A young love, a new love,
Fresh and in bud,
A heart racing-ly exciting
love,
Though uncertain,
A future undecided
Though exciting still
A breathless love,
full of longing
Eagerness and
anticipation
Needing to be together
Reluctance to part
Hand touching hand,
Heart touching heart,
A pulse racing love,
With hearts full of love,
Though heads full of
doubt
“Do they feel as I?”
“Am I a fool to
trust?”
Will their love last?
Will it blossom and
grow
Will it bear fruit?
Or will it wither on
the vine
Mornington-By-Mere is a small country village lying in the Finchbottom Vale nestled between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.
It is a quaint picturesque village, a proper chocolate box picturesque
idyll, with a Manor House, 12th Century Church, a Coaching Inn,
Windmills, an Old Forge, a Schoolhouse, a River and a Mere.
Corner House aptly stood on the corner of Purplemere Road and West Gate Road
in the part of Mornington Village known as Manorside.
There were a number of cottages and small houses on the Purplemere road
and Dulcets Lane, but Corner House was a large 8 bedroom Victorian monstrosity
which had at one time been the home of the master brewer of the Mornington
Brewery.
It was now the Corner Guest House run by affable landlady Kay Richardson
assisted by her children Paul 24 and Stephanie 23.
Paul Richardson was tall, almost
six foot six, and stick thin with mousy hair and big feet and what leisure time
he had, and there wasn’t much, was spent birdwatching, and that would have
remained the case had it not been for a serendipitous set of seemingly
unrelated circumstances.
It began as a normal
Monday at the guest house for Paul who along with his sister were cleaning the
vacated rooms.
Monday was normally
the worst day because the weekenders had checked out and the rooms needed
servicing before the Monday afternoon arrivals.
That Monday however they only had two rooms to do because the other three
were still occupied so they took a lot less time to do.
Consequently, he was in the hall when the phone rang.
“Corner guest house” he said
“Is that Paul?” the caller asked
“It is”
“Excellent I need to ask a favour” they said “it’s Peter Carter”
Peter Carter was a guest and it transpired that he had gone to have a
pint and a sandwich and after having several pints and two sandwiches he
realised he had left his wallet back in his room and the favour he was
referring to involved Paul collecting his wallet from his bedside table and
taking it to the pub.
Had it been a normal Monday he wouldn’t have had the time but on that
occasion as it was a lovely Sunny day, he was only too happy to oblige, a walk
in the autumn sunshine was just what the doctor ordered.
It was a different kind of a Monday at the Old Mill Inn as well because
although it was a Monday and the
restaurant was closed, instead of being eerily quiet, the kitchen was a hive of
activity because on that Monday two new trainee chefs had started work under
chef Lorraine Olson and she was putting them through their paces.
Even though Lorraine
had to forgo the only day off that she got a week she thought it would be worth
it in the long run.
As pleasantly sunny as the walk to the pub was for Paul it paled into
darkness compared to what he saw when he stepped into the pub at the precise
moment as Cally Wilson exited the kitchen and the trifecta was complete.
Cally Wilson was only
21 and when she walked into the bar and saw Paul Richardson her heart skipped a
beat and when their eyes met they were immediately smitten.
She stood six feet
tall with short curly auburn hair, and a very large bust, lovely eyes, and a
nice smile.
Paul just hovered in
the doorway staring at her while Cally who was quiet and reserved was trying to
summon the courage to go and say hello, but she was beaten to the punch when a
middle-aged man walked over to him instead.
She didn’t hear all
the conversation, but she did hear the middle-aged man say as they separated
“Thank you, Paul,”
“Paul” she said to
herself “I like that name”
However, as she
thought it, he turned around and went back out the door.
Fortunately for her
she was going that way because Cally’s mum had MS and she was just going to pop
home to check on her when she ran into Paul.
She rushed out the
door so she could see where he went but as she burst through the door she ran
straight into him.
“Oh, I’m sorry” she
said
“That’s ok I was
coming back in to ask you something” he said
“Me?” she asked with
surprise
“Yes”
“Ask away” Cally said
“Would you like to go
out sometime? The cinema maybe?” he asked
“Yes” she replied “I
would”
“Great” he said with
surprise “When?”
“How about tonight?” She
said and that was how it started with a trip to the Cinema in Finchbottom.
The relationship
blossomed over the following weeks despite the fact that they didn’t see each
other as often as they would have liked.
Cally worked long
hours at the restaurant as well as having to help with her mum and the only
regular day off she got was a Monday which was Paul’s busiest.
But with Christmas
fast approaching they were looking forward to spending more time together
Kay Richardson had worked very hard over the years running the Guest
House but to preserve her sanity she had always closed at Christmas so she and
her children could have a proper Christmas.
The last guests would check out on the 23rd and the earliest
check-in was 3 o’clock on the 27th.
Also, the Old Mill Inn restaurant would close on the afternoon of
Christmas Eve and would not reopen fully until the following Tuesday.
Cally was particularly
looking forward to spending some “private” time with Paul as he had been a
little backward in coming forward in the intimacy department.
And although Cally was
quiet and reserved, she was reaching the point that she would have to take
matters into her own hands.
She wasn’t sure how
she would achieve it but she had definitely lost patience waiting for him to
act so she had no alternative but to take decisive action herself.
It was as she and her
friend Tegan were walking to work on Christmas Eve that a plan formed in her
mind and a smile not dissimilar to a leer crossed her face.
Paul spent the early
part of the morning of Christmas Eve delivering Christmas gifts and cards to
friends and neighbours in the village, and when he had finished, he planned to
spend the rest of it alone at home listening to Christmas music and watching
schmaltzy movies on TV.
His mum and sister
were out for the day, the former had driven over to visit a friend in
Sharpington and the latter was spending the day with her best friend in Dulcet
St Mary.
So everything was
going according to plan.
On the afternoon of
Christmas Eve, the Old Mill Inn was still open but there weren’t many customers
left but those that were made enough noise for a crowd.
The kitchen was
cleaned down and pristine and Cally had just finished putting the clean cutlery
back in the trays in the dining room.
“Anything else you
want me to do?” she asked Lorraine
“No, you get off home
now” she replied and gave her a hug and kiss “Happy Christmas lovely”
“Happy Christmas” she
said in response and Lorraine went back into the kitchen.
Her friend Tegan, was small with
delicate features and bobbed strawberry blonde hair and was a foot shorter and
at least six stones lighter than Cally, was
stood up on a chair writing up Saturday’s menu.
“Oy what about me you ginger bint” she shouted
“I’m auburn” she shouted back and went over a picked Tegan off the chair
and got her in a bear hug.
“I give in, I give in”
she said laughing loudly
“Now give me a kiss”
demanded Cally
After exchanging
kisses Cally then deposited her back on the chair.
“Happy Christmas Cal”
she called as her friend walked away
“Happy Christmas” she
called over her shoulder.
As Paul was watching back-to-back
Christmas movies Cally spent the afternoon helping her mum with the
preparations for the big day, and then she got changed and set off to walk to
Paul’s through the fast settling snow and got there about seven o’clock.
When she arrived, she
was greeted with the news that Pauls mum and sister were unable to get back to
Mornington due to road closures because of the snow.
Paul had put the
presents underneath the tree that afternoon, so all evening almost from the
moment she arrived, she was like a child.
“Can I open a
present?” she asked him every ten minutes.
“Just one, please,
please, please”
She was getting on his
nerves to be honest, and she knew it, so she did it all the more.
She kept picking up
the presents, shaking them, squeezing them, and even listening to them.
Finally, he relented
and as he headed upstairs to the loo he said.
“We can open one
present each before we leave for midnight mass”
“Goody” she squealed
When he returned to
the lounge, he was expecting to find her waiting impatiently to open a present.
But instead, he found
her lying beneath the tree with wrapping paper loosely draped about her obviously
naked body.
“You go first” she
said and giggled
“I assume we’re not
going to midnight mass” he said
“We’ll if you’d rather
go to church than open a present we can” Cally suggested
Once he had un-wrapped
his present and thoroughly enjoyed its contents, they were too late for
midnight mass so they went to bed and went to Church on Christmas morning
instead.
At the Café underneath the great clock,
He sat waiting there
suited and booted
Perched on the edge of
his seat, restless
As he watched the
great clock hands moving
Slowly, as they ticked
off the minutes
His palms sweated and
his heart pounded
As he waited beneath
the great clock face
“What am I doing?” He
asked himself
“A blind date! what
was I thinking, madness”
He was too old for
blind dates, far too old
Why did he agree, what
would they talk about?
He wasn’t young, he
wasn’t cool, he was
More Wilson Philips
than Wilson Picket
But there she was, not
too young, and lovely
His mouth was dry and
he felt a bit faint
“I was terribly
nervous about tonight”
She said putting him
straight at his ease
As she slipped off her
coat effortlessly
With natural elegance
and easy grace.
As he took off his own
coat, he hit his arm
On the wall, bumped
into a woman,
And knocked over a
cruet, she laughed
At his discomfiture,
but not mockingly
And sympathetically she
bade him sit
There are four
Windmill Cottages in the village of Mornington-By-Mere and they are as quaintly
picturesque as the rest of the village.
They stand detached in
a neat row alongside the southern bank of the River Brooke situated between the
East Bridge and Church Hall.
The Chapman family
live in number 1 and Jo Williamson and her daughter Cassandra live next door at
number 2.
Alan Chapman was a 50-year-old
widowed Farm Labourer and was very highly regarded and as such he was never out
of work as a result and because of that he could easily pick and choose where
he worked.
As a consequence of
his outdoor life, he was a lean fit man with a full head of sandy hair and a
weathered complexion.
As a result of his children’s independent
existences Alan spent a lot of his leisure time on his own.
He wasn’t altogether happy with that but he
had been a widower for ten years, so he was getting used to it.
He was not an unsociable man however and was
well liked by those who knew him, and he got on well with his neighbour’s.
One of his neighbour’s was Josephine Williamson who he knew very well and had
wanted very much to have known her better for some time.
But what held him back
was that she was 8 years younger than him.
So he admired her from a distance, and
there was much to admire, she was five foot eight with luscious thick ginger
curls tumbling down onto her shoulders and mesmerizing green eyes, with a
lovely figure, curvaceous and perfectly proportioned.
Jo was a divorcee but
had raised her daughter single handed and had to stand on her own two feet, she
had managed to get a full-time job with one of the new firms up at Mornington
Field, Paige Turners and things were going well for her so she was happy-ish.
However, everything
changed on a Friday afternoon two weeks before Christmas when he opened the front door and found a rather tipsy Jo Williamson leaning against the doorframe.
“Alan darling” she slurred, “I am a damsel in distress”
Once inside she told him that she had been to the Paige Turners Christmas
lunch at the Old Mill Inn, and she had enjoyed it very much, but she was locked
out of her house and her daughter Caz had gone Christmas shopping in
Abbottsford for the day.
After having to pay a
visit to the loo she tottered into the
lounge, make up repaired, outfit perfect, and in one hand she held a sprig of
mistletoe.
“Look what I have found,” she said and as she reached him, she raised it
above her head.
So, he stood up to face her, puckered up and gave her a Christmas kiss
and as his lips touched hers her it was evident that it was a more intrusive
kind of Christmas kiss, she was interested in, which took him by surprise, but
it was a nice surprise, so in the spirit of the season and just to be
neighbourly he responded in kind.
But the greater
surprise came when they ended up making love in his bed.
Jo and Alan lay silently
in the afterglow in his bed and after a few minutes Jo turned her head to look
at him.
“My goodness that was
really powerful mistletoe” Jo said from beneath the duvet.
“It was that” he
agreed
“This isn’t quiet how
I envisaged the day going” she said
“Well, we Chapmans
take hospitality very seriously” he said
“I don’t make a habit
of this” she said
“Nor do I” Alan said
“And this isn’t something I envisaged happening either, but it’s something I
pictured in my dreams, often”
He reached out and put
his arm around her and she lay her head on his chest.
Holding the bubbly
redhead in his arms was something he had often imagined doing but he never
expected for a moment that it would actually happen.
But as if it wasn’t
enough of a surprise to have enjoyed some afternoon delight with the woman he
had admired from afar for so long, it transpired that she felt the same way
about him.
17th December
Almost a week had passed since they made love in his house and they had
barely spoken a word.
Though not out of guilt or regret it was merely the time of year and
they just couldn’t get a moment alone.
They did text, in fact the very next day he received one which read
“Merry Christmas Alan,
with love from a grateful Damsel in Distress” It should have been simple
enough to communicate as they were next door neighbours but it was complicated
by the fact they had family.
They both wanted to take it to the next level but they wanted to speak
to their children first and pre warn them.
He walked into the
village to do some shopping, and first he went to Normans General Store.
It was full of all the
usual trappings of the season, selection boxes, tinsel, wrapping paper and
cards but his eyes were immediately drawn to a large stack of magazines.
The Radio Times to be
precise, the bumper Christmas edition of the Radio Times.
He got a lot of stick
from his kids over it, because they thought it was a bit sad, but he really
looked forward to getting the Bumper Christmas Edition of the Radio Times,
(other TV Guides were available).
It is one of the
highlights of the season for him, and to make it even sadder, he bought two
copies.
After leaving Norman’s
he crossed to road and went to Legg’s Farm shop, then he crossed the road again
and went to Addison’s Bakers and finally Boddingtons to get some mince.
It was as he was
leaving the latter that he bumped into Jo coming the other way.
“Hello Alan” she said
“Hi Jo, you surprised
me” he said then she surprised him again by giving him a bear hug almost crushing
his Radio Times and kissed his cheek several times.
“I’ve missed you” she
whispered
“Likewise,” he
whispered back
“Are you going to The
Carol Concert on Saturday night?” She asked
“Yes, I am” he replied
“If you’re going as
well then perhaps, we could go together”
“That would be nice”
Jo said “I’ll see you on Saturday”
On Saturday Night the
Chapmans and the Williamson walked together the short distance to St Winifred’s
and even sat together and as it was a candlelit service Jo took the opportunity
to hold Alan’s hand in the semi darkness.
On Christmas Eve Alan rose early and took advantage of the fact the
house was empty to get the chores done.
His daughter Lorraine
didn’t live with him full time as she was a Nurse at the Winston Churchill
Hospital in Abbottsford and rather than commute back and forth, she shared a
flat with two other Nurses, Jane Hall, and Rosie Parsons who also lived in
Mornington and worked at the Churchill, she herself was working the night
shift and wouldn’t be home until Christmas Day.
His son James was a
Farm Labourer and worked at Windmill Farm and they were working in the morning and
then having
Christmas Dinner followed by drinks.
And Subhan was babysitting Hannah Hills kids all day.
He loaded the washing
machine and set the program to wash and then went upstairs and remade the beds
with fresh linen in preparation for Christmas, then he hoovered, dusted and
polished throughout the house.
His exceptionally
early start to the day enabled him to complete all his chores with ease by
lunchtime and after a long leisurely shower he made himself a sandwich.
Alan was just drying
his hands after washing up his lunch plate when there was a knock at the door.
When he opened it, he
found Jo Williamson on the other side of it, wearing a Christmas jumper and
wearing tinsel in her hair, holding a Christmas parcel.
“Happy Christmas” she
said beaming.
“Hey! Happy Christmas
hon” he responded, “come in”
“Ok” she said still
smiling broadly “but no funny business”
“No funny business” he
agreed, and Jo stepped inside.
“You didn’t have to
get me a gift,” he said to her as he took her coat.
“But it was a nice
thing to do, thank you”
As Jo sat down on the sofa,
he reached under the Christmas Tree and picked up a little gift bag and handed
it to her.
“Merry Christmas” he
said and sat down beside her.
But she seemed not to
notice the gift and took a deep breath and blurted out.
“I’ve told Caz about
us”
“Really?” he said
“She saw us holding
hands at the Carol Service” She explained “So I had to”
“Good” he said
“Then you’re not
angry?”
“No of course not” he said,
“What did she say?”
“She said that she was
thrilled for me” and tears were beginning to form in her eyes.
Alan put his arms
around her and said
“I told Jimmy last
night and he said it was about time”
“What about the
others?” she asked
“I spoke to Siobhan
before she went out this morning” Alan said
“And what did she
say?” Jo said urgently, knowing that she would be the most likely to be upset
by the news as she was only 7 when her mum died.
“Cool” he replied, and
she sighed
“So only Lorraine to
tell then”
“Yes, I’ll tell her
tomorrow” he said “But she’s been telling me for years I needed to find
someone, so she won’t be a problem”
“So, what do we do now?” she asked
“Well, I don’t know” he replied “but once I’ve spoken to Lorraine it
means you can kiss me anytime you want without the aid of mistletoe”
“Oh, I like the sound
of that” She said and gave him a big hug and an hour later they were snuggled
beneath the freshly laundered duvet.
“So much for no funny
business” he thought as she lay her head on his chest and sighed.
Beneath the clock, I waited expectantly
Awaiting my blind
date, a little nervously
He’s late but I don’t
mind, at least not yet,
No doubt he’ll have a
good reason, I bet.
He’s here at last and
only an hour late
A good-looking man so
worth the wait?
Clear blue eyes and
his smile is terrific
Oh, but his breath
could stop the traffic
Nobody’s perfect and
he has a kind face
And he’s booked at an
exclusive place
The restaurant looks
fine, very expensive,
Alas appearances were
definitely deceptive
The food was poor, and
service shambolic
His conversation dull
and monosyllabic
Drinking to excess and
slobbering food
His table manners
nothing short of rude
His drinking drove me
around the bend
I couldn’t wait for
the evening to end
The bill arrived and I
was asked to pay half
I replied flatly
“you’re having a laugh”
He leapt to his feet
exploding with fury
But fell backwards
into the shrubbery
I threw him a look of
contempt and disdain
Embarrassed, I left
saying “never again”
And “of course a blind date would go amiss,
I can’t believe I shaved my legs for this”
Mornington-By-Mere was
not just a quaint chocolate box English Village it was the beating heart of the
Finchbottom Vale.
And although the
village was the hub it was the surrounding farms and hamlets that were its life
blood.
One such Farm was
Mereside on the Southern side of the village.
The Hoddinott family
had farmed the land at Mereside Farm for five generation and with fair winds and following seas they would do so for the next five.
The head of the Hoddinott’s
was Clive, at least that was what his wife Suzanne allowed him think.
But they were in their
mid-fifties and were looking forward to be able to hand the reins’ on to their
offspring.
There were three
children the eldest was Robert Hoddinott 27 who they knew they could safely
rely on to take over the running of the farm to such an extent that the
handover would be seamless but they were less sure he would pass on the family
name, as he appeared to have no inclination in finding himself a wife.
The second child was
Amy who was 24 years old and had no interest whatsoever in becoming a farmer or
a farmer’s wife for that matter, not that she hated the farm or indeed farming
but she just loved her chosen path more which was teaching and she was a
Teacher at the village school, and the youngest was 21 year old April who
wasn’t a natural farmer but she had other strengths and she was recently
married to Calvin Chance and was carrying the first of the next generation of
farmers.
Aprils mother Suzanne
was surprised that she was the first to settle and if the truth be told she was
a little relieved because she feared her tomboy daughter would never find
someone.
On the farm there was
a two bedroom cottage that had been renovated earlier that year by April and
the man that became her husband and the cottage was advertised for holiday
lets.
The first guest took
up residence in the cottage at the beginning of May and following the initial
guest there were back to back bookings right through the summer.
It was quite fortuitous that there were a limited number of cottage lets
in the Mornington area.
So they had a little gold mine in the cottage, the Finchbottom Vale was a
very popular destination during the summer months as well as out of season, for
rambling, birding or fishing.
The village itself as well as the surrounding country side proved to be a
popular attraction.
Everyone on the farm had to do their bit and Amy was no exception, and
the kind of tasks she had to perform were far removed from her professional
life as a teacher but she never complained and although she would never admit
it to her parents or siblings she sometimes welcomed the time she spent working
on the farm to think.
One of the tasks which fell to Amy more often than not was the management
of the cottage, advertising, bookings and when necessary the housekeeping.
And it was when she
was cleaning the cottage after a two week long let to a newlywed couple that
Amy got her first pangs of regret at having no one special in her life, her
tomboy sister had manage to get herself a man, eventually, so why couldn’t she.
The cottage having
already brought April and Calvin together was destined to prove the catalyst of
other relationships when the cottage
worked its magic for the Hoddinott’s once again in October when the new tenant,
Mike Tooke, arrived at the farm
and he and Amy were simultaneously struck by cupid’s arrow.
He was there for a change of scene and instead he met a girl that changed
his life.
He was a few years older than Amy was with a rugged face and thick dark
curly hair.
He was a few inches over six feet, which Amy liked because she liked
tall, and he was big, not fat but solid, she liked well-made men as well because
they were big and cuddly.
He was only there for a couple of weeks and was by profession an LED
Lighting specialist and worked for the family business “Light and Day” along
with his older sister Maggie, and part of the reason he chose Mornington for his
sojourn was Mornington Field.
The lease was due to expire on one of their premises in Pepperstock so the
following year he was going to have to move his workshop and he wanted to know
if Mornington was a viable option for relocation.
He hadn’t bargained on falling in love but from the moment she kissed him
on the bank of the River Brooke they were bound for life.
The Hoddinott women all had the same look as Twenty four year old Amy and
her younger sister April, although three years apart, could easily have passed
for twins and their mum was just an older version of them.
Though they didn’t resemble their brother Robert in the slightest he was
his father’s son and they took after their mum.
They were smaller than their brother, leaner and wiry.
Like their mum they had the fine strawberry blonde hair that all of their
mums side of the family possessed, as well as her cool blue eyes.
The Hoddinott men on the other hand were cut from different cloth and
Clive was a great bear of a man in his mid-fifties
with curtly black hair that was greying at the temples and his son Robert was a
chip off the old block.
Roberts’s parents supposed that the reason he was still single and
unattached was that he was disinclined to
find himself a wife but nothing could have been farther from the truth.
He would have loved to
find someone and it was entirely untrue that he hadn’t been looking, he most
certainly had, he just hadn’t found anyone suitable.
Robert Hoddinott was a
farmer and he loved being a farmer and he never saw a time in his future when
he would cease to be a farmer.
Unfortunately it was
not a lifestyle that appealed to everyone and young girls, even from a rural
community were not always enamoured by farming or the prospect of being a
farmer’s wife.
The other problem was
even if he could find someone who didn’t mind farming they didn’t necessarily
fit his criteria.
He was wasn’t
interested in the lacy bits of fluffiness who spent more on their hair,
eyebrows and nails than he did on his car and the amount they spent on clothing
was shameful.
So that was the reason he was single was that he hadn’t found anyone to
fit the bill.
The Tooke’s company
“Light and Day manufactured and sold LED Lighting products in their many forms,
from Christmas Tree lights to Studio and Theatre spotlights.
Mike Tooke was not a
salesman or a marketer, the Tooke’s employed people to fill those roll’s Mike’s
love was converting older lighting products to LED and there was a healthy
profit in doing that.
His older sister Maggie was fast approaching 30 years of age and her role
in the business was as Finance Director and she was very good at it despite
having to get there the hard way.
When she was 19 and Mike was only 16 their parents died in a car accident
and she had to give up University to be guardian to her brother.
She threw all of her efforts into looking after Mike and ensuring the
business stayed on track, which involved the transition to LED, which was the future.
She had no family of her own or even had an enduring relationship because
although she wasn’t conscious of it she was waiting until Mike settled down
first, which she suspected would never happen so she concentrated on work.
But when he told her he had met someone while he was staying in
Mornington she couldn’t wait to meet her because when she spoke to him on the
phone all she got was Amy this and Amy that she had never known him so smitten.
As he was staying at the cottage for 2 weeks the plan was always for her
to drive down on Saturday morning of the middle weekend and stay with him until
Sunday.
Which after speaking with him on the phone she was looking forward to it even
more.
When Saturday came she set off straight after breakfast and drove through
the autumn mist and arrived at the farm just after ten o’clock.
She spotted her brothers car and parked next to it and got out but
couldn’t see the cottage so she took out her phone.
“Are you Mike’s sister?” a voice said
When she turned around there was an attractive middle-aged woman with
faded strawberry blonde hair leading a horse.
“I hope that’s not her” she thought to her self
“Yes I’m Maggie” she replied
“I thought so, you have the look of your brother” she said “I’m Suzanne
Hoddinott, Amy’s mum”
“Pleased to meet you” Maggie said
“The cottage is just through the trees” Suzanne said pointing the way.
“Thank you”
“No problem” She said “see you later”
Maggie was pleased that Suzanne had recognised Mike in her.
She was tall like him just a few inches shorter and she had the thick
dark curls, but beyond that he had rugged features and hers were a bit
indistinct but clearly there was enough of a likeness to be identified.
“Unless she thinks I look like a man” She said to herself “That’s a bit
worrying”
She reached the cottage and knocked on the door and a few moments later
it opened and Mike was standing there smiling broadly.
“Hello sis” he said and hugged her.
Amy had to go to
Abbottsford that morning with a friend of her’s who was getting married so she
was going to be gone most of the day so mike took Maggie up to Mornington Field
and discussed the possibilities of moving the workshop over there.
“It’s all down to
cost” she said “But I agree in principle”
“Good we have an
appointment with Victoria Johnson
Higham on Monday morning to look at plans and discuss rents”
“I didn’t bring any
business clothes with me” she said
“That’s ok the meeting
is in that hangar” Mike said “So its wellies and hard hats”
“Lovely” she said “any
other bombshells?”
“No I don’t think so”
he said “unless you count dinner with the Hoddinott’s tonight”
“Oh do we have to?” she pleaded “Can’t we just go and eat at a gastro
pub, just the two of us?”
“Yes we have to go” he said “What are you worried about? They’re really
nice people”
“I sure they are but…”
“And they might become our in-laws” he added
“Yes but…” she began “What do you mean in-laws?”
“You know, mother in law, father in law, brother in law”
“I know what in laws are, idiot boy” she said slapping his arm “Are you
that serious about Amy?”
“Yes I am” he confessed
“I am so pleased for you” she said and hugged him so tightly
“You haven’t even met
her yet”
“I met her mum this
morning” she said and giggled “and I thought that was her”
“You thought I’d
fallen in love with Mrs H?” he said and laughed until his sides hurt.
Mike and Maggie left
the cottage together, both wearing jeans and casual tops.
“Are you sure we don’t
need to dress up?” Maggie asked
“Of course not” Mike
replied
“You should have
warned me we were invited to dinner and I’d have had the chance to dress up a
bit”
“I understand you want
to look your best” Mike said “But don’t worry about it, they’re good people”
“I’m sure they are but
I’m wearing jeans” she added and as they approached the farmhouse Maggie was
dreading spending the evening with a bunch of strangers.
Mike had come
accustomed to using the kitchen door over the previous week but he knew the
kitchen would be chaotic at best so he gave that one a miss and went to the
front door instead.
When they reached it Mike
knocked lightly on the door and went straight in.
“Hello” he called
Mike had come
accustomed to using the kitchen door over the previous week but he knew the
kitchen would be chaotic at best so he gave that one a miss and went to the
front door instead.
When they reached it
Mike knocked lightly on the door and went straight in.
“Hello” he called
“Come in Mike” a voice
instructed
“Here we go” Maggie
thought “Smile through the pain”
Mike led the way down
the hall and Maggie followed.
“Hi everyone” he said
and Amy emerged from the kitchen and kissed Mike then he introduced Maggie to
her and she returned to the kitchen to help her mum and left him to complete
the introductions and last one was Robert.
“This is Rob….” Mike
began
“Oh hello!” she
interrupted “I’m Maggie”
During the meal,
Robert and Maggie monopolised each other and paid only passing interest in the
rest of conversation.
At the other end of
the table Mike was sitting between Amy and her mum and whispered
“I think Maggie is
smitten”
“I think it’s mutual”
Suzanne replied and smiled
“I haven’t seen him look like that since the
time we got the new cows”
“Did you just liken my sister to a cow?” Mike said and after thirty
seconds all three of them started laughing hysterically.
Desert was followed by
Coffee and liqueurs and the conversation got onto birthdays or to be more
precise Maggie’s up coming.
“It’s Mag’s birthday on
Wednesday” Mike said “A significant birthday no less”
“Oh really?” Robert
said “Which one?”
“The big three zero” Maggie
confessed
“Well don’t look at it that you’re going to be 30, think of it more as
turning twenty ten” Robert said and touched her hand and a look passed between
them.
“Well I think I know what my sister wants for her Birthday” Mike said
“Yes but how is she going to get her present if he is on the farm and
she’s in Pepperstock?” Amy asked
“I don’t know but I have never seen her so mesmerized” Mike replied
“Why don’t the four of you do something together tomorrow afternoon”
Suzanne suggested “Maybe that would give her a reason not to go home on Monday”
“We were going fishing?” Amy said
“You don’t fish” her mum pointed out “But Robert does, what about Maggie,
does she like to fish?”
“Not a bit” he replied
“We could just go for a walk along the river bank and up to the woods beyond
Hill Top Farm” Amy offered
“Well it’s better than nothing” her Mum agreed
“Well whatever we do,
we mustn’t let the embers cool” Mum said
“That’s very poetic
way of saying we have to play cupid mother” Amy said
“What can I say I have
hidden talents” she retorted
“Well that wasn’t so bad was it?” he said as they walked back to the
cottage.
“I admit it was much more enjoyable than I was expecting” she agreed
“And Robert?” he asked
“Oh yes he was very nice” she said and qualified her statement “For a
farmer”
Before the meal on
Saturday Night it wasn’t anyone’s intention to match-make it was just meant to
be a pleasant meal for everyone to get to know each other, the fact that she
and Robert were clearly attracted to each other was an unexpected bonus.
“So you didn’t think he was anything special then?” he asked
“He was pleasant enough” she replied coyly
“So you won’t want to go for a walk after lunch tomorrow with me, Amy and
the farmer?
“Well I wouldn’t want to be unsociable” Maggie said and grinned
Sunday morning and the Hoddinott’s, the Chances and the Tooke’s assembled
in the farmyard with the notable exception of Robert who was tending to another
sick cow with the vet.
Maggie got a bit panicky and was anxiously looking around when Suzanne
noticed her discomfort and announced to the crowd.
“Robert is with the vet and will follow us down shortly”
Inside St Winifred’s Maggie sat on the aisle and kept darting glances
over her shoulder like a fighter pilot in the Battle of Britain hoping to see
Robert appear which he did eventually halfway through the final hymn, but
instead of coming to sit beside her in the place she had saved for him he stood
at the back of the church until the service ended.
But when the service was over and they began filing out he walked up to
her immediately.
“Hello” he said and she inexplicably blushed and then they walked back up
to the farm together.
After lunch was done
and dusted Amy and Maggie helped Suzanne clear away and then they joined Robert
and Mike and the four of them went outside.
The Hoddinott’s
planned to show their guests the delights of the village and its environs.
When the walk began
the four of them exchanged small talk as they walked unhurriedly out through
the gate and onto Windmill Lane.
They continued down the lane when it bore to the right and continued
along it passing the four Windmill Cottages on the left with the Old East Mill
ahead of them.
The walk took them
along the familiar path Amy and Mike had taken down to the River the week
before but instead of turning left by the East Bridge they turned right to follow
the River upstream toward Shallowfield.
But no sooner had they
set foot on the river side path than the heavens opened.
Fortunately Scott
Collier and his girlfriend Chloe Addison were working inside the derelict
Windmill and happened to see the four of them out in the rain.
“Hey Robert! Over
here” Scott called
“Come in and shelter”
Chloe added
Once inside Robert did
the introductions and they took shelter from the rain for half an hour until it
eased a little and they took their chance to get back home before the next
deluge arrived.
As soon as they got
back to the farm Amy said
“Let’s go and dry off”
But Robert had
different ideas
“I’m going to check on
Juliet”
“Can I come too?”
Maggie asked
“Oh yes” he said
“Lovely”
Once inside the
farmhouse Amy’s mum said
“You didn’t get very
far then”
“No, only as far as
the Old East Mill” Amy replied shedding her coat
“Where are the other
two?” Suzanne asked
“They’re in the cow shed” Mike replied “checking on Juliet”
“What on earth did he take her in there for?” Suzanne said crossly
“I think he’s showing her the competition” Amy said and they all dissolved
into laughter.
On Monday Mike and
Maggie went up to Mornington Field
For their Meeting with
Victoria Johnson Higham and afterwards as they walked back to the farm he asked
“What do you think?”
“Well I think we’re
not going to get a better price per square foot anywhere” she said “I might
even work form here too”
“So you think we
should proceed?”
“Yes” she said
“Excellent” he said
“Do you want to grab lunch before you head off?”
“You can buy me lunch
by all means but I thought I might stay around for a few days” she said “at
least until after my birthday”
“Did you?”
“Yes I did, so as I
need a few things, like knickers and stuff why don’t we drive to Shallowfield
and have lunch there”
So that’s what they
did and as Robert and his Dad were away from the farm all day as they had taken
some calf’s to market she was in no hurry to get back.
So they had a long
leisurely lunch at the Woodcutters and then she left Mike sitting in the pub
while she went and bought some new underwear and a couple of tops.
On Tuesday Robert and
his Dad were again away from the farm as they were driving up to Millmoor in
the north of the county to pick up some second hand farm equipment.
So Maggie caught up
with some work back at the cottage and Mike spent the day fishing.
On Wednesday it was
Maggie’s 30th birthday so Mike booked a table for 8 at the Old Mill
Inn in the village, which was in part to thank the Hoddinott’s for the
hospitality as well as to celebrate his sisters 30th.
Because he had decided
to stay on in Mornington she had to spend most of the day working and skyping
her office.
Mike and Maggie walked
up to the farmhouse at 7.30 and knocked lightly on the door and went in.
“Hello!” he called and
just as they reached the lounge they were assailed with a hearty
“Happy Birthday”
Followed by kisses
from everyone with Robert being the last and after a tentative birthday kiss
the couple became acutely aware that everyone was watching them.
Mike and Maggie walked
up to the farmhouse at 7.30 and knocked lightly on the door and went in.
“Hello!” he called and
just as they reached the lounge they were assailed with a hearty
“Happy Birthday”
Followed by kisses
from everyone with Robert being the last and after a tentative birthday kiss
the couple became acutely aware that everyone was watching them and then Amy
emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray with a chilled bottle of Champagne in
a bucket and the wine glasses.
She set down the tray
and poured the wine and everyone wished Maggie a happy birthday again.
When they had polished
off the champagne they all got their coats on in preparation of the walk to the
village but they realised the birthday girl and Robert were missing.
“Where’s Robert?”
Suzanne asked
“I don’t know” April
replied “but Maggie’s gone as well”
“They’re in the cow shed” Amy informed them “I just saw them go in”
“Why on earth does he keep taking her in there?” His mum said “I really despair
of that boy”
“It’s alright I’ll go and get them” Mike said “then we need to get going”
Mike rushed across the yard and opened the cowshed door far enough for
him to squeeze in and he was about to call out to them but then he caught sight
of them in the throes of a very passionate birthday kiss.
“Are they coming?” Amy said from behind him.
“Shhsh” he whispered and then guided her through the door so she was
standing in front of him so she had a front row seat at the show.
“Wow” she said quietly “We did it”
“I don’t think we had anything to do with it” he said as they sneaked back
out through the door.
“Are they in there?” Suzanne asked
“Oh yes and they’re snogging” Amy said
“Hallelujah” she said and grabbed her husband’s arm “They’re snogging”
“As long as they’re not snogging the cows” Clive said and laughed
“Are you sure it wasn’t just a birthday kiss?” she asked
“Oh no it was very definitely a snog” Amy said
“Hello!” Mike shouted outside the door “Hello!”
“We’re in the cowshed” Robert shouted back
“Ok we’re heading off to the pub now” Mike said
“We’re nearly done here” Robert replied “Don’t wait, we’ll catch you up”
“Alright”
“It would appear there is more snogging to be done” Amy said
“That’s my boy” his dad, Clive said proudly
“If I’d realised all it took was the ambience of a cowshed I wouldn’t
have bothered booking the table and I
could have saved a fortune” Mike said as they walked along the lane at the rear
of the group
“Yes but there are
other rewards for your generosity” Amy said
“And what do you mean
by that” he said stopping and taking her in his arms
“Well it may not just
be the birthday girl who gets the present” she said and then they kissed
Suzanne glanced over
her shoulder at the kissing couple and said
“Oh look, isn’t that
lovely?”
“Then when she looked
ahead of them April and Calvin were also exchanging a kiss
“Look even they’re at
it now” she said
“Well if you can’t
beat them join them” her husband said and kissed her.
Anne stood on a still riverbank, peaceful,
In that silent and untroubled location
But she knew well that was the very last time
She would stand in that special place alone
A joining of hearts in the days to come
Meant her life would be forever altered.
But remembrances filled her young head
Of when her own council was all she had
But no more since he entered her life
A soul mate, kindred spirit and lover
A friend and yet so much more besides
The other half of her, found at long last
And with this new stranger reunited
They will share the love that is requited
