It was in the late 1980’s when Neil Hagger, a Uniform Police Constable in Mornington, was on holiday with a group of fellow officers.
They were staying in an apartment on the Island of Andros in the Cyclades chain.
It was a quiet island due to the fact it was a two hour ferry ride from the mainland but Neil thought it was worth it.
The lads had been there for two days when quite by chance they met up with some familiar faces.
A group of girls from the Vale and among them was Julie Street a girl he had known at school, who he hadn’t seen for several years.
There had always been something smouldering between them, although they had never been out together, they had come close once or twice but it never quite happened for them, and he assumed it never would.
But there they both were, on the same island at the same time and neither of them had any attachments.
And so it was on Agia Marina beach one warm and balmy night when the fates finally aligned and their destiny was fulfilled.
First of all they just walked together hand in hand in the moonlight but very soon their thoughts turned to the possibility of carnal delights.
The beach was deserted apart from the two of them and when they stopped to kiss it proved to be the prelude to something more and all the years of want and desire came to fruition on the deserted beach.
Then later in the moonlight they lay naked on the sand and smoked cheap Greek cigarettes in the afterglow.
Saturday, 10 June 2017
Friday, 9 June 2017
Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (76) Miss Kirby and the Stranger
(Part 01)
Virginia Kirby was a ward sister at the Winston Churchill Hospital and she was a rather plain middle-aged woman just the wrong side of 50.
Virginia was five foot six inches tall and very trim, and stood an inch or so taller in her stout shoes, and her sisters uniform fitted her perfectly, tapered at the waist where the broad belt sat.
Her once black hair was now streaked with grey and bore what Catherine Cookson fans would recognise as the “Mallen streak”.
She was always smiling, but the ageing in her face wasn’t all due to laughter lines, life’s hardships and experiences were etched into her face as well, each line and furrow an event and for those who could read such signs it was like her résumé.
She was well-liked and respected at work but none of her colleagues knew her outside of work and assumed she was just a sad lonely spinster.
That was due in part to the fact that she was a private person and didn’t talk of her private life and also because those who had happened to see her outside of work reported back that she was a frump as she choose to dress in the twin set and tweed style because sartorially Virginia was a sensible shoes and utilitarian tights kind of woman.
Even people from the village of Dulcet St Mary, where she had lived for 20 years believed her to be a sad lonely old soul and many of them referred to her as “the prudish Miss Kirby” or “virginal Virginia” or “the dried up old spinster”.
But as more than one man had found out over the years to their surprise beneath the frumpy exterior lay a hidden warmth.
The other thing that tended to reinforce the stereotype was her heavy involvement with St Mary’s church but even the other congregants were unaware of her true nature.
Which was why when a new curate arrived at St Mary’s and was in need of lodgings Virginal Virginia was as always the obvious choice.
Being single and living in a four bedroom house she always had room for a lodger and being the epitome of respectability and a dried up old virgin to boot there was never a hint of impropriety.
So that was how it came about that the new curate, 34 year old Colin Ash, came to be knocking on Virginia’s front door one cold winters evening and he found the Hospitality in the Kirby household to be much warmer than he was expecting when he fell in love with Virginia’s niece Molly.
Which was why, when a blizzard closed the local roads and 50 year old Sharpington resident Tony Malley couldn’t get home, and was stranded in Dulcet St Mary with nowhere to stay for the night, Colin Ash knew the solution to his vagrancy.
Colin knew that his landlady had the cure for his predicament as he had been on the receiving end himself.
“Come with me” he said “Miss Kirby will fix you up”
“Are you sure?” Tony asked
“Very sure” he replied
(Part 02)
Colin Ash and Tony Malley trudged their way together from the church to Virginia’s house through the falling snow.
“Here we are” Colin said as he unlocked the door
“I just need to change, if you wait in the lounge I’ll join you shortly”
“Ok” he concurred and he opened the door to the lounge as Colin climbed the stairs smiling broadly as it gave him the opportunity for a quick 5 minutes with his fiancé.
When he entered the room he found a skinny middle aged woman with a pretty face, blue eyes, soft shoulder length brown hair, wearing a black cocktail dress, thick black tights and heels.
“Miss Kirby?” he said
“Yes” she replied with a smile
“Oh” he exclaimed
“Oh I see, I’m Not the “Virginal Virginia” you were expecting” she said
“No”
“Are you disappointed?” she asked
“Not at all” he replied
“Well I don’t normally look like this” she said and he raised an eyebrow
“I’ve been to a drinks party” she explained
“Well you look very nice” Tony said
“Thank you” she said and kicked off her shoes and sat on the sofa with her legs up.
“I’m Tony Malley by the way”
“Virginia” she responded and shook his hand “I take it you are looking for a room”
“Yes Colin said you might be able to help” He explained “You are apparently a local treasure”
“Well yes I do have a room” Virginia said “But I am unable to offer you an evening meal”
“That’s not a problem” he said “I could get us a chip supper”
“Oh that would be lovely” she said and smiled
Colin was just coming down the stairs as Tony left the lounge and he said
“Everything ok?”
“Yes, I’m just off to find the chip shop” Tony replied turning up his collar
“Excellent I’ll keep you company and show you the way” Colin said amiably
As he returned to the house with 3 fish suppers, he reflected on his good fortune at being a guest of Miss Kirby who he supposed, from what he had heard to be an old maid, who’d been left on the shelf, and was a dried up old spinster, but had turned out to be a different prospect all together.
He very much enjoyed his enforced stay at Miss Kirby’s while the heavy snow fall kept him in Dulcet St Mary for two days, but her amiable company kept him there for a further two days after the roads had reopened.
And in the months that followed he became a frequent visitor to Virginia Kirby’s house because they had fallen in love.
Virginia Kirby was a ward sister at the Winston Churchill Hospital and she was a rather plain middle-aged woman just the wrong side of 50.
Virginia was five foot six inches tall and very trim, and stood an inch or so taller in her stout shoes, and her sisters uniform fitted her perfectly, tapered at the waist where the broad belt sat.
Her once black hair was now streaked with grey and bore what Catherine Cookson fans would recognise as the “Mallen streak”.
She was always smiling, but the ageing in her face wasn’t all due to laughter lines, life’s hardships and experiences were etched into her face as well, each line and furrow an event and for those who could read such signs it was like her résumé.
She was well-liked and respected at work but none of her colleagues knew her outside of work and assumed she was just a sad lonely spinster.
That was due in part to the fact that she was a private person and didn’t talk of her private life and also because those who had happened to see her outside of work reported back that she was a frump as she choose to dress in the twin set and tweed style because sartorially Virginia was a sensible shoes and utilitarian tights kind of woman.
Even people from the village of Dulcet St Mary, where she had lived for 20 years believed her to be a sad lonely old soul and many of them referred to her as “the prudish Miss Kirby” or “virginal Virginia” or “the dried up old spinster”.
But as more than one man had found out over the years to their surprise beneath the frumpy exterior lay a hidden warmth.
The other thing that tended to reinforce the stereotype was her heavy involvement with St Mary’s church but even the other congregants were unaware of her true nature.
Which was why when a new curate arrived at St Mary’s and was in need of lodgings Virginal Virginia was as always the obvious choice.
Being single and living in a four bedroom house she always had room for a lodger and being the epitome of respectability and a dried up old virgin to boot there was never a hint of impropriety.
So that was how it came about that the new curate, 34 year old Colin Ash, came to be knocking on Virginia’s front door one cold winters evening and he found the Hospitality in the Kirby household to be much warmer than he was expecting when he fell in love with Virginia’s niece Molly.
Which was why, when a blizzard closed the local roads and 50 year old Sharpington resident Tony Malley couldn’t get home, and was stranded in Dulcet St Mary with nowhere to stay for the night, Colin Ash knew the solution to his vagrancy.
Colin knew that his landlady had the cure for his predicament as he had been on the receiving end himself.
“Come with me” he said “Miss Kirby will fix you up”
“Are you sure?” Tony asked
“Very sure” he replied
(Part 02)
Colin Ash and Tony Malley trudged their way together from the church to Virginia’s house through the falling snow.
“Here we are” Colin said as he unlocked the door
“I just need to change, if you wait in the lounge I’ll join you shortly”
“Ok” he concurred and he opened the door to the lounge as Colin climbed the stairs smiling broadly as it gave him the opportunity for a quick 5 minutes with his fiancé.
When he entered the room he found a skinny middle aged woman with a pretty face, blue eyes, soft shoulder length brown hair, wearing a black cocktail dress, thick black tights and heels.
“Miss Kirby?” he said
“Yes” she replied with a smile
“Oh” he exclaimed
“Oh I see, I’m Not the “Virginal Virginia” you were expecting” she said
“No”
“Are you disappointed?” she asked
“Not at all” he replied
“Well I don’t normally look like this” she said and he raised an eyebrow
“I’ve been to a drinks party” she explained
“Well you look very nice” Tony said
“Thank you” she said and kicked off her shoes and sat on the sofa with her legs up.
“I’m Tony Malley by the way”
“Virginia” she responded and shook his hand “I take it you are looking for a room”
“Yes Colin said you might be able to help” He explained “You are apparently a local treasure”
“Well yes I do have a room” Virginia said “But I am unable to offer you an evening meal”
“That’s not a problem” he said “I could get us a chip supper”
“Oh that would be lovely” she said and smiled
Colin was just coming down the stairs as Tony left the lounge and he said
“Everything ok?”
“Yes, I’m just off to find the chip shop” Tony replied turning up his collar
“Excellent I’ll keep you company and show you the way” Colin said amiably
As he returned to the house with 3 fish suppers, he reflected on his good fortune at being a guest of Miss Kirby who he supposed, from what he had heard to be an old maid, who’d been left on the shelf, and was a dried up old spinster, but had turned out to be a different prospect all together.
He very much enjoyed his enforced stay at Miss Kirby’s while the heavy snow fall kept him in Dulcet St Mary for two days, but her amiable company kept him there for a further two days after the roads had reopened.
And in the months that followed he became a frequent visitor to Virginia Kirby’s house because they had fallen in love.
Those Memories Made on Teardrop Lake – (76) A Poor Little Rich Girl’s Christmas
Sarah Atkinson was 21 years old and an only child who lived with her parents in a huge 10 bedroom house in the village of Shallowfield on the edge of the Dancingdean Forest, and she had led a very privileged life and she was spoilt and conceited and had grown accustomed to always getting what she wanted.
So when the Quinn’s and the Dowd’s came to stay for the family Christmas gathering in the 1990’s and she set her cap for the formers son Mike, and she fully expected to get her wish and he would fall for her.
He was two years older than her with black wavy hair and wild gypsy eyes and a muscular well-toned physique that made her swoon.
She was certain sure that with little or no effort on her part her Cousin would soon be in her bed because she always got what she wanted.
Sarah wasted no time in making her move, so on his first night beneath the Atkinson’s roof she waited for the house to fall silent and then tiptoed across the landing wearing only a cotton shirt unbuttoned from top to bottom.
She opened the door and stepped inside to find Mike sitting up in bed reading.
“I thought you might want some company”
She said
“Yes, but not you” he replied coolly
Sarah ignored his retort and climbed on to the bed and sat down facing him, perching on his knees, with legs astride him.
“So are you pleased to see me?”
“Ecstatic”
“Kiss me then” she said but he did nothing
“Kiss me Mike” she demanded
“I don’t think so” he retorted
“Come on you know you want to” she said
“Yes” he agreed “but not you”
“What?”
“I don’t want to kiss you” he repeated and pushed her off him and slipped out of bed
“You’re rejecting me?” she said in disbelief as he pulled her to her feet and dragged her towards the door.
“Yes I am” he said
“That doesn’t happen, I’m young and gorgeous, and I don’t get rejected” she explained “I am the one that does the rejecting”
“On the contrary” he said and shoved her out the door just as Deirdre Dowd was coming the other way.
Deidre was smaller, plainer and less showy than Sarah so her jaw dropped when she saw the mousy little thing walk into Mike’s arms.
“You’re passing on me, for that?” she said angrily
“Always” he replied
“I am superior to her in every conceivable way” Sarah said
“What does she have that I don’t?”
“My love” he replied and closed the door in her face.
“Bastard” she said under her breath and stood in the darkness trying to figure out what went wrong, until light spilled onto the landing and highlighted Sarah’s depressing moment.
Also illuminated in the light was Deirdres 20 year old brother Tom
“Come here” she panted
“Why?” Tom asked
“Because Christmas has come early for you” she replied.
So when the Quinn’s and the Dowd’s came to stay for the family Christmas gathering in the 1990’s and she set her cap for the formers son Mike, and she fully expected to get her wish and he would fall for her.
He was two years older than her with black wavy hair and wild gypsy eyes and a muscular well-toned physique that made her swoon.
She was certain sure that with little or no effort on her part her Cousin would soon be in her bed because she always got what she wanted.
Sarah wasted no time in making her move, so on his first night beneath the Atkinson’s roof she waited for the house to fall silent and then tiptoed across the landing wearing only a cotton shirt unbuttoned from top to bottom.
She opened the door and stepped inside to find Mike sitting up in bed reading.
“I thought you might want some company”
She said
“Yes, but not you” he replied coolly
Sarah ignored his retort and climbed on to the bed and sat down facing him, perching on his knees, with legs astride him.
“So are you pleased to see me?”
“Ecstatic”
“Kiss me then” she said but he did nothing
“Kiss me Mike” she demanded
“I don’t think so” he retorted
“Come on you know you want to” she said
“Yes” he agreed “but not you”
“What?”
“I don’t want to kiss you” he repeated and pushed her off him and slipped out of bed
“You’re rejecting me?” she said in disbelief as he pulled her to her feet and dragged her towards the door.
“Yes I am” he said
“That doesn’t happen, I’m young and gorgeous, and I don’t get rejected” she explained “I am the one that does the rejecting”
“On the contrary” he said and shoved her out the door just as Deirdre Dowd was coming the other way.
Deidre was smaller, plainer and less showy than Sarah so her jaw dropped when she saw the mousy little thing walk into Mike’s arms.
“You’re passing on me, for that?” she said angrily
“Always” he replied
“I am superior to her in every conceivable way” Sarah said
“What does she have that I don’t?”
“My love” he replied and closed the door in her face.
“Bastard” she said under her breath and stood in the darkness trying to figure out what went wrong, until light spilled onto the landing and highlighted Sarah’s depressing moment.
Also illuminated in the light was Deirdres 20 year old brother Tom
“Come here” she panted
“Why?” Tom asked
“Because Christmas has come early for you” she replied.
Downshire Diary – (75) Is there a Doctor in the House?
(Part 01)
Downshire is a relatively small English county but like a pocket battleship it packs a lot in, a short but beautiful coastline, a channel port, the Ancient forests of Dancingdean and Pepperstock, the craggy ridges and manmade lakes of the Pepperstock Hills National Park, the rolling hills of the Downshire Downs, the beautiful Finchbottom Vale and farm land as far as the eye can see from the Trotwood’s and the Grace’s in the south to the home of the Downshire Light infantry, Nettlefield, and their affluent neighbour’s, Roespring and Tipton in the north but our story begins slightly further south equidistant between Nettlefield and the Oxley’s, in the beautiful village of Heathervale.
Chris Palmer was new to the area having moved to Nettlefield from Purplemere following a very acrimonious divorce.
He was a relatively good looking man who was fast approaching his 40th birthday, with a good physique and short sandy hair, greying at the temples and was possessed of piercing blue eyes.
He also had had very bad luck with the opposite sex, which was why he was now divorced, but he planned on turning over a new leaf and leaving his courting days far behind him.
As he was rubbish at picking the targets for his affection he decided the safest thing to do was stop picking.
After his divorce he decided not only to give up on relationships but also to give up on Purplemere, so he sold up and planned to head for pastures new.
His reason for moving to Nettlefield in particular, over all the other places he might have chosen either in Downshire or beyond, was the Heatherlands District Health Centre.
It was a large practise that serviced a large area, covering Nettlefield itself, Oxley Green, Heathervale, Oxley Ridge and Tipton and Chris had been fortunate enough to land the job as practice manager and he also found himself a nice little flat in Nettlefield.
The senior partner at the Health Centre was Dr Clarisse Lowe, a tall statuesque woman who dressed in tweed, she had Chestnut hair, a voluptuous figure, lovely long legs and a generous frontage, who was in her mid-forties and was just the kind of woman Chris would have fallen for in his previous life.
But he was a new man and besides she was probably a lesbian because she seemed to have a very close relationship with one of the practice nurses, Josie Minter, a skinny blonde girl ten years her junior.
But the fact that he suspected Clarisse was playing for the other side didn’t stop him admiring her lovely long legs or her impressive cleavage at every opportunity and Josie’s sexual orientation, if he had read the situation correctly, didn’t prevent her from flirting with him outrageously on a regular basis.
In fact her flirty behaviour led him to what was a false assumption, namely that she swung both ways, because she was very definitely straight and the close relationship she shared with the lovely Doctor Lowe was as a result of Josie being her step daughter.
(Part 02)
Clarisse had been married to Edward Lowe, who had been an eminent surgeon in Downshire, he had also been twenty years older when he married her and he had two children from his first marriage, Josie being the oldest.
The marriage was a happy one but only lasted five years because Edward died suddenly on the Tipton Twelve Trees Golf course after suffering a heart attack.
She had been a widow for 10 years which had left her lonely but also afraid of risking her heart on someone who might end that loneliness.
But apart from the fact that she had vowed not to risk her broken heart again she also had instigated a policy at the practise forbidding fraternisation between members of staff, so even if she were so inclined toward Chris she wouldn’t be disposed to go against her own edict.
But the heart wants what the heart wants which was why two people who despite their reluctance to expose themselves to love again and who were very definitely not looking for a relationship, let alone love, found it anyway when they got together after having to work very closely together on the Easter weekend.
As a bi-product of the loving relationship Clarisse had found with Chris she scrapped the “No Fraternizing policy” which meant that the surgical gloves were off in regard to work place relationships and for the two of them that decision had far reaching consequences.
In the weeks that followed Clarisse’s decision it emerged that there were already numerous relationships going on in spite of her policy.
But she didn’t mind because she was so happy and then at Christmas when her step daughter Josie got together with his brother Darren a weight was lifted off her shoulders and by the following Easter
Clarisse and Chris were living together in the village of Heathervale in a six bedroom converted farmhouse that was originally her marital home which after her husband Edward’s death she shared with her stepdaughter Josie.
She would have thought that since Chris had arrived in her life in January Cupid had been very well employed with the staff at Heatherlands Health Centre and the immediate family and friends but as they achieved the second anniversary of their meeting he was still at it.
One such time for Cupid was on New Year’s Eve when Clarisse’s younger brother Simon was expected to make the journey to Heathervale to see in the New Year with his favourite sister and the man that was making her so happy.
Simon Pratley was forty two years old and was back in Downshire for the first time in five years.
He had been living and working in Australia for the previous ten years where he was a helicopter pilot for an oil company, but after his 12 year marriage ended in bitter divorce he decided it was time to return to the UK and more specifically Downshire.
Fortunately as he worked for Transglobal Oil and Gas Exploration, which was a multinational conglomerate, he was able to transfer to the European operation without too much difficulty.
And he managed to get three months off into the bargain which he was planning on spending with his sister.
(Part 03)
The plan was that Simon Pratley would make it to Heathervale in time to see the New Year in with his sister and step niece, and their respective partners.
But the best laid plans can go awry and such was the case for Simon, firstly his arrival in the UK was 12 hours late due to mechanical problems and they had to make an unscheduled stop in Dubai where he changed flights to an Emirate’s plane and then when he landed his baggage was still in Dubai.
That put him in a very bad mood and he drove recklessly on his way to Heathervale, despite the adverse weather conditions, in an attempt to make inroads into the time he’d lost.
He was fortunate that his risk taking didn’t have dire consequences but his luck finally ran out when he was only three miles from his destination.
As he was so close to his sisters village he got complacent and when he met a car coming out of the fog in the other direction driving equally recklessly he panicked and forgot what country he was driving in and swerved right instead of left and ended up putting his hire car into a ditch.
Due to the fog the other driver didn’t notice where he ended up and so didn’t bother stopping.
He was lucky, he only had a few superficial cuts and bruises when he looked in the mirror, the hire car on the other hand was buggered as was his mobile phone so he had to abandon the damaged vehicle and walk the last two miles in the damp drizzle and mist.
The New Year’s Eve celebration at Clarisse’s house was in essence a dinner party, and apart from Clarisse and Chris, the formers stepdaughter Josie and the latter’s Brother Darren, Doctor Karen Clarke and her Husband Michael, practise Phlebotomist Lisa Bird and her partner Erin Rose, and finally Clarisse’s cousin and fellow Doctor Sarah Goodfellow.
Sarah was the only one of the guests who wasn’t local to the area as she worked at the Dancingdean Health Centre in Shallowfield, and the only reason she was there apart from seeing Clarisse was to see Simon who was her childhood sweetheart.
The only thing that split them up was a silly argument and monumental pride which prevented both of them from apologizing.
Simon and Sarah were made for each other which was why they both had failed marriages behind them, because they could never find anyone else who could truly make the other happy.
So when Sarah heard on the grapevine that Simon was returning to Downshire, and more specifically to her cousin Clarisse’s New Year’s Eve party she made a phone call to get herself an invite.
Sarah didn’t disclose her motive for being there but Clarisse knew she had an ulterior motive but she played along because she also thought they belonged together and furthermore she knew that Simon still carried a torch for her too.
But on the night of the party when the phone call came to say he was running late and Clarisse declared that he wouldn’t make it in time for midnight and that news was not well received by an unhappy Sarah who took solace at the news by draining her glass and then following it immediately by another.
(Part 04)
On New Year’s Eve during the party the phone call came to say that Simon was running late and Clarisse declared to the other guests that he wouldn’t make it in time for midnight and that news was not well received by an unhappy Sarah who took solace at the news by draining her glass and then following it immediately by another.
By the time Simon trudged the final one hundred yards to his cousin’s house all the guests had gone home, apart from Sarah who was too drunk to leave.
The house was in semi darkness as he approached as everyone that remained had either retired for the night or were in the process of doing so.
He banged loudly on the oak door and waited and was just about to bang again when he saw movement behind the glass.
The door opened slowly and a man with a good physique and short sandy hair man of a similar age to his was standing there.
“Can I help you?” he asked
“Yes hi I was looking for Clarisse” he replied “I’m Simon”
“Simon?” Clarisse said as she emerged from her hiding place behind Chris
“Hi Clarisse” Simon said
“My God are you ok?” she asked when she saw the state of him
“Oh yes” he said having forgotten about his mishap “I pranged the car a couple of miles from here”
“Well come in” she said fussily “Come in”
“Thanks” he responded
“Where are you bags?” she asked
“Dubai”
“Oh you have had an adventure haven’t you” she said “I think we’ll get you settled in the spare room and you can tell us the whole story when you’re rested, you and Chris are a similar build, you can lend him something can’t you darling?”
“Of course” Chris replied and then the two men shook hands.
Clarisse led the way with Simon and Chris chatting in her wake like they’d known each other for years but when they reached the guest room landing the adjacent door flew open and Sarah emerged and began
“What the fu…?”
But when she saw her heart’s desire standing there battered, bruised and soaking wet she stopped in her tracks and smiled
“What’s happened?”
“I crashed the car” he replied but was unable to hide the delight that he felt at seeing her
“Oh my poor wounded soldier” she said and took his arm and steered him towards the door “I’ll look after you”
She opened the door and allowed him to enter and just before she closed the door she said to Clarisse
“I’ll look after him, I’m a doctor you know”
“Good night then” Clarisse said and laughed and then to Chris she added “now let’s get you to bed and I’ll take care of you”
Once the door closed they just stood and looked at each other until Simon broke the silence
“Does that mean I’m going to feel the benefit of your bedside manner?”
“Better than that, you will be feeling the benefit of my healing hands” she said
“Oh just what the doctor ordered” he said before he added “I’ve really missed you”
“God I have missed you so much” she echoed and then they kissed.
(Part 05)
It was about 8am and Clarisse and Chris were cuddled up together under the duvet when she said
“We need to get a wriggle on”
“Do we have to move?” he whined, “I’m cosy”
“Yes” she said curtly “We have to be at the surgery in two hours, and if you hadn’t been so demanding you might have had more sleep”
When Clarisse was showered and dressed she left Chris getting ready and went downstairs to the kitchen and found Sarah was sitting on Simon’s lap wrapped in his arms and a Duvet.
“What’s all this then?” she enquired “I didn’t expect you to be up this early”
“We haven’t been to bed yet” Sarah replied
“Oh?” Clarisse expressed with a raised eyebrow
“We’ve been talking” Sarah said in response and giggled
“And what was the result of this conversation?” she asked as she walked towards them and kissed them both
“The result is that we are re-coupled” he said
“That’s not a very romantic way of putting it but its wonderful news” Clarisse said and then remarked to Simon
“And you look better than you did last night”
“That’s because the good Doctor performed her medical expertise on me” he replied
“I don’t think I want to know any of the details” Clarisse retorted
“Oh dear I managed to make it sound dirty and it really wasn’t” he said defensively
“I am a healer” she said smugly “Dr Sarah strikes again”
“I suppose you’re feeling very pleased with yourself” Clarisse said to her as they hugged
“Well I do have a reputation to preserve” she retorted
“I have a reputation as well,” Clarisse said feigning indignantly
“Yes you do darling” she said and kissed her just as Chris, Josie and Darren entered the kitchen and after she put the kettle on they sat down and chatted over coffee.
After about half an hour Chris pointed out the time and Clarisse said
“I have to get to the surgery, my patients need me, and they are obviously in awe of my prowess as a medical practitioner extraordinaire”
“No seriously” Sarah said, “Why do you have to go?”
“Cheeky cow” Clarisse said and tried to clip her round the ear, but she dodged the blow and high fived Josie.
Clarisse then kissed them all good bye and she and Chris went to the surgery.
Clarisse and Chris returned to the house in the middle of the afternoon and found Sarah and Simon cuddled up under a duvet on the sofa, Sarah was fast asleep but Simon’s eyes were open and he smiled when he saw her.
“Have you two had a nice day?” she whispered
“Very nice” he replied and slipped out from under the duvet and her out of the room and kissed her cheek.
“While you’ve been spending the day canoodling under the duvet I sorted your car out” Clarisse said
“In what way?” he asked
“I phoned Richards Recovery and they towed the car to the garage” She said “And they will notify the hire company”
“You are an amazing woman” he said
“No, Sarah is an amazing woman” she corrected him “so don’t let her slip through your fingers again”
“I have no intention to” he assured her
“In that case” she said “let’s all go out for dinner to celebrate”
“We would love to but…” he began
“But what?” she asked
“I don’t have any clothes” he said
“Good point, I’ll go and ask Chris to sort something out for you” she suggested “which will tide you over until your luggage catches up with you”
“If that’s ok” he said
“Of course it is he’s got more clothes than I do” Clarisse said
“I’m glad you found someone” he said
“So am I” she responded “I never thought I would find love again, but I have and I love him to bits”
“It shows”
“Good, I want everyone to know” she said
Downshire is a relatively small English county but like a pocket battleship it packs a lot in, a short but beautiful coastline, a channel port, the Ancient forests of Dancingdean and Pepperstock, the craggy ridges and manmade lakes of the Pepperstock Hills National Park, the rolling hills of the Downshire Downs, the beautiful Finchbottom Vale and farm land as far as the eye can see from the Trotwood’s and the Grace’s in the south to the home of the Downshire Light infantry, Nettlefield, and their affluent neighbour’s, Roespring and Tipton in the north but our story begins slightly further south equidistant between Nettlefield and the Oxley’s, in the beautiful village of Heathervale.
Chris Palmer was new to the area having moved to Nettlefield from Purplemere following a very acrimonious divorce.
He was a relatively good looking man who was fast approaching his 40th birthday, with a good physique and short sandy hair, greying at the temples and was possessed of piercing blue eyes.
He also had had very bad luck with the opposite sex, which was why he was now divorced, but he planned on turning over a new leaf and leaving his courting days far behind him.
As he was rubbish at picking the targets for his affection he decided the safest thing to do was stop picking.
After his divorce he decided not only to give up on relationships but also to give up on Purplemere, so he sold up and planned to head for pastures new.
His reason for moving to Nettlefield in particular, over all the other places he might have chosen either in Downshire or beyond, was the Heatherlands District Health Centre.
It was a large practise that serviced a large area, covering Nettlefield itself, Oxley Green, Heathervale, Oxley Ridge and Tipton and Chris had been fortunate enough to land the job as practice manager and he also found himself a nice little flat in Nettlefield.
The senior partner at the Health Centre was Dr Clarisse Lowe, a tall statuesque woman who dressed in tweed, she had Chestnut hair, a voluptuous figure, lovely long legs and a generous frontage, who was in her mid-forties and was just the kind of woman Chris would have fallen for in his previous life.
But he was a new man and besides she was probably a lesbian because she seemed to have a very close relationship with one of the practice nurses, Josie Minter, a skinny blonde girl ten years her junior.
But the fact that he suspected Clarisse was playing for the other side didn’t stop him admiring her lovely long legs or her impressive cleavage at every opportunity and Josie’s sexual orientation, if he had read the situation correctly, didn’t prevent her from flirting with him outrageously on a regular basis.
In fact her flirty behaviour led him to what was a false assumption, namely that she swung both ways, because she was very definitely straight and the close relationship she shared with the lovely Doctor Lowe was as a result of Josie being her step daughter.
(Part 02)
Clarisse had been married to Edward Lowe, who had been an eminent surgeon in Downshire, he had also been twenty years older when he married her and he had two children from his first marriage, Josie being the oldest.
The marriage was a happy one but only lasted five years because Edward died suddenly on the Tipton Twelve Trees Golf course after suffering a heart attack.
She had been a widow for 10 years which had left her lonely but also afraid of risking her heart on someone who might end that loneliness.
But apart from the fact that she had vowed not to risk her broken heart again she also had instigated a policy at the practise forbidding fraternisation between members of staff, so even if she were so inclined toward Chris she wouldn’t be disposed to go against her own edict.
But the heart wants what the heart wants which was why two people who despite their reluctance to expose themselves to love again and who were very definitely not looking for a relationship, let alone love, found it anyway when they got together after having to work very closely together on the Easter weekend.
As a bi-product of the loving relationship Clarisse had found with Chris she scrapped the “No Fraternizing policy” which meant that the surgical gloves were off in regard to work place relationships and for the two of them that decision had far reaching consequences.
In the weeks that followed Clarisse’s decision it emerged that there were already numerous relationships going on in spite of her policy.
But she didn’t mind because she was so happy and then at Christmas when her step daughter Josie got together with his brother Darren a weight was lifted off her shoulders and by the following Easter
Clarisse and Chris were living together in the village of Heathervale in a six bedroom converted farmhouse that was originally her marital home which after her husband Edward’s death she shared with her stepdaughter Josie.
She would have thought that since Chris had arrived in her life in January Cupid had been very well employed with the staff at Heatherlands Health Centre and the immediate family and friends but as they achieved the second anniversary of their meeting he was still at it.
One such time for Cupid was on New Year’s Eve when Clarisse’s younger brother Simon was expected to make the journey to Heathervale to see in the New Year with his favourite sister and the man that was making her so happy.
Simon Pratley was forty two years old and was back in Downshire for the first time in five years.
He had been living and working in Australia for the previous ten years where he was a helicopter pilot for an oil company, but after his 12 year marriage ended in bitter divorce he decided it was time to return to the UK and more specifically Downshire.
Fortunately as he worked for Transglobal Oil and Gas Exploration, which was a multinational conglomerate, he was able to transfer to the European operation without too much difficulty.
And he managed to get three months off into the bargain which he was planning on spending with his sister.
(Part 03)
The plan was that Simon Pratley would make it to Heathervale in time to see the New Year in with his sister and step niece, and their respective partners.
But the best laid plans can go awry and such was the case for Simon, firstly his arrival in the UK was 12 hours late due to mechanical problems and they had to make an unscheduled stop in Dubai where he changed flights to an Emirate’s plane and then when he landed his baggage was still in Dubai.
That put him in a very bad mood and he drove recklessly on his way to Heathervale, despite the adverse weather conditions, in an attempt to make inroads into the time he’d lost.
He was fortunate that his risk taking didn’t have dire consequences but his luck finally ran out when he was only three miles from his destination.
As he was so close to his sisters village he got complacent and when he met a car coming out of the fog in the other direction driving equally recklessly he panicked and forgot what country he was driving in and swerved right instead of left and ended up putting his hire car into a ditch.
Due to the fog the other driver didn’t notice where he ended up and so didn’t bother stopping.
He was lucky, he only had a few superficial cuts and bruises when he looked in the mirror, the hire car on the other hand was buggered as was his mobile phone so he had to abandon the damaged vehicle and walk the last two miles in the damp drizzle and mist.
The New Year’s Eve celebration at Clarisse’s house was in essence a dinner party, and apart from Clarisse and Chris, the formers stepdaughter Josie and the latter’s Brother Darren, Doctor Karen Clarke and her Husband Michael, practise Phlebotomist Lisa Bird and her partner Erin Rose, and finally Clarisse’s cousin and fellow Doctor Sarah Goodfellow.
Sarah was the only one of the guests who wasn’t local to the area as she worked at the Dancingdean Health Centre in Shallowfield, and the only reason she was there apart from seeing Clarisse was to see Simon who was her childhood sweetheart.
The only thing that split them up was a silly argument and monumental pride which prevented both of them from apologizing.
Simon and Sarah were made for each other which was why they both had failed marriages behind them, because they could never find anyone else who could truly make the other happy.
So when Sarah heard on the grapevine that Simon was returning to Downshire, and more specifically to her cousin Clarisse’s New Year’s Eve party she made a phone call to get herself an invite.
Sarah didn’t disclose her motive for being there but Clarisse knew she had an ulterior motive but she played along because she also thought they belonged together and furthermore she knew that Simon still carried a torch for her too.
But on the night of the party when the phone call came to say he was running late and Clarisse declared that he wouldn’t make it in time for midnight and that news was not well received by an unhappy Sarah who took solace at the news by draining her glass and then following it immediately by another.
(Part 04)
On New Year’s Eve during the party the phone call came to say that Simon was running late and Clarisse declared to the other guests that he wouldn’t make it in time for midnight and that news was not well received by an unhappy Sarah who took solace at the news by draining her glass and then following it immediately by another.
By the time Simon trudged the final one hundred yards to his cousin’s house all the guests had gone home, apart from Sarah who was too drunk to leave.
The house was in semi darkness as he approached as everyone that remained had either retired for the night or were in the process of doing so.
He banged loudly on the oak door and waited and was just about to bang again when he saw movement behind the glass.
The door opened slowly and a man with a good physique and short sandy hair man of a similar age to his was standing there.
“Can I help you?” he asked
“Yes hi I was looking for Clarisse” he replied “I’m Simon”
“Simon?” Clarisse said as she emerged from her hiding place behind Chris
“Hi Clarisse” Simon said
“My God are you ok?” she asked when she saw the state of him
“Oh yes” he said having forgotten about his mishap “I pranged the car a couple of miles from here”
“Well come in” she said fussily “Come in”
“Thanks” he responded
“Where are you bags?” she asked
“Dubai”
“Oh you have had an adventure haven’t you” she said “I think we’ll get you settled in the spare room and you can tell us the whole story when you’re rested, you and Chris are a similar build, you can lend him something can’t you darling?”
“Of course” Chris replied and then the two men shook hands.
Clarisse led the way with Simon and Chris chatting in her wake like they’d known each other for years but when they reached the guest room landing the adjacent door flew open and Sarah emerged and began
“What the fu…?”
But when she saw her heart’s desire standing there battered, bruised and soaking wet she stopped in her tracks and smiled
“What’s happened?”
“I crashed the car” he replied but was unable to hide the delight that he felt at seeing her
“Oh my poor wounded soldier” she said and took his arm and steered him towards the door “I’ll look after you”
She opened the door and allowed him to enter and just before she closed the door she said to Clarisse
“I’ll look after him, I’m a doctor you know”
“Good night then” Clarisse said and laughed and then to Chris she added “now let’s get you to bed and I’ll take care of you”
Once the door closed they just stood and looked at each other until Simon broke the silence
“Does that mean I’m going to feel the benefit of your bedside manner?”
“Better than that, you will be feeling the benefit of my healing hands” she said
“Oh just what the doctor ordered” he said before he added “I’ve really missed you”
“God I have missed you so much” she echoed and then they kissed.
(Part 05)
It was about 8am and Clarisse and Chris were cuddled up together under the duvet when she said
“We need to get a wriggle on”
“Do we have to move?” he whined, “I’m cosy”
“Yes” she said curtly “We have to be at the surgery in two hours, and if you hadn’t been so demanding you might have had more sleep”
When Clarisse was showered and dressed she left Chris getting ready and went downstairs to the kitchen and found Sarah was sitting on Simon’s lap wrapped in his arms and a Duvet.
“What’s all this then?” she enquired “I didn’t expect you to be up this early”
“We haven’t been to bed yet” Sarah replied
“Oh?” Clarisse expressed with a raised eyebrow
“We’ve been talking” Sarah said in response and giggled
“And what was the result of this conversation?” she asked as she walked towards them and kissed them both
“The result is that we are re-coupled” he said
“That’s not a very romantic way of putting it but its wonderful news” Clarisse said and then remarked to Simon
“And you look better than you did last night”
“That’s because the good Doctor performed her medical expertise on me” he replied
“I don’t think I want to know any of the details” Clarisse retorted
“Oh dear I managed to make it sound dirty and it really wasn’t” he said defensively
“I am a healer” she said smugly “Dr Sarah strikes again”
“I suppose you’re feeling very pleased with yourself” Clarisse said to her as they hugged
“Well I do have a reputation to preserve” she retorted
“I have a reputation as well,” Clarisse said feigning indignantly
“Yes you do darling” she said and kissed her just as Chris, Josie and Darren entered the kitchen and after she put the kettle on they sat down and chatted over coffee.
After about half an hour Chris pointed out the time and Clarisse said
“I have to get to the surgery, my patients need me, and they are obviously in awe of my prowess as a medical practitioner extraordinaire”
“No seriously” Sarah said, “Why do you have to go?”
“Cheeky cow” Clarisse said and tried to clip her round the ear, but she dodged the blow and high fived Josie.
Clarisse then kissed them all good bye and she and Chris went to the surgery.
Clarisse and Chris returned to the house in the middle of the afternoon and found Sarah and Simon cuddled up under a duvet on the sofa, Sarah was fast asleep but Simon’s eyes were open and he smiled when he saw her.
“Have you two had a nice day?” she whispered
“Very nice” he replied and slipped out from under the duvet and her out of the room and kissed her cheek.
“While you’ve been spending the day canoodling under the duvet I sorted your car out” Clarisse said
“In what way?” he asked
“I phoned Richards Recovery and they towed the car to the garage” She said “And they will notify the hire company”
“You are an amazing woman” he said
“No, Sarah is an amazing woman” she corrected him “so don’t let her slip through your fingers again”
“I have no intention to” he assured her
“In that case” she said “let’s all go out for dinner to celebrate”
“We would love to but…” he began
“But what?” she asked
“I don’t have any clothes” he said
“Good point, I’ll go and ask Chris to sort something out for you” she suggested “which will tide you over until your luggage catches up with you”
“If that’s ok” he said
“Of course it is he’s got more clothes than I do” Clarisse said
“I’m glad you found someone” he said
“So am I” she responded “I never thought I would find love again, but I have and I love him to bits”
“It shows”
“Good, I want everyone to know” she said
Thursday, 8 June 2017
Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (75) Oh Claire
(Part 01)
Claire Jarvis went to the University of Downshire where she studied English at Abbottsford and it was for her, like many girls of her age, a life defining time.
She was the only child of well to do parents, who divorced when she was seven and as a result she had been thoroughly spoilt and was given everything her heart desired, except the one thing she craved most in all the world, their love and as a result she withdrew into her own world.
Although Claire was the oldest of the four girls in her dorm she actually looked the youngest by some distance.
Despite the fact that she had the body of a mature woman she had a baby face but she was destined to bloom into a very beautiful woman.
She was in halls for the first year and she shared with three other girls Amy Coates, a tall big busted redhead, Alison Holmes, a skinny girl with a bad case of OCD and Carole Bean a tall, beautiful and kindly girl who like herself was a brunette.
All four of the girls were studying English in one form or another and apart from their studies they also had in common the fact they were all natives of the Finchbottom Vale.
Claire was from Purplemere, Carole from Childean, Alison from Finchbottom and Amy from Shallowfield.
But being in the close company of the three girls brought her out of herself and the friendship that resulted from, on the face of it, 4 very different characters coming together, lasted for their lifetimes.
And as they got on so well the four of them decided very early on to rent a house between them for the second and third years.
However of all the girls Claire found herself drawn most to Carole Bean.
The fact that the two of them had more lectures and seminars together than the other two partly aided their closeness but it was mainly because they got each other, they shared a sense of humour as well as having similar tastes in music, a love of pizza and old romantic comedies and when it came time to go home to the Vale they normally travelled together, however when the Easter holidays came around during their first year Carole went home for a week but Claire decided to stay in Abbottsford.
But alone in their dorm Claire began to regret her decision to stay because she felt desperately lonely from the moment she woke up the day after the others left.
But she channelled all her loneliness into he studies and she had a very productive week completing a creative writing piece which was basically just committing the contents of her day dreams to paper.
By the end of the week though she had ran out of distractions so she decided to drown her sorrows and by the end of the night she was dancing naked around the lounge until she passed out.
When Claire woke up the next day she was laying on her back draped along the sofa, she tried to lift herself up but the pain in her head persuaded her otherwise and she closed her eyes and went back to sleep and dreamed romantic dreams.
(Part 02)
When Claire woke up the next day she was laying on her back draped along the sofa, she tried to lift herself up but the pain in her head persuaded her otherwise and she closed her eyes and went back to sleep and dreamed romantic dreams.
Carole Bean decide to return to University sooner than intended as she had work to finish and there were too many distractions at home, It was a warm day when she let herself into the flat and it was very stuffy so the first thing she did was open the kitchen window and let some air in.
She was about to call out and announce herself when she noticed Claires door was open so she assumed she must have been out so she went straight into her own room and dumped her bags.
Carol then returned to the kitchen and made herself a drink which she took with her as she opened the door to the lounge.
She casually stepped inside and Carol couldn’t believe her eyes as they settled on where Claire was laying stretched out naked on the sofa, her jeans, shirt, knickers and socks strewn all around the room.
Carole began to retreat back the way she came and she knew that was what she should have done, just walked away and respected Claires privacy, she would have hated to have been observed like that if their roles were reversed, so her head was screaming at her to leave but something inside her over ruled her head and so she watched her young flatmate in all her naked glory.
It was the sexiest thing she had ever seen, she had seen naked women before, but only glimpses and never anyone she knew and loved.
She was so absorbed by the beautiful vision before her that she almost spilt her coffee and just at that moment it slopped onto her hand she gasped.
Claire was startled by the sound of Carole’s gasp and opened her eyes to see who it was, but when she saw it was Carole she just smiled.
She should instantly have covered her modesty, and had it been anyone else she would have, but she didnt because it was Carole who she had been dreaming about, and who had filled her dreams all week, day and night.
“I’m sorry” Carole said and turned away but Claire pleaded
“Don’t go”
and she reached out her hand and added
“Please”
Carole again had an internal battle between her head and her lust and the latter won again as she found herself taking Claires hand.
Still holding her hand she knealt on the floor beside the sofa and her eyes consumed every inch of Claires body like a child in a sweet shop not knowing which bon bon to eat first.
Claire watched her intently and when their eyes finally met they both giggled and Carole kissed her naked friend and carressed her flesh.
Allthough neither of them could quite come to terms with the fact that they might be gay it didn’t prevent them from adding to their lesbian experiences throughout their University years.
But after they graduated University they both ended up marry men and had to content themselves with being friends instead of lovers, most of the time.
Claire Jarvis went to the University of Downshire where she studied English at Abbottsford and it was for her, like many girls of her age, a life defining time.
She was the only child of well to do parents, who divorced when she was seven and as a result she had been thoroughly spoilt and was given everything her heart desired, except the one thing she craved most in all the world, their love and as a result she withdrew into her own world.
Although Claire was the oldest of the four girls in her dorm she actually looked the youngest by some distance.
Despite the fact that she had the body of a mature woman she had a baby face but she was destined to bloom into a very beautiful woman.
She was in halls for the first year and she shared with three other girls Amy Coates, a tall big busted redhead, Alison Holmes, a skinny girl with a bad case of OCD and Carole Bean a tall, beautiful and kindly girl who like herself was a brunette.
All four of the girls were studying English in one form or another and apart from their studies they also had in common the fact they were all natives of the Finchbottom Vale.
Claire was from Purplemere, Carole from Childean, Alison from Finchbottom and Amy from Shallowfield.
But being in the close company of the three girls brought her out of herself and the friendship that resulted from, on the face of it, 4 very different characters coming together, lasted for their lifetimes.
And as they got on so well the four of them decided very early on to rent a house between them for the second and third years.
However of all the girls Claire found herself drawn most to Carole Bean.
The fact that the two of them had more lectures and seminars together than the other two partly aided their closeness but it was mainly because they got each other, they shared a sense of humour as well as having similar tastes in music, a love of pizza and old romantic comedies and when it came time to go home to the Vale they normally travelled together, however when the Easter holidays came around during their first year Carole went home for a week but Claire decided to stay in Abbottsford.
But alone in their dorm Claire began to regret her decision to stay because she felt desperately lonely from the moment she woke up the day after the others left.
But she channelled all her loneliness into he studies and she had a very productive week completing a creative writing piece which was basically just committing the contents of her day dreams to paper.
By the end of the week though she had ran out of distractions so she decided to drown her sorrows and by the end of the night she was dancing naked around the lounge until she passed out.
When Claire woke up the next day she was laying on her back draped along the sofa, she tried to lift herself up but the pain in her head persuaded her otherwise and she closed her eyes and went back to sleep and dreamed romantic dreams.
(Part 02)
When Claire woke up the next day she was laying on her back draped along the sofa, she tried to lift herself up but the pain in her head persuaded her otherwise and she closed her eyes and went back to sleep and dreamed romantic dreams.
Carole Bean decide to return to University sooner than intended as she had work to finish and there were too many distractions at home, It was a warm day when she let herself into the flat and it was very stuffy so the first thing she did was open the kitchen window and let some air in.
She was about to call out and announce herself when she noticed Claires door was open so she assumed she must have been out so she went straight into her own room and dumped her bags.
Carol then returned to the kitchen and made herself a drink which she took with her as she opened the door to the lounge.
She casually stepped inside and Carol couldn’t believe her eyes as they settled on where Claire was laying stretched out naked on the sofa, her jeans, shirt, knickers and socks strewn all around the room.
Carole began to retreat back the way she came and she knew that was what she should have done, just walked away and respected Claires privacy, she would have hated to have been observed like that if their roles were reversed, so her head was screaming at her to leave but something inside her over ruled her head and so she watched her young flatmate in all her naked glory.
It was the sexiest thing she had ever seen, she had seen naked women before, but only glimpses and never anyone she knew and loved.
She was so absorbed by the beautiful vision before her that she almost spilt her coffee and just at that moment it slopped onto her hand she gasped.
Claire was startled by the sound of Carole’s gasp and opened her eyes to see who it was, but when she saw it was Carole she just smiled.
She should instantly have covered her modesty, and had it been anyone else she would have, but she didnt because it was Carole who she had been dreaming about, and who had filled her dreams all week, day and night.
“I’m sorry” Carole said and turned away but Claire pleaded
“Don’t go”
and she reached out her hand and added
“Please”
Carole again had an internal battle between her head and her lust and the latter won again as she found herself taking Claires hand.
Still holding her hand she knealt on the floor beside the sofa and her eyes consumed every inch of Claires body like a child in a sweet shop not knowing which bon bon to eat first.
Claire watched her intently and when their eyes finally met they both giggled and Carole kissed her naked friend and carressed her flesh.
Allthough neither of them could quite come to terms with the fact that they might be gay it didn’t prevent them from adding to their lesbian experiences throughout their University years.
But after they graduated University they both ended up marry men and had to content themselves with being friends instead of lovers, most of the time.
Downshire Diary – (74) The Ginger Amazonian Conclusion
(Part 01)
Downshire is a relatively small English county but like a pocket battleship it packs a lot in, a short but beautiful coastline, a channel port, the Ancient forests of Dancingdean and Pepperstock, the craggy ridges and manmade lakes of the Pepperstock Hills National Park, the rolling hills of the Downshire Downs, the beautiful Finchbottom Vale and farm land as far as the eye can see from the Trotwood’s and the Grace’s in the south to the home of the Downshire Light infantry, Nettlefield, and their affluent neighbour’s, Roespring and Tipton but our story begins considerably further south in the Finchbottom Vale although the players in this tale come from every corner of the county.
A group of University friends were camping at the Eastern end of the Finchbottom Vale, on the Maxlins camp site in Sharpinghead that was once a working railway station before it fell afoul of Dr Beeching and his draconian cuts.
The campsite was attached to Maxlin’s Holiday Camp and although the campgrounds were nothing to do with Maxlin’s, all those attending did have day passes to use some of the amenities.
They were just spending a week relaxing before they returned to Abbottsford University for their 3rd year.
One of them was Sean Hallows who had gone to Maxlins with his long term girlfriend Daisy.
He was a rather ordinary looking lad, a bit of a bean pole with scruffy blonde hair and a bad complexion, the only remarkable thing about him was his heart.
He had to return to his tent one morning after breakfast because he had forgotten his phone.
“Get my sunnies while youre there” his girlfriend Daisy said
“Ok” he retorted and set off at pace.
They were about ten minutes walk frrom the food hall but with his great long strides he did it in five and he went to Daisy’s tent first and went inside without hesitation as he knew where she kept her sun glasses.
But as soon as he got inside he stopped dead in his tracks as her best friend Katie Bell was still in the tent, though not still in her sleeping bag, in fact she wasn’t in very much at all really.
She was kneeling down, facing the flaps, pulling a T-shirt over her head, apart from that she was only wearing her underwear.
Sean stood motionless by the opening spellbound by the vision of the girl he had been in love with for almost a year.
She was a big Ginger Amazon of a girl almost as tall as he was, long limbed, busty and beautiful, well he certainly thought so, which was why when he came upon her in a state of near undress he couldn’t take his eyes off her, and there was a lot of her to look at.
Katie hadn’t noticed him at first as her long ginger locks had fallen across her face but when she did she made no attempt to cover herself and chose instead to glare at him.
In utter embarassment and uttering appologies he retreated to his own tent red faced but she pursued him and as it was her spectacular nakedness that had caused his blushing she quizzed him over his peeping when he all but confessed the truth to her about his love of her and then they lay in his tent and shared a kiss that they had both longed for over the previous year.
(Part 02)
The following couple of days there was a little awkwardness between them, but not because they felt guilty for what they did, the kiss was electrifying, so the reason for the awkwardness was simply that they wanted to do it again although neither of them actualy knew how the other one felt.
However on the third day while most of the group were on a day trip to Pepperstock Castle they spent the day in Katie’s tent where they spent much of the day in eachothers arms.
“Daisy is so lucky” she sighed as she lay with her head on his chest.
“I don’t think she would agree” he replied as she kissed his chest
“Why?”
“She doesn’t really like kissing and cuddling or sex for that matter” he explained
“What?” she asked incredulously as her lips moved to his neck.
“Daisy doesn’t really like it” he repeated
“You mean she doesn’t like this?” She asked as she kissed from his neck across his cheek to his mouth.
“She’s not as enthuiastic about it as you” he said as she returned her lips to his neck
“What a waste” Katie said
After that afternoon canoodling in her tent they only had one more chance to embrace when they managed half an hour for a kiss in the
disabled toilet.
And following the holiday they went their separate ways for the remainder of the summer break and when they got back to Abbottsford for their final year the awkwardness between Katie and Sean returned.
The problem was, that Katie, Daisy and Sean all lived in the same house along with three other friends.
It was an old Victorian house with the rooms spread over three floors, Katie and Daisy had rooms on the ground floor while Sean’s was on the top floor, so it was very difficult for him to either get to his room or to Daisy’s without bumping into Katie.
Not that he didn’t like seeing her, he did, very much, but being so close and not being able to embrace was torture.
But after there last kiss at Maxlins camp site they both agreed that they should call a halt to the affair before it went too far as it wasn’t fair on Daisy.
However things suddenly changed one day in October when as she walked out of her room towards the bathroom Katie saw Daisy rush past and then heard the front door slam.
At the same moment Sean slipped out of Daisy’s room into the hall and to his surprise he met Katie coming the other way, wrapped in a towel.
He did a double take, thinking “where the hell did she come from”, he thought Daisy and he had the house to themselves.
Katie didn’t speak at first she just looked at him before she said accusingly
“Did you just upset Daisy?”
“Not exactly” he replied
“Then what did you do?” she asked
“I didn’t do anything” he said
“Well something upset her” she pointed out
“Well it wasn’t me” Sean said
“Well if you didn’t upset her then what’s got into the silly cow” Katie snapped
“That’s not a very nice thing to say about your friend” he said reproachfully
“I know” she admitted “I’m just jealous that she’s your girlfriend”
“Ah” he uttered
“If I was really being mean I would point out that I’m prettier than she is and that I like snogging” she reiterated
“Just a bit” he said
“Just a bit, just a bit” she repeated disbelievingly
“In fact I love it” she added and kissed him and afterwards she said.
“I’m sorry, I know we said it had to stop, but I couldn’t resist”
(Part 03)
“Well if you didn’t upset her then what’s got into the silly cow” Katie snapped
“That’s not a very nice thing to say about your friend” he said reproachfully
“I know” she admitted “I’m just jealous that she’s your girlfriend”
“Ah” he uttered
“If I was really being mean I would point out that I’m prettier than she is and that I like snogging” she reiterated
“Just a bit” he said
“Just a bit, just a bit” she repeated disbelievingly
“In fact I love it” she added and kissed him and afterwards she said.
“I’m sorry, I know we said it had to stop, but I couldn’t resist”
“You won’t hear me complain” he remarked
“It’s a shame it’s not the time for Katie to get Daisy’s fellas lips” she said wistfully looking into his eyes
“They’re not hers” he said
“What do you mean?” Katie asked
“They’re not Daisy’s lips” Sean said
“They’re more hers than mine” Katie pointed out
“Not anymore they’re not”
“What do you mean?” she asked
“She’s dumped me” he said
“Why?” she asked with alarm “Was it because of us?”
“No” he replied “it turns out she’s in love with someone else”
“My God who?” she asked
“India”
“India?” she asked “India, who went on holiday with us?”
“Yes”
“The little mousy girl with the wonky eye?” she asked
“Yes that India” he confirmed
“You mean Daisy’s a Les?” Katie asked indelicately
“Yes” he replied “which kind of explains why she didn’t like sex much”
“She’s a Les?” Katie repeated
“Apparently so”
“I wonder why she never tried anything with me” she mused
“Go figure” he retorted
“I know it’s unfathomable” she said with a frown
“Never mind that just ponder the question, if Daisy is a lesbian and she’s dumped me then….” He said and she just looked blankly at him still wearing the frown and then suddenly she exclaimed
“Oh” she exclaimed and the frown faded to be replaced with smile
“So does this mean that you’re mine now?”
“Only if you want me” he replied
“All for me” she said “and no sharing”
“That’s the general idea” Sean said
“Cool” Katie said
“Is that a yes then?” he asked
“I’ll let you know after I’ve had a kiss”
She replied
“Well I don’t think I want to just on a maybe” he said
“There’s no maybe about it” she confessed “You know I want you”
“Good” he said “then I’m all yours”
“And only mine?” she asked
“And only yours” he agreed
“Goody” she said “Now it’s time for Katie Bell to kiss her boyfriend”
Downshire is a relatively small English county but like a pocket battleship it packs a lot in, a short but beautiful coastline, a channel port, the Ancient forests of Dancingdean and Pepperstock, the craggy ridges and manmade lakes of the Pepperstock Hills National Park, the rolling hills of the Downshire Downs, the beautiful Finchbottom Vale and farm land as far as the eye can see from the Trotwood’s and the Grace’s in the south to the home of the Downshire Light infantry, Nettlefield, and their affluent neighbour’s, Roespring and Tipton but our story begins considerably further south in the Finchbottom Vale although the players in this tale come from every corner of the county.
A group of University friends were camping at the Eastern end of the Finchbottom Vale, on the Maxlins camp site in Sharpinghead that was once a working railway station before it fell afoul of Dr Beeching and his draconian cuts.
The campsite was attached to Maxlin’s Holiday Camp and although the campgrounds were nothing to do with Maxlin’s, all those attending did have day passes to use some of the amenities.
They were just spending a week relaxing before they returned to Abbottsford University for their 3rd year.
One of them was Sean Hallows who had gone to Maxlins with his long term girlfriend Daisy.
He was a rather ordinary looking lad, a bit of a bean pole with scruffy blonde hair and a bad complexion, the only remarkable thing about him was his heart.
He had to return to his tent one morning after breakfast because he had forgotten his phone.
“Get my sunnies while youre there” his girlfriend Daisy said
“Ok” he retorted and set off at pace.
They were about ten minutes walk frrom the food hall but with his great long strides he did it in five and he went to Daisy’s tent first and went inside without hesitation as he knew where she kept her sun glasses.
But as soon as he got inside he stopped dead in his tracks as her best friend Katie Bell was still in the tent, though not still in her sleeping bag, in fact she wasn’t in very much at all really.
She was kneeling down, facing the flaps, pulling a T-shirt over her head, apart from that she was only wearing her underwear.
Sean stood motionless by the opening spellbound by the vision of the girl he had been in love with for almost a year.
She was a big Ginger Amazon of a girl almost as tall as he was, long limbed, busty and beautiful, well he certainly thought so, which was why when he came upon her in a state of near undress he couldn’t take his eyes off her, and there was a lot of her to look at.
Katie hadn’t noticed him at first as her long ginger locks had fallen across her face but when she did she made no attempt to cover herself and chose instead to glare at him.
In utter embarassment and uttering appologies he retreated to his own tent red faced but she pursued him and as it was her spectacular nakedness that had caused his blushing she quizzed him over his peeping when he all but confessed the truth to her about his love of her and then they lay in his tent and shared a kiss that they had both longed for over the previous year.
(Part 02)
The following couple of days there was a little awkwardness between them, but not because they felt guilty for what they did, the kiss was electrifying, so the reason for the awkwardness was simply that they wanted to do it again although neither of them actualy knew how the other one felt.
However on the third day while most of the group were on a day trip to Pepperstock Castle they spent the day in Katie’s tent where they spent much of the day in eachothers arms.
“Daisy is so lucky” she sighed as she lay with her head on his chest.
“I don’t think she would agree” he replied as she kissed his chest
“Why?”
“She doesn’t really like kissing and cuddling or sex for that matter” he explained
“What?” she asked incredulously as her lips moved to his neck.
“Daisy doesn’t really like it” he repeated
“You mean she doesn’t like this?” She asked as she kissed from his neck across his cheek to his mouth.
“She’s not as enthuiastic about it as you” he said as she returned her lips to his neck
“What a waste” Katie said
After that afternoon canoodling in her tent they only had one more chance to embrace when they managed half an hour for a kiss in the
disabled toilet.
And following the holiday they went their separate ways for the remainder of the summer break and when they got back to Abbottsford for their final year the awkwardness between Katie and Sean returned.
The problem was, that Katie, Daisy and Sean all lived in the same house along with three other friends.
It was an old Victorian house with the rooms spread over three floors, Katie and Daisy had rooms on the ground floor while Sean’s was on the top floor, so it was very difficult for him to either get to his room or to Daisy’s without bumping into Katie.
Not that he didn’t like seeing her, he did, very much, but being so close and not being able to embrace was torture.
But after there last kiss at Maxlins camp site they both agreed that they should call a halt to the affair before it went too far as it wasn’t fair on Daisy.
However things suddenly changed one day in October when as she walked out of her room towards the bathroom Katie saw Daisy rush past and then heard the front door slam.
At the same moment Sean slipped out of Daisy’s room into the hall and to his surprise he met Katie coming the other way, wrapped in a towel.
He did a double take, thinking “where the hell did she come from”, he thought Daisy and he had the house to themselves.
Katie didn’t speak at first she just looked at him before she said accusingly
“Did you just upset Daisy?”
“Not exactly” he replied
“Then what did you do?” she asked
“I didn’t do anything” he said
“Well something upset her” she pointed out
“Well it wasn’t me” Sean said
“Well if you didn’t upset her then what’s got into the silly cow” Katie snapped
“That’s not a very nice thing to say about your friend” he said reproachfully
“I know” she admitted “I’m just jealous that she’s your girlfriend”
“Ah” he uttered
“If I was really being mean I would point out that I’m prettier than she is and that I like snogging” she reiterated
“Just a bit” he said
“Just a bit, just a bit” she repeated disbelievingly
“In fact I love it” she added and kissed him and afterwards she said.
“I’m sorry, I know we said it had to stop, but I couldn’t resist”
(Part 03)
“Well if you didn’t upset her then what’s got into the silly cow” Katie snapped
“That’s not a very nice thing to say about your friend” he said reproachfully
“I know” she admitted “I’m just jealous that she’s your girlfriend”
“Ah” he uttered
“If I was really being mean I would point out that I’m prettier than she is and that I like snogging” she reiterated
“Just a bit” he said
“Just a bit, just a bit” she repeated disbelievingly
“In fact I love it” she added and kissed him and afterwards she said.
“I’m sorry, I know we said it had to stop, but I couldn’t resist”
“You won’t hear me complain” he remarked
“It’s a shame it’s not the time for Katie to get Daisy’s fellas lips” she said wistfully looking into his eyes
“They’re not hers” he said
“What do you mean?” Katie asked
“They’re not Daisy’s lips” Sean said
“They’re more hers than mine” Katie pointed out
“Not anymore they’re not”
“What do you mean?” she asked
“She’s dumped me” he said
“Why?” she asked with alarm “Was it because of us?”
“No” he replied “it turns out she’s in love with someone else”
“My God who?” she asked
“India”
“India?” she asked “India, who went on holiday with us?”
“Yes”
“The little mousy girl with the wonky eye?” she asked
“Yes that India” he confirmed
“You mean Daisy’s a Les?” Katie asked indelicately
“Yes” he replied “which kind of explains why she didn’t like sex much”
“She’s a Les?” Katie repeated
“Apparently so”
“I wonder why she never tried anything with me” she mused
“Go figure” he retorted
“I know it’s unfathomable” she said with a frown
“Never mind that just ponder the question, if Daisy is a lesbian and she’s dumped me then….” He said and she just looked blankly at him still wearing the frown and then suddenly she exclaimed
“Oh” she exclaimed and the frown faded to be replaced with smile
“So does this mean that you’re mine now?”
“Only if you want me” he replied
“All for me” she said “and no sharing”
“That’s the general idea” Sean said
“Cool” Katie said
“Is that a yes then?” he asked
“I’ll let you know after I’ve had a kiss”
She replied
“Well I don’t think I want to just on a maybe” he said
“There’s no maybe about it” she confessed “You know I want you”
“Good” he said “then I’m all yours”
“And only mine?” she asked
“And only yours” he agreed
“Goody” she said “Now it’s time for Katie Bell to kiss her boyfriend”
Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (74) The Roespring Verger
(Part 01)
Downshire is a relatively small English county but like a pocket battleship it packs a lot in, a short but beautiful coastline, a channel port, the Ancient forests of Dancingdean and Pepperstock, the craggy ridges and manmade lakes of the Pepperstock Hills National Park, the rolling hills of the Downshire Downs, the beautiful Finchbottom Vale and farm land as far as the eye can see from the Trotwood’s and the Grace’s in the south to the home of the Downshire Light infantry, Nettlefield, and their affluent neighbour’s, Roespring and Tipton in the north and our story begins in the affluent village of Roespring.
As part of his recuperation Mark Adams took an extended walk around his neighbourhood in Roespring and after about forty minutes he began to tire so he headed towards home.
He had been in and out of hospital for the previous ten years following a bad car accident just after his 15th birthday.
As he got close to home he turned into Bridge Farm lane which led past the back of St Catherine’s Church and that was when he met Abigail Evans coming the other way and his heart fluttered because he was in love with her.
She was the verger at St Catherine’s where her Uncle, James Hall, was the vicar.
She had her curly red hair tied up and hidden beneath a broad floppy hat and was wearing a green summer dress and a pashmina around her shoulders.
Abigail didn’t see him because she was looking at her sandals as they were shuffling and scuffing down the lane, if she had seen him her heart would have raced, but she just ambled along and she almost walked into him.
“Oh hello Mark” she said when she finally looked up
He really liked Abigail, he had got to know her during his years of recuperation, and she had been very kind in providing assistance to his family, respite care, parochial support and pastoral care.
They were similar ages, and got on very well, but despite that in many ways they were chalk and cheese.
Abigail was a very confident young woman, in fact she was ultra-confident and self-assured.
While he was shy, socially awkward and riddled with self-doubt especially around the opposite sex.
For ten years his only contact with woman were nurses and doctors so he was completely inexperienced in their regard.
She was also pretty which made him even more conscious of his own inadequacies.
Although they had become good friends, Abigail was the driving force in their friendship, she was bold and bubbly and pushed him along which made him feel more confident, and she gave him the daring to do things he would never have done on his own.
And he would have been perfectly happy living life on her coat tails because without her he would founder.
The problem was he had absolutely no idea how to move thing along however or even if she would want him to.
“Hi Abigail” he responded
“So what have you been up to?” she enquired
“Just walking” he replied “What about you?”
“I’ve been to a BBQ at aunt Sian’s” she answered, “I left early because I caught the sun a bit”
She lifted the pashmina off her shoulder so he could see.
“Oooh” he said “is it sore?”
“A little”
“Have you put something on it?” he asked and Abigail shook her head
“That’s going to burn if you don’t,” he told her
“Well come to the vicarage then and you can do it for me”
“Ok” he replied cheerfully “You have the wrong complexion for sitting in the sun”
“I know”
“You need to be careful with your lovely pale skin” he added and blushed when he realized he had said it out loud.
They went inside the house and she removed her floppy hat and said
“Make yourself at home I’ll just get the after sun”
(Part 02)
It was about ten minutes later when she returned and the pashmina had gone and she had untied her hair glorious red mane.
“Where would you like me?” she asked
“In my arms” he replied in his head, but out loud he said
“On a dining chair I think”
Mark stood behind it as Abigail sat on the chair and let the straps fall off her shoulders so he had access to all the affected area.
The sunburn was nowhere near as bad as it first looked but he didn’t tell her that because he wanted to touch her, he longed to touch her, he just hoped he could prevent his hands from shaking while he did it.
“This might hurt a little, but let me know if you want me to stop” he said
“Ok” she answered meekly.
Mark squirted some cream on her back and began to gently rub in the lotion.
“How does that feel?” he asked
“Oooh lovely” Abigail replied as she thought the lotion was cool on her skin but as he rubbed it in it made her feel hot and her imagination went into overdrive so after a few minutes she turned and looked up at him with pleading eyes, but although he made eye contact with her he was clueless what to do next.
Abigail realized in that instance that he was not going to act so she grabbed his wrists and pulled him down towards her so that his mouth was in range and she kissed his mouth.
“At last” she thought and after a few moments she suddenly leapt up out of the chair so she could get a proper hold on him.
The kiss became frenzied and haphazard as their hands explored and caressed until Abigail took hold of his hand and said through hot panting lips
“Come to bed”
“What? No” he retorted
“Make love to me Mark” she implored
“But what about the vicar?” he asked still holding her hand
“Make love to me” She repeated as she pulled him towards the door “He won’t be back until late”
“But…” he began
“Shush I want you to take me to bed and make love to me”
“Ok,” he said meekly
“Come on then,” she said forcefully and Abigail led him by the hand all the way upstairs and into her bedroom.
She walked to the other side of the room and drew the curtains and then standing with her back to him she quickly divested herself of her dress and scrambled under the covers.
From where she then removed her pants and dropped them on the floor and then her eyes peered at him over the top of the duvet as he did the same and then as he slipped under the duvet she cuddled up close to him.
“I’ve never done this before” she said
“What in the vicarage you mean?”
“No, I’ve never done “this” before” she said quietly “I’ve never done “it””
Abigail suddenly looked quite childlike and unsure, the complete opposite of her normal demeanour, he assumed because she was so ultra-confident and self-assured that she was experienced, in all the ways that he was not.
“Nor have I” he said and laughed
“Really?” Abigail said “I’m so glad”
“You don’t mind?” Mark asked
“No, it makes this extra special” she replied “and you won’t notice how rubbish I am”
“Nor me” he remarked
“I think it will be perfect” she whispered
“You’re perfect” he responded and kissed her lips softly.
As they lay entwined together beneath the covers on a hot June afternoon they were feeling very pleased with themselves as they basked in the afterglow of the their first time.
Although they didn’t know it at the time what they had just experience wouldn’t even make it to the best one hundred times in the not to distant future but on that afternoon they were very happy.
Downshire is a relatively small English county but like a pocket battleship it packs a lot in, a short but beautiful coastline, a channel port, the Ancient forests of Dancingdean and Pepperstock, the craggy ridges and manmade lakes of the Pepperstock Hills National Park, the rolling hills of the Downshire Downs, the beautiful Finchbottom Vale and farm land as far as the eye can see from the Trotwood’s and the Grace’s in the south to the home of the Downshire Light infantry, Nettlefield, and their affluent neighbour’s, Roespring and Tipton in the north and our story begins in the affluent village of Roespring.
As part of his recuperation Mark Adams took an extended walk around his neighbourhood in Roespring and after about forty minutes he began to tire so he headed towards home.
He had been in and out of hospital for the previous ten years following a bad car accident just after his 15th birthday.
As he got close to home he turned into Bridge Farm lane which led past the back of St Catherine’s Church and that was when he met Abigail Evans coming the other way and his heart fluttered because he was in love with her.
She was the verger at St Catherine’s where her Uncle, James Hall, was the vicar.
She had her curly red hair tied up and hidden beneath a broad floppy hat and was wearing a green summer dress and a pashmina around her shoulders.
Abigail didn’t see him because she was looking at her sandals as they were shuffling and scuffing down the lane, if she had seen him her heart would have raced, but she just ambled along and she almost walked into him.
“Oh hello Mark” she said when she finally looked up
He really liked Abigail, he had got to know her during his years of recuperation, and she had been very kind in providing assistance to his family, respite care, parochial support and pastoral care.
They were similar ages, and got on very well, but despite that in many ways they were chalk and cheese.
Abigail was a very confident young woman, in fact she was ultra-confident and self-assured.
While he was shy, socially awkward and riddled with self-doubt especially around the opposite sex.
For ten years his only contact with woman were nurses and doctors so he was completely inexperienced in their regard.
She was also pretty which made him even more conscious of his own inadequacies.
Although they had become good friends, Abigail was the driving force in their friendship, she was bold and bubbly and pushed him along which made him feel more confident, and she gave him the daring to do things he would never have done on his own.
And he would have been perfectly happy living life on her coat tails because without her he would founder.
The problem was he had absolutely no idea how to move thing along however or even if she would want him to.
“Hi Abigail” he responded
“So what have you been up to?” she enquired
“Just walking” he replied “What about you?”
“I’ve been to a BBQ at aunt Sian’s” she answered, “I left early because I caught the sun a bit”
She lifted the pashmina off her shoulder so he could see.
“Oooh” he said “is it sore?”
“A little”
“Have you put something on it?” he asked and Abigail shook her head
“That’s going to burn if you don’t,” he told her
“Well come to the vicarage then and you can do it for me”
“Ok” he replied cheerfully “You have the wrong complexion for sitting in the sun”
“I know”
“You need to be careful with your lovely pale skin” he added and blushed when he realized he had said it out loud.
They went inside the house and she removed her floppy hat and said
“Make yourself at home I’ll just get the after sun”
(Part 02)
It was about ten minutes later when she returned and the pashmina had gone and she had untied her hair glorious red mane.
“Where would you like me?” she asked
“In my arms” he replied in his head, but out loud he said
“On a dining chair I think”
Mark stood behind it as Abigail sat on the chair and let the straps fall off her shoulders so he had access to all the affected area.
The sunburn was nowhere near as bad as it first looked but he didn’t tell her that because he wanted to touch her, he longed to touch her, he just hoped he could prevent his hands from shaking while he did it.
“This might hurt a little, but let me know if you want me to stop” he said
“Ok” she answered meekly.
Mark squirted some cream on her back and began to gently rub in the lotion.
“How does that feel?” he asked
“Oooh lovely” Abigail replied as she thought the lotion was cool on her skin but as he rubbed it in it made her feel hot and her imagination went into overdrive so after a few minutes she turned and looked up at him with pleading eyes, but although he made eye contact with her he was clueless what to do next.
Abigail realized in that instance that he was not going to act so she grabbed his wrists and pulled him down towards her so that his mouth was in range and she kissed his mouth.
“At last” she thought and after a few moments she suddenly leapt up out of the chair so she could get a proper hold on him.
The kiss became frenzied and haphazard as their hands explored and caressed until Abigail took hold of his hand and said through hot panting lips
“Come to bed”
“What? No” he retorted
“Make love to me Mark” she implored
“But what about the vicar?” he asked still holding her hand
“Make love to me” She repeated as she pulled him towards the door “He won’t be back until late”
“But…” he began
“Shush I want you to take me to bed and make love to me”
“Ok,” he said meekly
“Come on then,” she said forcefully and Abigail led him by the hand all the way upstairs and into her bedroom.
She walked to the other side of the room and drew the curtains and then standing with her back to him she quickly divested herself of her dress and scrambled under the covers.
From where she then removed her pants and dropped them on the floor and then her eyes peered at him over the top of the duvet as he did the same and then as he slipped under the duvet she cuddled up close to him.
“I’ve never done this before” she said
“What in the vicarage you mean?”
“No, I’ve never done “this” before” she said quietly “I’ve never done “it””
Abigail suddenly looked quite childlike and unsure, the complete opposite of her normal demeanour, he assumed because she was so ultra-confident and self-assured that she was experienced, in all the ways that he was not.
“Nor have I” he said and laughed
“Really?” Abigail said “I’m so glad”
“You don’t mind?” Mark asked
“No, it makes this extra special” she replied “and you won’t notice how rubbish I am”
“Nor me” he remarked
“I think it will be perfect” she whispered
“You’re perfect” he responded and kissed her lips softly.
As they lay entwined together beneath the covers on a hot June afternoon they were feeling very pleased with themselves as they basked in the afterglow of the their first time.
Although they didn’t know it at the time what they had just experience wouldn’t even make it to the best one hundred times in the not to distant future but on that afternoon they were very happy.
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