I LIVED IN A CHASM OF EMPTINESS

 

I lived in a chasm of emptiness

A dark void of loneliness

Cold and emotionless

Without purpose or direction

A soulless vessel

Until that blessed moment

When you blew into my heart

Your divine wind

And I was full of love

The Clerembeax Palace Hotel and Spa – The Screamer - Chelsea

 

The beautiful Downshire village of Clerembeax St Giles is situated to the west of Abbeyvale, located between Grace Hill and Bushy Down, and on the outskirts was the Clerembeax Palace Hotel and Spa.

It was once the home The Clerembeax’s, who arrived in Downshire following the Norman conquests and stayed for a thousand years before the name died out following the death of the reclusive Marcus Clerembeax at the age of 96.

The current owner was Yvonne Labuschagne, who decided to open it as a Hotel and Spa and she and her handpicked staff had made a great success of it, and they had a varied clientele who frequented the Hotel for a variety of reasons, but all of them expected a high degree of service.

So the staff were always on hand to deal with whatever needs the guests might require, whatever the hour, and among the night duty staff were Night Manager Chelsea Winfield and her assistant Charlie Wadsworth and one Saturday evening they were called to a room after loud and persistent screams were reported coming from one of the premium suites, and as they reached the door they were greeted by a single long loud scream followed by total silence.

So Chelsea urgently began knocking on the door and got no response, so she knocked again, and again got no answer, so she knocked a third time and almost immediately the door opened and a sweaty woman in a dressing gown opened it.

“Is everything alright madam?” Chelsea asked with concern

“Oh God yes” the woman answered, a little wobbly on her feet.

“Somebody reported hearing screaming coming from your room” Chelsea pointed out

“Yes sorry, that was me” the woman said coyly

“We were…and I um…you know…rather loudly”

So, Chelsea’s suspicions were confirmed, and the sweaty woman blushed.

“Ah I see” Chelsea said, “ok I understand, but perhaps you could try to keep the noise down”

“We will, I will” the woman said and closed the door

“What was that all about?” Charlie asked

“The lucky cow was orgasming” Chelsea replied jealously

“Bitch” Charlie retorted

 

After they left the lucky guest Charlie went off and found satisfaction of her own and Chelsea found that the incident with the screamer had left her uncomfortably aroused and she spent the next hour sitting at her desk getting hornier and hornier, and that was despite the fact she had tried to distract herself with mundane paperwork however it merely delayed the inevitable.

So, in the end she was forced to pick up the phone and call her sex buddy Sebastian Chapman, who was the Senior Night Staff Manager at the Hotel.

“Yes” he replied

“It’s Chelsea, something urgent has come up”

“Ok I’ll come down”

“No, it’s ok I’ll come to you” she replied and hung up and before she left the office she removed her bra, without the necessity of removing her top, and then slipped off her tights and knickers and stuffed them in her desk draw, she then proceeded quickly to Sebastian’s room.

 

Chelsea Winfield was 26 years old and divorced from a violent alcoholic but despite that she was an upbeat person, she was five foot eight with long platted blonde hair, mesmerizing green eyes.

She also had a very decent figure, with a pert derriere, disproportionately large breasts, and stellar legs.

Seb answered the door in his dressing gown and Chelsea walked in.

“So, what’s so all fired important?” he asked

“Somethings come up” she said

“What?” Seb asked

“You I hope” she replied and put her hand inside his dressing gown

“I thought it might be something like that” he retorted

 

After she had extracted every ounce of pleasure from him and she’d screamed out in orgasm, she left Seb in a heap on the bed and redressed and said

“Thanks for the input boss”

“Night Chelsea”

When she got back downstairs wearing a smug expression and no underwear, she was told that there had been several complaints about a woman screaming. 

“Ok I’ll investigate it” she said and smiled smugly

Snippets of Downshire Life – Shrovetide – Egg Saturday

Highfinch which nestled on the edge of the Pepperstock Hills where the Lily Green Hollows Golf Club separated the village from the Hamlet of Lily Green, which made up the parish of St Martins Church and between Lily Green and the sleepy hamlet of Kingfisherbridge was where Daniel Mason lived with his divorcee sister Karen and his niece Melinda.

He was a pig man and worked up at Orchard Farm in the wooded Pepperstock Hills and everyday he walked up from Kingfisherbridge and along the lane the farm shared with the neighbouring Russet Hill Farm.

He was a single man, now in his early thirties, who loved his job, but on this occasion, as he walked up the lane, he was not going to work because it was his day off, and as it was a bright morning he had grabbed a backpack and set off for a walk in the Pepperstock Hills in the early sunshine.

 

It was the first day of Shrovetide, known as Egg Saturday, which would prove to be ironic as the day progressed, sometimes called egg feast day, which would also retrospectively drip with irony.

At the end of the lane there was a gate left and right and a path through the woods straight ahead.

As he got halfway down the lane he happened upon another walker heading for the lane from the direction of Russet Hill Farm.

She wore stout walking shoes, dark green combat trousers, a drab shapeless sweater and a khaki jerkin.

Her brown hair was tied in a bun beneath a Rutland county cap, and as she didn’t wear a scrap of makeup she looked about forty.

By the time he reached the gate she was just climbing over it

 “Morning” he said

“Yes morning” she replied in a voice much younger than her appearance which was accompanied by a nervous smile.

Once she was over the gate she set off up the path at an impressive pace and was very sure footed as she strode off ahead of him.

 

The walker was Meredith Upshaw and the Upshaw’s had farmed up at the Russet Hill since God was a boy.

It was a large sprawling farm, which had at its center a large farmhouse, parts of which dated back more than a century.

It had been added to over the years to accommodate the growing Upshaw clan until it was now comprised of six upstairs bedrooms and an equal number of rooms on the ground floor, and there were a number of sheds, barns, and assorted out buildings.

Meredith was the youngest of four children and the only one not yet espoused and because the whole family lived in the farmhouse she chose to live in the farm cottage.

The farm had changed a lot over the time the Upshaw’s had been there, times changed and they had to change with them, now they kept a few sheep and goats on the farm but only for their own use because their main business was Free range chickens and the resulting free range eggs.

Although the birds were in enclosures they were of a considerable size and they were able to roam freely within them and forage in the grass around the fruit trees.

And that is relevant to the story because it was her brainchild, and she was the driving force behind the farms success.

But that success came at a cost, namely her personal life, but her single mindedness was only a part of the reason she lived alone.  

 

The path lead up through the wooded hills which formed the southern edge of The Pepperstock Hills National Park which stretched from the bare, and often barren crags of Oxley Ridge in the North to the dense wooded southern slopes on the fringe of the Finchbottom Vale and from Quarry Hill, and the Pits in the West to Pepperstock Bay in the East.

It is an area of stark contrasts and attracted a variety of visitors.

To the south and east was an extensive tract of magnificent mixed forestry and was rivaled only by the ancient woodland of the Dancingdean Forest but there were also a number of rocky outcrops amidst the trees.

The weather in the Park though could often be unpredictable, even when the day started with blue skies and sunshine, which could also spill over the southern edge, so it wasn’t really a surprise that by mid-morning the blue sky had been consumed by grey.

Daniel was on top of a ridge that afforded him a fantastic view looking south across the Finchbottom Vale.

He was sitting down with a sandwich in one hand and a drink in the other when he looked over his shoulder at the distant sky and he was familiar enough with the area to know that it was coming his way so he decided to make his way down the hill as quickly as possible.

He hadn’t even reached a quarter of the way down before the low cloud settled a thick drenching mist all around him.

Daniel had on suitable clothing for the weather but he had made the wrong choice of footwear and he was slipping on the damp stones with every other step and the fog had come down very quickly and was extremely thick in places, visibility was zero.

“It would be safer if you just sit it out” a soft voice said

“I’m sorry?” He said turning around and seeing the woman he’d seen earlier sitting on a large flat rock, under the shelter of a rocky outcrop.

“You should sit it out” she said

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea” he retorted

“Well this band of cloud is due to blow through in a couple of hours” she said confidently

“Is it?” He asked

“Yes, I checked the weather forecast before I left home this morning?” she said

“You mean you knew it was going to do this” he said gesturing with his hand “And you still came up here?”

“I like it up here” she replied defensively as he sat down next to her

“I’m Dan by the way, Daniel Mason” and offered his hand

“Meredith Upshaw” she responded “Merri”

“Ah! The egg lady?”

“Yes that’s me” she admitted

 

As they sat on a large flat rock in the fog, she rummaged in her backpack, which was filled with a wealth of useful stuff, as she liked to plan for every eventuality.

First she pulled out a thermos full of coffee which she put on the stone beside her and then a Tupperware box containing sandwiches.

“Would you like coffee?” she asked

“Yes please” he replied so she filled a cup and handed it to him, then she opened the plastic box and offered him a sandwich.

“Oh lovely, what’s in them?”

“Egg” she replied and there was a pause before they both laughed.

 

They sat happily under the rocky outcrop drinking coffee and eating egg sandwiches and talking about their respective farms.

However by about three in the afternoon a light breeze got up and started stirring the mist.

“Right on time” Merri said, looking at her watch, though she was a little disappointed, as she was rather enjoying the company

“Perhaps we should wait for another half an hour or so” Dan suggested, as he too was in no hurry to leave.

“Good idea” Merri agreed

 

By 4.15 they couldn’t really delay it any longer as watery sunshine was beginning to penetrate the mist so Dan began handing the remnants of their impromptu picnic to Merri which she packed neatly away in her backpack.

“Thank you” he said

“For what?” She asked

“For sharing your lunch” he said “and for your company”

“Oh, there’s no need to thank me” she responded and gave him a smile

“It would have been a very dull afternoon had you not happened along”

And Dan thought he detected a slight blush on her cheek.

 

It was as they walked back down the hill in the weak sunshine that he decided he should repay the favour, but as they chatted easily along the footpath he could not think of the words until they were approaching the gate where they had first met earlier in the day.

“As you were so generous to me today I was hoping you might allow me to repay the favour” he said

“There’s really no need” She relied, internally cursing herself for her not saying yes immediately

“Just dinner at the Blue Ribbon, in Highfinch” he persisted and this time she didn’t hesitate

“Ok, that would be nice, when did you have in mind?”

“Is tonight too soon?”

“Tonight is fine” she said smiling

 

They agreed to meet again that evening by the gate where they had first met and in the early evening spring sunshine she was transformed from the county farmer dressed in the outdoor leisure wear into a lovely butterfly, in a floral dress, who he would see every day that followed.

 

 

Snippets of Downshire Life – The Chinese New Year Party

 

Shallowfield sat on the southern edge of the Finchbottom Vale and was bordered on the other side by the Dancingdean forest and the town’s fortunes had always relied largely upon forestry and agriculture for its survival.

In the post war years with rationing and a shortage of work a lot of people moved away from the area and it only just survived and the community around Teardrop Lake fared even worse.

Only a few of the houses around the Lake were thriving, a lot of the houses had been rented out and those that hadn’t were in a poor state of repair, some to such an extent they were little more than ruins.

By the 70s however things were beginning to change, thanks mainly to tourism as a result of an increase in leisure time.

This trend was reflected by the fact that the previously derelict Shallowfield Lodge, which had been inherited by a young couple from Lincolnshire, Rob and Sheryl Brown, was being turned into a Hotel.

From then on Shallowfield went from strength to strength which was echoed by the fortunes of the Claremont Hotel.

It was once the home of a wealthy Downshire family but like so many similar great houses in the county it fell into disuse as the fortunes of the owners suffered after the Great War.

It had had many reincarnations since then, particularly in the years between the wars and had been used for many things over the post war years but it wasn’t until the 60s that it became The Claremont Hotel.

However things had got tough in the Hotel trade with the success of Travelodge, Premier Inn and Holiday Inn Express and so places like the Claremont needed to offer something extra to attract the guests.

So they took every opportunity that presented itself, and put on novelty weekends, one of which was a Murder Mystery weekend, which had proved very popular.

But in addition they put on functions, balls and parties for every occasion, such as the Chinese New Year which they had been doing every year for five years and like many of the Claremont’s parties it was fancy dress.

 

The party was in full swing when Liz Bebb arrived, she’d had to work late in Abbottsford so she arranged to meet her fiancé, Michael Schaub, at the party.

But a combination of bad luck and an awkward client she was even later than she’d anticipated and after stopping at home first to get into her costume she was very, very late.,

But she knew he wouldn’t be angry when he saw her in her costume because even she thought she looked gorgeous dressed as Red Riding Hood.

But despite how good she looked when Liz walked into the Claremont’s ballroom it appeared that she was not only late arriving but she was also too late to save her engagement as she found her fiancé Michael otherwise engaged in a very passionate kiss with her best friend Angela Buckland.

 

If Liz had been surprised by what greeted her in the Ballroom when Spiderman was kissing Marilyn Monroe, it was nothing compared to Spiderman’s surprise when Liz kicked him in his spidie testicles and there was definitely a look of surprise on Angela’s face a split second after Liz slapped it.

Leaving Michael doubled up on the floor unable to speak and Angela with a scarlet hand print on her face, Liz stormed out of the hall like a Celtic Goddess with her scarlet cloak and flaming red hair streaming behind her.

 

Liz left the ballroom at speed and rushed out through reception and went out through the front entrance like a heat seeking missile and shot straight down the steps and out into the car park without stopping and ran straight into Matt Wolff, who was a late arrival himself and was at that moment lost in thought as he walked the other way and after the collision they both ended up in a heap on the floor.

“Why don’t you look where you’re going you bloody idiot” she screamed, followed by a string of expletives.

Matt totally ignored Liz’s angry remarks and chose instead to consider, as he looked at the striking red head in the red cloak, what had upset her. 

“Are you ok?” he asked with concern and with an appraising eye.

She looked confused at first, because she had been very rude to him and he was being nice in return, and then she opened her mouth to launch another tirade of abuse at him but dissolved into tears instead.

Matt then took her in his arms and comforted her while she cried her pitiful tears as they sat in the darkness on the tarmac of the car park.

After five minutes or more he helped her to her feet and with his arm around her shoulder he said

“Come in side and get warm”

“Ok” she responded meekly as she continued to sob, and dribbled on his coat sleeve as he guided her.

 

Red Riding Hood and the Wolff sat in a quiet corner of the hotel bar warmed by brandy and the glow of kindred spirits, he listened intently as she spoke of her sadness and reason for her rage, and as he in turn spoke words of comfort to her in return, and their hearts became inexorably entwined.

 

The Clerembeax Palace Hotel and Spa – Night Management – Sebastian

 

The beautiful Downshire village of Clerembeax St Giles is situated to the west of Abbeyvale, located between Grace Hill and Bushy Down, and on the outskirts was the Clerembeax Palace Hotel and Spa.

It was once the home The Clerembeax’s, who arrived in Downshire following the Norman conquests and stayed for a thousand years before the name died out following the death of the reclusive Marcus Clerembeax at the age of 96.

The current owner was Yvonne Labuschagne, who decided to open it as a Hotel and Spa and she and her handpicked staff had made a great success of it, and they had a varied clientele who frequented the Hotel for a variety of reasons, but all of them expected a high degree of service.

So, the staff were always on hand to deal with whatever needs the guests might require, whatever the hour.

Sebastian Chapman was the Senior Night Manager, he also had a roving eye, but it wasn’t just the female members of staff or hotel guests that he considered fair game, there were also the local villagers

But it wasn’t just the female members of staff or hotel guests that he considered fair game, there were also the local villagers and although he was normally the predator, within the village he had become the prey.

Because for the lonely widows, desperate singles, even more desperate divorcees, and the bored house frau’s he was manna from heaven.

In the quiet of his office, in the wee small hours, he was burning the midnight oil, and was sat deep in thought, as he nursed a large brandy, of who he might slake his lustful thirst with.

One of his subordinates, Chelsea Winfield, who one of his frequent flyers, was on her day off, so he could chalk her off the list.

He drained his glass and decided he would visit the lounge on one final prowl for a likely candidate for his lust, and there she was sitting alone in an easy chair reading a book and when she looked up, she smiled at him and said

“Hello Sebastian”

And his mind went blank, clearly some woman he’d slept with at some time or other and the encounter was so unmemorable he had obviously forgotten her instantly.

So, he tried to picture her dressed in a different outfit, casual wear, uniform, bondage gear or work clothes and then it registered.

“Sarah McAuslan” he replied, not a woman he had slept with after all and then instantly forgotten she was a Solicitor from Purplemere who he tried to sleep with.

“Do you mind if I join you?” he asked.

“Not at all” she said, “please do” and gestured to the neighbouring chair.

“Can I get you a drink?” he asked

“Thank you, yes,” she said, and he signalled to the barman.

After he ordered the drinks, she said

“I heard on the grapevine you had been banished to the country, isn’t it a bit slow for a man of your propensities?”

“You would be surprised” he remarked

“Really?” she said “tell me more”

“A gentleman never kisses and tells” Sebastian pointed out

“Well you’re no gentleman so spill the beans”

So, over the next fifteen minutes he related to her some of his more interesting encounters.

“My word you have been a busy boy” she said and squirmed a little in her seat.

“And what about you?” he probed, and hoped he might probe further

“What do you mean?” she said innocently

“You are not after all without a reputation” he said ungallantly

“Well that’s true enough, though compared to you I’m an amateur” she said

“Come on out with it” he insisted, and she regaled him with the lurid tale of one of her clients who attended meetings in her office after hours and was advocating her senseless.

“Excellent” he said feeling aroused as he watched her fidgeting.

“Another drink?” he offered

“In my room perhaps” Sarah replied

“A Nightcap?” he asked

“Something like that” Sarah said “Providing that “Nightcap” is Hotel code for Night Manager shags slutty Solicitor”

“We at The Clerembeax Palace Hotel and Spa are here to please” Sebastian said

“So yes, a “Nightcap” is definitely what I want” she said and stood up and as she walked ahead of him, he said

“So, does this mean that we’ve done the foreplay?”

AS STREAKS OF GOLD APPEAR IN THE WESTERN SKY

 

As streaks of gold appear in the western sky

I look into her hypnotic green eyes and sigh

With her in my arms and romance in my heart,

As the sunset glowed, I vowed we’d never part

TOWARDS YOU MY LOVE

 

Towards you my love

My heart conveys me

Drawn towards your beauty

And your healing heart

The cherished moments

Of your tender embrace

Sustain me on my journey

Towards your open arms