The village of
Highfinch sits just on the edge of the Pepperstock Hills and the Lily Green
Hollows Golf Club separates the village from the Hamlet of Lily Green, and the
combination of those two and Kingfisherbridge made up the parish of St Martins.
Among the residents of
Highfinch was Cressida van Meeuwen, a
beautiful petite woman with shortish blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes.
She had a lovely shape
and her body was nicely toned and all in all she was in very good order for a
woman just about to turn forty.
She was a divorcee and
lived very comfortably in one of the big houses that backed onto the Lily Green
Hollows Golf course where she was raising her 8 year old twin girls Lisa and
Julie on her own.
Cressida was a classy
lady and thanks to her father’s legacy she could afford to live well so she was
always immaculately turned out.
She was also very
active in village life and among other things sat on the parish council.
Cressida had lived in
the village her whole live in fact she had lived in the same house all of her
life and she had no intention of living anywhere else, she was not one for
change, except in one way.
Since she had divorced
her husband she had been lonely, not because she missed him, he was often away
on business anyway and when he wasn’t he was in the members bar at the Golf
club supposedly in his capacity of club captain.
It was little things
that she missed, the warmth of another human being beside her, someone to hug
when she was feeling down and waking up on her own every morning was hard,
So as Cressie was fast
approaching her 40th birthday she had resolved to do something about it and
live up to the old adage “Life begins at 40” and she knew very well who she
wanted to live up to it with, Farron Sutherland.
Cressie really liked
him and so did the girls and she thought he liked her but she had flirted with
him for over a year to no effect so she wasn’t really sure.
Farron Sutherland was
a couple of years younger than Cressida, and was a stocky well-built man with
white blonde hair.
He was a craftsman, an
artisan, a bespoke Furniture maker, who lived and worked in Kingfisherbridge
and he did like her in fact he loved the very bones of her but that was the
easy part, because who wouldn’t love her, she was perfect, beautiful inside and
out.
So why would she look
twice at him, a tradesman.
She was his superior
in every conceivable way, she was a lady and he was tradesman, she was as
beauteous as the Venus de Milo and he was roughhewn.
She was the product of
an Oxbridge education while he was a comprehensive boy.
In fact the only thing
they were equal in was their faith and it was in the congregation of St
Martin’s church where he first laid eyes on her and he was besotted from the
that moment on.
Farron Sutherland had
admired Cressida van Meeuwen from afar for several years before he even really
knew her, there was something about her that shone through, but he did nothing
else than admire.
It was as a result of
their work within St Martin’s parish that he came to know her better and then
quite by chance they became part of the Friday Lunch club.
The Friday lunch club
evolved over time from a loose collection of members of the Lily Green Hollows
Golf Club.
It was a very
exclusive Golf Club with a large number of grand House’s in both Highfinch and
the hamlet of Lily Green backing on to it.
It was not widely
known but the Golf Club and all the plush dwelling’s attached to the course all
belonged to the Mornington Estate.
It came into their
ownership in the late 1980’s when a developer tried to buy it to create a
luxury housing estate, Gabriel’s father Valentine, who was the then Baron,
stepped in and saved it.
But because it was so
exclusive the membership fees were exorbitant, but they had to be because the
Golf Club and all the properties that surrounded it all had to pay their own
way.
Gabriel hated the fact
that the club was strictly for the rich but it was a necessary evil to preserve
it and protect it from the developers, however he made sure concessions were
made to those among the villagers who were felt to be worthy due to their
contributions to their fellow villagers and village life.
It was called the
Friday lunch club and it took place in the club lounge but in reality it could
take place on any day of the week.
The loose collection
of member’s was slowly whittled down over time leaving the core group of usual
suspects, Cressida and Farron of course, best friends Julia Thomas and Vicki Paulding,
Local dentist Jonathan Walters and TV presenter Nick Faulkner.
The lunch club would
normally be some permutation of the six but not exclusively and on the occasion
ahead of Cressie’s birthday her sister in law, Petra joined their number.
Other than the fact
that it was less than a week ahead of Cressie’s 40th it was a typical lunch
club with lots of wine consumed as they sat around and chattered about
everything and anything.
The conversation ebbed
and flowed and covered a multitude of topics in fact almost every topic
imaginable, except that is the elephant in the room, Cressida’s birthday but as
soon as Cressida got up and went to the loo Julia said urgently.
“Ok you lot, I need
help, as I haven’t got a clue what to get Cressie for her birthday.
Cressida’s 40th was
only a few days away and Julia didn’t have a clue what to get her.
“I need help too”
Vicki admitted but the next five minutes consisted of everyone else at the
table relating the nature of their gift.
“I’ve got her tickets
for England’s World Cup opener at Twickenham” Nick said
“I’ve got her a new
putter” said Jonathon
“And what about you
Petra” Nick asked
“A weekend Spa break
at the Dancingdean Spa Hotel” she replied
“And Farron?” Jonathon
enquired
“Something made of
wood obviously” he said and laughed
“Yes but what can we get?”
Vicki said snappily
“Well I happen to know
that she has her eye on something” Petra said enigmatically, but before she
could say anything Cressida returned.
It was a glorious day
at the very end of September, unseasonably warm and the type of day that
England was made for.
There was a big do on
at the Lily Green Hollows Golf Club to celebrate Cressida van Meeuwen’s 40th
birthday, Cressie was the club Captains ex-wife and she was a very popular
character, much more than he was, and a truly likeable person, as a result of
which most of the village were there and subsequently a good deal of alcohol
was consumed.
Farron Sutherland and
his apprentice Joe Frank both arrived late at
the party by a couple of hours as they’d been away for a couple of days
delivering and fitting a hand crafted rustic kitchen set to a client in
Millmoor and as a result they were obviously a good few drinks behind everyone
else so they headed straight for the bar and the first person they met was Petra van
Meeuwen who was turning more than a few heads dressed in a fabulous dress which
showed off her figure to great effect and as the guests, male and female alike,
passed by her they took their chance to
ogle her glorious body at close quarters, and not least by Joe.
She was five foot
eight with short bobbed brown hair, he’d always liked a brunette, sparkling
hazel eyes and a lovely figure suitably proportioned and all underpinned, by stunning
legs.
And none of those
details had gone unnoticed by Joe.
As she was acting as
hostess for Cressida she was in the bar galvanizing a posse of girls dressed in
uniforms of short black skirts and crisp white blouses, making sure everyone
got well oiled.
“Hello strangers” She
said smiling broadly
“I was beginning to
think you two weren’t coming”
“Hi Petra” Farron
replied, “We’ve only just got back from Millmoor”
She raised an
enquiring eyebrow
“We had some furniture
to deliver” he said and she nodded understandingly
“Do you want a drink?”
“Yes please” he
replied looking around at his fellow guests “Make it a large one it looks like
I have some catching up to do”
“What about you Joe
can I get you something?” she asked and he blushed
“Oh yes please” he replied
and went even redder
Petra smiled at his response
as she caught a waitress’s eye
“A large Gin and Tonic
with ice and a slice, for Mr Sutherland” she said “and the red faced man will
have…?”
“A coke, please, pint”
he said
“Are you sure?” she
asked
“Oh yes I’m driving”
“And where are you driving
to?” she asked quite forcefully
“We have Cressida’s
present on the van” Farron said
“Oh I see” she
responded and to the waitress added
“Plenty of ice in the
coke, he looks a little flushed”
She smiled at the effect
she had on him, and gave him a warm smile and then he asked boldly.
“Are you not having
one?”
“Oh um well I’ll have
one later when I can enjoy it” she replied and their eyes fixed on each other
until the spell was broken when a large group of guests arrived in the lounge
and she had to do her hostessing.
“We’ll see you later”
Farron said
“I hope so” she
replied and then they went in search of the birthday girl.
Farron Sutherland and
his apprentice Joe Frank left Petra van Meeuwen in the lounge and went in
search of her sister-in-law Cressida to wish her a Happy Birthday.
He knew a lot of
people at the club, some of them were friends and some merely customers but
there seemed to be more who were strangers than not and some of them were
snobby and standoffish.
Cressida however was
not one of them she always made a point to make everyone’s acquaintance.
Joe spotted some
friends and went over to speak with them and Farron continued the search alone.
He soon found her,
slightly the worse for wear sitting on the terrace surrounded by admirers, not
that she realized they were admirers, she was quite naïve in that way, she
thought everyone was as nice as she was.
“Happy Birthday
Cressie” he called and she beamed a large lopsided grin at him, she had wondered
where he was and had been looking forward to seeing him all day.
“Farron darling” she
said as she shot to her feet and launched herself at him for a rather untidy
embrace in which she tried to kiss his cheek and got his ear instead.
Not that she particularly
wanted to kiss his cheek, what Cressida actually craved to do was to snog his
face off
“I’m a bit squiffy”
she slurred and fell against him and she would have been content to stay in his
big strong arms forever.
But in order to preserve
her reputation Farron thought discretion was the better part of valour and
guided her back into her chair.
Her other admirers had
all evaporated away by then because they could tell she had eyes only for him.
“Are you having a lovely birthday?” he asked
“Oh yes” she said “I am having a wonderful day, I have been treated
like a queen”
“I’m glad” he said
“And I have so many wonderful presents” she enthused “Everyone has
been so kind, and so generous”
She then listed all the lovely gifts she had received and who had got
them for her.
Cressida laughed and cried as she told the tale of Julia and Vicki’s
gift of an Art Deco Spelter Figure by
Josef Lorenzl and how they had driven all around the vale to get it because
Petra had sent them to the wrong antique shop.
She was wiping away a tear and giggling when she had finished.
“I haven’t given you my present yet” he said
“No you haven’t” she said with a grin hoping it might be a snog “So
where is it?”
“It’s in the van” he replied
“In the van?” she exclaimed “What is it? What is it?”
“I’m not telling you it’s a surprise” he said
“But it is my birthday today”
“Yes I know”
“And it is my present” she pointed out
“Yes it is” he agreed
“So tell me” she said impatiently and stamped her feet
“No” he replied unmoved
“Please, please, please” she begged
“No you can see it later when Joe and I drop it off” Farron said
“You’re mean” she said and drained her glass
“I know, it’s a curse” he retorted
“I’m all out of drink” she said with a pout “How about another”
“How about a coffee?” He suggested
“Oooh I’d love a cup of tea” she said
“Come on then Birthday girl” he said pulling her to her feet “let’s
get you a cuppa”
Once he had her upright she picked up her hand bag and put her arm through his and they walked into the
club.
Cressida put her arm
through Farron’s and they walked into the club, and once inside the cool lounge
they spotted the hostess, Petra, draped in a comfy chair deep in conversation
with a very red faced Joe Frank, so they walked over and joined them.
“Are you still
tormenting the poor lad?” Farron asked and then she did something Cressida had
never known her do, she blushed.
The birthday girl and
the man she wanted to be her beau joined them on the comfy chairs and Petra
ordered a large pot of tea and then they were joined in dribs and drabs by
other members of the Friday Lunch club, Julia Thomas and Vicki Paulding were
the first to join followed in quick succession by local dentists
Jonathan Walters and his new girlfriend Lianne Martin and then TV presenter Nick Faulkner who
accompanied Jenna Lawton the de facto
Vicar of St Martins and the impromptu tea party lasted for an hour before
people started to drift away.
“Come on big boy, I
need you” Petra said to Joe and went scarlet when she realised what she’d said
“Um ok” he retorted an
equally crimson Joe.
And while Petra and
Joe loaded all the birthday presents into the back of her Range Rover, Farron
escorted the still tipsy Cressida to her carriage and she tried to get in the
driver’s seat.
“Hold on” he said
grabbing her arm “in the other side Princess” “Oh yes” she said and giggled and
then tottered around to the other seat.
Farron and Joe sat in
the van and watched Petra driving Cressida’s Range Rover out of the car park
and they followed on behind and Farron’s thoughts turned towards her birthday
present.
Cressida loved Art
Deco and in the two years since her divorce she had gradually transformed her
home from the blandness of mass produced Scandinavian imported furniture chosen
by her ex-husband, whose favourite colour was beige, to an Art Deco paradise.
His sporting trophies
and man cave paraphilia had gone and she had imposed her own tastes on her
surroundings.
It was a slow process,
she could have used her credit cards and replaced everything in one go but she
was very selective and wanted every piece in her house to mean something to
her.
So when it came to
choosing a special birthday gift for the woman he loved it was a no brainer.
Cressida loved Art Deco
and he was a furniture maker so he made her a piece of Art Deco Furniture.
It wasn’t a period
piece like all her others, but it was made to an original design that he got
from a furniture makers catalogue and he’d crafted it authentically, from the
period design and he’d worked on it for months, but as Joe drove the van to
Cressida’s house on Sunday evening he began to have doubts as he fidgeted uncomfortably
in the passenger seat.
“What if she hates it?”
he thought to himself
“What if she looks at
it and laughs”
But nothing could have
been further from the truth.
When Farron and Joe drove
into the courtyard of Cressida home she was in high spirits
“Let me see, let me
see” she squealed and jumped up and down on the spot with excitement.
“Just be patient” he
said in a very fatherly way but it had little or no effect.
He opened the shutter
which was out of Cressida’s line of sight so she tried to get closer.
“Stay where you are nosy
and close your eyes” he instructed
“She’s peeking” Petra
said
“Cover her eyes then”
Joe said with uncharacteristic boldness and Petra complied.
They man handled the
piece of furniture, protected with blankets and set it down about ten feet in
front of her.
“Let me look” Cressie
begged
“Just a minute” Farron
said and removed the blankets and handed them to Joe and stood back
“Ok, open your eyes”
Petra removed her
hands from her sister-in-law’s eyes but Cressida paused briefly before opening
them, but when she did she gasped as she looked at the Art Deco writing desk in
the style of the eminent French exponent, Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann.
He had remained
faithful to the original design in every way with the exception of the ivory
inlay which he had to replace with vegetable ivory made from tagua nuts.
“It’s beautiful” she
said “Are you sure it’s for me?”
“Of course it’s for
you” Farron said “Do you like it?”
“I love it” she
exclaimed “it’s gorgeous, but it’s too much”
“Nonsense” he retorted
“you’re worth it”
“But I can’t believe
you made this for me” she said innocently
“Well we can put it
back on the van if you don’t think you deserve it” he suggested
“Don’t you dare” she
said and moved between him and the desk and then she turned around and hugged
him.
“Thank you so much”
But the hug became
quite prolonged and only ended when it did as a result of Petra saying
“Shall we take it
inside?”
“Oh yes good idea”
Cressida said wanting to do anything but relinquish her hold on Farron.
So she reluctantly
tottered inside with Farron and Joe following on carrying the desk and Petra
bringing up the rear and they spent the next half an hour following her from
room to room while she had them rearrange the furniture to accommodate her prize
birthday gift.
Once the perfect location
was found Champagne was the order of the day as everyone had a celebratory
glass except for Joe who had to stay sober to drive Farron and the van home to Kingfisherbridge.
Two bottles later the
time came for them to leave and the farewells were made and in the courtyard
Cressida and Farron shared a rather sloppy drunken kiss, a kiss full of
promise, which went on for an indeterminate amount of time and only ended when
Petra and Joe emerged noisily from the house.
“Well good night then”
Farron said
“Oh yes, goodnight”
she said “Thank you for my lovely snog, I mean desk”
“It was my pleasure”
He replied
After her 40th
birthday and that wonderful drunken kiss which was so full of promise Cressida
expected her life to really begin at 40 as the old adage stated but alas it
never came to anything and every day she was reminded of that night and that kiss
when she looked at the hand crafted writing desk he made for her and it
reminded her of her special birthday and the delicious snog that ended it.
And furthermore she
was reminded that she didn’t have him in her arms and each day she resolved to
bring that happy event about.
He also thought often
of that day and he could still taste her on his lips but although Farron
enjoyed holding her and kissing her he still thought she was way out of his
league and that he was unworthy and her embrace was fuelled by champagne and
not attraction.
The truth of course was
that the kiss was not fuelled by alcohol and nor was it a simple kiss born out
of mere attraction it was fuelled and conceived of passion and love.
She wasn’t sure why he
was holding back he certainly hadn’t done during the kiss but she wondered if
it might have been the village and the people in it that was preventing him
acting so she began to conceive a plan to get both of them out of Highfinch and
into another embrace.
It was at the
beginning of November when Farron walked into the Lily Green Hollows Golf Club
and immediately saw Cressida and the other members of the Friday Lunch Club
sitting in their customary corner.
During the course of
their lunch Cressida asked if he was interested in a St Andrews Golf day.
Well of course he was
he had always wanted to play The Royal and Ancient.
“When?” he asked
“Well it was going to
be a week Monday obviously but not everyone could make it so it’s next Friday
instead” Cressida replied
“That soon?” he said,
“When do we leave?”
“We will have to leave
Highfinch by 6 o’clock” Julia replied
“That will give us time
to have a hearty breakfast before we tee off at 9 o’clock” Vicki chipped in
Farron was a little
confused because Scotland was more than a two hour drive away, so he guessed he
must have missed something, and then the penny dropped, a week on Monday was St
Andrews day.
“So where are we going
exactly?” he asked
“Tipton” Julia stated
He had heard of the
Tipton Twelve Trees course, it was no St Andrew’s but it had a reputation for
being a very good Golf course so once he realized that a St Andrews golf day actually
meant a St Andrews Day Golf “game”, they got down to the finer details of the
trip.
And by the end of
lunch Cressida was feeling very pleased with herself for her cleverness.
Her plan was set and all
she had to do was spring the trap.
Farron was up at 4 am
and had mixed feelings about the day, he was looking forward to being with
Cressida all day, but it was a long way to go for a game of Golf.
When Cressida first
asked him about a St Andrews Golf Day he thought it was a round of Golf at St
Andrews but it turned out to be a game of Golf on St Andrews day, although even
that turned out to be false.
They were going to
play a course in Tipton call Twelve Trees that none of them had played before,
but it was said to be an up and down affair, steep hills, long climbs and
magnificent scenery, still it was always good fun playing with his friends and
of course there was the added bonus of spending the day with Cressida.
He got up and had a
hot shower after which he felt much better.
When he got downstairs
he had half an hour to spare before his lift arrived and he would have had time
for breakfast but they had agreed to have a cooked breakfast in Tipton before
their game.
So he spent the time
checking he had everything he needed for the day and dead on 6 o’clock there
was a short sharp rap on the door and by the time he opened it the person
responsible had walked back down the path and he gave her a wave and went back
in for his gear.
Cressida was standing
by her car, dapper as usual in a mixture of argyle knitwear and tweed.
It was still dark as
he walked down the path with his bag slung over his shoulder and simultaneously
on the opposite side of the village Julia Thomas, Nick Faulkner and Vicki
Paulding were making similar journeys down their own paths.
The original plan was
for Julia, Vicki and Farron to go in Cressida’s Range Rover but it had to go in
the garage two days earlier and was still there, so Julia was driving Vicki in
her Fiesta and Cressida was driving him in her Mini, because neither car was
able to accommodate four people and all the attendant equipment.
Farron thought it was
rather amusing when she first broke the news that the Range Rover was off the
road, because he thought that being off the road was when they were at their
best.
Julia took the news
exceedingly well under the circumstances considering she didn’t really like
driving, in fact she seemed quite pleased.
Nick left first as he
was picking up Jenna Lawton from the Vicarage but by the time he had her on
board Cressida’s Mini was leading the way out of the village with Julia’s
Fiesta following on and they were joined down the road by Nick’s Mercedes and
they travelled in convoy as far as the Motorway.
The last two of the
group were some distance away because Jonathon Walters had to pick up his
girlfriend Lianne Martin from Mornington and they were going to join the
motorway at the other end of the vale but they all managed a clear run up the
motorway and arrived at the Twelve Trees Golf Club by 8 am.
It was assumed when
they left the village that Cressida had been to Tipton before, but upon their
arrival Cressida said that she hadn’t.
Tipton Twelve Trees
Golf Club was in a beautiful location in the heart of the Northern Downshire
Hills and the views from the clubhouse were outstanding and they guessed that
around the course they would be truly breath-taking.
“Oh look” Vicki said
“a Red Kite”
They all looked to
where she was pointing, and they were all expecting to see a large red paper
kite on a piece of string, which of course they didn’t admit when they saw it
was a bird of prey.
Just then Jonathon and
Lianne appeared and then they all went into the clubhouse, which was very plush,
though no more so than Lily Green Hollows.
Cressida went to
register their arrival and everyone else seated themselves in the restaurant.
After their rather
over indulgent breakfast they all waddled to the lounge and sat down on the
comfy sofas and ordered more tea and coffee as they still had half an hour to
spare before tee off.
There was a TV on in
the lounge and just as the waitress arrived with their order the weatherman appeared
“In the afternoon the
wind will strengthen from the north east blowing in some wintry showers later
in the day, more persistent falls are likely overnight”
“So it might get a bit
blowy later,” Julia said, “I’m glad I’m wearing my long johns”
Just at that moment
Cressida handed round the scorecards with a map of the course and for the nest
few minutes they sat in silence studying the map and looking at the yardages.
It wasn’t the longest
18 hole course most of them had ever played but there were two par threes that
were particularly difficult, one was uphill to a concealed green the other from
an elevated tee to a concealed green and when they had finished they all agreed
it was going to be an interesting and challenging par 70.
As Lianne and Jenna were
relatively new to the game they were to play a four ball with Jonathon and Nick
while the others decided on match play pairs, four-ball format, the lowest
score from each pair counting and as to teams it would be the Fiesta’s against
the Mini’s and they teed off first as the others were likely to be much slower.
Most of the game was
played in calm dry conditions under a blue sky, with the wind very light.
On the front nine
Vicki and Julia were on fire and after seven holes they were up by five.
On the par 5, 8th
Farron had a bit of a disaster, he hit a crisp drive from the elevated tee and
it absolutely flew straight down the middle, as Bing Crosby famously sang, and
it landed just short of the dog leg, kicked to the right and rolled perfectly
round the turn.
“So far so good” he said and after such a great shot he felt ten feet tall as
he strode down the fairway.
When Farron reached
his ball he was about 50 yards ahead of Cressie and he found it was sitting up
invitingly.
Cressida played her
shot first and put it just short of the green, just a chip and a putt away.
Julia and Vicki played
their shots and were also well placed.
So with an unhindered
path to the green Farron had a real eagle chance.
He selected his club and addressed the ball and told himself
“Just hit it straight”
Then he swung the club
towards the ball in a perfect ark but he lifted his head at the last second and
there was an ugly contact and the ball sliced away in entirely the wrong
direction and ended out of bounds.
Such were the highs
and lows of Golf.
Luckily for the Mini’s
Cressida chipped and putted to make birdie while the others only managed par.
So with the
combination of Farron’s extra yardage on the long holes and Cressida putting
out of her skin they were all square after the 14th
Which was when a cold
wind picked up and dark grey clouds scudded across the previously blue sky.
Victoria then chipped
in from the bunker to win the 15th
Cressida sank a 40ft
putt to take 16, the 17th was halved and it was all to play for on the final
hole and as they stood on the fairway to play their second shots it started to
snow, the light grainy kind, but by the time they had reached the green large
fluffy flakes were falling and they were falling fast.
They putted out on the
18th and the honours were even and handshakes were exchanged and then they
walked briskly towards the 19th for something warming.
“Wintry showers be
buggered” Vicki said as they put their clubs in their respective cars and
changed out of their golf shoes.
Once inside they found
the other foursome were already inside and drinking coffee and judging by all
the empty cups it wasn’t their first.
It appeared that the
moment the cold wind got up Lianne’s teeth started chattering as she was the
only one of their party who had neglected to wear thermals, and the thin cotton
trousers were neither keeping the heat in nor the cold wind out.
“Oh I always wear a
vest and long johns Vicki announced to the assembled party and then the group
was joined by the Aldridge brothers, and Vicki blushed and said
“What a surprise
seeing you two here”
“Surprise my arse”
Cressida said under her breath as she knew that Vicki and Chris and Julia and
Mark had been seeing each other for the most of the previous month.
Out loud she asked
“Is anyone up for
staying for dinner?”
“Not us” Nick said “I
need to get the Vicar back to Highfinch before it gets too bad,”
“And the four of us
are heading to London to see a show” Vicki said
“And we’re off to
Nettlefield” Jonathon added “I’m introducing Lianne to my brother and his wife”
“Oh ok” Cressida said
“I suppose we should make a move as well then”
Making a move was just
what she had in mind with Farron but along with dinner it looked as if he was
off the menu.
Cressida had hoped to
spend a bit longer with Farron after the Golf, in order for her to make an
impression on him away from the village but the weather appeared to have put paid
to that scheme,
So after a quick hot
drink everyone made a move which was when Cressida decided to use the weather
to her advantage.
Nick and the vicar
said goodbye and Cressida shouted
“We’ll be right behind
you”
They finished their
drinks and Cressie excused herself to the ladies and was gone for about 20
minutes.
He didn’t have any
idea what was keeping her but he put it down to some feminine hygiene issue so
he wasn’t too concerned so when she returned looking a little flushed, and he
took that as confirmation of his diagnosis.
Cressida then spent
the next ten minutes faffing about, opening and closing her handbag putting her
coat on, taking it off and then putting it back on again.
“Shall we make a move
then?” Farron said finally losing patience with her uncharacteristic dithering
“Yes, yes” she replied
rather less positive than her words might have suggested.
They walked to the car
rather gingerly, slipping and sliding on the freshly fallen snow and when they
got in the car, Cressida continued to faff
“Is everything ok?” he
asked getting concerned now with her behaviour, which really was so out of
character,
She was one of the
most positive and dynamic people he knew.
“It’s the snow,” she said
meekly
“What about it?” he
asked
“I’m scared” she admitted,
“If I was in the Range Rover I’d be alright”
“Do you want me to
drive?” he offered
“You’re not insured”
she replied quickly
“Ok let’s phone the
Vicar and see what it’s like ahead of us” Farron suggested
“Good idea” Cressida
said
So he phoned Jenna to
ascertain the state of the roads ahead and the word from the de facto vicar was
a very unchristian expletive.
“It’s worse ahead than
it is here” he told her
“Oh shit,” she
retorted and then after a few moments she added
“There’s a nice hotel
nearby we could put up there until tomorrow”
“How do you know
that?” he quizzed “I thought you hadn’t been to Tipton before”
“No I haven’t it was
in the bumph the club sent me when I made the booking” she replied
“Oh ok” he relented
“let’s go”
Cressida started the engine
and fair sped out of the car park like Timo Mäkinen, suddenly completely oblivious
to the snow.
Five miraculous
minutes later they passed through the gates of the Tipton Manor Hotel and Spa.
“This will do,” she
said
He was very suspicious
now, Cressida had said she had never been to Tipton before, yet she knew the
location of the nearest Hotel and managed to drive straight there in a
blizzard.
“So while we’re held
up here what’s happening about the kids?” he asked
“They’re at my mums
tonight anyway” she replied
“Convenient” he
thought and as Cressida opened the door he said commandingly
“Just hold on a minute
Cressida van Meeuwen”
“What?” she replied
meekly
“What’s going on?” he
asked
“What do you mean?”
she responded innocently
Cressida opened the
car door and Farron said commandingly
“Just hold on a minute
Cressida van Meeuwen”
“What?” she replied
meekly
“What’s going on?” he
asked
“What do you mean?”
she responded innocently
“According to you, you’ve
never been to Tipton before, yet you know it well enough to find the nearest
Hotel, which you couldn’t have seen on the way in, and you did it in a
blizzard” Cressida went to speak but he silenced her with a raised finger.
“At the Golf club you
were all girly and helpless in the snow one minute and doing handbrake turns
like a rally driver the next, on top of which the kids are on a sleepover” he
paused briefly
“So what’s going on?”
he asked again, though he knew the answer
Cressida gave him a
sideways glance and blushed
“Were you planning a
sleepover of your own?” he asked
“No nothing like that”
she said horrified “that would make me “fast” I didn’t do it just to seduce
you”
“Thank goodness for
that” he thought to himself he would have thought less of her for that, but out
loud he said
“So what then?”
“I just wanted us to
spend time together” she continued and blushed “away from the village, were you
could relax and we could get to know each other and find out once and for all
if you would want to seduce me”
“Well I do anyway” he
said “I always have”
“Then why haven’t
you?” she asked “I thought after my birthday you wanted me but then you kept
away”
“Because I’m not good
enough for you” Farron explained
“But you are” she said
“No I’m not, you are a
Lady, and I’m just an artisan” he retorted
“You are a good and
kind man Farron Sutherland and that’s what counts, I don’t give a jot about
social differences, it’s who you are that counts, and you are one of the
angels” she said sharply “and that’s why I fell in love with you”
“You did?”
She nodded still blushing
“I didn’t know” he said
“Well you’re the only
one in Highfinch who didn’t” she said
“But I love you too”
Farron said and she beamed a smile at him and then he kissed her.
“I hoped that you did
after you made me that beautiful desk” she said “and then the magical kiss, but
when you didn’t follow it up in the days after I thought I must have got it
wrong”
“Oh yes the kiss” he
mused
“Was the kiss not
special for you?” Cressida asked
“Oh yes it was, but I
doubted you could feel like that about me and that the champagne was a factor”
“The champagne just
made me brave” she said “and allowed me to what I’d wanted to do for two years”
“I didn’t need champagne
for that” he said “I was brave enough, if I’d been worthy”
“You are worthy”
Cressida said crossly
“You always have been,
you just needed a change of scene to show you that”
“So was that why you
suggested the golf day?” he asked
“Yes” Cressida replied
“it was the only way I could think of to get us out of Highfinch and be
together”
“I see”
“If it were still
summer I would have suggested a beano to Sharpington” she explained
“So you’ve given it
some thought and done a lot of planning then?” he asked
“Yes” she added rather
smugly “which all added to the excitement and the anticipation”
“So what would you
have done if it hadn’t snowed?” Farron asked
“Even Cressida van
Meeuwen couldn’t conjure up a blizzard on demand”
“Car trouble” she
replied
“You deceitful creature”
he said and kissed her again
“So what do you want
to do?” she asked
Farron took his eyes
of her momentarily to check the weather and the snow was still falling fast.
“I think we should
stay here tonight” he replied
“Separate rooms” Cressida
pointed out
“Yes separate rooms”
he agreed “and I think we should have dinner and talk some more”
They got out of the
car and Cressida retrieved her bag from the boot, which was another clear sign
of her premeditation.
“Do you think if we
registered as Mr and Mrs Smith it would cause the receptionist to raise an
eyebrow” Farron asked
“It would when they
compared it to the name on my credit card”
Cressida said and
laughed
There then followed an
“I’ll pay, no I’ll pay” argument as they walked to the Hotel but finally
Cressida insisted
“I should pay as it
was me who lured you here”
Then she blushed the
most brilliant shade of crimson when she realised she had said it out loud.
Once inside the Hotel
they found it was deserted, the normal weekend arrivals had failed to appear
because of the weather so there would be no shortage of rooms.
Cressida put down her
overnight bag, and after the preamble she handed over her credit card.
They finished
registering and as they walked away from the desk he asked
“Do you want to go and
freshen first or shall we go and eat now?”
She would’ve liked to
have freshened up but having connived and plotted to get him there she didn’t really
want to let him out of her sight.
“Dinner” she replied
It was a very good
restaurant and normally attracted a good many diners but because of the snow
the usual Friday night trade failed to materialise and so they walked straight
in to an empty room and chose a table by the window where Cressida could watch
her snowy ally still falling steadily.
They talked at great
length about them and what the future could be, and how people would see them
if they were a couple.
“Aren’t you worried
about what your family will say?” he asked
“No, my mum knows how
I feel about you and so does Petra and they couldn’t be happier” she answered
“Oh? how long have
they known?” he asked
“Since my birthday”
she replied
“Oh” was all he could
think to say and then after a moment he asked
“But what about the
girls?”
He was referring to
her 8 year old twin girls, Lisa and Julie, who she was now raising on her own.
“Goodness me, they’re
more in love you with you than I am” she replied and laughed
“So you see there
really are no obstacles to us being a couple, the only person who will be upset
is my ex-husband and I really don’t care what he thinks”
Later as Cressida and
Farron sat drinking coffee and liqueurs he asked her
“So are you pleased
with the outcome of your scheming?”
“Oh yes” she said
“pleased and surprised”
“Surprised?” he
queried
“Yes I’ve never done
anything like this before, and I’m surprised how conniving I’ve been”
“I’m glad to know you
don’t make a habit of deceitfulness”
“I did arrange for you
to be on the Summer Fete committee with me” she confessed
“Did you?” he asked
with surprise
“Yes, but that was
easy” she admitted proudly “This however took a bit more planning”
“I can imagine” Farron
said
“And a bit more
deceitfulness” she added and Farron was thoughtful for a minute and then he
said
“So the Range Rover
being in the garage?”
“Was a lie” Cressida
confirmed “It is in the garage, but it’s in my garage”
“And you being scared
to drive in the snow” he said
“A lie” she confirmed
again though he knew that the moment she sped out of the car park like a rally
driver.
“So the car
insurance….”
“Was another lie” she
admitted
“I’m shocked and
stunned” He said “and strangely proud”
They were so absorbed
by each other that they hadn’t realised either the lateness of the hour or the fact
that they were the only customers left.
It was only some loud
bangs and crashes that brought them back to the moment and it was shortly after
that that they got the distinct impression the restaurant staff had had enough
for the night even if they hadn’t.
The convention is that
the staff is obliged to keep the bar open all the while guests are wanting a
drink but in reality they had to close at some point and you could still get a
drink from room service if you wanted a nightcap so they bade the long-suffering
staff a good night, even though it was almost 1 am and headed, somewhat
unsteadily towards their rooms.
Accompanied by raucous
laughter they stumbled into the lift and Cressida made several attempts to
press the button for the third floor and as she seemed incapable of completing
the task of hitting the button for the floor that they actually wanted he
decided to hit them all.
When they reached the
third floor Cressida said
“It’s been a wonderful
day”
“Yes it has” he agreed
and then they kissed in the corridor outside her door and when it was over she
said
“Thank you for walking
me home”
“Thank you for being
conniving and deceitful” he replied and she giggled as she opened her door
“Goodnight”
As Farron walked the
short distance to his own room he thought that it had been more than just a
wonderful day for him, it was a life changing day.
He went into his room
and switched on the TV just as the rolling news show was starting its recap and
the top story was about the snowstorm.
A spokesman from the met
office admitted that a lot more snow fell than was expected.
“No shit Sherlock” he
shouted at the TV “But thank you, it was much appreciated”
The next day they met
early for breakfast and the snow was still laying thick on the ground and more
showers were forecast.
So as they sat in the
restaurant eating a hearty breakfast he asked
“Do you think we
should risk it?”
“I’m not sure, you
know how scared I am of the snow” she replied and they laughed.
So they stayed on for
another night and spent every second of the day together but there was no lingering
good night kiss at her door.
That night she felt
the warmth of the man she loved beside her, she had her special someone to hug
her if she was ever feeling down and she would never wake up on her own again because
her Golf Day strategy for love meant that her life really had begun at 40.
