friends and families.
At some point between a wonderful Moroccan inspired Lamb dish and a desert that made her taste buds tingle the conversation naturally turned to Toy making and the new premises.
“Why don’t you come and have a look at the place?”
“Well as I’ve heard so much about it and as you paint such a vivid picture I’d love to” she replied
“Excellent”
Coffee and liqueurs followed desert and the conversation got onto future plans like walks in the local countryside and maybe even a drive to Sharpington.
When they had finished their liqueurs Kay suggested they go into her sitting room where it was more comfortable.
Robert thought that was a wonderful idea and stood up to attend to her chair but when she had stood up she turned and kissed him.
When Paul and Steph returned to the kitchen after clearing the tables in the guests dining room he asked
“How is it going in there?”
“Well I think they enjoyed it, all the plates were cleared” Cally replied
“And they were very complimentary about the lamb” Tegan added
“Not the food” Steph said “how is it going?”
“Oh I see” Cally said “Well they’re kissing so I suppose it’s going quite well”
“What exactly do you mean by kissing?” Paul asked “was it a peck on the cheek or a “thank for the company” kiss or was it something more?”
“Something more I would say” Cally said
“To be perfectly blunt they were snogging” Tegan said definitively
(Part 08)
Over the following few months Kay and Robert saw a lot of each other as he was in Mornington for 3 or 4 days every week.
And when they were in her sitting room one evening after the guests had been fed they were chatting when the subject of the Sharpington Day Parade came up.
“I haven’t been to the parade since the children were small, we had such a lovely time” she said and then her eyes filled with tears
“What’s the matter?” he asked putting his arm around her
“It was the last trip we had with mum before she died”
He comforted her for a few minutes and then he suggested
“Why don’t we go to the parade this year?”
“That would be lovely”
“We could put up at the Seaview Hotel for a couple of nights and make a weekend of it” he said “Separate rooms of course, what do you think?”
“Yes” she said “I would love that”
She felt a little nervous about broaching the subject with her children, she wasn’t sure how they would take it.
So over breakfast one morning as they sat around the kitchen table she just came straight out with it
“Robert has invited me to Sharpington for a couple of days on the Bank Holiday weekend to see the parade” she said
“That’s brilliant” Paul responded
“You deserve a break” Steph added “You should have a weekend away when someone else is cleaning after you for a change”
“Are you sure?” Kay asked suddenly doubting herself “I don’t think I should go”
“Why shouldn’t you go?” Steph asked
“It will mess up the rota for one thing” She replied stubbornly
“Oh hang the rota” Paul persisted “We can cover for you for a few days”
“Well that’s all very well but who will cook dinner for the guests?” Kay said
“You hadn’t thought of that had you?” she retorted “You two can’t manage to do that as well”
“Cally has volunteered to help with the cooking whenever we need cover as long as we give her some notice” Paul said “I think six weeks is sufficient”
“Oh” Kay said
“So you have no excuse do you?” Steph said triumphantly
“But...” she began
“You know how good a cook Cally is” Paul said
“But...” she began again
“And furthermore you know that Paul and I are perfectly capable of running things”
“Ok I give in” she submitted
That was the only protest she put up until the morning she was due to leave and Paul and Stephanie ganging up on their mother was having no effect so Paul called in an ally.
“Phil? It’s Paul she’s weakening”
Kay was pacing up and down in the kitchen nervously as she fretted about her weekend away.
“I’m not sure about staying overnight” she said to her friend
“Relax, Robert has booked two rooms at the Seaview Hotel” Philomena said “Nothing has to happen unless you want it too”
“Philomena!” she scolded
But her friend just gave her a look and Kay sat down hard on the chair.
“I wouldn’t know what to do anyway, it’s been so long” she said “There hasn’t been anyone since Gerry, in fact there wasn’t anyone before Gerry”
“You’ll be fine” Phil said reassuringly “It’s like riding a bike”
“Yes well I fell of the last time I rode a bike” Kay said
“I’m not sure I should go at all” she said “I’ll call him and cancel”
“Nonsense” Phil said sternly “Robert really likes you, and I mean “really” likes you”
“Oh ok” Kay said meekly
“Just relax and enjoy yourself” Philomena said and hugged her friend “Then if you feel like a special treat, you will know what to do when the time comes”
“Are you sure you should be marrying a Vicar?” Kay asked and they were both laughing and hugging when Paul and Stephanie walked in.
Robert picked her up half an hour later without further protest and Philomena received a text from her the next morning just as she was leaving for church which simply read.
“Apparently I can still ride a bike”
Mornington-By-Mere is a small country village lying in the Finchbottom Vale nestled between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.
It is a quaint picturesque village, a proper chocolate box picturesque idyll, with a Manor House, 12th Century Church, a Coaching Inn, Windmills, an Old Forge, a Schoolhouse, a River and a Mere.
But Mornington-By-Mere is not just a quaint chocolate box English Village it is the beating heart of the Finchbottom Vale.
Corner House aptly stood on the corner of Purplemere Road and West Gate Road in the part of Mornington Village known as Manorside.
There were a number of cottages and small houses on the Purplemere road and Dulcets Lane, but Corner House was a large 8 bedroom Victorian monstrosity which had at one time been the home of the master brewer of the Mornington Brewery.
It was now the Corner Guest House run by affable landlady Kay Richardson assisted by her children Paul 24 and Stephanie 23.
For 5 years Kay had her nephew Calvin Chance living with her as well, and while he was there he managed to build up a reputation locally as a solid and reliable worker.
As a result of that reputation he got regular work at Mereside Farm renovating an old cottage which was where he met and fell in love with April Hoddinott.
They worked together from autumn till spring unable to show their feelings for each other but they eventually went on their first date appropriately in April.
It was a whirlwind affair after that, they Married in June and had their first child Carrie in the following February and the new family lived together in the cottage they had renovated together.
So as a result of her nephew starting his new family she had another room to rent out.
Which was very beneficial as there was never any shortage of guest’s requiring a room such was Corner House’s reputation.
Kay Richardson had worked very hard over the years running the Guest House to build up that reputation as well as raising her children as a single parent.
Her husband abandoned her and the children when Steph was only a few weeks old so she and her mother ran the guest house but she died suddenly just at the point when things should have begun to get easier when both children were at school full time.
But that wasn’t to be.
There were of course no shortage of willing hands in the village to help but she couldn’t afford to employ a lot of outside help.
As Paul and Steph grew up they were able to help out as well as long as it didn’t conflict with their schoolwork.
She wanted her children to have options that she never had and make their decisions accordingly.
As it turned out neither Paul nor Stephanie wanted to leave the village they loved it there too much, so when they left school Kay took them on full time and they earned their livings from the guest house which was always busy.
It was also at that time that her nephew Calvin moved in which gave her another pair of hands.
But as steady as the trade was she always closed Corner House at Christmas so she and the children could have a proper Christmas.
The last guests would check out on the 23rd and the earliest check-in was 3 o’clock on the 27th.
It wasn’t a big break but they made the most of it.
(Part 02)
Throughout the year Corner House was always busy if not fully booked, and even at the quietest times they had more money coming in than they had going out.
It was mixed trade, at weekends they were Birders, Ramblers or fishermen and weekdays they were mainly business guests.
However when the Mornington Estate exercised its option to purchase Mornington Field from the MOD the conversion of all the buildings and infrastructure on the airfield to commercial premises brought in a much steadier weekday business trade.
And it was the commercial space on Mornington Field which was what brought Robert Gregory to the village.
He was a manufacturer of handmade toys who was interested in taking on one of the converted units to use as a workshop and storage area and between Christmas and Easter he had stayed at the Guest House at least one day every week more often in fact than he really needed to.
Because he was a toymaker, The Richardson’s called him Santa because apart from making toys he was also stout, jolly and had a white beard and hair to match.
He was not as old as his hair colouring suggested, he had white blonde hair when he was a child which darkened slightly when he reached adulthood before turning white again in his late thirties.
As the year reached the Easter weekend he was actually 47 years old, his wife died when his children were very young and it was to amuse his children that he began to make toys.
As the children grew up he found he had more time to indulge what was at that time a hobby.
But when he had a garage full of his creations and the children were more interested in Xboxes and Playstation’s his sister Janice suggested he take them to a car boot sale.
Janice did some research online to gauge the prices to see what they could ask and then the two of them went off early one Sunday morning to the Nettlefield Antiques Fair and Car Boot Sale with a carful of toys and they set up their stall and had sold out by midday.
It was after that first successful day in Nettlefield which planted the seed of what was to become a very successful business employing almost 50 staff.
But now he was in his late forties, the children had all left home and two of them had children of their own, and he thought it was time for a new chapter in his life.
So when he arrived at the Corner House Guest House in January and first met the voluptuous Kay Richardson he thought the Gods had smiled on him.
So while he was totally committed to setting up another workshop in Mornington his primary reason for visiting quite so frequently was to see Kay.
He was taken with her the very first time he saw her and that feeling had not diminished since.
In fact his feelings had deepened it was just that he wasn’t able to put those feelings into words when he was with her.
He had a whole speech, carefully rehearsed in the car on the drive to Mornington but the moment he saw her and his brain turned to mush.
(Part 03)
Kay Richardson had been alone since her husband absconded leaving her at the age of 21 with two small children.
Kay was still an attractive woman though fast approaching her 45th birthday.
She had the same facial features as her daughter Stephanie but she had a fuller figure than Steph, who she resembled in every other way, but she carried it well.
Robert looked at her and saw a voluptuous woman but when she looked in the mirror all she saw was fat.
She had fair hair with just a hint of grey and striking green eyes.
And because she had been alone for over 20 years, she was lonely, she had her family around her and she loved them dearly but that wasn’t the same as having someone to snuggle up to at the end of the day or someone to share the mundane minutiae of the day.
Kay had loved Gerry and she hadn’t really felt whole since he left, not that she missed him in the slightest and she felt no love for him but she needed someone, she deserve someone because she was a warm and loving person.
But she didn’t dwell on it or feel sorry for herself, she had always had to be strong for everyone since her mother died and she had built a stable home for her children as well as running the B&B to great effect.
Kay was proud of her children as well they had grown up into nice people, good and kind.
In Paul Richardson’s case he had literally grown up, he was very tall, almost six foot six, and stick thin with mousy hair and big feet.
He was a hard working lad and what leisure time he had, and there wasn’t much, was split between his hobby of birdwatching, and his girlfriend Cally Wilson.
Cally was only 21 and was a trainee chef at the Old Mill Inn and they were perfect together because she stood six feet tall herself with short curly auburn hair, and a very large bust, lovely eyes and a nice smile and Paul loved her very much.
At 23 Stephanie was a year younger than her brother and eight inches shorter but other than that they were very alike, stick thin, big feet, mousy hair and good hearts.
The week began with a normal Monday at the Guest House for Paul who along with his sister were cleaning the vacated rooms of the weekenders.
Monday was normally the worst day of the week for them because after the weekend visitors had checked out the rooms needed servicing before the Monday afternoon arrivals.
That Monday however they had Cally helping as Monday was her day off and the sooner Paul got finished servicing the rooms then the sooner he could do the same to her.
With the extra pair of hands they made great progress and had all the rooms completed and the landings hovered by 1 pm.
And it was as they were on their way to the kitchen for lunch that Paul noticed Robert Gregory’s car pull into the car park.
“Is that a guest arriving already?” Steph asked
“Yes its Mr Gregory” he replied
“Oh he’s the one your mum fancies” Cally said as they looked out of the window and when she turned around Paul and Steff were staring at her open mouthed.
(Part 04)
“Oh he’s the one your mum fancies” Cally said as they looked out of the window and when she turned around Paul and Steff were staring at her open mouthed.
“What do you mean?” Paul asked breaking the silence
“Your mum fancies Mr Gregory” Cally said in surprise and was met again with stony silence.
“Blimey do you two go around with your eyes shut”
“You’re wrong” Paul said with a half laugh
“Trust me she fancies him” Cally reiterated
“No she doesn’t” Steph chimed
“I know he likes her but then why shouldn’t he,
Mum’s still an attractive woman”
“I agree” said Paul “She’s just being friendly, like she’s friendly to all the guests”
“Ok then if you don’t believe me just look at her face when he walks in and then tell me that she thinks he’s just another guest” Cally challenged them
“Alright then” Paul said accepting the challenge and all three of them positioned themselves on the stairs so they could peer through the spindles at the door where Kay would immerge to greet the arrival of a guest.
They heard the front door open and Robert Gregory’s footsteps as he walked up the hall to the reception desk.
He put down his suitcase, straightened his tie and rang the bell.
A few moments later the staff only door opened and Kay stepped through it into reception and her face broke into the broadest smile.
“Oh Hello Robert” she said fiddling with her hair
“Hello dear lady, you’re looking as lovely as ever”
“Flattery will get you everywhere” she replied and she played with her hair again.
They watched on from the stairs in silence as the scene unfolded before their eyes but when Robert headed for the stairs they moved quickly up the stairs ahead of him and hid until he had passed by then Paul exclaimed
“My God you’re right Cal she does fancy him”
“How did we not notice?” Stephanie asked
“I told you so” Cally said
“Alright Miss Marple there’s no need to gloat” Paul said “But mum is clearly smitten”
“I think it’s mutual” Steph added
“Then it’s obvious what you need to do” Cally said
“What?” the Richardson’s replied in unison
“We must breathe on the embers” she replied
“What does that mean Sherlock?” Paul asked
“We have to play cupid” she replied
“Oh no I don’t think so” Paul said forcefully “we shouldn’t get involved”
“Why not?” Cally asked “Is it because you would like it if they got together?”
“No of course not, she deserves to have someone in her life other than us” he replied
“So why don’t you want to get involved?” Cally asked
“I just think we should let nature take its course” Paul said
“But that’s not working is it?” she said “they’ve been flirting with each other since January and they’re still no closer to doing anything about it”
“Cally’s right” Steph said “it’s time for an intervention”
“Ok then what do you suggest?” Paul conceded
“Well a birthday dinner obviously” she replied
It was Kays birthday the following Monday which gave them a week to put their plan into action.
(Part 05)
Normally Robert only stayed for a day or two every week but as Block C on Mornington Field was formerly being handed over to him the following day he was planning to be on site all week overseeing the fit out so he was staying all week and into the weekend.
And he was determined to make his time at Corner House count by asking Kay out for dinner unaware he had three allies who would assist in his endeavour.
Kay for her part was delighted to have him there all week but it happened to be a week when they were fully booked and he was busy in the new unit so they didn’t see as much of each other as either of them had hoped.
The fact that they were attracted to each other was an unexpected development for Paul and Steph and they had never had the slightest intention of becoming match-makers until Cally had pointed out what was happening under their noses, or not happening as was actually the case, and since Cally’s revelation they had been disappointed with the couple’s progress.
So when Paul, Steph and Cally came across Kay and Robert talking in reception on Friday afternoon they took their chance to move things along.
“I need to extend my stay until Tuesday, possibly even Wednesday” Robert was explaining
“The work is taking longer than anticipated”
“Oh dear” Kay expressed trying to sound sympathetic
“Did you say you have to stay on a bit longer?” Paul asked
“Yes we’ve hit a bit of a snag” he replied
“Well that’s handy, it’s Mum’s birthday on Monday” Steph said
“Is it really?” Robert said “And might I be indelicate by asking which one”
“Forty five” Kay confessed
“Surely not, I don’t think you look a day over 40” Robert said kindly and touched her hand
“Flatterer” she said and smiled
“Sounds like serendipity to me” Steph continued “Why don’t you have dinner together”
“Stephanie!” Kay said crossly “Don’t be so forward”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea” Robert said “perhaps we could go to the Old Mill”
“The restaurant doesn’t open on Mondays” Cally said
“Oh that’s a shame, in that case perhaps we could go to Shallowfield instead”
“Yes but if you go all the way over there you won’t be able to have a drink” Cally pointed out “But I could make a special birthday meal here”
“That’s very sweet of you Cally but I have the other guests to consider remember” Kay said
“That’s ok I can cook for them as well” she replied
“Well that sounds like a plan to me” Robert said
“Well under the circumstances I can’t really refuse, so thank you Cally that will be lovely” Kay conceded
Afterwards Paul, Steph and Cally were feeling very pleased with themselves for their cunning and Cally was singled out for special praise for her quick thinking.
Robert wasn’t quite sure how it had all happened but he was delighted with the outcome and as for Kay she knew that she had been railroaded by her children but she was happier than she had been for many years until it sank in and she started to panic and called her best friend.
“Phil!” she said “Come quick I need help”
(Part 06)
Kay’s best friend was Philomena Cruickshank and she was best known as Aunty Phil, the matriarch of the St George family, who were the custodians of the Vale, and the residents of Mornington Manor.
They had been friends for the five years since Phil first moved to the village from her home in Tipton, in the north of the county, when her sister was taken ill.
She was wise and brimming with stoical strength and practicality and Kay was to be her matron of honour when Phil was to be married to the Vicar of St Winifred’s, Peter Cockcroft next April.
“So what exactly is the trouble?” Philomena asked
“I’m having dinner on Monday” Kay replied
“Ok” Phil said “but I’m not seeing anything life or death yet”
“With Robert”
“Really? That’s brilliant news” Phil said “About time, tell me everything, when did he asked you?”
“Well he didn’t actually”
“So you asked him, good girl” Phil said
“Well no I didn’t ask him either”
“Ok now I’m officially confused” Philomena said
Kay then went on to explain how the children and Cally had cajoled them both into having dinner together on her birthday.
“But that’s rather wonderful isn’t it?” Phil asked
“You’ve been wanting him to ask you since the first time he stayed here”
“I know, but now it’s happening” Kay announced “And what if I blow it, what if I bore him to tears, it might easily happen, I’m not a very interesting person, in fact I’m quite boring”
“What nonsense, you are witty, charming, intelligent and articulate” Philomena corrected her “Not to mention attractive and sexy”
“Now you’re just being silly” Kay said
On Monday because it was her birthday Paul and Stephanie gave their mum the day off and took care of everything between them while Cally and her best friend from the restaurant Tegan got going in the kitchen.
When they had finished servicing the rooms and had hoovered and dusted throughout they set up a table for two in the private dining room for an intimate candlelit dinner.
While they busied themselves at Corner House, Philomena Cruickshank was getting Kay spruced up at Mazzone’s Beauty Salon in the village.
They didn’t normally open on a Monday but when Phil phoned Antonella Gardelli over the weekend and explained the situation she had no hesitation in offering to open the shop just for her.
Kay had been very kind to Antonella when she first moved to Mornington, she helped her out with part time work when she was struggling to make ends meet and later to get one of the Brewery Cottages by lending her the first months rent and so she had great affection for Kay.
Antonella went to town on Kay doing her hair, nails, eyebrows and a facial and by the time she and Philomena left Mazzone’s she felt like a new woman.
Which meant she just needed to put on her best frock and a bit of bling.
(Part 07)
Kay left her room wearing a cocktail dress and her mum’s best jewellery and she looked stunning and Steph met her on the landing and they stood together, to the casual observer they couldn’t have been anything other than mother and daughter, Kay was just a curvier version of Stephanie.
“Wow mum you look lovely” Steph said
“I’m not sure I needed to dress up” Kay replied
“Of course you did” Steph said “How often do you get the chance to dress up mum?”
“I know but….”
“Why wouldn’t you want to look your best” Stephanie said
“I should have worn jeans” Kay said “this looks like I’m trying to hard”
“Nonsense, you’ll knock him sideways” she said and kissed her mum
They walked down the stairs together arm in arm and then Kay put her hand on the dining room door handle but Steph stopped her
“No not in there you’re in the private dining room”
“Don’t be silly we don’t need to eat in there, Robert and I can eat with the other guests”
“Do as you’re told mother” Steph said
“When did you get so bossy?”
Stephanie opened the door to the private dining room and Robert was sitting at the candle lit table.
“Hello” she said
“Wow you look stunning” he said and kissed her cheek “Happy birthday”
“Thank you but I think it must be the candle light”
“You’re far too modest” he said
“Thank you”
Cally and Tegan had worked tirelessly all day to produce the finest gourmet meal for Kay and Robert to make it a memorable occasion.
The food was wonderful and during the course of the meal, the conversation flowed along with the wine and they both shared things about their lives that they had never shared with anyone outside their inner circles of friends and families.
At some point between a wonderful Moroccan inspired Lamb dish and a desert that made her taste buds tingle the conversation naturally turned to Toy making and the new premises.
“Why don’t you come and have a look at the place?”
“Well as I’ve heard so much about it and as you paint such a vivid picture I’d love to” she replied
“Excellent”
Coffee and liqueurs followed desert and the conversation got onto future plans like walks in the local countryside and maybe even a drive to Sharpington.
When they had finished their liqueurs Kay suggested they go into her sitting room where it was more comfortable.
Robert thought that was a wonderful idea and stood up to attend to her chair but when she had stood up she turned and kissed him.
When Paul and Steph returned to the kitchen after clearing the tables in the guests dining room he asked
“How is it going in there?”
“Well I think they enjoyed it, all the plates were cleared” Cally replied
“And they were very complimentary about the lamb” Tegan added
“Not the food” Steph said “how is it going?”
“Oh I see” Cally said “Well they’re kissing so I suppose it’s going quite well”
“What exactly do you mean by kissing?” Paul asked “was it a peck on the cheek or a “thank for the company” kiss or was it something more?”
“Something more I would say” Cally said
“To be perfectly blunt they were snogging” Tegan said definitively
(Part 08)
Over the following few months Kay and Robert saw a lot of each other as he was in Mornington for 3 or 4 days every week.
And when they were in her sitting room one evening after the guests had been fed they were chatting when the subject of the Sharpington Day Parade came up.
“I haven’t been to the parade since the children were small, we had such a lovely time” she said and then her eyes filled with tears
“What’s the matter?” he asked putting his arm around her
“It was the last trip we had with mum before she died”
He comforted her for a few minutes and then he suggested
“Why don’t we go to the parade this year?”
“That would be lovely”
“We could put up at the Seaview Hotel for a couple of nights and make a weekend of it” he said “Separate rooms of course, what do you think?”
“Yes” she said “I would love that”
She felt a little nervous about broaching the subject with her children, she wasn’t sure how they would take it.
So over breakfast one morning as they sat around the kitchen table she just came straight out with it
“Robert has invited me to Sharpington for a couple of days on the Bank Holiday weekend to see the parade” she said
“That’s brilliant” Paul responded
“You deserve a break” Steph added “You should have a weekend away when someone else is cleaning after you for a change”
“Are you sure?” Kay asked suddenly doubting herself “I don’t think I should go”
“Why shouldn’t you go?” Steph asked
“It will mess up the rota for one thing” She replied stubbornly
“Oh hang the rota” Paul persisted “We can cover for you for a few days”
“Well that’s all very well but who will cook dinner for the guests?” Kay said
“You hadn’t thought of that had you?” she retorted “You two can’t manage to do that as well”
“Cally has volunteered to help with the cooking whenever we need cover as long as we give her some notice” Paul said “I think six weeks is sufficient”
“Oh” Kay said
“So you have no excuse do you?” Steph said triumphantly
“But...” she began
“You know how good a cook Cally is” Paul said
“But...” she began again
“And furthermore you know that Paul and I are perfectly capable of running things”
“Ok I give in” she submitted
That was the only protest she put up until the morning she was due to leave and Paul and Stephanie ganging up on their mother was having no effect so Paul called in an ally.
“Phil? It’s Paul she’s weakening”
Kay was pacing up and down in the kitchen nervously as she fretted about her weekend away.
“I’m not sure about staying overnight” she said to her friend
“Relax, Robert has booked two rooms at the Seaview Hotel” Philomena said “Nothing has to happen unless you want it too”
“Philomena!” she scolded
But her friend just gave her a look and Kay sat down hard on the chair.
“I wouldn’t know what to do anyway, it’s been so long” she said “There hasn’t been anyone since Gerry, in fact there wasn’t anyone before Gerry”
“You’ll be fine” Phil said reassuringly “It’s like riding a bike”
“Yes well I fell of the last time I rode a bike” Kay said
“I’m not sure I should go at all” she said “I’ll call him and cancel”
“Nonsense” Phil said sternly “Robert really likes you, and I mean “really” likes you”
“Oh ok” Kay said meekly
“Just relax and enjoy yourself” Philomena said and hugged her friend “Then if you feel like a special treat, you will know what to do when the time comes”
“Are you sure you should be marrying a Vicar?” Kay asked and they were both laughing and hugging when Paul and Stephanie walked in.
Robert picked her up half an hour later without further protest and Philomena received a text from her the next morning just as she was leaving for church which simply read.
“Apparently I can still ride a bike”
Downshire Diary – (32) Mother’s Day Duty
(Part 01)
Clare Harwood and her mother Anna lived in the village of Clarence which was a mile or so from Purplemere.
She was 27 years old, pale skinned, strawberry blonde, five foot nothing tall and whippet thin and her mother was just an older version of her daughter.
Her Father David had died the year before and as she was an only child there was only the two of them.
They both worked at the Royal Downshire Hospital in Purplemere Anna was a clerical officer and Clare was a district nurse.
The two of them did a lot of things together, shopping, eating out and the theatre.
But for Mother’s Day Clare had bought a three day, all-inclusive spa break for her mum, plus one, at the Tipton Manor Hotel and Spa in the north of the county.
She booked for two because she knew her mum would never go to a place like that on her own.
But her mum insisted she wanted to go with Clare, so they could spend some quality time together doing girls stuff.
Well that wasn’t the kind of thing Clare had in mind, it wasn’t her kind of thing at all.
The younger Clare wasn’t the rest and relaxation detox kind of girl at all, she was more of a “burning the candle at both ends” and toxing her socks off kind of girl.
So it was with some trepidation that she agreed to accompany her mum.
In order for her to get the best possible deal Clare had booked a midweek mini break, she was a nurse after all, so money didn’t grow on trees, but the earliest she could get was at the end of April.
It was a long drive from Clarence, on the outskirts of Purplemere, to Tipton in the north of the county but then they had taken the decision after getting off the expressway to take the scenic route through The Pepperstock Hills National Park.
But the scenery in the Park was well worth the additional time with its stark contrasts from the extensive tract of magnificent mixed forestry to the south and east, the old Quarries reclaimed by Nature to the west to the bare, and often barren crags to the north.
However despite the scenic splendour she had witnessed when they arrived Clare was not in the best of spirits.
To her mind there were much more enjoyable ways of spending her days off than babysitting her mother.
As much as she loved her she wasn’t exactly the type of company she was interested in she would have preferred to spend her days off searching for her prince charming, god knew it was difficult enough to do without having your mother riding shotgun.
But she resolved to make the best of it and try to get her monies worth.
They were greeted in reception by a very attractive specimen of a man and Clare’s spirits rose.
He was over six feet tall, lean and muscular, very good looking and well groomed, he was manicured and pedicured, toned, tanned and smelt like a perfume counter.
Naturally Clare marked him down as gay.
(Part 02)
Clare and Anna were greeted in reception by a very attractive specimen of a man and Clare’s spirits rose.
He was over six feet tall, lean and muscular, very good looking and well groomed, he was manicured and pedicured, toned, tanned and smelt like a perfume counter.
Naturally Clare marked him down as gay.
“Good morning ladies” he said with the faintest hint of a French accent.
“Good morning” they replied in unison
“We have a booking in the name of Harwood” Clare said
“Ah the Harwood sisters” he said
“You know very well we're not sisters you cheeky boy” Mrs Harwood said in a style something akin to a Carry on movie.
“You're not sisters?” he asked feigning surprise
“Mother and daughter” she said
“And which one are you Mademoiselle” he said and kissed her hand
“Cheeky” she said and blushed
Clare didn’t contribute to the converse but continued her appraisal of the man and concluded what a waste it was for him to play for the other side.
When the Oscar Wilde capers were over and done with they managed to get themselves checked in, it was while her mum was signing in that Clare caught him at the back doing some appraising of his own, of her and her mother and she began to question her initial assessment.
“When you have settled into your room I will give you a tour of the facilities” he said “Shall we say on the terrace in 30 minutes?”
“That will be fine” Clare said
“Of course with your lovely pale skin you two will need to stay in the shadows” He said.
Clare smiled and her mum blushed at the compliment.
According to his name badge his name was Claude and he was very handsome and she thought things might well be looking up if he didn’t bat for the other side.
“You can check my skin anytime” Clare said
“I’ll bare that in mind” he retorted
“You’re a terrible flirt Clare” mum said
“I know” she said, “although I think of it more as advertising”
They went up to their rooms and settled in and then went down stairs to find Gorgeous Claude.
However as the approached the terrace they came across him fawning over another group of women of mixed ages, ranging from 16 to 60, and they watched as he ogled and drooled over all of them and Clare felt her skin crawl and she shivered.
“Yes I know what you mean” her mum said “he’s a real lounge lizard.
So they decided to skip oily Claude’s tour and just wandered around on their own.
Their sojourn took them to the pool area first, they saw the Rock sauna, infra-red sauna, aroma steam room, ice fountain, drench showers, Jacuzzi, a Romanesque pool and the swimming pool as well.
After which they headed towards the sun lounge and refreshments which was when they literally bumped into Phil Grice and his uncle, Roger Greven.
(Part 03)
The collision between the Harwood’s and Roger Greven and his nephew Phil Grice resulted in Clare falling into a planter and Roger lying flat on his back with Anna on top of him nose to nose.
Phil Grice was the only one left standing and unsure who he should help first.
He decided on the pretty young one in the planter, who was left like an upturned beetle, with her legs waving about, which was what he noticed, her lovely legs, she was also giggling which he liked to.
“I’m terribly sorry”
He said and took her hands and pulled her to her feet, it took little effort as she was a tiny little thing and he was over six feet tall.
She was still giggling and was unable to respond and when she saw her mum lying on top of a strange man her giggles turned to belly laughs.
All four of them were laughing by the time everyone was on their feet again and between the laughter everyone expressed their apologies for their clumsiness.
In between giggles Clare kept giving appraising glances at the good looking man who had pulled her to her feet and she liked what she saw, to the point that she though he put Claude in the shade.
He was six feet two inches, athletically built with short sandy hair, blue eyes and a close cropped beard.
And while she was looking at him he was sneaking glances at her, he had been very impressed with her legs when she was in the planter but now she was stood up on them they rather paled into insignificance compared to the rest of her.
When the laughter had subsided her mum said
“We were headed to the sun lounge for a coffee, perhaps you would join us”
The two men agreed and Clare thought “Nice one mum”
When they were seated in the lounge and the drinks were ordered the introductions were made.
Roger Greven, who walked with a stick, was a year older than Anna and Phil Grice was the same age as Clare.
Roger was there for aqua therapy to rebuild his muscles after shattering his pelvis following a fall from his horse, and his nephew Phil was there because Roger hadn’t been passed fit to drive.
“Are you from Tipton?” Clare asked
“No we are from Sharping St Mary in the Finchbottom Vale” Phil replied
“Really?” Clare exclaimed “we’re from Clarence”
“So we are practically neighbour” Anna said to Roger
They stayed in the lounge for over half an hour in which time Anna and Clare discovered that Roger was widowed and Phil was single.
Unfortunately before they could glean any further information one of the therapist staff approached the table and informed Roger that it was time for his session.
So they parted company with expressions that they hoped they would run into each other again during their stay.
After they had gone Clare and Anna looked at each other and said in unison
“Well they were nice”
(Part 04)
During the remainder of their first day and all of the next, despite their best efforts, they didn’t see Roger or his nephew.
But they had a great time using the facilities and enjoyed the full range of what was on offer, fitness classes, gym, rock sauna, infra-red sauna, aroma steam room, ice fountain, drench showers, Jacuzzi, a Romanesque pool, Reflexology, Raki, facials, scalp massage, hand massage, Manicure and Pedicure you name it they had it.
But by the end of the second day Clare was getting increasingly frustrated that she hadn’t even had a glimpse of the lovely Phil.
After her and her mum had dinner together Anna went off to bed as she said she was exhausted and Clare went off to the Gym to try and relieve some of her sexual tension.
After an hour she realised it wasn’t working so she decided to have a swim before turning in.
While she was swimming Clare noticed she was not alone, and wondered what it was that brought them to pool.
She swam another two lengths and then got out but as she reached the entrance to the changing rooms her companion spoke.
“I see you managed to not bump into anyone” Phil said as he exited the pool.
“Yes” she replied “That’s because there was no one around”
“Ah that would explain it” Phil said
“I did try to bump into you again, but I could find you” Clare said flirtatiously have you been avoiding me”
“No” he replied “I just haven’t been here, I was only here to drop Uncle Roger off, and then I had to leave for an appointment”
“For what?” Clare asked nosily, hoping it wasn’t an assignation
“I had to see a client about a commission” he replied “I’m an artist”
“So when did you get back?”
“About 20 minutes ago, I was a bit stiff after the drive so I thought a swim might relax me before bed” he replied
“And did it work?”
“Not really” he replied
“What you need is a massage” Clare said
“Unfortunately there are no masseurs around at this time of night” he said regretfully
“I’ll do you if you like” she offered hoping he would take it the right way. “I’m a nurse and I have healing hands”
“Ok” he agreed
So she led him into a cubicle and said
“Lie down on the table while I find the oil”
Phil complied with her instruction and climbed onto the table and lay face down on the towel she had prepared.
When she had found the oil she turned around to see him lying on the table like a delicious buffet.
She applied the oil and began to rub it into his muscular shoulders
“That feels nice” he said and for the next 15 minutes she continued her massaging caresses of his sculpted body.
Although it was relaxing Phil it was unfortunately having the opposite effect on her so she slapped his buttock and said
“That’s you done”
“Wow that’s what I call a relaxation massage” he replied
“That was bloody marvelous”
“I told you I had healing hands” she said and he sat himself up and swung his legs around so he was sat facing her
“Do you have anything more to show me from your repertoire?”
“Well I do but I don’t think this is the time or the place for it” she replied provocatively
“But I do think this is the time and the place for a kiss though”
She continued and stepped in close to him
“But I’ve never kissed a man with a beard before”
“Nor have I” Phil retorted and kissed her.
Clare and her mum had to go home after lunch the next day but they spent lunchtime with Phil and his Uncle and when they left Clare and Phil found a secluded corner to share a goodbye kiss which would have to sustain them until the weekend when they were meeting up again.
Clare Harwood and her mother Anna lived in the village of Clarence which was a mile or so from Purplemere.
She was 27 years old, pale skinned, strawberry blonde, five foot nothing tall and whippet thin and her mother was just an older version of her daughter.
Her Father David had died the year before and as she was an only child there was only the two of them.
They both worked at the Royal Downshire Hospital in Purplemere Anna was a clerical officer and Clare was a district nurse.
The two of them did a lot of things together, shopping, eating out and the theatre.
But for Mother’s Day Clare had bought a three day, all-inclusive spa break for her mum, plus one, at the Tipton Manor Hotel and Spa in the north of the county.
She booked for two because she knew her mum would never go to a place like that on her own.
But her mum insisted she wanted to go with Clare, so they could spend some quality time together doing girls stuff.
Well that wasn’t the kind of thing Clare had in mind, it wasn’t her kind of thing at all.
The younger Clare wasn’t the rest and relaxation detox kind of girl at all, she was more of a “burning the candle at both ends” and toxing her socks off kind of girl.
So it was with some trepidation that she agreed to accompany her mum.
In order for her to get the best possible deal Clare had booked a midweek mini break, she was a nurse after all, so money didn’t grow on trees, but the earliest she could get was at the end of April.
It was a long drive from Clarence, on the outskirts of Purplemere, to Tipton in the north of the county but then they had taken the decision after getting off the expressway to take the scenic route through The Pepperstock Hills National Park.
But the scenery in the Park was well worth the additional time with its stark contrasts from the extensive tract of magnificent mixed forestry to the south and east, the old Quarries reclaimed by Nature to the west to the bare, and often barren crags to the north.
However despite the scenic splendour she had witnessed when they arrived Clare was not in the best of spirits.
To her mind there were much more enjoyable ways of spending her days off than babysitting her mother.
As much as she loved her she wasn’t exactly the type of company she was interested in she would have preferred to spend her days off searching for her prince charming, god knew it was difficult enough to do without having your mother riding shotgun.
But she resolved to make the best of it and try to get her monies worth.
They were greeted in reception by a very attractive specimen of a man and Clare’s spirits rose.
He was over six feet tall, lean and muscular, very good looking and well groomed, he was manicured and pedicured, toned, tanned and smelt like a perfume counter.
Naturally Clare marked him down as gay.
(Part 02)
Clare and Anna were greeted in reception by a very attractive specimen of a man and Clare’s spirits rose.
He was over six feet tall, lean and muscular, very good looking and well groomed, he was manicured and pedicured, toned, tanned and smelt like a perfume counter.
Naturally Clare marked him down as gay.
“Good morning ladies” he said with the faintest hint of a French accent.
“Good morning” they replied in unison
“We have a booking in the name of Harwood” Clare said
“Ah the Harwood sisters” he said
“You know very well we're not sisters you cheeky boy” Mrs Harwood said in a style something akin to a Carry on movie.
“You're not sisters?” he asked feigning surprise
“Mother and daughter” she said
“And which one are you Mademoiselle” he said and kissed her hand
“Cheeky” she said and blushed
Clare didn’t contribute to the converse but continued her appraisal of the man and concluded what a waste it was for him to play for the other side.
When the Oscar Wilde capers were over and done with they managed to get themselves checked in, it was while her mum was signing in that Clare caught him at the back doing some appraising of his own, of her and her mother and she began to question her initial assessment.
“When you have settled into your room I will give you a tour of the facilities” he said “Shall we say on the terrace in 30 minutes?”
“That will be fine” Clare said
“Of course with your lovely pale skin you two will need to stay in the shadows” He said.
Clare smiled and her mum blushed at the compliment.
According to his name badge his name was Claude and he was very handsome and she thought things might well be looking up if he didn’t bat for the other side.
“You can check my skin anytime” Clare said
“I’ll bare that in mind” he retorted
“You’re a terrible flirt Clare” mum said
“I know” she said, “although I think of it more as advertising”
They went up to their rooms and settled in and then went down stairs to find Gorgeous Claude.
However as the approached the terrace they came across him fawning over another group of women of mixed ages, ranging from 16 to 60, and they watched as he ogled and drooled over all of them and Clare felt her skin crawl and she shivered.
“Yes I know what you mean” her mum said “he’s a real lounge lizard.
So they decided to skip oily Claude’s tour and just wandered around on their own.
Their sojourn took them to the pool area first, they saw the Rock sauna, infra-red sauna, aroma steam room, ice fountain, drench showers, Jacuzzi, a Romanesque pool and the swimming pool as well.
After which they headed towards the sun lounge and refreshments which was when they literally bumped into Phil Grice and his uncle, Roger Greven.
(Part 03)
The collision between the Harwood’s and Roger Greven and his nephew Phil Grice resulted in Clare falling into a planter and Roger lying flat on his back with Anna on top of him nose to nose.
Phil Grice was the only one left standing and unsure who he should help first.
He decided on the pretty young one in the planter, who was left like an upturned beetle, with her legs waving about, which was what he noticed, her lovely legs, she was also giggling which he liked to.
“I’m terribly sorry”
He said and took her hands and pulled her to her feet, it took little effort as she was a tiny little thing and he was over six feet tall.
She was still giggling and was unable to respond and when she saw her mum lying on top of a strange man her giggles turned to belly laughs.
All four of them were laughing by the time everyone was on their feet again and between the laughter everyone expressed their apologies for their clumsiness.
In between giggles Clare kept giving appraising glances at the good looking man who had pulled her to her feet and she liked what she saw, to the point that she though he put Claude in the shade.
He was six feet two inches, athletically built with short sandy hair, blue eyes and a close cropped beard.
And while she was looking at him he was sneaking glances at her, he had been very impressed with her legs when she was in the planter but now she was stood up on them they rather paled into insignificance compared to the rest of her.
When the laughter had subsided her mum said
“We were headed to the sun lounge for a coffee, perhaps you would join us”
The two men agreed and Clare thought “Nice one mum”
When they were seated in the lounge and the drinks were ordered the introductions were made.
Roger Greven, who walked with a stick, was a year older than Anna and Phil Grice was the same age as Clare.
Roger was there for aqua therapy to rebuild his muscles after shattering his pelvis following a fall from his horse, and his nephew Phil was there because Roger hadn’t been passed fit to drive.
“Are you from Tipton?” Clare asked
“No we are from Sharping St Mary in the Finchbottom Vale” Phil replied
“Really?” Clare exclaimed “we’re from Clarence”
“So we are practically neighbour” Anna said to Roger
They stayed in the lounge for over half an hour in which time Anna and Clare discovered that Roger was widowed and Phil was single.
Unfortunately before they could glean any further information one of the therapist staff approached the table and informed Roger that it was time for his session.
So they parted company with expressions that they hoped they would run into each other again during their stay.
After they had gone Clare and Anna looked at each other and said in unison
“Well they were nice”
(Part 04)
During the remainder of their first day and all of the next, despite their best efforts, they didn’t see Roger or his nephew.
But they had a great time using the facilities and enjoyed the full range of what was on offer, fitness classes, gym, rock sauna, infra-red sauna, aroma steam room, ice fountain, drench showers, Jacuzzi, a Romanesque pool, Reflexology, Raki, facials, scalp massage, hand massage, Manicure and Pedicure you name it they had it.
But by the end of the second day Clare was getting increasingly frustrated that she hadn’t even had a glimpse of the lovely Phil.
After her and her mum had dinner together Anna went off to bed as she said she was exhausted and Clare went off to the Gym to try and relieve some of her sexual tension.
After an hour she realised it wasn’t working so she decided to have a swim before turning in.
While she was swimming Clare noticed she was not alone, and wondered what it was that brought them to pool.
She swam another two lengths and then got out but as she reached the entrance to the changing rooms her companion spoke.
“I see you managed to not bump into anyone” Phil said as he exited the pool.
“Yes” she replied “That’s because there was no one around”
“Ah that would explain it” Phil said
“I did try to bump into you again, but I could find you” Clare said flirtatiously have you been avoiding me”
“No” he replied “I just haven’t been here, I was only here to drop Uncle Roger off, and then I had to leave for an appointment”
“For what?” Clare asked nosily, hoping it wasn’t an assignation
“I had to see a client about a commission” he replied “I’m an artist”
“So when did you get back?”
“About 20 minutes ago, I was a bit stiff after the drive so I thought a swim might relax me before bed” he replied
“And did it work?”
“Not really” he replied
“What you need is a massage” Clare said
“Unfortunately there are no masseurs around at this time of night” he said regretfully
“I’ll do you if you like” she offered hoping he would take it the right way. “I’m a nurse and I have healing hands”
“Ok” he agreed
So she led him into a cubicle and said
“Lie down on the table while I find the oil”
Phil complied with her instruction and climbed onto the table and lay face down on the towel she had prepared.
When she had found the oil she turned around to see him lying on the table like a delicious buffet.
She applied the oil and began to rub it into his muscular shoulders
“That feels nice” he said and for the next 15 minutes she continued her massaging caresses of his sculpted body.
Although it was relaxing Phil it was unfortunately having the opposite effect on her so she slapped his buttock and said
“That’s you done”
“Wow that’s what I call a relaxation massage” he replied
“That was bloody marvelous”
“I told you I had healing hands” she said and he sat himself up and swung his legs around so he was sat facing her
“Do you have anything more to show me from your repertoire?”
“Well I do but I don’t think this is the time or the place for it” she replied provocatively
“But I do think this is the time and the place for a kiss though”
She continued and stepped in close to him
“But I’ve never kissed a man with a beard before”
“Nor have I” Phil retorted and kissed her.
Clare and her mum had to go home after lunch the next day but they spent lunchtime with Phil and his Uncle and when they left Clare and Phil found a secluded corner to share a goodbye kiss which would have to sustain them until the weekend when they were meeting up again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)