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 our story begins slightly further south equidistant between
Nettlefield and the Oxley’s, in the beautiful village of Heathervale.
Chris
Palmer was new to the area having moved to Nettlefield from Purplemere
following a very acrimonious divorce.
He was a
relatively good looking man who was fast approaching his 40th birthday, with a
good physique and short sandy hair, greying at the temples and was possessed of
piercing blue eyes.
He also had
had very bad luck with the opposite sex, which was why he was now divorced, but
he planned on turning over a new leaf and leaving his courting days far behind
him.
As he was
rubbish at picking the targets for his affection he decided the safest thing to
do was stop picking.
After his
divorce he decided not only to give up on relationships but also to give up on
Purplemere, so he sold up and planned to head for pastures new.
His reason
for moving to Nettlefield in particular, over all the other places he might
have chosen either in Downshire or beyond, was the Heatherlands District Health
Centre.
It was a
large practise that serviced a large area, covering Nettlefield itself, Oxley
Green, Heathervale, Oxley Ridge and Tipton and Chris had been fortunate enough
to land the job as practice manager and he also found himself a nice little
flat in Nettlefield.
The senior
partner at the Health Centre was Dr Clarisse Lowe, a tall statuesque woman who
dressed in tweed, she had Chestnut hair, a voluptuous figure, lovely long legs
and a generous frontage, who was in her mid-forties and was just the kind of
woman Chris would have fallen for in his previous life.
But he was
a new man and besides she was probably a lesbian because she seemed to have a
very close relationship with one of the practice nurses, Josie Minter, a skinny
blonde girl ten years her junior.
But the
fact that he suspected Clarisse was playing for the other side didn’t stop him
admiring her lovely long legs or her impressive cleavage at every opportunity
and Josie’s sexual orientation, if he had read the situation correctly, didn’t
prevent her from flirting with him outrageously on a regular basis.
In fact her
flirty behaviour led him to what was a false assumption, namely that she swung
both ways, because she was very definitely straight and the close relationship
she shared with the lovely Doctor Lowe was as a result of Josie being her step
daughter.
Clarisse had been married to Edward Lowe, who had been an eminent
surgeon in Downshire, he had also been twenty years older when he married her
and he had two children from his first marriage, Josie being the oldest.
The marriage was a happy one but only lasted five years because Edward
died suddenly on the Tipton Twelve Trees Golf course after suffering a heart
attack.
She had
been a widow for 10 years which had left her lonely but also afraid of risking
her heart on someone who might end that loneliness.
But apart
from the fact that she had vowed not to risk her broken heart again she also
had instigated a policy at the practise forbidding fraternisation between
members of staff, so even if she were so inclined toward Chris she wouldn’t be disposed
to go against her own edict.
But the
heart wants what the heart wants which was why two people who despite their
reluctance to expose themselves to love again and who were very definitely not
looking for a relationship, let alone love, found it anyway when they got
together after having to work very closely together on the Easter weekend.
As a
bi-product of the loving relationship Clarisse had found with Chris she
scrapped the “No Fraternizing policy” which meant that the surgical gloves were
off in regard to work place relationships and for the two of them that decision
had far reaching consequences.
In the
weeks that followed Clarisse’s decision it emerged that there were already
numerous relationships going on in spite of her policy.
But she didn’t
mind because she was so happy and then at Christmas when her step daughter
Josie got together with his brother Darren a weight was lifted off her
shoulders and by the following Easter
Clarisse
and Chris were living together in the village of Heathervale in a six bedroom
converted farmhouse that was originally her marital home which after her
husband Edward’s death she shared with her stepdaughter Josie.
She would
have thought that since Chris had arrived in her life in January Cupid had been
very well employed with the staff at Heatherlands Health Centre and the
immediate family and friends but as they achieved the second anniversary of
their meeting he was still at it.
One such
time for Cupid was on New Year’s Eve when Clarisse’s younger brother Simon was
expected to make the journey to Heathervale to see in the New Year with his
favourite sister and the man that was making her so happy.
Simon
Pratley was forty two years old and was back in Downshire for the first time in
five years.
He had been
living and working in Australia for the previous ten years where he was a
helicopter pilot for an oil company, but after his 12 year marriage ended in
bitter divorce he decided it was time to return to the UK and more specifically
Downshire.
Fortunately
as he worked for Transglobal Oil and Gas Exploration, which was a multinational
conglomerate, he was able to transfer to the European operation without too
much difficulty.
And he
managed to get three months off into the bargain which he was planning on
spending with his sister.
The plan
was that Simon Pratley would make it to Heathervale in time to see the New Year
in with his sister and step niece, and their respective partners.
But the
best laid plans can go awry and such was the case for Simon, firstly his
arrival in the UK was 12 hours late due to mechanical problems and they had to
make an unscheduled stop in Dubai where he changed flights to an Emirate’s
plane and then when he landed his baggage was still in Dubai.
That put
him in a very bad mood and he drove recklessly on his way to Heathervale,
despite the adverse weather conditions, in an attempt to make inroads into the
time he’d lost.
He was
fortunate that his risk taking didn’t have dire consequences but his luck
finally ran out when he was only three miles from his destination.
As he was
so close to his sisters village he got complacent and when he met a car coming
out of the fog in the other direction driving equally recklessly he panicked
and forgot what country he was driving in and swerved right instead of left and
ended up putting his hire car into a ditch.
Due to the
fog the other driver didn’t notice where he ended up and so didn’t bother
stopping.
He was
lucky, he only had a few superficial cuts and bruises when he looked in the
mirror, the hire car on the other hand was buggered as was his mobile phone so
he had to abandon the damaged vehicle and walk the last two miles in the damp
drizzle and mist.
The New
Year’s Eve celebration at Clarisse’s house was in essence a dinner party, and
apart from Clarisse and Chris, the formers stepdaughter Josie and the latter’s
Brother Darren, Doctor Karen Clarke and her Husband Michael, practise
Phlebotomist Lisa Bird and her partner Erin Rose, and finally Clarisse’s cousin
and fellow Doctor Sarah Goodfellow.
Sarah was
the only one of the guests who wasn’t local to the area as she worked at the
Dancingdean Health Centre in Shallowfield, and the only reason she was there
apart from seeing Clarisse was to see Simon who was her childhood
sweetheart.
The only
thing that split them up was a silly argument and monumental pride which prevented
both of them from apologizing.
Simon and
Sarah were made for each other which was why they both had failed marriages
behind them, because they could never find anyone else who could truly make the
other happy.
So when
Sarah heard on the grapevine that Simon was returning to Downshire, and more
specifically to her cousin Clarisse’s New Year’s Eve party she made a phone
call to get herself an invite.
Sarah
didn’t disclose her motive for being there but Clarisse knew she had an
ulterior motive but she played along because she also thought they belonged
together and furthermore she knew that Simon still carried a torch for her too.
But on the
night of the party when the phone call came to say he was running late and
Clarisse declared that he wouldn’t make it in time for midnight and that news
was not well received by an unhappy Sarah who took solace at the news by
draining her glass and then following it immediately by another.
On New
Year’s Eve during the party the phone call came to say that Simon was running
late and Clarisse declared to the other guests that he wouldn’t make it in time
for midnight and that news was not well received by an unhappy Sarah who took solace
at the news by draining her glass and then following it immediately by another.
By the time
Simon trudged the final one hundred yards to his cousin’s house all the guests
had gone home, apart from Sarah who was too drunk to leave.
The house
was in semi darkness as he approached as everyone that remained had either
retired for the night or were in the process of doing so.
He banged
loudly on the oak door and waited and was just about to bang again when he saw
movement behind the glass.
The door
opened slowly and a man with a good physique and short sandy hair man of a
similar age to his was standing there.
“Can I help
you?” he asked
“Yes hi I
was looking for Clarisse” he replied “I’m Simon”
“Simon?”
Clarisse said as she emerged from her hiding place behind Chris
“Hi
Clarisse” Simon said
“My God are
you ok?” she asked when she saw the state of him
“Oh yes” he
said having forgotten about his mishap “I pranged the car a couple of miles
from here”
“Well come
in” she said fussily “Come in”
“Thanks” he
responded
“Where are
you bags?” she asked
“Dubai”
“Oh you
have had an adventure haven’t you” she said “I think we’ll get you settled in
the spare room and you can tell us the whole story when you’re rested, you and
Chris are a similar build, you can lend him something can’t you darling?”
“Of course”
Chris replied and then the two men shook hands.
Clarisse
led the way with Simon and Chris chatting in her wake like they’d known each
other for years but when they reached the guest room landing the adjacent door
flew open and Sarah emerged and began
“What the
fu…?”
But when
she saw her heart’s desire standing there battered, bruised and soaking wet she
stopped in her tracks and smiled
“What’s
happened?”
“I crashed
the car” he replied but was unable to hide the delight that he felt at seeing
her
“Oh my poor
wounded soldier” she said and took his arm and steered him towards the door
“I’ll look after you”
She opened
the door and allowed him to enter and just before she closed the door she said
to Clarisse
“I’ll look
after him, I’m a doctor you know”
“Good night
then” Clarisse said and laughed and then to Chris she added “now let’s get you
to bed and I’ll take care of you”
Once the
door closed they just stood and looked at each other until Simon broke the
silence
“Does that
mean I’m going to feel the benefit of your bedside manner?”
“Better
than that, you will be feeling the benefit of my healing hands” she said
“Oh just
what the doctor ordered” he said before he added “I’ve really missed you”
“God I have
missed you so much” she echoed and then they kissed.
It was
about 8am and Clarisse and Chris were cuddled up together under the duvet when
she said
“We need to
get a wriggle on”
“Do we have
to move?” he whined, “I’m cosy”
“Yes” she
said curtly “We have to be at the surgery in two hours, and if you hadn’t been
so demanding you might have had more sleep”
When
Clarisse was showered and dressed she left Chris getting ready and went
downstairs to the kitchen and found Sarah was sitting on Simon’s lap wrapped in
his arms and a Duvet.
“What’s all
this then?” she enquired “I didn’t expect you to be up this early”
“We haven’t
been to bed yet” Sarah replied
“Oh?”
Clarisse expressed with a raised eyebrow
“We’ve been
talking” Sarah said in response and giggled
“And what
was the result of this conversation?” she asked as she walked towards them and
kissed them both
“The result
is that we are re-coupled” he said
“That’s not
a very romantic way of putting it but its wonderful news” Clarisse said and
then remarked to Simon
“And you
look better than you did last night”
“That’s
because the good Doctor performed her medical expertise on me” he replied
“I don’t
think I want to know any of the details” Clarisse retorted
“Oh dear I
managed to make it sound dirty and it really wasn’t” he said defensively
“I am a
healer” she said smugly “Dr Sarah strikes again”
“I suppose
you’re feeling very pleased with yourself” Clarisse said to her as they hugged
“Well I do have
a reputation to preserve” she retorted
“I have a
reputation as well,” Clarisse said feigning indignantly
“Yes you do
darling” she said and kissed her just as Chris, Josie and Darren entered the
kitchen and after she put the kettle on they sat down and chatted over coffee.
After about
half an hour Chris pointed out the time and Clarisse said
“I have to
get to the surgery, my patients need me, and they are obviously in awe of my
prowess as a medical practitioner extraordinaire”
“No
seriously” Sarah said, “Why do you have to go?”
“Cheeky cow”
Clarisse said and tried to clip her round the ear, but she dodged the blow and
high fived Josie.
Clarisse
then kissed them all good bye and she and Chris went to the surgery.
Clarisse
and Chris returned to the house in the middle of the afternoon and found Sarah
and Simon cuddled up under a duvet on the sofa, Sarah was fast asleep but Simon’s
eyes were open and he smiled when he saw her.
“Have you
two had a nice day?” she whispered
“Very nice”
he replied and slipped out from under the duvet and her out of the room and kissed
her cheek.
“While
you’ve been spending the day canoodling under the duvet I sorted your car out”
Clarisse said
“In what
way?” he asked
“I phoned
Richards Recovery and they towed the car to the garage” She said “And they will
notify the hire company”
“You are an
amazing woman” he said
“No, Sarah
is an amazing woman” she corrected him “so don’t let her slip through your
fingers again”
“I have no
intention to” he assured her
“In that
case” she said “let’s all go out for dinner to celebrate”
“We would
love to but…” he began
“But what?”
she asked
“I don’t
have any clothes” he said
“Good
point, I’ll go and ask Chris to sort something out for you” she suggested
“which will tide you over until your luggage catches up with you”
“If that’s
ok” he said
“Of course
it is he’s got more clothes than I do” Clarisse said
“I’m glad
you found someone” he said
“So am I”
she responded “I never thought I would find love again, but I have and I love
him to bits”
“It shows”
“Good, I want everyone to know” she said
