In 1986, sisters Kay and Molly Webb’s parents were still living at Lakeside Villa on the southern side of the idyllic Teardrop Lake, although the girls spent most of their time in Abbottsford because both girls were nurses at the Winston Churchill Hospital.
Molly
was the older of the two by three years and twenty year old Kay was still only
a student.
Molly
Webb was 5ft 6 with shoulder length blond hair and was a popular nurse at the
Winston Churchill Hospital in Abbottsford and the general consensus among
doctors and nurses alike was that she was drop dead gorgeous, they also knew
all too well that she was aware of the fact and used it to her advantage.
Also
on the staff at the Churchill was another blond nurse, more timid and less
popular, who was her on/off boyfriend Patrick O’Neill.
When
they first met, Pat thought he had found the one, and fell instantly in love,
but for Molly it was different, she didn’t fall in love, she never had, for
Molly it was all about the sex.
The
other difference between them was that Patrick was monogamous, a one woman man,
he had always been that way, he had never strayed, he had never even been
interested in a another woman while he was in a relationship, and he was
straight, whereas Molly was cut from very different cloth and swung both ways
and as often as possible, and she loved men and women in equal measure.
But
even with Molly’s wandering eye her and Patrick always seemed to end up back
together, he for the love and Molly for the lust.
One
of her regular lapses to the other side was with her rich cousin Pauline Barker
who was a renowned philanderer who had a big house in the village of
Shallowfield, a mile or so from Teardrop Lake.
It
was a mutually gratifying relationship as Pauline put it about every bit as
much as Molly did and played the field for both teams.
Molly’s
parents were going to Tipton for a friend’s wedding so she suggested to Patrick
that a weekend away from Abbottsford would be a nice change of scenery which
could only help their relationship, but that wasn’t all that Molly had in mind
for herself.
She
proposed a surprise visit to her parent’s house on the pretence of using it as
a base for a weekend on the Lake, Patrick however saw through this ruse
immediately and refused to go.
“You
only want to go so you can sneak off at some time over the weekend to have
unnatural relations with Pauline” he said
“That’s
not the reason at all babe” Molly said, “The thought never crossed my mind,
honestly”
A
long protracted argument ensued and ended with Patrick saying
“You
have to promise you won’t have sex with Pauline, or I’m not coming”
“Ok
I promise” she lied
“Cross
you heart” Pat insisted
“What?”
Molly said “how old are you?”
“Just
do it” he said
“Alright”
she said and made the gesture “Cross my heart”
On the journey down from Abbottsford, Molly was in reflective mood as she mulled over in her mind the various scenarios that might lead to her getting what she wanted from her kissing cousin without Patrick finding out and those reflections made her tingle as she saw the sign for Shallowfield.
Shallowfield
lay on the southern edge of the Finchbottom Vale and Shallowfield’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, to Abbottsford, Abbeyvale and beyond and it
only barely 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 too such
an extent they were little more than ruins.
But
by the 70s things were beginning to change, thanks mainly to tourism and an
increase in leisure time.
More
importantly these people had money in their pockets.
This trend was reflected by the fact that the
derelict Shallowfield Lodge, which had been inherited by a young couple from
Lincolnshire, Rob and
Sheryl Brown, was turned into a hotel.
Its completion formerly marked the rebirth of
Teardrop Lake and by extension Shallowfield.
They
drove through Shallowfield and turned into the lane that passed the
Shallowfield Lodge Hotel and crossed the River Brooke as it flowed from the head of the lake
and on towards Shallowfield, Mornington and beyond, and then the Lake was
suddenly in front of them.
The lake was shaped like a teardrop, hence its
name, and surrounded by the ancient woodland of the Dancingdean Forest.
It wasn’t a huge body of water, just over two miles
long and almost a mile at its widest point.
But he thought it was simply beautiful and it had
remained relatively un-spoilt which was what made it so special.
The lake was surrounded by a perimeter road which
gave access to the 12 significant dwellings that surrounded the lake.
The
Webb’s lived at Lakeside Villa on the southern side of the lake.
When they got to the house it was in complete
darkness and there were no signs of life at all.
Molly had expected her sister to be
home as she had a few days leave, the reason for her absence on their arrival was
that at that precise moment she was a mile and a half away in a bus shelter crying
because her boyfriend had just dumped her.
Once they had unloaded the car Molly
made a drink and casually remarked that they go to the Woodcutters for a drink
and a huge row erupted as Patrick knew full well why she wanted to go there.
In the end he stormed out and went to
a different pub and tried to get drunk.
While he was there he decided that it
was time to put an end to their toxic relationship.
But by the time he returned to the
house after midnight he had decided to forgive her.
While Patrick was in the pub he decided that it was time to put an end to the toxic relationship with Molly Webb.
But by the time he returned to the
house after midnight he had decided to forgive her.
The house was in complete darkness so
he assumed Molly had already turned in and his first thought was to go and find
her but before he went upstairs he went into the lounge to take his shoes off.
But due to a combination of excessive alcohol, the long walk home, and a
ridiculous number of night shifts, which had clearly taken their toll on him,
when he sat down on the sofa he promptly fell asleep and woke up in the same
place 2 hours later.
When he did wake up he had a crick in
his neck so he decided he should find a more comfortable berth.
Because of the on/off nature of their
relationship he had never met her family and he had only been to the house on
two occasions before that night so he wasn’t really familiar with the layout.
He crept upstairs and opened the first
door he came to and looked inside and saw a sleeping figure lying beneath the
duvet so he undressed and slipped into bed, Molly was lying on her side with
her back to him so he cuddled up and spooned her.
“I’m sorry” he said
“Mmmmm” she murmured as he nuzzled
her neck and his hands began to explore the landscape of her body.
Which was when he realised he had his
hands all over the body of the wrong Miss Webb.
“Oh God, I’m so sorry”
Which was the precise moment that Kay
realised that the arms that were wrapped around her were not in her sensual
dream but were real flesh and blood arms attached to a real flesh and blood
naked body.
“Who the hell are you?” she screamed
and reached out and turned on the light and he could see that having more or
less guessed which room was Molly’s he had clearly got it wrong.
“Get out of my bed”
“I’m really sorry” he whimpered as he
scrambled out of bed
“I thought you were Molly”
“Well I’m not” she barked “in fact
I’m not like my sister in anyway, now get out”
“Sorry, sorry” he burbled as he
gathered together his clothes and skulked out the door and onto the landing
where he found Molly standing with her arms folded.
Molly didn’t speak at first, she just
looked at Patrick as he clutched his clothes to his midriff to cover his
embarrassment.
“What the hell have you been doing
with my sister?” she yelled
“Nothing” he said innocently “I just
went in the wrong room, I thought it was you”
“What?”
“I thought it was you,” he said in
his defence
“What do you mean you thought it was
me?” she said aghast
“You didn’t notice anything
different?”
“It wasn’t your usual perfume” he
replied
“Really?” she said inquisitively “You
didn’t notice I’d turned into a stick insect? You didn’t notice you weren’t
cuddled up to my hot figure?”
He was going to contest her latest
comments when he noticed Molly wasn’t in her night clothes, she was wearing
party clothes.
“Hold on a minute, where the hell
have you been?”
“Don’t change the subject” she
retorted
“You’ve been with your cousin” he
said with disgust “Despite everything you said you’ve been with Pauline”
“Oh do change the record Patrick”
Molly said dismissively and went towards her bedroom.
“You’ve been with your cousin” he said with disgust “Despite everything you said you’ve been with Pauline again”
“Oh do change the record Patrick”
Molly said dismissively and went towards her bedroom
“But that was the whole point of the
weekend wasn’t it?” he said going after her “Just so you could be with her”
Molly was in part correct in telling
him to change the record because it was a tune that had been played between
them with monotonous regularity and normally a huge row ensued and he would
ultimately admit he was in the wrong and apologise, but that night, or early morning
to be more precise, the camel’s back had been well and truly broken and he
stopped on the landing and began to redress.
“I’m done with you Molly” he said
“I’m putting an end to this toxic relationship once and for all”
“You’ll be back” she sneered
“Oh know I won’t” he countered as he
completed his dressing “And I’ll tell you something else, I’m glad I got into
your sisters bed instead of yours, because I discovered something”
“Oh yes? And what might that be?”
“I prefer your sister, she has a
smaller arse than you, she is prettier than you and she doesn’t smell like a
tart and although I haven’t had chance to find out yet she is doubtless a nicer
person than you” he detailed and then he left with a tirade of abuse following
him out the door.
Once he got outside he got in his car
and drove off, although he didn’t drive far as he was well over the limit so he
drove round to the other side of the lake and parked on the side of the
perimeter road and soon went to sleep.
It was just after 10 o’clock when he
woke up after having had an uncomfortable sleep.
After getting out and stretching his
legs he drove around the perimeter road until he had the entrance to Lakeside
Villa in sight and then he parked in the shadows.
He was parked up for about an hour
when he saw the cab approach and turn in to the drive and a few minutes later
it drove out again with Molly in the back.
“No prizes for guessing where you’re
going” he said bitterly, but in truth he felt nothing in regard to her and her
lesbian cousin which was a first for him.
Once the cab was well out of sight he
started the engine and drove up to the house.
Kay had been stood by her bedroom
door listening to the argument between Molly and Patrick, and rather enjoyed
it, she didn’t like her sister, she had the morals of an alley cat, and the
personality of a vamp, but as much as she was enjoying it she was about to get
back into bed and try and get back into the dream she had when Molly’s
boyfriend had his arms around her, when she heard him say.
“I prefer your sister”
That made her stop in her tracks and
listen some more.
Kay had been stood by her bedroom door listening to the argument between Molly and Patrick, and rather enjoyed it, she didn’t like her sister, she had the morals of an alley cat, and the personality of a vamp, but as much as she was enjoying it she was about to get back into bed and try and get back into the dream she had when Molly’s boyfriend had his arms around her, when she heard him say.
“I prefer your sister”
That made her stop in her tracks
“She has a smaller arse than you, she
is prettier than you and she doesn’t smell like a tart and although I haven’t
had chance to find out yet she is doubtless a nicer person than you”
She smiled with pride when she heard
that even if it wasn’t true and were only words said in anger.
It was nice to hear them nonetheless
and she was reminded of them again the next morning when she saw his car pull
up on the drive.
He knocked on the door and waited for
a few minutes before the door was opened by Kay.
“Oh it’s you” she said “You’ve just
missed her”
“I know I watched her leave” he said
“So why are you here?” she asked
suspiciously
“Well two reasons” he replied
“firstly I’d like to apologise again for what happened, I really didn’t mean to
get into your bed, it was a complete accident, I wouldn’t dream of doing
something like that on purpose, not of course that you’re not attractive enough
to have a man get into bed with you, But…”
“I think you need to stop talking”
she said and laughed “I understand perfectly, and I’m not offended by either
the incident or your apology”
“Great” he said with some relief
“So what was the other reason?” she
asked
“What?”
“You said you had two reasons for
being here” she pointed out
“Oh yes” he said “to collect my
things”
“So you’re not travelling back with
Molly tomorrow” Kay asked
“No we’re done” he said “I have
finally had enough”
“Come in then” she offered and stood
and held the door open for him
“I think there might be a third
reason for you being here”
“Oh what’s that?” he asked
“Well you could be here to see me of
course” she thought to herself but out loud she said
“A shower”
“Oh yes, sorry about that I slept in
the car” he admitted and grimaced
“Well why don’t you have a shower and
pack your bag and I’ll make us coffee” she suggested
“I wouldn’t want to impose”
“You won’t be” she insisted
“Well if you’re sure, that would be
lovely, thanks” he said
Half an hour later Patrick went
downstairs to the kitchen, showered and dressed in clean clothes, and found Kay
standing at the counter making a sandwich, and she turned to look at him as he
approached.
“That’s better” she said
“It feels better” he said “Thanks
again for your hospitality”
“No need for thanks” Kay responded
and then added “sit down and I’ll pour you a coffee”
Kay Webb and Patrick O’Neill sat at the kitchen table in Lakeside Villa and drank coffee and after about ten minutes of talking about Molly he decided to change the subject.
“Do you come home often?”
“Oh yes every chance I get, I love it
here” she replied
“When I’ve qualified I plan to work
as close to Teardrop Lake as I possibly can”
After about an hour of amiable
conversation, Kay regretfully said
“I’m afraid I have to go”
“Oh I’m sorry” Patrick exclaimed “I have
imposed on you too long”
“Not at all” Kay insisted “It’s just
that I have made plans to meet friends for a picnic up at the Folly”
There were two Folly’s in the Dancingdean Forest,
both in sight of the Lake, the first one was built in the 19th
century by the then local Nobleman, the Earl of Dancingdean, a vain and
self-important man, who had it built for himself, in the style of a Castle
Keep.
It was on top of a hill overlooking the lake and
when it was completed he had the surrounding Forest cleared so everyone for
miles around could see his standard flying from the turret.
The second one was erected by Ezekiel Cooper, who
lived on the opposite side of the Lake.
Which was apt because Ezekiel was opposite from the
Earl in almost every conceivable way, he was not of the nobility, he was not
born into privilege, he made his money in the cotton Mills of Lancashire.
And in response to the Earl’s construction he had
built a gaudy Folly of his own in the Victorian Gothic style and like his noble
adversary he had the surrounding Forest cleared so everyone around could see
his standard flying.
The Folly that Kay was picnicking at was
the former of the two.
“Well thanks again for the
hospitality” he said “it’s much appreciated”
“It was the least I could do after
last night’s entertainment” she said and giggled.
On the drive back to Abbottsford Patrick
was in reflective mood, the weekend hadn’t gone at all as he had expected, he
had arrived at the lake the night before with the intention of spending a
romantic weekend with Molly, but instead he had broken up with her, and to cap
it all he thought he had fallen for her sister.
Kay spent a very pleasant afternoon
up at the Dancingdean Folly with her friends and she related the goings on of
the night before and that morning.
When Kay returned to the house she
found Molly in the grip of a very violent temper and she turned on her sister.
“Has Patrick been back here?” she
yelled
“And good afternoon to you to sis”
Kay said and walked into the kitchen
“Never mind all that shit, have you
seen Patrick?” Molly shouted as she followed Kay
“Yes”
“When did you see him?” Molly barked
“This morning, just after you left”
she replied “And then he drove back to Abbottsford”
“What do you mean he drove back to
Abbottsford?” Molly asked in disbelief “How the hell am I supposed to get back
tomorrow?”
“He said you could catch a train” Kay
retorted
“Bastard” Molly said and Kay smiled
Patrick O’Neill had made the irrevocable decision that his on/off relationship with Molly Webb was well and truly off.
Although Patrick and Molly had
separate flats in the town they both had keys for each other’s.
So his first acts of his life without
Molly was to post the spare key to her flat through her letter box of her flat
and change the locks on his.
His next action was to get as far
away from her as was humanly possible when they were at work so he got himself
transferred to oncology and so by that action he had severed any connection to
Molly Webb.
Not that Molly wanted to see him, she
was furious with him for driving of and leaving her and forcing her to take the
train.
Had Patrick known it would have
amused him greatly, but in the weeks that followed their last weekend as a
couple the thoughts of Molly were few and far between as most of his mind was
occupied in recollections of Kay Webb.
When they chatted in the kitchen of
Lakeside Villa she mentioned in conversation which ward she worked on and it just
so happened that one of his best friends also worked on that same ward so he
was able to discreetly find out when she had a weekend off and Molly didn’t.
Safe in the knowledge that Kay had
returned to Teardrop Lake for the weekend he set off from his home in
Abbottsford bright and early on Saturday morning, however as he drove over to Shallowfield
he began to doubt if his attraction to her was genuine, or could it be a
rebound infatuation, or was it motivated by spite towards Molly.
And even if what he felt was the real
McCoy did she feel anything for him.
He almost stopped and turned around
at one point, but instead he shouted to himself
“For god’s sake pull yourself
together! If you don’t ask her you’ll never know so grow a pair and get on with
it”
He knew from speaking to his mate
that it was her first weekend off in a month so he was pretty sure it was the
first weekend she’d been home since they had last met.
He
still had no idea what he was going to say to her even as he drove through
Shallowfield and turned into the lane that passed the Shallowfield Lodge Hotel.
He
drove across the River Brooke as it
flowed from the head of the lake and on towards Shallowfield, Mornington and
beyond, and then the Lake was suddenly in front of him and he panicked.
He
thought about stopping at the Hotel for some Dutch courage but dismissed it almost
immediately as he wouldn’t then be able to drive home if his advances were rejected.
She
he stopped and gazed out across the water in order to derive some inspiration.
The lake was shaped like a teardrop, hence its
name, and surrounded by the ancient woodland of the Dancingdean Forest.
It wasn’t a huge body of water, just over two miles
long and almost a mile at its widest point.
But he thought it was simply beautiful and it had
remained relatively un-spoilt which was what made it so special.
The lake was surrounded by a perimeter road which
gave access to the 12 significant dwellings that surrounded the lake.
The
Webb’s lived at Lakeside Villa on the southern side of the lake and
to him that was the most significant of the 12, so he took a deep breath and
drove on.
He parked on the drive and walked to
the house still trying to assemble a coherent sentence in his head from the
jumble of words that were flying around.
He knocked on the door and waited for
a few minutes before the door was opened by a beaming Kay.
“I was hoping you’d come” she said
excitedly
“You were?” he asked in amazement
“Oh yes” she replied “I’ve made us a
picnic”
And that was that and from that
moment on they were a couple and were married the following year, they lived
together in Abbottsford but spent as much time as they possibly could by the
lake and eventually they lived fulltime in Lakeside Villa where they raised
three boys.
Her parents welcomed Patrick into the
family with open arms although Molly never spoke to either of them again.
