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 too such an extent they were little more than
ruins.
But 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.
In the early summer a new manager was
appointed, Matthew Millward, and he was an instant hit with the locals
because
he was young, tall, dark and handsome, physically fit, well-toned and had a
reputation as a fair minded guy, which had very much preceded him.
He was 28 years old and his father owned the Millward Manor chain of
hotels and he was grooming him to one day take over the reins of his worldwide
hotel empire, the problem was that Matt had no head for business and he felt
that he was more of an artistic soul.
Which could possibly have been ignored but for the fact that he had
broken off his engagement with the granddaughter of his father’s oldest friend.
However that in itself wasn’t what had him exiled, it was Elaine’s
attempted suicide, not that his action had caused her mental meltdown, it was
rather more her mental instability being the deciding factor that forced him to
end the engagement.
So it was decided to send Matt to the Claremont Hotel where he could do
no real harm until the dust settled.
When he first found out he was being sent
to Shallowfield, Matt was very unhappy, he was a city boy, born and bred, and
he viewed being sent to the country as purgatory, but no one was more surprised
than he was when he found that he actually loved it, it was a beautiful place,
it was quiet and the air was clean and he felt immediately at home.
When he first found out he was being sent
to Shallowfield Matt was very unhappy, he was a city boy, born and bred, and he
viewed being sent to the country as purgatory, but no one was more surprised
than he was when he found that he actually loved it, it was a beautiful place,
it was quiet and the air was clean and he felt immediately at home.
After the broken engagement and the
resulting fall out Matthew Millward decided that he would not under any
circumstances get himself romantically entangled while he was on punishment
duty.
But there is a very apt saying which goes “never on your
own doorstep” which he had clearly never heard because on his first day he fell
head over heels for the Hospitality Manager, Sarah Poole, although in his
defence the feeling was mutual.
Although apart from two very passionate
kisses, the first initiated by her and the second by him, and the fact they
were hopelessly in love with each other nothing else happened.
She was five foot eight with short red
hair, in a pixie cut, mesmerizing green eyes and a cute figure with curves in
all the right places and long slender legs.
Sarah was 26 years old and wasn’t looking
for a relationship either because she was married, albeit to an alcoholic who
hadn’t had shown her any marital attention for two years but she was still
married to him nonetheless.
Sarah had worked at the hotel for since she
left school, five years in housekeeping,
five more in hospitality, and for two of those as Manager and she loved her
job.
Despite the fact that Matthew was sent to the
Claremont as a punishment and possessed no head for business he surprised his
father as well as himself by doing a very acceptable job of managing the hotel
and had grown the corporate side of the business and it was becoming a very popular
venue for functions.
This was as a result in no small measure to his decision to promote the
former Hospitality Manager Sarah Poole.
This was after Martin Tyrer tendered his resignation, he had been a
loyal employee of the Millward Manor group for ten years and had been the
Assistant Manager at the Claremont for 5 of those and when the Manager’s
vacancy came up he believed he was a shoe in for the job.
So when Matthew Millward was parachuted in over his head it was just too
much for him to take.
It left Matthew in a very difficult position as he needed someone who
knew the place inside out and Sarah Poole was the only person that really
fitted the bill so he offered her the job.
Matthews father was particularly pleased with him, there had been no reported
mishaps and he had turned around the fortunes of the hotel, and so he invited
him up to Abbottsford for the weekend for a celebratory meal but as he was
conscious that his success was due more to Sarah Poole’s efforts than his own
he dragged her along as well.
The following weekend he went on his own, the meal was very good and
it was nice to see his parents but he didn’t stay the whole weekend as he was
missing the quiet of Claremont.
And in truth he was a little embarrassed taking all the credit for the
success at the Claremont plus he rather missed Sarah.
Matthew felt very pleased with himself for
persuading Sarah to take the assistant Managers job although it was for purely
selfish reasons.
Having Sarah as assistant manager, who was
not only hard working and diligent but could also handle the guests very well,
meant he could comfortably leave her in charge while he was doing what he did
best, letting other people get on with it.
On Saturday night after a lavish meal Matthew said goodbye to his
parents and drove back to Shallowfield and it was 4 am when he pulled up outside the hotel, and
he was surprised to see there were lights burning in his office so he decided
to investigate, and on looking through his office window he saw Sarah, was
asleep in his chair behind his desk.
Matthew smiled
and then turned and headed to the entrance and
when he reached his office door he could clearly see her sleeping behind his
desk.
Sarah Poole was five foot eight with long
shapely legs, but in his leather chair she looked quite small, almost
childlike, her head, with her pixie cut red hair was turned to the side and she
had an angelic look on her face.
It was a pretty face that he was very
familiar with, he saw it every day at work and every night in his dreams.
As she slept in his chair she was wearing a
turquoise green skirt, a rather creased white blouse and black opaque tights.
He tip toed in
and closed the door behind him then he sat on the corner of his desk and
watched her sleeping.
“Good morning” he
said as she opened her mesmerizing green eyes.
“What are you
doing here?” she said startled “I thought you were in Abbottsford”
“I was, I came
back early” he replied
“More to the
point, what are you doing here?”
“Kenny” she
replied, Kenny was her alcoholic husband.
“What’s he done
this time?” he asked
“He’s drunk” she
replied
“So what’s new”
he said ironically
“Nothing, but
this time he’s been hammered for ten days straight”
“You should leave
him” he said
“And go where?
And do what?” she snapped “He’s blown all our money on booze, there’s nothing
left for me to start again on my own”
“But he’s never
going to change” Matthew said
“I know” she
agreed resignedly
“So why don’t you
live in?” he asked
“I need something
more than a maid’s room” she said sinking back in the chair
“That wasn’t what
I had in mind” he said
“I don’t know
what you mean” she said with a confused expression on her face and then when
the confusion cleared she said “oh no I can’t share with you”
“God I wasn’t
suggesting that” he said with horror
“You don’t have
to sound quite so horrified” she said
“Sorry” he said
“but what I was suggesting was the Gate Lodge”
“Gate Lodge?” she
responded
“Yes it’s the
building down by the gate”
“I guessed that
much, what about it?” she asked
“Well apparently when Martin Tyrer was assistant manager he had the use
of the Lodge was part of his package” Matthew said
“No, Martin lived
in the village” she corrected him
“Out of choice”
he said “but he didn’t have to”
“Are you sure?”
she asked
“Yes I saw it in
his personnel file the other day” Matthew said
“What were you
looking at that for?” she asked
“I had to do a
reference” he replied
“Really?”
“Yes his file is
still on the desk somewhere” He said as he glanced over his shoulder and all of
a sudden she rose up from the chair and reached over and grabbed the file
marked “Private and confidential” and began reading it.
“You were telling
the truth” she said with surprise “So I can live there”
“Why would I
lie?” he asked affronted
“I thought you
were just being nice” she said as she leant over the desk rereading it
“That doesn’t
sound like me” he said
”No it doesn’t”
she agreed
“You cheeky cow”
he said and pinned her to the desk and tickled her mercilessly until she was
laughing so hard no sound was coming out of her so he stopped and let her
regain her breath.
He bent down and
kissed one cheek and caressed the other and said
“Go and get some
sleep, in one of the vacant rooms”
“Ok boss” she
purred
“And tomorrow get
housekeeping to prepare the lodge and then you can move in”
“Thank you
Matthew” she said and kissed him, but the kiss was more than gratitude
