In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (025) – The Special Night

 

October

 

Charlie and Toddy were not the last to leave the Kissing Angel as they had been on their first date, when they were reluctant to accept the end of the evening.

The couple were in a very different place now and had none of the first date anxieties as they returned to the car.

 

The conversation was comfortably sparse on the journey back to the Village, and when they did speak it was about his proposal and their engagement, and the associated excitement of telling people, and speculating on what their reactions would be.

 

As they drove through the Village, Charlie indicated to make the turn towards the Vicarage, and she suddenly said

“Don’t take me home yet, it’s been such a wonderful evening and I’m not ready for it to end”

That was music to his ears because he felt the same way.

“No problem,” he said as he cancelled the indicator and drove on to Beechwood and parked the car on the drive and when they got out, they walked hand in hand to the front door.

“It’s been a lovely evening” she said as she stepped inside

“Everything about it has been wonderful from the moment you picked me to the last drop sip of mocktail”

“The most wonderful” he agreed as he closed the door and switched on the lights

“Would you like a drink? I can’t offer you a mocktail, but I do tea, coffee or a soft drink”

“I don’t want a drink” she said quietly as she turned to face him, then she took a deep breath smiled and kissed him, but not hesitantly on the lips like on their first date, nor did it settle into a long languorous embrace, this special kiss was on another level, it wasn’t fueled by romance alone but predominantly by a burning passion.

Her passionate embrace, matched by his own, revealed their mutual wants and desires, but neither had wanted to voice them.

Such a passionate embrace was a defining moment for them, it was the first such expression of passion for Charlie since his wife passed away ten years earlier and it was yet another new experience for Toddy, as such neither of the parties were quite sure how to proceed, for Toddy because she just didn’t know and Charlie didn’t want to hurry things in case it spooked her.

As it was Toddy made the first move of sorts.

“I’ve never um, you know….” She began timidly

“I know”

“So, I don’t know what to do” she continued

“You don’t have to do anything darling” he assured her

“That’s just it, I do want to, I just don’t know how” she said as she buried her head in his chest.

“Are you sure you don’t want to wait?” he asked “Until a better time”

“I’m with the only man I have ever loved on the night he proposed to me, how can there possibly be a better time than that” she said so he kissed the top of her head and took her by the hand

“Come on then sweetheart”

 

In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (024) – The Dinner Date

 

October

 

When he went to pick her up for their dinner date, Charlie didn’t even get to knock on the door of the Vicarage as the door burst open and Toddy came out through it like a greyhound out of the traps at Brighton and kissed him.

“You’re eager” he said returning her kiss

“Are you complaining?” she asked

“Not for a second”

 

She was in a very bubbly mood, and he was enjoying her excited chatting, though it was not easing his nerves in any way for what was to come, and it was like that all the way to the Kissing Angel which was on the outskirts of Pipershaven and it was where they went on their very first date.

 

Having eaten there before, they knew what to expect, and it didn’t disappoint, it was still as lovely, and the soothing ambiance and cozy intimacy was exactly the same.

“It’s still very classy” she whispered once they were settled

“So are you” he said, and she blushed as he squeezed her hand

 

The waiter arrived enquiring about drink, and as they were both teetotal, he ordered a very pleasant bottle of alcohol-free Chardonay.

Her excited conversation continued throughout the three-course meal, so much so that he wasn’t sure if he would ever find a moment of silence to fill.

But his chance came between desert and coffee after the waitress had cleared away the plates.

 

“Since that morning in March when you knocked on my door and the sunshine of your smiling face spilled over the threshold, my life has never been the same” he said

“You breathed life back into me, and you filled my days with your unrelenting joy and laughter”

“That’s….” She began but he took hold of her hand and pressed on

“And every day I spend that doesn’t have you in it, is cold and empty, which is why…” he paused briefly and put a small package in front of her “I got you this”

“I can’t open it” Toddy said “It’s not my birthday until tomorrow”

“It’s not a birthday present” he said

“So, I can open it now?” she asked excitedly

“That’s the idea”

“How exciting” she giggled and ripped off the paper, and exposed another layer, then more ripping and there was another layer.

“My goodness, not another one” she exclaimed excitedly but after removing the next layer she was finely faced with plain blue lidded box about the size of a cigarette packet.

“You are very annoying” she said with a chuckle and took the lid off the box to reveal the prize which she just stared at

“Well open it” he urged

“I can’t” she retorted

“Why?”

“I’m frightened” she replied quietly

“Because of what it might be?” he asked nervously

“No, I’m scared that it’s not” she admitted

“Then it’s safe for you to open” Charlie said, and she smiled nervously.

Toddy’s hands were shaking as she picked up the little box, so he moved to the chair beside her and put his hand on her wrist to steady her, and finally she opened the hinged lid and gasped when she saw the platinum and diamond solitaire ring

“It’s beautiful” she exclaimed and just stared at it as if mesmerized then she looked at him with wide eyes and asked quietly

“Is it?”

“It is” he replied as he took the ring from the box and slipped it on her finger “So Millicent Winnifred Todd, my darling Toddy, will you marry me?”

“Of course, yes, yes, you wonderful man, of course yes” she babbled and threw her arms around him and kissed him.

Susie Bradshaw, the waitress, had witnessed the unfolding proposal put the coffee’s on an adjacent table and stood quietly until the drama was concluded.

When it was clear that the proposal had been accepted, she picked up the coffee’s and put them on the table and said

“Congratulations”

“Thank you” Toddy and Charlie exclaimed in unison and beamed at her

“We would like something to celebrate” Charlie said “Something special but nonalcoholic”

“How about a mocktail” Susie suggested

“What a splendid idea” Charlie agreed

“I don’t know what that is” Toddy said with a giggle

“I’ll just get you the drinks menu” Susie said

“No need for that” he said “surprise us”

“Say no more” Susie responded

She returned a few minutes later with two flamboyant looking offering with umbrellas and sparklers

“Mojito mocktails, with a celebratory twist”

“Oh wow” exclaimed Toddy

“They are perfect, thank you” Charlie agreed

In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (023) – Making Progress

 

July

 

After Charlie Phelps’s dual revelations outside St Adelaide’s Convent back in July, when he declared he had purchased the Convent and that he was in love with Toddy, it sparked an abundance of converse about both St Adelaide’s and their personal relationships, and there were decisions to be made.

 

The first week of discussions covered the broad strokes and the only firm decision made were that the Chapel, Cemetery and Kitchen garden had to be preserved and that their next discussions should involve an Architect.

The Architect they chose was James Tims who ticked a lot of boxes, he was a local man, a Christian and was a regular at St Agatha’s.

 

One of their stipulations was to use local artisans and they were pleased to find that he was of a like mind, however he did recommend they employ the services of a Project Manager and suggested Nicholas McGee, who, although not a local per se, he was relatively so, as he resided in Sharpington, and they took up his endorsement.     

 

August

 

Throughout the month of August James Tims produced several preliminary plans for their perusal, some of which they approved and some they rejected.

However, by the end of the month, they approved the final plans of the existing building and several additional single-story buildings.

 

September

 

At the beginning of September, he submitted the finished plans to the council planning department and began working on the detailed working drawings so that work could commence on the Convent buildings, because builders Reece Stead and Jamie Gomm, plumbers Catherine and Keira Smith, and electricians Archie Paddick and Callum Gallocker had already commenced work on site stripping out.

 

Charlie and Toddy were regular visitors to the site once work had commenced, and by the third week of the month they ordered the turf for Beechwood.

The weather forecast for the first half of October was persistent rain so the target was to lay the turf by the end of September.

So, they drafted in his niece Verity Virtue and her boyfriend Stephen Farnsworth to help out and they worked as a well-oiled team, Toddy laid the turfs, Verity fed her, and Stephen and Charlie did the donkey work.   

It was a large garden, and it took them almost three days from Monday to Wednesday, and when it was done, they were all shattered.

 

As a reward for their efforts, he booked them all into the Mablethorpe Spa Hotel in Pipershaven for two days and nights.

It wasn’t the best Spa Hotel in the county, but it was the closest and offered, fitness classes, gym, rock sauna, infra-red sauna, aroma steam room, ice fountain, drench showers, Jacuzzi, a Romanesque pool, Reflexology, Raki, facials, scalp massage, hand massage, full body massage, Manicure and Pedicure, to name but a few.

“This is very amazing” Toddy said who had never been to a spa before.

“Does it meet with your approval?”

“Very much so” she replied and smiled

 

Charlie had booked four single rooms although he knew it was likely that Stephen and Verity would only be using one of them, but he didn’t want to cause any embarrassment, so he booked the extra room.

 

After checking into their rooms, they met downstairs in the bar and discussed what treatments they were going to try, and they universally said that because of their physical endeavors for the previous three days that first and foremost they wanted a full body massage.

Stephen and Verity were lucky enough to go straight onto tables whereas the others had to book so went to the aroma steam room until it was their turn.

 

October

 

After two days of unadulterated pampered relaxation, they returned to Pepperstock Green on Saturday morning October 1st, after stopping on the way at the Starlight Café for something deliciously unhealthy.

 

The could have stayed at the Spa until lunchtime but Toddy had an appointment with Emma Daley to have her hair done, ahead of the dinner date with Charlie that night to celebrate her fifty fifth birthday.

Her birthday wasn’t actually until Sunday and he would have preferred to have taken her to dinner on her birthday, but Chloe got there first and organized a Birthday lunch at the Vicarage straight after Church, so he was taking her to the Kissing Angel on Saturday night instead.

 

In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (022) – Punching Above His Weight

 

September

 

Michael Bailey was an Estate Agent in the Village, and he had been dating Maisie, one of the Threadgold’s Garden Centre family, whose business had been in existence in some form or other for over 100 years and was still family run.

 

Masie Threadgold was a pretty blonde girl, and everyone thought Michael was punching above his weight.

At the beginning of September on Friday evening they drove up to Abbottsford to his parents’ house as it was his dad’s fiftieth birthday the next day.

Michael was up early on Saturday morning, as was his Mum, there were only the two of them up and about, as everyone else was sleeping in after severe overindulgence at dinner the night before.

They sat in the conservatory having breakfast when he asked

“What do you think of Maisie?”

“She’s very nice dear” she replied as she stood up

“Of course, she’s far too pretty for you to keep” she continued and left the room before he could respond.

“She’s far too pretty for me to keep” he repeated “What on earth did she mean by that?”

He spent the rest of Saturday morning wondering what she meant by her remark, did she mean Maisie was too pretty for him? Not good enough for him? Or too good for him?

Anyway, the conclusion he reached was that he loved Maisie Threadgold and he was going to keep her, end of story.

 

At two o’clock people started to arrive for the BBQ, and things slowly got going with the garden quickly filling with familiar faces and he took the opportunity to introduce Maisie to everyone.

As the afternoon gave way to dusk all but the hardiest of them had moved into the house or gone home already but then his kid brother Danny said he had an announcement to make, and a murmur spread around the room in anticipation.

“I would just like to make a short but significant announcement”

Now Michael was reasonably sure it was not a marriage declaration as he knew Danny’s position on marriage very well indeed.

He loved Kerry with all his heart, but he would never marry her because he thought marriage was nonsense.

Michael had no opinion on marriage himself as he never thought the opportunity would ever arise.  

Although Danny was anti marriage he suspected he might change his mind if given sufficient incentive to do so, namely if there was a chance he might lose Kerry.

So, when the announcement was imminent Michael was certain sure it wasn’t marriage but wasn’t prepared at all for what he did say as he stood holding Kerry’s hand. 

“We are having a baby” he said excitedly, and the news was met with enthusiastic approval.

 

About an hour later Michael was on his way back from the toilet when he walked past the kitchen door just in time to hear his aunt say

“Michael has a pretty little girlfriend”.

“I know and she’s lovely” his Mum said “but he’ll never keep hold of her, she’s way out of his league”

There was a brief pause and then she continued 

“He really needs to find himself a horsey type, not a pretty little blonde”

Well, they say eaves droppers never hear anything good about themselves well that would teach him.

As he continued on his path back to Maisie, he was feeling absolutely gob smacked.

He sat down next to Maisie who gave him a smile, and he smiled back but inside he wasn’t smiling.

It was only when they were on the dance floor smooching along to 10cc’s “I’m not in love” that he felt at peace, and he thought to himself “oh yes I am”

 

It was the next morning when he was getting ready for Church that he made the decision, he had woken up that morning having had an epiphany, so he quickly finished getting dressed and rushed downstairs and into the kitchen.

“Where’s Maisie?” he asked abruptly

“And good morning to you” Danny said sitting at the table still wearing his dressing gown.

“Have you seen her or not?” he asked

“She’s in the shower” he snapped

“Thanks” Michael said and turned on his heels and left

“And I’m next” he shouted after him

 

He rushed upstairs to the guest bathroom and pressed his ear against the door.

He could hear the sound of the shower running and some tuneless singing so having detected it was Maisie and not his mother he knocked on the door.

“I’ll be out in a minute” she called

“I need to talk to you” he called back

“I’ll be out in a minute hon” she said

The door was locked but it was an old house with a lot of the original fittings, including the door latch on the inside of the bathroom door.

He couldn’t wait a minute, what he had to say to her was urgent so as Maisie wouldn’t let him in, he had to let himself in.

So, he used his credit card, sliding it between the frame and the door and lifting the latch and pushed open the door, which squeaked as it opened.

“Who’s that?” she called in alarm

“It’s only me” he answered

Maisie was just stepping out of the shower and hastily covered herself with a towel.

Although in the two months they had been seeing each other they had, to put it as delicately as possible, been intimate, they were not at that stage of intimacy that allowed naked converse.

“Get out! I’m not decent” she shouted

“I have something important to say” he insisted

“Can’t it wait?” she asked

“No, it can’t” he said

“Well, you can’t just barge into the bathroom when someone else’s is in there” Maisie said crossly

“It’s not decent we’re not some old married couple you know”

“That’s just the point” he said

“What is?” she said, still cross

“I want us to be” he explained

“You want us to be what?” she said with a puzzled expression

“Married” he said quietly “I want to marry you”

Maisie just stood there looking at him with a vacant look on her face.

“Well, what do you think?” he asked

“I think you should come over here and kiss me” Maisie replied

“Is that really decent?” he queried

“It is now we’re engaged” she answered, and they kissed

 

They decided not to tell their Mum until after Church as they thought her head might explode.

They did tell Danny though but only as he happened to be passing the bathroom as they came out, but he was sworn to silence until lunchtime.

“I’d better be your Best Man” he said

“But you don’t believe in marriage” Michael replied

“That’s not the point” he said

In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (021) – The Immodest Muse

 

August

 

Norman Simpson was a middle-aged curmudgeonly writer who was renting a farm cottage for the summer as he had a deadline fast approaching and the distractions of the city were affecting his focus.

His home was in Abbottsford where he had lived alone for 5 years following his divorce.

The cottage was located on Spurgin’s farm between Pepperstock Green and Quarry Hill and had been booked by his Publishers via a local Estate Agent.

Clifford Conway was his real name, his pseudonym Norman Simpson, was the name of an obscure character in one of his early books. 

The Cottage was about half a mile from the farmhouse and other buildings so it should have suited him perfectly.

However, that didn’t take into account 20-year-old Victoria Spurgin’s presence.

She was the granddaughter of the matriarch of the family, Alberta, and the niece of her Maiden Aunts, Iris and Daisy.

It was a remote sheep farm high up on the edge of the Pepperstock Hills National Park, the three older women did all the shepherding leaving Victoria to do all the domestic chores, which included cleaning once a week at the cottage. 

Which he found very distracting, because it was a hot summer, and she wore summer dresses that showed every curve and her underwear.

She also possessed a naivety of how affecting her figure was and how attractive she was.       

But whether by accident or design she was always bending over immodestly, showing him a view of her panties up her skirt or dress.

One unbearably hot day in August he said

“Don’t worry about the cleaning today”

“I’ll get in trouble if I don’t do it” she said

“Then just sit down and have a cold drink” he said

“And they’ll be none the wiser”

“Oh ok”

“Gran says you’re from Abbottsford” she said

“That’s right, have you been?” He asked and she laughed

“I’ve never been off the farm”

“Never?” he asked in amazement

“Never”

“What about school?”

“I was home schooled” she replied

“What about when you’re ill?”

“The Doctor comes here”

“I can’t believe that you’ve never left the farm” he said unable to conceal his disbelief

“I’m not allowed” she said

“Why ever not?”

“It’s because of my mum, Gran said she was loose with boys” she explained “and she doesn’t want the same thing to happen with me”

“Where’s your mum now?” Norman asked

“She ran away from home after I was born” she replied sadly, and tears welled up in her eyes

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you” he said and sat beside her and put an arm around her shoulder to comfort her and before he knew what was happening, they were kissing.

The heat of the day and raised passions meant the 

kissing inevitably led to love making for the first of many times during the summer.

And as their relationship burgeoned his writing flowed like fine wine and he finished the book well inside the deadline, and it was the best thing he’d written for some time, so when he left the farm in September, he took Victoria with him because she had become his muse.

In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (020) – Messing About on the Water

 

August

 

At the beginning of August one bright Friday morning the landscape gardening Thorne sisters, Katie, Kerry, Georgia and their close friend, Village Postman, Jack Gibbs, were driving up to Quarry Hill for the wedding of a friend.

The Wedding ceremony was taking place at St Theresa’s and the reception was at the Quarry View Hotel, which was where they were staying and all of them had targets among the other guests, either rekindling with ex’s or dealing with unfinished business.

It was hoped, though none of the four had expressed it out loud, that with liberal quantities of alcohol and dancing at the reception might get the job done.

 

They arrived in Quarry Hill and drove into the Hotel carpark just before twelve o’clock and they got their first look at the luxury Hotel it was not a particularly esthetically pleasing structure and was typically Victorian however the harshness of its hard lines had been softened by the matured shrubbery, but they were not there for the architecture they had other fish to fry.

They quickly checked in to their rooms and then made their way to the terrace to have a bite of lunch, and they were pleased to see that the objects of their desires were already sitting at separate tables, in that typically British way.  Solicitor Kevin Dixon, Nursery nurse Hailey Willmott, Rudyard Richmond who owned and ran the General Store in the Village and the only one not from Pepperstock Green, Susie Bradshaw who was from Pipershaven and was a Waitress at the Kissing Angel restaurant.

When the Thorne’s arrived, they immediately drew everyone together, because they all knew them so they all gathered around two tables and introductions were made for those who needed them. 

 

After lunch, which was more indulgent than any of them intended, they decided to take a walk round the lake in the Hotel grounds, to burn off some calories otherwise they would have spent the afternoon dozing on the terrace.

When they set off for the walk they were in a huddled chattering group, but it wasn’t long before they spread out into a ragged strand.

Jack and Rudyard were at the back about 20 yards behind Katie and Susie who appeared to be getting on like a house on fire.

About ten minutes later they were in sight of the lake and Kerry shouted back from her place in the vanguard.

“PUNTS”

And Jack and Rudyard started jogging towards her.

“What’s going on” Katie said with alarm

“Were going punting” Rud said and took her hand, and they ran hand in hand along the path, and she exclaimed

“But I’ve never punted”

“Nor have I” he admitted

The reason for all the excitement was because Kerry had once dated a Cambridge student and spent some glorious summer days in Cambridge, and a disproportionate amount of time was spent Punting on the river Cam and she often regaled them of the non-regulation games they used to get up to on the water.

The Quarry View Lake was not the River Cam, but it was uniformly shallow and therefore ideal for Punting.

The flat bottom boats available for hire were similar to the punts you find in Oxford and Cambridge but not precisely the same.

However, they hired four punts and divided up into teams made up of the respective couples they hoped to be in by the end of the weekend.

 

Kerry quickly explained the rules, of which there were few, in fact there weren’t any, the simple object of the exercise was not to get wet.

A few of the party had been on the water at one time or another, some more than others, but Kerry explained that when they were punting the winners were the ones who stayed dry.

“If your pole gets stuck in the mud you let it go, if the situation arises then you stay with the punt and not with the pole it’s simple really.” Kerry explained

Now having stated that the object of the exercise was to stay dry, in truth what she should have actually said was that the goal is to get your opponent’s wet.

“Once both occupants of a punt have been dunked then they can take no further part” Kerry added

Under normal circumstances hostilities wouldn’t begin until all craft were out of sight of the dock and the prying eyes of the boat keeper.

But on this occasion Kevin missed his footing and fell in the river without even setting foot onto his punt.

“God Kevin, you rowed at university” Jack shouted “you should be more at home on the water than any of us”

Once the flotilla had travelled sufficiently to be in open water hostilities could begin and against all the odds it wasn’t long before Kerry, the most experienced Punter among them, succumbed to an early bath and they were down to three vessels.

 

There had been a number of harmless skirmishes when Jack, who was now the most experienced on the water, narrowly avoided a ramming by Georgia’s punt only to find himself heading straight for a weeping willow.

Susie panicked and ran to the rear of the vessel and then she and Jack slid down the pole together.

During the ensuing laughter Hailey and Rudyard collided, and they both got dunked.

Katie stood up and laughed like a drain before she shouted

“Abandon ship” and jumped in and joined Rud.

“I’ll save you captain” she said and wrapped her arms around him as they stood in the cool water, him up to his thighs and Katie waist deep and they laughed in the summer sunshine, which was when he kissed her.

As Rud stood in the waters of the Cam kissing Katie his new girlfriend, Georgia noisily declared herself the winner.

They spent the next hour employing the Punts as they were designed to be used until their time was up.

 

After they had done battle on the lake and returned the Punts to the jetty they squelched their way back along the banks of lake in high spirits.  

Georgia, the youngest of the Thorne sisters, had never won at anything before and was so thrilled with her victory she wouldn’t shut up about it on the walk back to the Hotel, so they picked her up and threw her into the water and her last words before she hit the water were

“You can’t do that I’m the winner”

 

As they got closer to the Hotel, they could hear a happy chatter and the sound of glasses chinking and then they walked around the side to the terrace where they found it crowded with other wedding guests.

“Oh goodness you’re all wet” the bride’s mother said, “What on earth has happened?”

“They threw me in river” said Georgia indignantly “because they’re bad losers”

This information was received with raucous laughter and not with the wave of sympathy she had been expecting so she flounced off to get showered.

The rest of the group decided to have a drink on the terrace first.

Over the next hour everyone slowly drifted off in their ones and twos to get ready for the evening.

 

Katie Thorne and Rudyard Richmond were back on the terrace after dinner, and they spent a romantic hour cuddling on a bench watching the sun go down.

“This is nice” Rudyard said

“This is perfect” Katie corrected him

 

So, half of the group that had driven up to Quarry Hill on Friday had achieved their romantic goal before the wedding bells were rung whereas for the other four, they would have to wait until the wedding reception to ensure the deal was done before the weekend was over.

In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (019) – Revelation’s

July

 

After the Thorne girls had finished the hard landscaping, Built the Greenhouse as well as installing the water feature and BBQ, the garden was ready for planting, and Toddy was in her element.

A week and a half later everything was looking good, apart from the lawn, but the turfing would have to wait.

The Thorne’s had leveled the new topsoil that had been deposited, but that would have to bake in the sun until the end of the summer when Toddy would lay the turf.

 

Charlie and Toddy were at St Agatha's for the Sunday service on the second week of July and then went onto the Vicarage for one of Chloe's very excellent roast dinners.

In addition to the Virtue’s they were also joined by local composer and chorister Stephen Farnsworth, as he and Verity had recently become a couple.

As the last piece of cutlery rattled on the China plates Chloe said

“I think we should adjourn to the garden, we can have desert on the patio when our dinner has gone down” 

“Good ides” the Vicar agreed

They were sat drinking their wine or fruit punch in the warm July sunshine for about half an hour when there was a lull in the conversation so Chloe, who was the epitome of the axiom that “Nature Abhors a Vacuum” filled the gap and said

“I heard today that the convent has been sold”

“What!” Exclaimed Toddy 

“Thats according to Emma Daley” she clarified “Who heard it from one of her ladies”

Emma was the Village hairdresser, and the “Ladies”, were considered to be reliable sources.

“Do they know who the new owner is?” the Vicar asked

“No not yet, but they will” she replied

“What are they planning to do with it?”, Toddy asked sadly

“According to Catherine Scott, not yet” she replied 

Catherine was the go-to for a Mani Pedi and was also considered a good source, especially in this case as her Aunt Sylvia worked in the planning office of the Pippershaven Council.

“And her Aunt Sylvia says there is absolutely nothing on the planning system, or in the pipeline, and she should know” 

“Well, that's a good sign” Verity suggested “Isn't it?”

Toddy remained quiet in response, and was not reassured. 

Once they had eaten desert and had all praised its deliciousness Toddy turned to Charlie and quietly asked

“Can we walk up to the convent?”

“Of course we can” he replied 

 

When they left the Vicarage Verity and Stephen left at the same time, but not to go for a walk, their intention was to “make music” together for the afternoon.

It wasn’t a long walk up to the Convent, about 2 miles, as the crow flew, but a little longer through the woods, but took longer than normal as it was a hot day.

When they reached the gates, they found them closed and chained and a sign stating the property had been sold.

Toddy had been very quiet on the walk, uncharacteristically so in fact, and when she saw the sold sign she sighed and said   

“I wish we knew who the new owner was”

“I do,” said Charlie

“You do what?”

“Know”

“What?” she asked

“I know who the new owner is”

“Who?”

“It’s me, I’m the new owner” he confessed

“What! Why didn’t you say something earlier at the Vicarage” she retorted angrily

“I wanted to tell you when we were alone” he said

“I can’t believe you have been so deceitful” she stammered

“All this time you’ve been plotting to… to… well I don’t know what you’ve been plotting, but you have” she ranted

“So what abomination are you going build? What are you planning to do with this beautiful place?”

“Well, that’s kind of up to you” he replied calmly

“What do you mean? It’s up to me?” she retorted angrily

“Well, I bought it precisely to prevent it from being redeveloped, I bought it to preserve it, I bought it for you”

“What?” she asked quietly

“You said yourself that as a convent it wasn’t sustainable, but as a retreat, or an escape from the world it could be a place of reflection and healing” he explained

“Equine therapy for example, and you said you found the kitchen garden very therapeutic, so there are so many possibilities”

“For the rich I suppose” she rebuked

“For anyone, Artists, writers, the bereaved, burnt-out carers, retired clergy, so many could benefit” he said

“Those who can afford it will pay, those who can’t, will be provided for”

“And where is the money going to come from might I ask?” she snapped

“You’re retired and I’m unemployed.”

“Do you remember my saying I sold my business?” he asked, and she nodded

“Well, it was an Aerospace Engineering Company, and it sold for an obscene amount of money, more money than I could ever hope to spend in five lifetimes, and what has been keeping me busy is spending it on philanthropic endeavour’s” he explained

“Oh, so is that what I am to you, a philanthropic endeavour”

She asked brusquely

“No, you are the woman I have fallen in love with” he replied,

“What you can do with this place is a philanthropic endeavour”

“What did you say?”

“What you can do with this place….”

“No before that”

“You are the woman I have fallen in love with” he repeated

“You love me?” she asked as she turned to face him

“Yes, with all my heart”

“You never said” Toddy said quietly

“I was waiting for the right moment” Charlie replied

“I love you too” Toddy said and stood on her tiptoes and kissed him

 

They stood outside the Convent gates in a comfortable embrace for about ten minutes on the beautiful July afternoon when Toddy sighed and quietly said

“I’m still cross with you for not telling me”