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 it’s in the Village
of Shallowfield where
our story takes place.
Shallowfield lay on
the southern edge of the Finchbottom Vale and Shallowfields 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.
Triplets, Dale, Manny and Paul Smith had just graduated from Abbottsford University and were spending the
summer with their uncle Julius, who was the Vicar of St Jude’s church in
Shallowfield, which was where they met the Nichols sisters.
They had been at their Uncles for less than a week when
they walked up to the village green to attend the Village summer Fête, but even though
they had only been there a few days they were not newcomers as they had spent
every holiday there for as long as they could remember and had made a lot of
friends among the younger members of the village population over the years.
The Fête was very well attended but despite not being strangers they didn’t really know many of the people in attendance but they thought
they would take a look, show willing at least, so they went on a few of the
side shows and drank a couple of pints in the beer tent and by late afternoon,
a combination of too much beer on an empty stomach and the heat of the sun had
left them all a little light headed so they decided to call it a day and headed
back across the field in the direction of the Vicarage.
But they only got about half way across the
field when they were two of the Nichols girls, Crissie and Sharlene and they turned in unison to see them tottering towards them across the
grass, shoes in hand and ever so slightly tipsy.
The twin girls were not only sisters, but
were also best friends, quite inseparable and Manny and Paul thought them very
gorgeous, and had been in love with them foe three years, but alas when they
fell for them the girls were only 15, even though they kept reminding them that
they were actually 15 and three quarters.
Sadly that three quarters was not going to
keep them off the sex offenders register if they did what red bloodied young
men of 18 might think of doing.
But they were both lovely girls and he
liked them a lot but they decided to keep them at arm’s length until they
turned 16, unfortunately another opportunity never presented itself in the
following three years so that seemed to be that, until that summer.
Crissie was the younger of the two by a few
minutes, five foot two red hair and pale complexion and cutely freckled while
Sharlene was an inch shorter with a strawberry blonde hair and alabaster skin.
They were both stunningly beautiful and
wearing low cut summer dresses they looked even more so.
They tottered up alongside them, each
taking an arm, Sharlene as always was flirting outrageously.
“Can we come back to the Vicarage Paul?”
Sharlene said
“Then we could have another drink”
“It’s not like we’re drunk or anything”
Crissie chipped in
“Can we?” Sharlene said again
“Please Manny?” Crissie added
“Ok” he said, “as long as you behave”
“What will you do if we don’t?” asked
Sharlene
“Will you spank us?” Crissie said and
giggled
“You’ll get us shot” Paul said
Being over six feet tall and being arm in
arm with the two girls gave them a height advantage of more than a foot,
affording them a wonderful view down the front of their low cut dresses, they
knew they shouldn’t have looked but even for good Christian boys it was
difficult to resist the temptation.
Dale who was the only one of the boys not
to have a gorgeous girl on his arm looked on and smiled as his brothers
struggled with the moral repercussions of ogling young girl’s breasts.
Being over six feet tall and being arm in
arm with the two girls gave them a height advantage of more than a foot,
affording them a wonderful view down the front of their low cut dresses, they
knew they shouldn’t have looked but even for good Christian boys it was
difficult to resist the temptation.
Dale who was the only one of the boys not
to have a gorgeous girl on his arm looked on and smiled as his brothers
struggled with the moral repercussions of ogling young girl’s breasts.
Sharlene saw Paul looking down her top and
giggled so he didn’t look away.
Then she compared she whispered to her
sister about what Manny was doing and she blushed scarlet but made no attempt
to prevent him from looking either.
When they reached the Vicarage Dale left
his brothers and the giggling flirts outside while he went inside to get the
drinks, which given the girls inebriation and his own light-headedness he
decided not to fuel the flames with more alcohol, so when he joined the others
on the patio, which was now in the shade and put a tray full of soft drinks on
the table which on reflection was the wisest thing to do despite protests from
the girls.
And then about ten minutes, Gail Nichols
emerged through the garden gate and she was also wearing a summer dress, she
was the older sister, and was the one that Dale had set his cap at, and thought
she was equally gorgeous to her siblings, a few inches taller with a rounder
curvier figure than her siblings, but for Dale she was perfection.
“Well no surprise to find Smith boys
surrounded by pretty girls” She said
“Is that why you’ve joined us?” Dale said
“I’m not one of the pretty girls” she said
coyly “I’ve just come to collect my sisters”
“But we’re having fun” Crissie protested
“I’m sure you sure but it’s time to go”
Gail said
“Do you want a drink?” Dale asked
“Yes please” Sharlene replied eagerly
“Me too” giggled Crissie
“I wasn’t asking you two, you’ve had
enough” Dale said “I was asking Gail”
“No thanks but another time when you’re not
surrounded by pretty girls” she replied “mum and dad are waiting”
“As I said before you’re one of them” he
said
“I’m not pretty,” she snorted
“No, you’re beautiful” he corrected her and
she turned her head away coyly.
He imagined her coy denial about being one
of the pretty girls was either false modesty or she was fishing for
compliments.
Just at that moment the back gate swung
open and Uncle Julius walked up the garden.
“Hello girls” he said jovially and there
followed five minutes of light hearted chattering and then the girls went on
their way.
The Smith boys watched them as the three
girls tottered down the lawn and when they reached the gate all three turned
and waved and Sharlene blew a kiss.
“They are sweet young things aren’t they?”
the Vicar said
“Yes Uncle” Dale agreed but to himself he
added “and I have a very sweet tooth”
For years he had fantasied about him and Gail and he looked forward to
when he could turn the fantasy into reality as it turned out he didn’t have to
wait too long, to his surprise it was the next day, that his fantasy was made
manifest.
The day after the Smith boys entertained
the Nichols sisters in the vicarage garden Manny and Paul went sailing up at
Teardrop Lake while Dale remained at the vicarage catching up on his reading.
But by the time they had finished on the
Lake for the day back at the Vicarage, Dale had put his book down for the day
and was kissing Gail Nichols for the first time which turned out to be the
first step on a life long journey.
But Dale wasn’t the only member of the
Smith family to have a penchant for a Nichols girl but it was a week later
before cupid hit the mark for a second time and Manny and Crissie became a
couple but there was still more to come that Summer because Paul had Sharlene
in his sights.
It was two weeks after Dale and Gail got
together and one week after Manny and Chrissie first kissed, when Paul woke up on Saturday morning with serious intent.
Dale and Manny were spending the day with
their respective girlfriends so he had decided he need to stake his claim on
Sharlene before someone else snapped her up.
As it was a nice day he left the Vicarage to
take a walk up to Teardrop Lake, and he chose that destination as he had heard
that Sharlene had been seen walking in that direction so he had to hurry before
she disappeared.
He followed the Lane that ran parallel to the
River Brooke as it flowed from the head of the lake and on towards Shallowfield and
beyond.
He headed
past the Shallowfield Lodge Hotel and then the lane joined the perimeter road
which circled the lake and after a moment’s thought he took the northern side.
Teardrop
Lake and the surrounding woodland was privately owned and divided into twelve
parcels, each with one significant dwelling on it although there were a number
of cottages dotted around the woods as well, some in use and some not.
It was
both idyllic and peaceful, there was little or no noise pollution and although
the lake was used there were no speed boats or jet skis, only rowing boats,
canoes, dinghies and skiffs.
Manny and
his brothers learned to sail on the Lake
But there was more to
Teardrop than the lake, there were two follies, a Watch tower, and Olwen’s
chapel as well as a waterfall, brooks, streams, a 16th Century
Bridge and lovers leap.
Unlike the eager
and self-confident Crissie Nichols, who had sought out Manny on the day of her
birthday when she saw him pass by, even though she was attending her aunts
wedding, her sister and best friend, Sharlene had not been able to do the same
thing which was why she was spending the day alone up at the Lake.
She was a bit sulky
because her sister were so happy since they had got their Smith boys but she
was beginning to think the whole summer holiday would pass before she got Paul,
if at all.
But little did she
know when she decided to go up to the Folly by the Lake for some private
sulking that the lovely Paul Smith would cross Sharlenes path.
There were
two Folly’s in the area around the Lake the first one was built in the early 19th
century by the local Nobleman, the Earl of Dancingdean who had it built for
himself, in the style of a Castle Keep, on top of a hill and then had the
surrounding Forest cleared so everyone around could see his standard flying
from the turret.
The second
was erected by Ezekiel Cooper who lived on the opposite side of the Lake and
was not of the nobility, 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.
Over the
intervening years however the forest had crept back to reclaim the hills and
only a small clearing was maintained around each of the structures.
Paul had just
started the climb up Northern Perimeter road and was just turning the corner
when he caught sight of Sharlene ahead of him.
She was
unmistakable, five foot one with strawberry blonde hair
and alabaster skin.
She had her
strawberry red hair tied up and was mostly hidden under a baseball cap.
She was shuffling and scuffing along the road
and Paul thought she looked lost and lonely without her sidekick Crissie.
Crissie was the outgoing bubbly girl and
Sharlene rather lived in her shadow.
Crissie was ultra-confident, self-assured and
pretty and she knew it.
Sharlene was shy, socially awkward and full
of self-doubt but she was every bit as pretty but had no idea of the fact.
Crissie was the driving force in their
relationship, bold and bubbly.
Being with her made Sharlene feel more
confident, daring to do things she would never do alone, living life on her
coat tails and without her sister, Sharlene clearly floundered.
Which was evidenced but the rather
pathetically forlorn creature who was ambling along ahead of him.
With his longer stride he would have closed
the gap on her in a matter of minutes had it not been for the Hodgson’s, a
middle aged couple who were friends with his Uncle who had emerged from the
woods with their dog and wanted to chat.
As much as he wanted to tell them he had more
important things to do than talk with them, he couldn’t so he responded to
their converse as he watched Sharlene disappear over the brow of the hill in
the distance.
Once the Hodgson’s had gone on their way he
set off up the road which climbed quite
steeply up the hill then eased down the other side briefly, then he trudged up
the next hill but there was no sign of Sharlene.
“Damn” he cursed
before pressing on but by the time he reached the top his legs were feeling it
a bit, so he took a breather and a drink, and thought about where she might
have gone, it was possible she had gone into one of the houses but then he
remembered her mentioning once how much she liked Lovers Leap, so that’s where
he headed next.
Lovers leap was a rocky outcrop
above the cliffs that were an extension of those that formed part of the
northern side of Teardrop Lake and formed the natural border between the
Teardrop estate and the Dancingdean Forest proper.
Lovers Leap was so called
because it was where desperate and broken hearted lovers would leap to their
deaths, although there was no evidence that anyone actually had, but it made a
good story.
By the time he reached Lovers Leap he was panting worse than an old man
and as he walked onto the rocky shelf that jutted out
above the cliffs shelf his heart sank because there was no one there.
Paul paused for a
drink and then he made the longer and gentler descent, thinking as he went, and
he thought she might have gone to
Dancingdean Folly instead.
The Folly
was built by the 8th Earl of Dancingdean who had it erected for
himself, in the style of a Castle Keep.
He was
always prone to delusions of Grandeur.
He had it
erected on top of a hill and then had the surrounding Forest cleared so
everyone for miles around could see his standard flying high from the turret.
The scene was very different almost two hundred years later as the
forest had begun encroaching on the cleared land.
Once Paul got close to
the Folly he noticed Sharlene sitting on a towel in a shaft of sunlight wearing
a bikini top and shorts so as he approached he
called out to her.
“Hi Sharlene” he said and she almost jumped
out of her skin
“Oh Hello” she said blushing as she tried to
catch her breath.
“Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said
“It’s ok, I was miles away” Sharlene said
“No Crissie today?” he asked, already knowing
she was out with Manny.
“No” she sighed “she’s gone to Sharpington
with your brother”
He thought she looked quite sad but hopefully
from this chance meeting he might put a smile on those pale lips and some
colour on her cheeks.
Sharlene was fresh faced and make up free and
he thought she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen.
“With your lovely pale skin you really need
to stay in the shadows” he said and she blushed at the compliment
“If you sit there like that you’ll burn,
suntan lotion would help, if you have some I could put it on for you”
“Yes please” she said eagerly “I have some in
my bag”
The sunlight was warm but her risk of burning
was nowhere near as high as he had made out, but he didn’t tell her that.
He knelt down on the blanket next to her and
perused her as she rummaged in her bag.
Sharlene had her head turned to one side and
was facing away from him as she searched for the lotion but when she had it she
turned to face him and at the precise moment their eyes met he gave her a kiss,
not much of a kiss, just a peck on the lips, but the moment lips touched lips
she pushed him onto his back and gave him a proper kiss.
“That’s better” Sharlene said and blushed and
giggled.
“Very
nice” he agreed “But I think we could use more practice to be sure”
“Oh definitely” She concurred and kissed him
again
So Sharlene and Paul spent the afternoon on a
blanket in the clearing by Dancingdean Folly where they practiced their kissing
and fell in love.
Five years after that momentous kiss Paul
married Sharlene Nichols and their love remained throughout their 40 year
marriage.
