(Part 01)
It was Christmas Eve and it was understandably busy as Steve Berry stood behind the bar drying glasses and he watched his wife Holly as she walked around the lounge bar talking to the customers as was her usual habit.
He liked it as she walked from table to table, he liked the way the flared skirt moved across her lovely legs and found it quite sensual, she had a less graceful gait than she used to, but Steve still felt a great sense of pride that he was her husband and plus the additional pride that Holly was pregnant, very pregnant in fact.
It had been two years since they had met and she had changed the course of his life entirely.
It was Christmas again and Steve Berry had always had a dislike for it, despite all the jollity.
Unlike many of his Christmas mad friends he’d had no happy Christmas memories to anesthetise him against the season.
His childhood Christmases were memories he would rather have forgotten.
So he never trusted Christmas, he believed that shit lurked beneath the coloured lights and paper chains.
That was until Holly Davis opened his eyes to new possibilities and he realised that Christmas could also magnify joy and through her love Steve had been cured of his Christmas phobia.
After an excess of alcohol and some sneakiness from Holly he found himself working behind the bar in her Uncle Phil’s pub, the Pig and Whistle in Abbeyvale.
He was still, even to that day, uncertain quite how she managed to affect that, but affect it she did and during the ten days he spent working for her, she had turned his life upside down and it culminated at closing time on Christmas Eve as the church bells at St Mary’s chimed midnight, with him wishing her a Merry Christmas and kissing her.
Judging by the way Holly responded Steve hoped that the kiss on Christmas Eve might have been the start of something between them but alas for him it didn’t lead anywhere, immediately at any rate.
Holly had indeed responded to his advance and in fact had been hoping for it, but she knew it was far too soon to throw caution to the wind.
The effects of the kiss proved to be a slow burner which didn’t burst into flames until the early hours of New Year’s Day.
The two years since they first made love, had been very eventful, they became partners in January, engaged at Easter and Married in September.
However it wasn’t only Steve and Holly’s fortunes that had changed over the preceding two years since they had met but so had those of the Pig and Whistle.
It had gone from a rundown dive with one large open bar to a thriving pub with a sports bar, a games room and a smart lounge plus it had a growing reputation as a gastro pub.
The restaurant had always been busy right from the outset but when Steve and Stephanos were in the kitchen, they provided good pub grub and no more, because they didn’t have the repertoire to take it to the next level.
However since Steve and Holly had returned from their Sharpington honeymoon the previous year with Chef Simon Clarke the restaurant had really taken off.
(Part 02)
Simon Clarke had been working at the Granite Hill Country House Hotel where the Berry’s were staying for their honeymoon as a sous chef for an arrogant sadistic bully.
Now he was a Chef in his own right and Steve and Stephanos had grown as cooks under him.
So the reputation of the Pig and Whistles restaurant contributed greatly to the busyness on Christmas Eve.
So on Christmas Eve and Holly, despite being told to rest by Steve and everybody else, was doing her usual walkabout as hostess and as Steve looked at her he sighed because he was so in love with the lovely girl in the maternity dress.
Just like Christmas Eve two years before it was snowing, not as hard, but enough not to want to make any unnecessary journeys.
She had had a twinge or two which she just laughed it off, she said the baby had been really active all day.
“She’s dancing to the Christmas songs” she said to Steve “she really likes the Puppini Sisters”
But by 9 o’clock in the evening it was obvious the twinges were more than the baby Christmas Dancing and she was having actually having contractions.
Luckily Dr Claire Andrews was dining in the restaurant with friends
“Get Doc Andrews” Steve said to Petra
“Ok” she replied and ran off while Steve and one of the regulars helped Holly into the private room at the back of the bar.
“Where is she?” The doctor asked
“In here” Steve called
Dr Andrews threw her car keys to Petra
“Can you get my bag from the car please?”
“Yes doc” she replied
“Ooooooh” Holly exclaimed through gritted teeth “that was a big one”
After Dr Andrews examined her she said
“She’s definitely in labour”
“I’ll call an ambulance” Steve suggested
“No she’s too far along” Claire said “the baby is going to be born here, and quite soon”
“I’d be happier if we got her to hospital” Steve said
“So would I” Dr Andrews replied
“But she’ll never make it to the hospital”
“She’s really too close?” Steve asked
“Yes” Claire replied “so under the circumstance, here is going to have to do”
“Upstairs it is then” Steve said “but the first sign of an angel and three wise men and we’re calling an ambulance”
“Christmas is never dull with Holly” he thought to himself as one by one the remainder of happy customers disappeared into the snowy night amidst a peel of Happy Christmas wishes.
“I have to give her that”
Steve looked out the door as he said goodnight to the last customer and it was still snowing but still not hard.
He locked the doors and went back inside to where the live in staff were sitting, no one wanted to go to bed until the baby had been born.
So they sat around a table in the bar until half past one when Noelle Claire Berry was born.
“How typical of Holly Berry to have the baby on Christmas Day” Steve said with tears in his eyes.
Tuesday 28 March 2017
Monday 27 March 2017
Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (28) To Catch a Thief and Steal a Heart
(Part 01)
Sharpington-by-Sea is a traditional seaside resort complete with a Victorian Pier, seafront hotels, crazy golf, The Palladium ballroom, well maintained gardens, promenade, theatre and illuminations, all the usual things to have a great time by the seaside, as well as amusement arcades and of course the Sharpington Fun Park.
Which was the first purpose built amusement park to open in Britain, which had an assortment of rides, like the Rotor and the Wild Mouse, The Cyclone and the Morehouse Galloper, all very tame compared to a 21st century roller coaster but it was still fun.
It was also a popular resort for retirees and boasted a number of static caravan parks.
It was June 6th, “the longest day” his father used to call it but for him it felt like the longest evening
It wasn’t very late, sometime after nine, when David Goodman left the Sharpington Yacht Club, it was a quiet evening for a Saturday and he had soon exhausted the meager pool of interesting people.
So he meandered his way along the promenade in the fading light towards home on a warm night in June with barely a breath of wind off the sea.
David was fast approaching his sixty third birthday and was Widowed, retire and lonely, his children had grown up and moved away a lifetime ago and even their children were beginning to take flight.
He saw them all often enough but it wasn’t the same as having them around all the time.
However despite his loneliness he was not lacking in friends, far from it.
He fumbled for his keys as he made his way down the back path of his bungalow and his eye was drawn to a faint light through the garage window, at first he thought it might be a reflection but when he turned around there was nothing behind him but darkness.
The garage was what was known as a tandem because it was spacious enough for two cars in tandem i.e. end to end.
The up and over door was naturally at the front of the house and at the rear was a window through which he had seen the light and a door which gave access into the garden and he could see as he got closer that it was ajar.
David was 62 years old so it was a little foolhardy to proceed and confront a possible intruder but he did it anyway.
He grabbed the handle of the garage door and pushed it gently open and reached his hand in, feeling his way to the light switches then he pushed the door open wide and hit the two switches simultaneously.
The two lights came on instantly but one of the bulbs, the one at the rear, blew immediately returning it to near darkness.
He kept the car in the front half of the garage, not that he drove it very often, but the back half was full of everything and nothing, old pieces of furniture, tools, packing boxes and so on, junk mainly, as a result not much light got from one end of the garage to the other because of everything in between.
(Part 02)
When the lights first went on he saw the shape of a figure, just one he thought, though he couldn’t be sure, then the light went off again and he lost the shape in the gloom and there were a lot of shapes that could have been the intruder.
He switched on his phone torch and in the gloomy light he thought he saw movement and then he felt a push against his shoulder but it was only a glancing one and he was able to stand his ground and he reached out and grabbed his assailant.
“Got you” he said rather unimaginatively as he bundled the intruder towards his workbench and pinned them there while he got a better purchase on them.
There was a lot of wriggling and during the struggle he got a whack in the face, so using the weight of his upper body he pushed them forward so the hands that the intruder was employing to hit him with had to be used to support themselves.
However they weren’t done yet and alternated hands to have quick swipes at him and it was at this point while trying to subdue them that his left hand got a handful of breast.
“You’re a girl” he said and release his hold and grabbed her shoulder instead.
So having determined his burglar was female, he made a minor adjustment and transferred his weight forward so he had her completely pinned and with his right hand now free he used his phone again to have a look at her.
“My God you’re just a kid” he said and slapped her hard on the buttock.
“Get out of here” he said to her angrily “And don’t come back again”
The intruder scurried away and David walked to the house and made himself a coffee and went to the cupboard above the sink and got out a new light bulb, a proper old fashioned 60w bulb, that lit up to its maximum brightness as soon as you flicked the switch, and not one of those low energy things that only reached maximum brightness as you were about to switch it off and leave the room.
He went back out to the garage and reached up and replaced the bulb which lit immediately and when he looked in front of him he saw a girl sitting on the bench.
A skinny waif like creature, with short mousy blonde hair, a bit like a shaggy dog and she was wearing a baggy tee shirt and leggings.
“Didn’t you hear me tell you not to come back?” he asked her
“Yes” she said meekly
“So what are you doing back here again?” he asked sharply
“Um”
“Why are you back?” he said standing directly in front of her
“Well?”
“I wanted to say sorry” she said quietly and he softened
“How old are you?” he asked her
“17” she replied
“And what’s your name?”
“Wendy”
(Part 03)
“And what’s your name?” he asked
“Wendy”
“And what were you after in here anyway?” he asked
“I was looking for food”
“Why?” he asked with surprise
“Because I was hungry”
“What?”
“I was hungry” she repeated
“Where are you from? Where are your parents?”
“I live on the caravan park, Potters Lane, with my mum”
“Why hasn’t she fed you?” he questioned
“She’s not well,” she said tearfully
“Come in the house” he said “And I’ll make you something”
So David took her in the house and sat her in the kitchen while he made her bacon and eggs, which she polished off in no time flat.
As she was sitting drinking a hot chocolate Wendy asked
“Why did you feed me?”
“Because you were hungry” he replied
“But I was trying to steal from you” she pointed out
“Yes but you didn’t”
“That’s because you turned the light on and disturbed me” she stated
“But I could tell you weren’t a bad girl” David said washing up her plate
“But you thought I was a boy until you grabbed my...”
Wendy left the word unsaid and blushed
“No you’re right” he said “I wouldn’t have grabbed you there had I realized you were a girl”
“So why did you feed me bacon and eggs?”
“Because you came back and apologized” David explained “That’s why”
“So you don’t think I look like a boy?”
“No I think you look like an urchin” he corrected her and smiled
“Seriously do you think I’m ugly?”
“No I don’t, why would you think that?” David said
It would have been true to say she wasn’t stunningly beautiful but there was something about her elfin features, a distinct cuteness, she was a tomboy certainly but a pretty one.
“Everybody thinks I’m ugly and worthless” she said and she started to cry
“Even my mum” she added between the sobs so he went over to her and hugged her and she instantly locked her skinny arms around his neck.
“No one thinks you’re ugly” he said reassuringly
“You do,” she sobbed
“No, I think you’re cute”
“Really?” She said then cried into his neck
“So why did you think I was a boy?”
He thought about it for a while before answering
“Because it was dark and I’m old” he said
“Now dry your eyes and I’ll walk you home it’s getting late,” he said giving her his hankie
“You don’t have too” she said between sobs
“I know but I’m going to do it anyway” he insisted
“Does your mum work?” he asked as they walked towards Potters Lane
“No” she replied, “She’s not well enough”
“What about you?”
“No one’ll give me a job” she said and laughed
“Why not?”
“No don’t tell me, because you’re ugly and worthless”
She nodded
“Do you want a job?” he asked
“Yes”
“What do you want to do?”
“I don’t care what I do, anything” she said earnestly
“So if I could get you some work, would you be interested?”
“Oh yes” she replied as they reached the end of her road.
“Ok, I’ll see what I can do” he said “But you have to promise you won’t let me down?”
“No way” she said
“Shake on it then” he said and held out his hand which she shook as she looked him squarely in the eye before turning off into the caravan park.
“And the next time you’re hungry come and knock on the door” he called after her
“Ok”
(Part 04)
“Was that Wendy Corney?” A voice said from behind him as he watched Wendy walk down Potters Lane and when he turned around he saw it was Leslie Maher, his next-door neighbour, out walking her dog, Trio, so called as he had three legs.
“Yes” he said
And then to answer the unasked question he said
“I caught her trying to steal from my garage”
“I see” she said, “and did you call the police?”
“No”
“I’m glad” she said, Leslie was one of the angels
“Is it true her mother is ill?” he asked her
“Yes, she’s a chronic alcoholic” Leslie replied sadly
“I’m glad you’ve decided to try and help her”
“I didn’t say I had” David
“You don’t have to, you’re that kind of man” she said looking at him earnestly “But I just have one question”
“What’s that?”
“Why?”
“Because someone has convinced her that she’s ugly and worthless”
He replied and she reached up and kissed his cheek
“Good night David”
A day or two later he spied Alison Williams in the garden, she was a self-employed gardener and as he could in no way be considered to possess green fingers, that was his wife’s gift, he employed Alison.
And at the end of Sharpington where he lived was popular with retiree’s she had a numerous clientele.
She was a buxom young woman though quite muscular, about 5ft 10, big chested and thirty something with a great unruly shock of vivid ginger hair.
He was absentmindedly looking out through the kitchen window watching and was distracted by the sight of the robust Alison bent over a planter with her dungarees stretched tight across her well-defined buttocks but as she stood up from her toil he had a different thought.
“Alison!” he called
“Morning” she said “I’m just packing up”
“Hang on; I need to ask you a favour”
“Ok ask away,” she said
“Do you ever take on casual labour?” He asked
“Yes, but its hard finding someone reliable who turns up when they say they will” she said “Why do you have someone in mind?”
“Yes”
“It’s not some lecherous git you’re trying to set me up with is it?” Alison asked suspiciously
“No it’s a local girl, Wendy Corney”
“Ok I’ll give her a trial” she said “But its hard graft and the money’s shit”
“She won’t mind” he said confidently
After speaking with Alison he decided to go down to Hemmings General Store and pick up a paper and to ask another favour.
“Are you coming in for tea?” called Leslie
“On the way back” he suggested “If that’s ok”
“That’s fine” she replied cheerily
He always flirted outrageously with Belinda Hemmings and she would always flirt back but there was nothing in it as his hearts love lay elsewhere.
They had known each other for years, when she was still Belinda Church and she had been a bridesmaid at his wedding.
But alas she was quite ill and in hospital so her daughter Sabr was running things
Sabr was an Arabic word for the Islamic virtue of “patience”, although neither Belinda nor her husband were Arabs or Islamists she read it in a book when she was expecting her daughter and fell in love with the name.
(Part 05)
While he was at the counter in Hemmings paying for his paper he was just about to broach the subject of part time work for Wendy with Sabr when Gwen Quinton-Smith walked through the door.
She very flustered, though she often did, so he waited until she eventually regained her composure and he raised the question with her about full time or part time work for Wendy with the two of them at the same time.
Gwen said that she would ask around the ladies at the Women’s Institute but in the mean time she did have some odd jobs about the house that needed doing.
Sabr also promised to give Wendy a few hours in the shop while her mum was ill and she could start the same day.
“Not a bad mornings work all in all” he thought to himself as he left the shop “I just hope Wendy won’t let me down”
It was just at that minute that he spotted Wendy Corney’s gawky gangling gait crossing the road heading for the footbridge over the railway, some 50 yards away, so he set off in pursuit.
He lost sight of her for a few minutes and when he was across the bridge himself he didn’t know if she’d gone left or right.
So he took a gamble and went left just as a girl on horseback rode by, it was Emma Goldup.
“Morning Mr Goodman”
“Morning Emma”
She always called him Mr. Goodman even though it was 7 years since he retired from teaching.
She was the only child of a local couple with several businesses in the town.
But when she finished her expensive education she had no interest in working for any of the family businesses and got a job working in a small riding school at Brooke Side Farm on the outskirts of town.
Her parents were outraged, her father offered to buy the riding school and let her run it but she forbade him from doing any such thing and threatened never to speak to either of them if he did, she just wanted to work with horses.
She was a pretty girl, only a tiny little thing sat astride a great Honey coloured colt, and in spite of her parents wealth she had no airs and graces.
He finally tracked Wendy down about ten minutes later sitting on the banks of a little stream dangling her naked feet in the water.
“Hello you” he said startling her
“You made me jump” she said and giggled.
“What are you up to?” he asked
“Nothing as usual” she replied glumly.
“Just as well I’ve found some work for you”
“Really?” She said excitedly
“You’re not just winding me up,” she continued obviously used to being let down.
“No I’m serious” David said
She turned away from him and he could tell the way her shoulders were moving that she was crying.
“Well come on then” he said “Get your shoes on, they’re waiting for you”
(Part 06)
Wendy turned away from him and he could tell the way her shoulders were moving that she was crying.
“Well come on then” he said “Get your shoes on, they’re waiting for you”
“What, now?” She said wiping her face on her sleeve and nearly falling in the stream then she threw her long arms around him in a big gawky hug.
“Thanks David” she said and then she sat down again and he handed her a hankie which she gave a double take at, not knowing whether to dry her eyes or her feet, so she did both in the end, eyes first.
As he walked her back into the village he filled her in with what odd bits of work he had found for her so far.
“But the rest is up to you” he said
“I won’t let you down David, I promise” she said and when they arrived outside the shop David added
“It’s only temporary while Mrs. Hemmings is ill but if you work hard, I’m sure they’ll use you again”
And on hearing those words she stood up straight and gave him a wonky smile.
“What if she doesn’t like me?” She said nervously and he wiped the last remnants of her tears away and took her into the shop.
“Sabr! This is Wendy” he said
“Hello Wendy” Sabr said
“Hi” she replied trembling
“Don’t look so worried” Sabr said “I won’t bite”
He was feeling very pleased with himself as he walked up to Leslie Maher’s front door.
“Am I too late for tea?” he asked when she opened the door
“No you’re fine, Gwen’s still here” Leslie said
He received the news with mixed feelings, he was pleased that he wasn’t too late but he was disappointed that he had to share her with Gwen Quinton-Smith, although he really liked Gwen.
And both of them were very interested to hear all the details of his morning.
It was Saturday morning, on the first Saturday of July and furthermore the Gods had delivered to the folk of Sharpington a very hot day, the hottest day of the year so far in fact.
Leslie was away in Spain with her useless husband and had been for almost 3 weeks but she was due back the next day and he was really looking forward to seeing her.
David had been a widower for 10 years and in love with Leslie Maher for 5 of those.
Unfortunately she was still married, so that was a no go area for him.
He didn’t believe in fishing in someone else’s pond no matter how attractive the body of water might be and how much he might be in love with it.
Even if Frank Maher didn’t live by the same code as he did and was complete bastard, who spent all his time either womanizing or drinking with his cronies.
Even if David were the type of man to go after another man’s wife Leslie was not the kind of woman who would let him.
So he had to watch and hope that she might finally kick him into touch.
(Part 07)
Because it was so close to her return, that Saturday dragged and he did his best to fill the time.
In the morning he walked along the promenade towards the attractions and decided to take a stroll along the pier, he stopped periodically to look over the railings and on one occasion he saw his brother in law Dennis Simmons walking along the beach and when he looked up he gave David a wave, he waved back and continued on his way and it was when he reached the end that he found Sabr Hemmings leaning on the rail and gazing out to sea, the sea breeze disturbing her strawberry blonde hair.
“Do you come here often?” he asked and they both laughed.
“Who’s running the shop this morning if you’re here?” he asked her
“My Dad and Wendy” she said
“How is Wendy doing?”
“Very well, she’s a very hard worker, I have to force her to go home”
“That’s because she doesn’t have much of a home to go to” he thought to himself, but he was glad to hear she was doing well.
“And your mum?”
“Not good I’m afraid” she replied sadly
“I’m sorry to hear that” David said and she turned towards him and broke down and he held her and comforted her for the next ten minutes.
They sat down on the bench at the end of the pier and she unburdened herself on him and David listened intently and when she had finished he simply said
“You don’t need me to tell you what to do, you already know”
After walking Sabr back to the shop he decided to go and have a pint at the Ancient Mariner before he went home and fell asleep in front of the TV.
He was sitting in the beer garden, people watching while enjoying a pint of Mornington Ale.
“Well bless me, I thought you were dead” a voice said
“You knew very well I’m not dead you saw me on the pier this morning Dennis”
“I know but you did look a bit pasty” he said
“Do you want another?”
“Yes I will, thanks”
Dennis Simmons was the same age as David, he was a retired police Inspector, an exceptional dancer and was a confirmed bachelor.
And as they sat quietly enjoying their beer David asked.
“Are you going to the Yacht Club Dinner Dance?”
“I wasn’t planning on it” he replied “Are you?”
“Yes, you could come as my plus one” David suggestion
“Why don’t you take a lady instead?” Dennis asked
“The lady I would choose to take is going with someone else” David explained
“Don’t tell me you’re still carrying a torch for that neighbour of yours?” Dennis asked and David nodded
“I don’t blame you though she’s a lovely woman”
“That she is” David said wistfully
“Ok” he said “I’ll be your wingman”
“Thanks mate” he said
(Part 08)
The next day Leslie’s flight landed on time and she was back home by lunchtime but Frank being Frank left her to unpack while he went off to play Golf.
She tried to pretend that she didn’t really mind but she wasn’t fooling David so he offered to take her out for lunch.
“You really don’t have to do that” she said
“Nonsense get your bag” he insisted and he drove her to Dulcet-on-Brooke and they ate lunch at The Waterside Inn and they weren’t the only couple from Sharpington sharing an intimate meal together.
“So how was the holiday?” he asked
“The Hotel was nice” Leslie replied
“But it would have been nicer if it wasn’t next to two Golf courses”
“I see”
There was a sadness in her eyes so he didn’t press her further and changed the subject and they spent a warm summer afternoon in the beer garden on the banks of the River Brooke.
A couple of weeks passed and things had been quite quiet in Sharpington and he stepped out of his kitchen into the sunlight to find Alison Williams working up a sweat cutting the grass.
She had just stopped to empty the grass box when she saw him coming.
“Morning” he called
“Hello David”
At that moment Wendy appeared wearing identical dungarees as Alison carrying some empty sacks.
“Hello” she shouted
“Hi Wendy” he shouted back
Then in a lower voice he asked Alison
“How’s she doing?” nodding in Wendy’s direction
“Excellently” Alison replied beaming
“She a quick learner, hardworking, eager and reliable”
“Really?”
“I couldn’t ask for better, and she’s a real sweetie” she said
“I’m so pleased” he said and left them to their toil in the soil and drove into Abbottsford to buy a new suit.
David dried, perfumed and powdered himself and changed into his dinner suit complete with cummerbund and bow tie, he gave his reflection a cursory glance and wished he hadn’t worn a clip on bow tie.
“Too late to worry about that now” he said as he heard the taxi blow his horn.
After picking up Dennis on the way they made it to the Yacht Club with minutes to spare.
The ante room was jammed with an array of stunningly turned out women but he couldn’t see Leslie anywhere.
While he and Dennis stood on the periphery Gwen Quinton-Smith appeared.
She was normally a rather plain looking woman just the wrong side of 60, quite small and slim and normally choose to dress in the twin set and tweed style.
But not that night, that night she was looking very presentable indeed, if in a rather retro fashion way, but there was clearly more to Gwen than immediately met the eye.
“Hello David” She said warmly “thank you so much for finding Wendy for me, she’s been an absolute Godsend”
“I’m glad she’s been useful” he said and then he noticed she was no longer making eye contact with him but was looking at Dennis instead.
“Gwen, this is my brother in law Dennis” he said
“Hello Dennis” she said
(Part 09)
Just after David had introduced Dennis and Gwen a waitress arrived with a tray of drinks, Dennis took one and handed it to Gwen and then took one for himself and David grabbed a glass just in time before the waitress snatched the tray away and as she left, Leslie joined them, looking very shapely and David’s heart skipped a beat.
“What are you lot talking about?” she said
“Gwen was just telling me what a little gem Wendy Corney is weren’t you Gwen” he said but she and Dennis appeared to be oblivious to their presence and then the waitress stepped through the crowd to offer Leslie a drink and then Emma Goldup appeared wearing a long white dress.
“Hello Mr Goodman” she said “I hear on the grapevine that you know someone hard working and conscientious who might be looking for some work”
“Yes I do, Emma, but I’m not sure how much free time she has at the moment” he said “she’s in great demand, but I will certainly put her in touch, but only on one condition”
“What’s that?”
“That you stop calling me Mr Goodman and call me David”
“Ok” she said and giggled
Gwen and Dennis suddenly became aware they were not alone and then the small talk ebbed and flowed before they wandered over to the seating plan to find out who their dining companions were.
“Great we’re on the same table” David said
“Really?” Leslie said “how funny, who else have we got?”
They studied the plan for a few minutes and then David said
“Well that’s probably the best table in the room”
“I agree” Leslie said proudly
“So who do you think we need to thank?” he asked her
“Gwen obviously” Leslie scoffed “She always does the tables”
Then she stuck her arm through his and said
“You may escort me to my table peasant”
“Yes’m” he said tugging his forelock
They were right about it being the best table in the room, they had a good mix and there was a lot of jovial banter
The only person who didn’t seem to enjoy it was Leslie’s husband Frank, he seemed totally bored with the whole affair and complained about everything and communicated with the rest of the group in monosyllables.
Leslie was not at all pleased with him and made no secret of the fact.
But the straw that broke the camels back for her was when the dancing started Frank deserted her to go and drink with his mates at the bar.
“Intolerable, completely intolerable” she muttered and stormed out of the ballroom.
David was on the other side of the table at the time but as soon as he saw her leave he set off in pursuit.
She bolted towards the terrace but when he got outside there was no sign of her.
There were small groups of guests at one end so he guessed she had not gone in that direction and went down the steps to the garden.
He eventually found her sobbing in an arbour and when she saw him she threw herself into his arms.
“Oh David, why is he such a bastard?”
“I don’t know love” he replied
“He couldn’t even wait to have one bloody dance with me” she sobbed.
“I know”
“Will you dance with me?” she asked
“Always” he replied
(Part 10)
After David walked her back up to the ballroom she slipped away to attend to her makeup and when she returned she led him to the dancefloor which they barely left for the next hour, they didn’t speak but Leslie clung to him like a limpet and they were so engrossed they failed to notice Dennis and Gwen were also on the dancefloor and oblivious to what was happening around them.
Just after midnight Leslie said
“Will you take me home?”
“Of course” he said
He told Dennis that they were heading off and he said that was fine so he walked Leslie outside and they got a taxi.
They didn’t speak on the journey home but Leslie held his hand from the moment the taxi door closed.
He paid the driver and walked her to her front door still holding her hand.
“I’m sorry your evening was spoiled” David said
“It wasn’t, thanks to you” she said and kissed his lips “Goodnight”
He didn’t see Leslie the next day or in fact for the next week, he knocked on her door a couple of times but he got no answer.
David was at a loss what to do, he didn’t want to be too pushy but he felt he had made a breakthrough at the Yacht Club but he decided he should remain patient.
The problem was that the time was hanging heavy as the weather had turned very wet and stormy so he didn’t take his normal walks down to the seafront so he was feeling a little stir crazy.
A couple of days later he was halfway through watching an old Ealing comedy on TV and decided to make a drink.
And as he stood at the kitchen sink filling the kettle he noticed Wendy Corney pottering about in the garden.
“Oh good, company” he said to himself and went to the back door and opened it.
“WENDY” he shouted and she immediately looked in my direction and waved.
“COME HERE” he called to her and accompanied it with a gesture so she stopped what she was doing and trotted up the path to the back door.
“Hi David” she said her rain soaked face smiling, and then she shivered.
“Come in out of the rain for a bit”
“Ok” she said, “have you got the kettle on?”
As they sat in the kitchen he said
“So how are you getting on?”
“Great” she said
“How’s your mum?”
“The same” she replied “But I’m working most of the time”
“And how’s that going?”
“Brilliant I work with Alison the most, and Sabr at the shop use’s me as and when in the shop and Miss Quinton-Smith has been giving me odd jobs as well”
“Gwen is a good woman” he said
“Talking about jobs, I bumped into Emma Goldup at the Dinner Dance last weekend and she asked if you were available”.
“Is she the blonde girl with the horse?” She asked
“Yes” he said “I don’t know what work she has in mind, it might well be shovelling muck”
“Oh I don’t mind what I do” Wendy said “I just like being useful”
“Good for you” he said
(Part 11)
He had spent the morning cleaning the car and was just finishing off when a taxi pulled up and Leslie got out.
She smiled and waved and the driver removed a suitcase from the boot and a moment later Gwen appeared from her front door.
“Is everything ok dear?” she asked as she trotted across the road.
“Yes I’m fine” she replied to Gwen but she was looking at David “I just went to stay with James for a few days”
James was her eldest son and he lived in Northchapel.
“Why don’t we go for a pub lunch and catch up” David suggested
“I can’t” Gwen said which was unlike her, she was normally a shoe in when lunch was mentioned, which was why Leslie and David looked at her a little strangely which prompted her to hurriedly add
“Wendy's coming to help me tidy the attic”
“It must be important” Leslie said, “If you’re going forgo a lunch invitation”
Then Gwen said,
“If truth be told I do rather look forward to days like today”
“Yes Wendy is such a nice girl and very good company” Leslie said
“Quite” Gwen agreed
“I’m going to have to say no as well I’m afraid” she said
“The journey has given me a bit of a head”
“Oh ok” he said and reacting to his crestfallen look she said
“Another day though”
Leslie went indoors and he got his vexation out of his system as he waxed the car to within an inch of its life for the next two hours.
The day after Leslies return he woke up to find he was as stiff as a board.
He thought it must have been his excursions the day before when cleaning the car after all he was getting on a bit, but later that day he found out that he had the flu.
So he returned to his bed and didn’t emerge again until Sunday.
When he arose early on Sunday morning he ate a very hearty breakfast before taking a long relaxing bath and having fed and cleansed his body he decided it was time to get some exercise.
He hadn’t gone more than a few yards from the cottage when Leslie Maher emerged from her front gate.
“Hello David” she said brightly
“I haven’t seen you for a few days”
“I’ve been in bed” he replied
“Oh” Leslie said with a raised eyebrow
“With the flu”
“Oh you poor dear” she said
It was the first time he’d seen her since she had blown off his lunch invitation with a headache.
“I was hoping the offer of lunch was still on” she said
“Of course”
“Excellent” Leslie said and took him by the arm and they walked down the street to the promenade.
“Frank has gone” she said blandly
“I’m sorry,” he said though he was glad
“Don’t be” she said “it’s for the best”
“The boys told him to go you know” she announced proudly
“You deserve better than him” he said squeezing her hand
“Thank you” she said and squeezed his hand back
“You can do better than him” he said
“I already have” she said and when he turned to face her she smiled and he kissed her.
Sharpington-by-Sea is a traditional seaside resort complete with a Victorian Pier, seafront hotels, crazy golf, The Palladium ballroom, well maintained gardens, promenade, theatre and illuminations, all the usual things to have a great time by the seaside, as well as amusement arcades and of course the Sharpington Fun Park.
Which was the first purpose built amusement park to open in Britain, which had an assortment of rides, like the Rotor and the Wild Mouse, The Cyclone and the Morehouse Galloper, all very tame compared to a 21st century roller coaster but it was still fun.
It was also a popular resort for retirees and boasted a number of static caravan parks.
It was June 6th, “the longest day” his father used to call it but for him it felt like the longest evening
It wasn’t very late, sometime after nine, when David Goodman left the Sharpington Yacht Club, it was a quiet evening for a Saturday and he had soon exhausted the meager pool of interesting people.
So he meandered his way along the promenade in the fading light towards home on a warm night in June with barely a breath of wind off the sea.
David was fast approaching his sixty third birthday and was Widowed, retire and lonely, his children had grown up and moved away a lifetime ago and even their children were beginning to take flight.
He saw them all often enough but it wasn’t the same as having them around all the time.
However despite his loneliness he was not lacking in friends, far from it.
He fumbled for his keys as he made his way down the back path of his bungalow and his eye was drawn to a faint light through the garage window, at first he thought it might be a reflection but when he turned around there was nothing behind him but darkness.
The garage was what was known as a tandem because it was spacious enough for two cars in tandem i.e. end to end.
The up and over door was naturally at the front of the house and at the rear was a window through which he had seen the light and a door which gave access into the garden and he could see as he got closer that it was ajar.
David was 62 years old so it was a little foolhardy to proceed and confront a possible intruder but he did it anyway.
He grabbed the handle of the garage door and pushed it gently open and reached his hand in, feeling his way to the light switches then he pushed the door open wide and hit the two switches simultaneously.
The two lights came on instantly but one of the bulbs, the one at the rear, blew immediately returning it to near darkness.
He kept the car in the front half of the garage, not that he drove it very often, but the back half was full of everything and nothing, old pieces of furniture, tools, packing boxes and so on, junk mainly, as a result not much light got from one end of the garage to the other because of everything in between.
(Part 02)
When the lights first went on he saw the shape of a figure, just one he thought, though he couldn’t be sure, then the light went off again and he lost the shape in the gloom and there were a lot of shapes that could have been the intruder.
He switched on his phone torch and in the gloomy light he thought he saw movement and then he felt a push against his shoulder but it was only a glancing one and he was able to stand his ground and he reached out and grabbed his assailant.
“Got you” he said rather unimaginatively as he bundled the intruder towards his workbench and pinned them there while he got a better purchase on them.
There was a lot of wriggling and during the struggle he got a whack in the face, so using the weight of his upper body he pushed them forward so the hands that the intruder was employing to hit him with had to be used to support themselves.
However they weren’t done yet and alternated hands to have quick swipes at him and it was at this point while trying to subdue them that his left hand got a handful of breast.
“You’re a girl” he said and release his hold and grabbed her shoulder instead.
So having determined his burglar was female, he made a minor adjustment and transferred his weight forward so he had her completely pinned and with his right hand now free he used his phone again to have a look at her.
“My God you’re just a kid” he said and slapped her hard on the buttock.
“Get out of here” he said to her angrily “And don’t come back again”
The intruder scurried away and David walked to the house and made himself a coffee and went to the cupboard above the sink and got out a new light bulb, a proper old fashioned 60w bulb, that lit up to its maximum brightness as soon as you flicked the switch, and not one of those low energy things that only reached maximum brightness as you were about to switch it off and leave the room.
He went back out to the garage and reached up and replaced the bulb which lit immediately and when he looked in front of him he saw a girl sitting on the bench.
A skinny waif like creature, with short mousy blonde hair, a bit like a shaggy dog and she was wearing a baggy tee shirt and leggings.
“Didn’t you hear me tell you not to come back?” he asked her
“Yes” she said meekly
“So what are you doing back here again?” he asked sharply
“Um”
“Why are you back?” he said standing directly in front of her
“Well?”
“I wanted to say sorry” she said quietly and he softened
“How old are you?” he asked her
“17” she replied
“And what’s your name?”
“Wendy”
(Part 03)
“And what’s your name?” he asked
“Wendy”
“And what were you after in here anyway?” he asked
“I was looking for food”
“Why?” he asked with surprise
“Because I was hungry”
“What?”
“I was hungry” she repeated
“Where are you from? Where are your parents?”
“I live on the caravan park, Potters Lane, with my mum”
“Why hasn’t she fed you?” he questioned
“She’s not well,” she said tearfully
“Come in the house” he said “And I’ll make you something”
So David took her in the house and sat her in the kitchen while he made her bacon and eggs, which she polished off in no time flat.
As she was sitting drinking a hot chocolate Wendy asked
“Why did you feed me?”
“Because you were hungry” he replied
“But I was trying to steal from you” she pointed out
“Yes but you didn’t”
“That’s because you turned the light on and disturbed me” she stated
“But I could tell you weren’t a bad girl” David said washing up her plate
“But you thought I was a boy until you grabbed my...”
Wendy left the word unsaid and blushed
“No you’re right” he said “I wouldn’t have grabbed you there had I realized you were a girl”
“So why did you feed me bacon and eggs?”
“Because you came back and apologized” David explained “That’s why”
“So you don’t think I look like a boy?”
“No I think you look like an urchin” he corrected her and smiled
“Seriously do you think I’m ugly?”
“No I don’t, why would you think that?” David said
It would have been true to say she wasn’t stunningly beautiful but there was something about her elfin features, a distinct cuteness, she was a tomboy certainly but a pretty one.
“Everybody thinks I’m ugly and worthless” she said and she started to cry
“Even my mum” she added between the sobs so he went over to her and hugged her and she instantly locked her skinny arms around his neck.
“No one thinks you’re ugly” he said reassuringly
“You do,” she sobbed
“No, I think you’re cute”
“Really?” She said then cried into his neck
“So why did you think I was a boy?”
He thought about it for a while before answering
“Because it was dark and I’m old” he said
“Now dry your eyes and I’ll walk you home it’s getting late,” he said giving her his hankie
“You don’t have too” she said between sobs
“I know but I’m going to do it anyway” he insisted
“Does your mum work?” he asked as they walked towards Potters Lane
“No” she replied, “She’s not well enough”
“What about you?”
“No one’ll give me a job” she said and laughed
“Why not?”
“No don’t tell me, because you’re ugly and worthless”
She nodded
“Do you want a job?” he asked
“Yes”
“What do you want to do?”
“I don’t care what I do, anything” she said earnestly
“So if I could get you some work, would you be interested?”
“Oh yes” she replied as they reached the end of her road.
“Ok, I’ll see what I can do” he said “But you have to promise you won’t let me down?”
“No way” she said
“Shake on it then” he said and held out his hand which she shook as she looked him squarely in the eye before turning off into the caravan park.
“And the next time you’re hungry come and knock on the door” he called after her
“Ok”
(Part 04)
“Was that Wendy Corney?” A voice said from behind him as he watched Wendy walk down Potters Lane and when he turned around he saw it was Leslie Maher, his next-door neighbour, out walking her dog, Trio, so called as he had three legs.
“Yes” he said
And then to answer the unasked question he said
“I caught her trying to steal from my garage”
“I see” she said, “and did you call the police?”
“No”
“I’m glad” she said, Leslie was one of the angels
“Is it true her mother is ill?” he asked her
“Yes, she’s a chronic alcoholic” Leslie replied sadly
“I’m glad you’ve decided to try and help her”
“I didn’t say I had” David
“You don’t have to, you’re that kind of man” she said looking at him earnestly “But I just have one question”
“What’s that?”
“Why?”
“Because someone has convinced her that she’s ugly and worthless”
He replied and she reached up and kissed his cheek
“Good night David”
A day or two later he spied Alison Williams in the garden, she was a self-employed gardener and as he could in no way be considered to possess green fingers, that was his wife’s gift, he employed Alison.
And at the end of Sharpington where he lived was popular with retiree’s she had a numerous clientele.
She was a buxom young woman though quite muscular, about 5ft 10, big chested and thirty something with a great unruly shock of vivid ginger hair.
He was absentmindedly looking out through the kitchen window watching and was distracted by the sight of the robust Alison bent over a planter with her dungarees stretched tight across her well-defined buttocks but as she stood up from her toil he had a different thought.
“Alison!” he called
“Morning” she said “I’m just packing up”
“Hang on; I need to ask you a favour”
“Ok ask away,” she said
“Do you ever take on casual labour?” He asked
“Yes, but its hard finding someone reliable who turns up when they say they will” she said “Why do you have someone in mind?”
“Yes”
“It’s not some lecherous git you’re trying to set me up with is it?” Alison asked suspiciously
“No it’s a local girl, Wendy Corney”
“Ok I’ll give her a trial” she said “But its hard graft and the money’s shit”
“She won’t mind” he said confidently
After speaking with Alison he decided to go down to Hemmings General Store and pick up a paper and to ask another favour.
“Are you coming in for tea?” called Leslie
“On the way back” he suggested “If that’s ok”
“That’s fine” she replied cheerily
He always flirted outrageously with Belinda Hemmings and she would always flirt back but there was nothing in it as his hearts love lay elsewhere.
They had known each other for years, when she was still Belinda Church and she had been a bridesmaid at his wedding.
But alas she was quite ill and in hospital so her daughter Sabr was running things
Sabr was an Arabic word for the Islamic virtue of “patience”, although neither Belinda nor her husband were Arabs or Islamists she read it in a book when she was expecting her daughter and fell in love with the name.
(Part 05)
While he was at the counter in Hemmings paying for his paper he was just about to broach the subject of part time work for Wendy with Sabr when Gwen Quinton-Smith walked through the door.
She very flustered, though she often did, so he waited until she eventually regained her composure and he raised the question with her about full time or part time work for Wendy with the two of them at the same time.
Gwen said that she would ask around the ladies at the Women’s Institute but in the mean time she did have some odd jobs about the house that needed doing.
Sabr also promised to give Wendy a few hours in the shop while her mum was ill and she could start the same day.
“Not a bad mornings work all in all” he thought to himself as he left the shop “I just hope Wendy won’t let me down”
It was just at that minute that he spotted Wendy Corney’s gawky gangling gait crossing the road heading for the footbridge over the railway, some 50 yards away, so he set off in pursuit.
He lost sight of her for a few minutes and when he was across the bridge himself he didn’t know if she’d gone left or right.
So he took a gamble and went left just as a girl on horseback rode by, it was Emma Goldup.
“Morning Mr Goodman”
“Morning Emma”
She always called him Mr. Goodman even though it was 7 years since he retired from teaching.
She was the only child of a local couple with several businesses in the town.
But when she finished her expensive education she had no interest in working for any of the family businesses and got a job working in a small riding school at Brooke Side Farm on the outskirts of town.
Her parents were outraged, her father offered to buy the riding school and let her run it but she forbade him from doing any such thing and threatened never to speak to either of them if he did, she just wanted to work with horses.
She was a pretty girl, only a tiny little thing sat astride a great Honey coloured colt, and in spite of her parents wealth she had no airs and graces.
He finally tracked Wendy down about ten minutes later sitting on the banks of a little stream dangling her naked feet in the water.
“Hello you” he said startling her
“You made me jump” she said and giggled.
“What are you up to?” he asked
“Nothing as usual” she replied glumly.
“Just as well I’ve found some work for you”
“Really?” She said excitedly
“You’re not just winding me up,” she continued obviously used to being let down.
“No I’m serious” David said
She turned away from him and he could tell the way her shoulders were moving that she was crying.
“Well come on then” he said “Get your shoes on, they’re waiting for you”
(Part 06)
Wendy turned away from him and he could tell the way her shoulders were moving that she was crying.
“Well come on then” he said “Get your shoes on, they’re waiting for you”
“What, now?” She said wiping her face on her sleeve and nearly falling in the stream then she threw her long arms around him in a big gawky hug.
“Thanks David” she said and then she sat down again and he handed her a hankie which she gave a double take at, not knowing whether to dry her eyes or her feet, so she did both in the end, eyes first.
As he walked her back into the village he filled her in with what odd bits of work he had found for her so far.
“But the rest is up to you” he said
“I won’t let you down David, I promise” she said and when they arrived outside the shop David added
“It’s only temporary while Mrs. Hemmings is ill but if you work hard, I’m sure they’ll use you again”
And on hearing those words she stood up straight and gave him a wonky smile.
“What if she doesn’t like me?” She said nervously and he wiped the last remnants of her tears away and took her into the shop.
“Sabr! This is Wendy” he said
“Hello Wendy” Sabr said
“Hi” she replied trembling
“Don’t look so worried” Sabr said “I won’t bite”
He was feeling very pleased with himself as he walked up to Leslie Maher’s front door.
“Am I too late for tea?” he asked when she opened the door
“No you’re fine, Gwen’s still here” Leslie said
He received the news with mixed feelings, he was pleased that he wasn’t too late but he was disappointed that he had to share her with Gwen Quinton-Smith, although he really liked Gwen.
And both of them were very interested to hear all the details of his morning.
It was Saturday morning, on the first Saturday of July and furthermore the Gods had delivered to the folk of Sharpington a very hot day, the hottest day of the year so far in fact.
Leslie was away in Spain with her useless husband and had been for almost 3 weeks but she was due back the next day and he was really looking forward to seeing her.
David had been a widower for 10 years and in love with Leslie Maher for 5 of those.
Unfortunately she was still married, so that was a no go area for him.
He didn’t believe in fishing in someone else’s pond no matter how attractive the body of water might be and how much he might be in love with it.
Even if Frank Maher didn’t live by the same code as he did and was complete bastard, who spent all his time either womanizing or drinking with his cronies.
Even if David were the type of man to go after another man’s wife Leslie was not the kind of woman who would let him.
So he had to watch and hope that she might finally kick him into touch.
(Part 07)
Because it was so close to her return, that Saturday dragged and he did his best to fill the time.
In the morning he walked along the promenade towards the attractions and decided to take a stroll along the pier, he stopped periodically to look over the railings and on one occasion he saw his brother in law Dennis Simmons walking along the beach and when he looked up he gave David a wave, he waved back and continued on his way and it was when he reached the end that he found Sabr Hemmings leaning on the rail and gazing out to sea, the sea breeze disturbing her strawberry blonde hair.
“Do you come here often?” he asked and they both laughed.
“Who’s running the shop this morning if you’re here?” he asked her
“My Dad and Wendy” she said
“How is Wendy doing?”
“Very well, she’s a very hard worker, I have to force her to go home”
“That’s because she doesn’t have much of a home to go to” he thought to himself, but he was glad to hear she was doing well.
“And your mum?”
“Not good I’m afraid” she replied sadly
“I’m sorry to hear that” David said and she turned towards him and broke down and he held her and comforted her for the next ten minutes.
They sat down on the bench at the end of the pier and she unburdened herself on him and David listened intently and when she had finished he simply said
“You don’t need me to tell you what to do, you already know”
After walking Sabr back to the shop he decided to go and have a pint at the Ancient Mariner before he went home and fell asleep in front of the TV.
He was sitting in the beer garden, people watching while enjoying a pint of Mornington Ale.
“Well bless me, I thought you were dead” a voice said
“You knew very well I’m not dead you saw me on the pier this morning Dennis”
“I know but you did look a bit pasty” he said
“Do you want another?”
“Yes I will, thanks”
Dennis Simmons was the same age as David, he was a retired police Inspector, an exceptional dancer and was a confirmed bachelor.
And as they sat quietly enjoying their beer David asked.
“Are you going to the Yacht Club Dinner Dance?”
“I wasn’t planning on it” he replied “Are you?”
“Yes, you could come as my plus one” David suggestion
“Why don’t you take a lady instead?” Dennis asked
“The lady I would choose to take is going with someone else” David explained
“Don’t tell me you’re still carrying a torch for that neighbour of yours?” Dennis asked and David nodded
“I don’t blame you though she’s a lovely woman”
“That she is” David said wistfully
“Ok” he said “I’ll be your wingman”
“Thanks mate” he said
(Part 08)
The next day Leslie’s flight landed on time and she was back home by lunchtime but Frank being Frank left her to unpack while he went off to play Golf.
She tried to pretend that she didn’t really mind but she wasn’t fooling David so he offered to take her out for lunch.
“You really don’t have to do that” she said
“Nonsense get your bag” he insisted and he drove her to Dulcet-on-Brooke and they ate lunch at The Waterside Inn and they weren’t the only couple from Sharpington sharing an intimate meal together.
“So how was the holiday?” he asked
“The Hotel was nice” Leslie replied
“But it would have been nicer if it wasn’t next to two Golf courses”
“I see”
There was a sadness in her eyes so he didn’t press her further and changed the subject and they spent a warm summer afternoon in the beer garden on the banks of the River Brooke.
A couple of weeks passed and things had been quite quiet in Sharpington and he stepped out of his kitchen into the sunlight to find Alison Williams working up a sweat cutting the grass.
She had just stopped to empty the grass box when she saw him coming.
“Morning” he called
“Hello David”
At that moment Wendy appeared wearing identical dungarees as Alison carrying some empty sacks.
“Hello” she shouted
“Hi Wendy” he shouted back
Then in a lower voice he asked Alison
“How’s she doing?” nodding in Wendy’s direction
“Excellently” Alison replied beaming
“She a quick learner, hardworking, eager and reliable”
“Really?”
“I couldn’t ask for better, and she’s a real sweetie” she said
“I’m so pleased” he said and left them to their toil in the soil and drove into Abbottsford to buy a new suit.
David dried, perfumed and powdered himself and changed into his dinner suit complete with cummerbund and bow tie, he gave his reflection a cursory glance and wished he hadn’t worn a clip on bow tie.
“Too late to worry about that now” he said as he heard the taxi blow his horn.
After picking up Dennis on the way they made it to the Yacht Club with minutes to spare.
The ante room was jammed with an array of stunningly turned out women but he couldn’t see Leslie anywhere.
While he and Dennis stood on the periphery Gwen Quinton-Smith appeared.
She was normally a rather plain looking woman just the wrong side of 60, quite small and slim and normally choose to dress in the twin set and tweed style.
But not that night, that night she was looking very presentable indeed, if in a rather retro fashion way, but there was clearly more to Gwen than immediately met the eye.
“Hello David” She said warmly “thank you so much for finding Wendy for me, she’s been an absolute Godsend”
“I’m glad she’s been useful” he said and then he noticed she was no longer making eye contact with him but was looking at Dennis instead.
“Gwen, this is my brother in law Dennis” he said
“Hello Dennis” she said
(Part 09)
Just after David had introduced Dennis and Gwen a waitress arrived with a tray of drinks, Dennis took one and handed it to Gwen and then took one for himself and David grabbed a glass just in time before the waitress snatched the tray away and as she left, Leslie joined them, looking very shapely and David’s heart skipped a beat.
“What are you lot talking about?” she said
“Gwen was just telling me what a little gem Wendy Corney is weren’t you Gwen” he said but she and Dennis appeared to be oblivious to their presence and then the waitress stepped through the crowd to offer Leslie a drink and then Emma Goldup appeared wearing a long white dress.
“Hello Mr Goodman” she said “I hear on the grapevine that you know someone hard working and conscientious who might be looking for some work”
“Yes I do, Emma, but I’m not sure how much free time she has at the moment” he said “she’s in great demand, but I will certainly put her in touch, but only on one condition”
“What’s that?”
“That you stop calling me Mr Goodman and call me David”
“Ok” she said and giggled
Gwen and Dennis suddenly became aware they were not alone and then the small talk ebbed and flowed before they wandered over to the seating plan to find out who their dining companions were.
“Great we’re on the same table” David said
“Really?” Leslie said “how funny, who else have we got?”
They studied the plan for a few minutes and then David said
“Well that’s probably the best table in the room”
“I agree” Leslie said proudly
“So who do you think we need to thank?” he asked her
“Gwen obviously” Leslie scoffed “She always does the tables”
Then she stuck her arm through his and said
“You may escort me to my table peasant”
“Yes’m” he said tugging his forelock
They were right about it being the best table in the room, they had a good mix and there was a lot of jovial banter
The only person who didn’t seem to enjoy it was Leslie’s husband Frank, he seemed totally bored with the whole affair and complained about everything and communicated with the rest of the group in monosyllables.
Leslie was not at all pleased with him and made no secret of the fact.
But the straw that broke the camels back for her was when the dancing started Frank deserted her to go and drink with his mates at the bar.
“Intolerable, completely intolerable” she muttered and stormed out of the ballroom.
David was on the other side of the table at the time but as soon as he saw her leave he set off in pursuit.
She bolted towards the terrace but when he got outside there was no sign of her.
There were small groups of guests at one end so he guessed she had not gone in that direction and went down the steps to the garden.
He eventually found her sobbing in an arbour and when she saw him she threw herself into his arms.
“Oh David, why is he such a bastard?”
“I don’t know love” he replied
“He couldn’t even wait to have one bloody dance with me” she sobbed.
“I know”
“Will you dance with me?” she asked
“Always” he replied
(Part 10)
After David walked her back up to the ballroom she slipped away to attend to her makeup and when she returned she led him to the dancefloor which they barely left for the next hour, they didn’t speak but Leslie clung to him like a limpet and they were so engrossed they failed to notice Dennis and Gwen were also on the dancefloor and oblivious to what was happening around them.
Just after midnight Leslie said
“Will you take me home?”
“Of course” he said
He told Dennis that they were heading off and he said that was fine so he walked Leslie outside and they got a taxi.
They didn’t speak on the journey home but Leslie held his hand from the moment the taxi door closed.
He paid the driver and walked her to her front door still holding her hand.
“I’m sorry your evening was spoiled” David said
“It wasn’t, thanks to you” she said and kissed his lips “Goodnight”
He didn’t see Leslie the next day or in fact for the next week, he knocked on her door a couple of times but he got no answer.
David was at a loss what to do, he didn’t want to be too pushy but he felt he had made a breakthrough at the Yacht Club but he decided he should remain patient.
The problem was that the time was hanging heavy as the weather had turned very wet and stormy so he didn’t take his normal walks down to the seafront so he was feeling a little stir crazy.
A couple of days later he was halfway through watching an old Ealing comedy on TV and decided to make a drink.
And as he stood at the kitchen sink filling the kettle he noticed Wendy Corney pottering about in the garden.
“Oh good, company” he said to himself and went to the back door and opened it.
“WENDY” he shouted and she immediately looked in my direction and waved.
“COME HERE” he called to her and accompanied it with a gesture so she stopped what she was doing and trotted up the path to the back door.
“Hi David” she said her rain soaked face smiling, and then she shivered.
“Come in out of the rain for a bit”
“Ok” she said, “have you got the kettle on?”
As they sat in the kitchen he said
“So how are you getting on?”
“Great” she said
“How’s your mum?”
“The same” she replied “But I’m working most of the time”
“And how’s that going?”
“Brilliant I work with Alison the most, and Sabr at the shop use’s me as and when in the shop and Miss Quinton-Smith has been giving me odd jobs as well”
“Gwen is a good woman” he said
“Talking about jobs, I bumped into Emma Goldup at the Dinner Dance last weekend and she asked if you were available”.
“Is she the blonde girl with the horse?” She asked
“Yes” he said “I don’t know what work she has in mind, it might well be shovelling muck”
“Oh I don’t mind what I do” Wendy said “I just like being useful”
“Good for you” he said
(Part 11)
He had spent the morning cleaning the car and was just finishing off when a taxi pulled up and Leslie got out.
She smiled and waved and the driver removed a suitcase from the boot and a moment later Gwen appeared from her front door.
“Is everything ok dear?” she asked as she trotted across the road.
“Yes I’m fine” she replied to Gwen but she was looking at David “I just went to stay with James for a few days”
James was her eldest son and he lived in Northchapel.
“Why don’t we go for a pub lunch and catch up” David suggested
“I can’t” Gwen said which was unlike her, she was normally a shoe in when lunch was mentioned, which was why Leslie and David looked at her a little strangely which prompted her to hurriedly add
“Wendy's coming to help me tidy the attic”
“It must be important” Leslie said, “If you’re going forgo a lunch invitation”
Then Gwen said,
“If truth be told I do rather look forward to days like today”
“Yes Wendy is such a nice girl and very good company” Leslie said
“Quite” Gwen agreed
“I’m going to have to say no as well I’m afraid” she said
“The journey has given me a bit of a head”
“Oh ok” he said and reacting to his crestfallen look she said
“Another day though”
Leslie went indoors and he got his vexation out of his system as he waxed the car to within an inch of its life for the next two hours.
The day after Leslies return he woke up to find he was as stiff as a board.
He thought it must have been his excursions the day before when cleaning the car after all he was getting on a bit, but later that day he found out that he had the flu.
So he returned to his bed and didn’t emerge again until Sunday.
When he arose early on Sunday morning he ate a very hearty breakfast before taking a long relaxing bath and having fed and cleansed his body he decided it was time to get some exercise.
He hadn’t gone more than a few yards from the cottage when Leslie Maher emerged from her front gate.
“Hello David” she said brightly
“I haven’t seen you for a few days”
“I’ve been in bed” he replied
“Oh” Leslie said with a raised eyebrow
“With the flu”
“Oh you poor dear” she said
It was the first time he’d seen her since she had blown off his lunch invitation with a headache.
“I was hoping the offer of lunch was still on” she said
“Of course”
“Excellent” Leslie said and took him by the arm and they walked down the street to the promenade.
“Frank has gone” she said blandly
“I’m sorry,” he said though he was glad
“Don’t be” she said “it’s for the best”
“The boys told him to go you know” she announced proudly
“You deserve better than him” he said squeezing her hand
“Thank you” she said and squeezed his hand back
“You can do better than him” he said
“I already have” she said and when he turned to face her she smiled and he kissed her.
Mornington-By-Mere – (28) Exchanging Gifts on Christmas Eve
(Part 01)
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.
(Part 02)
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.
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.
(Part 03)
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.
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.
(Part 02)
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.
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.
(Part 03)
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.
Downshire Diary – (28) Mother’s Day Treat
(Part 01)
Anna Harwood and her daughter Clare lived in the village of Clarence which was a mile or so from Purplemere.
She was 55 years old, pale skinned, strawberry blonde, turning to silver, five foot nothing tall and whippet thin and her daughter was just a younger version of her mother.
Her husband David had died the year before and as they only had one child there was only the two of them.
They both worked at the Royal Downshire Hospital in Purplemere Clare was a district nurse and Anna was a clerical officer.
The two of them did a lot of things together, shopping, eating out and the theatre.
But for Mother’s Day Clare had bought a three day, all-inclusive spa break for her mum at the Tipton Manor Hotel and Spa in the north of the county.
Clare very thoughtfully had booked for her mum and a plus one because she knew she wouldn’t be comfortable going to a place like that on her own.
But she insisted that she wanted to go with Clare, so they could spend some quality time together doing girls stuff.
Anna knew that wasn’t the kind of thing Clare had in mind, as it wasn’t her kind of thing at all.
Clare wasn’t the rest and relaxation sort at all, she was more of a party girl, which Anna thought was probably why she was still single.
So she was delighted when Clare agreed to be her Anna’s plus one.
In order for her to get the best possible deal Clare had booked a midweek mini break, and it made perfect sense to Anna, her daughter was a nurse after all, so money didn’t grow on trees but the earliest she could get was at the end of april.
It was a long drive from Clarence, on the outskirts of Purplemere, to Tipton in the north of the county but then they had taken the decision after getting off the expressway to take the scenic route through the Pepperstock Hills National Park.
But the scenery in the Park was well worth the additional time with its stark contrasts from the extensive tract of magnificent mixed forestry to the south and east, the old Quarries reclaimed by Nature to the west to the bare, and often barren crags to the north.
However despite the scenic splendour she had witnessed when they arrived Clare was not in the best of spirits.
Anna knew that Clare could have found much more enjoyable ways of spending her days off than babysitting her mother.
But she loved her even more for doing it despite her preferred pastime of looking for her ideal man, Anna kept telling her that there was no such thing but she wouldn’t listen.
But when Clare gave her a smile she knew her daughter had resolved to make the best of it and try to get her monies worth despite having her mum as her wingman.
They were greeted in reception by a very attractive specimen of a man and Anna could see Clare perk up.
He was over six feet tall, lean and muscular, very good looking and well groomed, he was manicured and pedicured, toned, tanned and smelt like a perfume counter.
Naturally Anna marked him down as gay.
(Part 02)
Anna and Clare Harwood were greeted in reception by a very attractive specimen of a man and Anna could see Clare perk up.
He was over six feet tall, lean and muscular, very good looking and well groomed, he was manicured and pedicured, toned, tanned and smelt like a perfume counter.
Naturally Anna marked him down as gay.
“Good morning ladies” he said with the faintest hint of a French accent.
“Good morning” they replied in unison
“We have a booking in the name of Harwood” Clare said
“Ah the Harwood sisters” he said
“You know very well we're not sisters you cheeky boy” Anna said in a style something akin to a Carry on movie.
“You're not sisters?” he asked feigning surprise
“Mother and daughter” she said
“And which one are you Mademoiselle” he said and kissed her hand
“Cheeky” she said and blushed
Clare didn’t contribute to the converse but Anna noticed she was giving him the full benefit of her appraisal whilst wearing a wistful expression, doubtless in regard to him playing for the other side.
When the Oscar Wilde capers were over and done with they managed to get themselves checked in and it was while she was signing in that that she became aware he was doing some appraising of his own, of her and her daughter and she began to question her initial assessment that he was gay.
“When you have settled into your room I will give you a tour of the facilities” he said “Shall we say on the terrace in 30 minutes?”
“That will be fine” Clare said
“Of course with your lovely pale skin you two will need to stay in the shadows” He said.
Anna blushed at the compliment and Clare smiled.
According to his name badge his name was Claude and he was very handsome and Anna could tell that her daughter was thinking that things might well be looking up if he didn’t bat for the other side.
“You can check my skin anytime” Clare said
“I’ll bare that in mind” he retorted
“You’re a terrible flirt Clare” mum said
“I know” she said, “although I think of it more as advertising”
They went up to their rooms and settled in and then went down stairs to find Gorgeous Claude.
However as the approached the terrace they came across him fawning over another group of women of mixed ages, ranging from 16 to 60, and they watched as he ogled and drooled over all of them and Clare felt her skin crawl and she shivered.
“Yes I know what you mean” Anna said “he’s a real lounge lizard”
So they decided to skip oily Claude’s tour and just wandered around on their own.
Their sojourn took them to the pool area first, they saw the Rock sauna, infra-red sauna, aroma steam room, ice fountain, drench showers, Jacuzzi, a Romanesque pool and the swimming pool as well.
After which they headed towards the sun lounge and refreshments which was when they literally bumped into Phil Grice and his uncle, Roger Greven.
(Part 03)
The collision between the Harwood’s and Roger Greven and his nephew Phil Grice resulted in Clare falling into a planter and Roger lying flat on his back with Anna on top of him nose to nose.
Phil Grice was the only one left standing and unsure who he should help first.
He decided on the pretty young one in the planter, who was left like an upturned beetle, with her legs waving about, which was what he noticed, her lovely legs, she was also giggling which he liked to.
“I’m terribly sorry”
He said and took her hands and pulled her to her feet, it took little effort as she was a tiny little thing and he was over six feet tall.
She was still giggling and was unable to respond and when she saw her mum lying on top of a strange man her giggles turned to belly laughs.
All four of them were laughing by the time everyone was on their feet again and between the laughter everyone expressed their apologies for their clumsiness.
Neither Anna nor Roger’s first reaction was laughter as they lay on the floor, because Roger felt anger until he realised he had been assailed by a very attractive woman while for Anna as she lay nose to nose with a nice smelling good looking man, what she felt was lust.
In between giggles Anna kept giving appraising glances at the good looking man who she had laid on top of and she liked what she saw, to the point that she though he put Claude in the shade.
He was six feet tall, with a military bearing with short salt and pepper hair, blue eyes and a neat well-groomed beard.
And while she was looking at him he was sneaking glances at her and thought she was even lovelier when perpendicular than she had been when horizontal.
When the laughter had subsided Anna said
“We were headed to the sun lounge for a coffee, perhaps you would join us”
The two men agreed and Clare gave her a look of approval.
When they were seated in the lounge and the drinks were ordered the introductions were made.
Roger Greven, who walked with a stick, was a year older than Anna and Phil Grice was the same age as Clare.
Roger was there for aqua therapy to rebuild his muscles after shattering his pelvis following a fall from his horse, and his nephew Phil was there because Roger hadn’t been passed fit to drive.
“Are you from Tipton?” Clare asked
“No we are from Sharping St Mary in the Finchbottom Vale” Phil replied
“Really?” Clare exclaimed “we’re from Clarence”
“So we are practically neighbour” Anna said to Roger
They stayed in the lounge for over half an hour in which time Anna and Clare discovered that Roger was widowed and Phil was single.
Unfortunately before they could glean any further information one of the therapist staff approached the table and informed Roger that it was time for his session.
So they parted company with expressions that they hoped they would run into each other again during their stay.
After they had gone Clare and Anna looked at each other and said in unison
“Well they were nice”
(Part 04)
During the remainder of their first day and all of the next, despite their best efforts, they didn’t see Roger or his nephew.
But they had a great time using the facilities and enjoyed the full range of what was on offer, 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, Manicure and Pedicure you name it they had it.
But by the end of the second day Anna was getting increasingly frustrated that she hadn’t even had a glimpse of the gentlemanly Roger.
She had thought about him a lot because she was really attracted to him and she had had long convoluted internal dialogues about it because he was the first man she had looked at in that way since she lost her husband and she felt a measure of guilt and betrayal to her husband’s memory, and how would Clare react if something developed between them?
Not that that was likely if she never saw him again.
After her and her daughter had dinner together Anna said she was going to bed as she was exhausted and Clare said she was going to the Gym to try work off her over indulgence.
Anna didn’t go off to bed, even though she was exhausted, because she knew that the internal dialogue would keep her awake so she decided to go for a walk in the grounds.
It was a beautiful moonlit night as she walked around the network of paths in the gardens and was totally lost in thought as she strolled along when she was brought back to the moment by a voice saying
“Hello again”
Anna jumped and looked around to find the source of her alarm and saw Roger Greven sitting on a bench in an arbour
“Oh hello” she responded
“I hope I didn’t startle you?” he asked
“No it’s alright” she replied “I was just miles away”
“Nothing troubling you I hope”
“Possibilities and consequences” she replied enigmatically
“Do you mind if I join you?”
“Please do” he replied amiably
“I thought we may have run into each other sooner than this” she said
“Not literally I hope” he said and they both laughed and then he added
“It was a very intense therapy session and it left me completely exhausted, so I took my meals and refreshment in my room”
“But you’re feeling better now?” she enquired
“I am, but now I can’t sleep”
“Are you in pain?” she asked
“No not pain” he replied “anguish”
“Oh” she exclaimed “About what?”
“Starting over”
“Starting over?” she repeated
“Yes, as you know I lost my wife last year, and…” he began and Anna added
“And you don’t know if it’s too soon to start again, without disrespecting his memory or betraying the love you shared with him”
“So you feel it too?” he asked and put his hand on hers as it rested on the bench.
“Yes” she gasped and squeezed his hand
“Then could we try starting over together?” he asked with trepidation
“Yes” she replied happily
And the new chapter in their lives began with a kiss in the moon light.
Anna and her daughter had to go home after lunch the next day but they spent lunchtime with Roger and his nephew and before they left Anna and Roger held hands discreetly under the table, they would have to keep whatever was happening between them to themselves until they knew for sure where it was going.
And a farewell kiss on the cheek would have to sustain them until the weekend when they were “starting over” some more.
Anna Harwood and her daughter Clare lived in the village of Clarence which was a mile or so from Purplemere.
She was 55 years old, pale skinned, strawberry blonde, turning to silver, five foot nothing tall and whippet thin and her daughter was just a younger version of her mother.
Her husband David had died the year before and as they only had one child there was only the two of them.
They both worked at the Royal Downshire Hospital in Purplemere Clare was a district nurse and Anna was a clerical officer.
The two of them did a lot of things together, shopping, eating out and the theatre.
But for Mother’s Day Clare had bought a three day, all-inclusive spa break for her mum at the Tipton Manor Hotel and Spa in the north of the county.
Clare very thoughtfully had booked for her mum and a plus one because she knew she wouldn’t be comfortable going to a place like that on her own.
But she insisted that she wanted to go with Clare, so they could spend some quality time together doing girls stuff.
Anna knew that wasn’t the kind of thing Clare had in mind, as it wasn’t her kind of thing at all.
Clare wasn’t the rest and relaxation sort at all, she was more of a party girl, which Anna thought was probably why she was still single.
So she was delighted when Clare agreed to be her Anna’s plus one.
In order for her to get the best possible deal Clare had booked a midweek mini break, and it made perfect sense to Anna, her daughter was a nurse after all, so money didn’t grow on trees but the earliest she could get was at the end of april.
It was a long drive from Clarence, on the outskirts of Purplemere, to Tipton in the north of the county but then they had taken the decision after getting off the expressway to take the scenic route through the Pepperstock Hills National Park.
But the scenery in the Park was well worth the additional time with its stark contrasts from the extensive tract of magnificent mixed forestry to the south and east, the old Quarries reclaimed by Nature to the west to the bare, and often barren crags to the north.
However despite the scenic splendour she had witnessed when they arrived Clare was not in the best of spirits.
Anna knew that Clare could have found much more enjoyable ways of spending her days off than babysitting her mother.
But she loved her even more for doing it despite her preferred pastime of looking for her ideal man, Anna kept telling her that there was no such thing but she wouldn’t listen.
But when Clare gave her a smile she knew her daughter had resolved to make the best of it and try to get her monies worth despite having her mum as her wingman.
They were greeted in reception by a very attractive specimen of a man and Anna could see Clare perk up.
He was over six feet tall, lean and muscular, very good looking and well groomed, he was manicured and pedicured, toned, tanned and smelt like a perfume counter.
Naturally Anna marked him down as gay.
(Part 02)
Anna and Clare Harwood were greeted in reception by a very attractive specimen of a man and Anna could see Clare perk up.
He was over six feet tall, lean and muscular, very good looking and well groomed, he was manicured and pedicured, toned, tanned and smelt like a perfume counter.
Naturally Anna marked him down as gay.
“Good morning ladies” he said with the faintest hint of a French accent.
“Good morning” they replied in unison
“We have a booking in the name of Harwood” Clare said
“Ah the Harwood sisters” he said
“You know very well we're not sisters you cheeky boy” Anna said in a style something akin to a Carry on movie.
“You're not sisters?” he asked feigning surprise
“Mother and daughter” she said
“And which one are you Mademoiselle” he said and kissed her hand
“Cheeky” she said and blushed
Clare didn’t contribute to the converse but Anna noticed she was giving him the full benefit of her appraisal whilst wearing a wistful expression, doubtless in regard to him playing for the other side.
When the Oscar Wilde capers were over and done with they managed to get themselves checked in and it was while she was signing in that that she became aware he was doing some appraising of his own, of her and her daughter and she began to question her initial assessment that he was gay.
“When you have settled into your room I will give you a tour of the facilities” he said “Shall we say on the terrace in 30 minutes?”
“That will be fine” Clare said
“Of course with your lovely pale skin you two will need to stay in the shadows” He said.
Anna blushed at the compliment and Clare smiled.
According to his name badge his name was Claude and he was very handsome and Anna could tell that her daughter was thinking that things might well be looking up if he didn’t bat for the other side.
“You can check my skin anytime” Clare said
“I’ll bare that in mind” he retorted
“You’re a terrible flirt Clare” mum said
“I know” she said, “although I think of it more as advertising”
They went up to their rooms and settled in and then went down stairs to find Gorgeous Claude.
However as the approached the terrace they came across him fawning over another group of women of mixed ages, ranging from 16 to 60, and they watched as he ogled and drooled over all of them and Clare felt her skin crawl and she shivered.
“Yes I know what you mean” Anna said “he’s a real lounge lizard”
So they decided to skip oily Claude’s tour and just wandered around on their own.
Their sojourn took them to the pool area first, they saw the Rock sauna, infra-red sauna, aroma steam room, ice fountain, drench showers, Jacuzzi, a Romanesque pool and the swimming pool as well.
After which they headed towards the sun lounge and refreshments which was when they literally bumped into Phil Grice and his uncle, Roger Greven.
(Part 03)
The collision between the Harwood’s and Roger Greven and his nephew Phil Grice resulted in Clare falling into a planter and Roger lying flat on his back with Anna on top of him nose to nose.
Phil Grice was the only one left standing and unsure who he should help first.
He decided on the pretty young one in the planter, who was left like an upturned beetle, with her legs waving about, which was what he noticed, her lovely legs, she was also giggling which he liked to.
“I’m terribly sorry”
He said and took her hands and pulled her to her feet, it took little effort as she was a tiny little thing and he was over six feet tall.
She was still giggling and was unable to respond and when she saw her mum lying on top of a strange man her giggles turned to belly laughs.
All four of them were laughing by the time everyone was on their feet again and between the laughter everyone expressed their apologies for their clumsiness.
Neither Anna nor Roger’s first reaction was laughter as they lay on the floor, because Roger felt anger until he realised he had been assailed by a very attractive woman while for Anna as she lay nose to nose with a nice smelling good looking man, what she felt was lust.
In between giggles Anna kept giving appraising glances at the good looking man who she had laid on top of and she liked what she saw, to the point that she though he put Claude in the shade.
He was six feet tall, with a military bearing with short salt and pepper hair, blue eyes and a neat well-groomed beard.
And while she was looking at him he was sneaking glances at her and thought she was even lovelier when perpendicular than she had been when horizontal.
When the laughter had subsided Anna said
“We were headed to the sun lounge for a coffee, perhaps you would join us”
The two men agreed and Clare gave her a look of approval.
When they were seated in the lounge and the drinks were ordered the introductions were made.
Roger Greven, who walked with a stick, was a year older than Anna and Phil Grice was the same age as Clare.
Roger was there for aqua therapy to rebuild his muscles after shattering his pelvis following a fall from his horse, and his nephew Phil was there because Roger hadn’t been passed fit to drive.
“Are you from Tipton?” Clare asked
“No we are from Sharping St Mary in the Finchbottom Vale” Phil replied
“Really?” Clare exclaimed “we’re from Clarence”
“So we are practically neighbour” Anna said to Roger
They stayed in the lounge for over half an hour in which time Anna and Clare discovered that Roger was widowed and Phil was single.
Unfortunately before they could glean any further information one of the therapist staff approached the table and informed Roger that it was time for his session.
So they parted company with expressions that they hoped they would run into each other again during their stay.
After they had gone Clare and Anna looked at each other and said in unison
“Well they were nice”
(Part 04)
During the remainder of their first day and all of the next, despite their best efforts, they didn’t see Roger or his nephew.
But they had a great time using the facilities and enjoyed the full range of what was on offer, 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, Manicure and Pedicure you name it they had it.
But by the end of the second day Anna was getting increasingly frustrated that she hadn’t even had a glimpse of the gentlemanly Roger.
She had thought about him a lot because she was really attracted to him and she had had long convoluted internal dialogues about it because he was the first man she had looked at in that way since she lost her husband and she felt a measure of guilt and betrayal to her husband’s memory, and how would Clare react if something developed between them?
Not that that was likely if she never saw him again.
After her and her daughter had dinner together Anna said she was going to bed as she was exhausted and Clare said she was going to the Gym to try work off her over indulgence.
Anna didn’t go off to bed, even though she was exhausted, because she knew that the internal dialogue would keep her awake so she decided to go for a walk in the grounds.
It was a beautiful moonlit night as she walked around the network of paths in the gardens and was totally lost in thought as she strolled along when she was brought back to the moment by a voice saying
“Hello again”
Anna jumped and looked around to find the source of her alarm and saw Roger Greven sitting on a bench in an arbour
“Oh hello” she responded
“I hope I didn’t startle you?” he asked
“No it’s alright” she replied “I was just miles away”
“Nothing troubling you I hope”
“Possibilities and consequences” she replied enigmatically
“Do you mind if I join you?”
“Please do” he replied amiably
“I thought we may have run into each other sooner than this” she said
“Not literally I hope” he said and they both laughed and then he added
“It was a very intense therapy session and it left me completely exhausted, so I took my meals and refreshment in my room”
“But you’re feeling better now?” she enquired
“I am, but now I can’t sleep”
“Are you in pain?” she asked
“No not pain” he replied “anguish”
“Oh” she exclaimed “About what?”
“Starting over”
“Starting over?” she repeated
“Yes, as you know I lost my wife last year, and…” he began and Anna added
“And you don’t know if it’s too soon to start again, without disrespecting his memory or betraying the love you shared with him”
“So you feel it too?” he asked and put his hand on hers as it rested on the bench.
“Yes” she gasped and squeezed his hand
“Then could we try starting over together?” he asked with trepidation
“Yes” she replied happily
And the new chapter in their lives began with a kiss in the moon light.
Anna and her daughter had to go home after lunch the next day but they spent lunchtime with Roger and his nephew and before they left Anna and Roger held hands discreetly under the table, they would have to keep whatever was happening between them to themselves until they knew for sure where it was going.
And a farewell kiss on the cheek would have to sustain them until the weekend when they were “starting over” some more.
Sunday 26 March 2017
Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (27) Christmas in Highfinch
(Part 01)
Christmas was just around the corner for the inhabitants of Highfinch which nestled on the edge of the Pepperstock Hills where the Lily Green Hollows Golf Club separated the village from the Hamlet of Lily Green, which made up the parish of St Martins Church.
It was the first time for quite a few years that Jenna Lawton had approached the season with a boyfriend, although calling him a boyfriend was pushing it a bit as he was almost forty, but then she wasn’t exactly a girl at 37.
It was also the first time she had approached it as a Vicar.
Another significant difference was something that also hadn’t happened for quite a few years and that was she would be spending it with her baby brother.
Brian Lawton was 33 years old and had been medically discharged from the Downshire Light Infantry due to injuries sustained in Afghanistan when he lost most of his left foot.
Brian had led a rather rudderless existence since leaving the Army in the previous January, until mid-October when he made one of his infrequent phone calls to touch base with his sister who was at the time the de facto Vicar of St Martins in Highfinch while the Reverend Mortimer was recovering from a heart attack.
Everything that subsequently followed began with a simple question on the innocent phone call.
“So how are you sis?” he asked jovially and she burst into tears.
Unable to get any sense out of her over the phone he said
“Ok I’m on my way”
Fortunately he wasn’t a million miles away as he and another ex-soldier were doing some security work in Sharpington and it was his day off.
However once Brian arrived to comfort his older sister he never left as she suggested he stay with her permanently at the Vicarage and he agreed and also suggested he might find work at the Golf Course.
In truth Jenna had no doubts whatsoever that they would welcome him with open arms at the Golf Club because the manager of Lily Green Hollows, David Pike, was on the parish council and she had already broached the subject with him and used her influence.
But Brian was not the only newcomer to Highfinch and the Vicarage that year because two weeks after he took up residence he and Jenna were joined by the 30 year old replacement Curate, Rosie Coulter and Jenna and Rosie took to each other from the first moment they met.
But even with, Nick Faulkner, the man she loved, at her side, and her brother Brian on hand for support and an eager young Curate to help with her with the burden she was not looking forward to Christmas with as much enthusiasm as she had in past years.
Because that particular year she saw the normally joyous event of the Christmas church calendar as nothing more than tiresome obstacles that had to be overcome.
(Part 02)
The month of November began in a much happier vain when Jenna and Nick began dating, firstly to bonfire night display at Sharpinghead and then on Saturday Night he took her over to Purplemere and they had a lovely meal at the Runcible Spoon.
The next day Jenna was in a wonderful mood and it didn’t take an expert to know why and Brian was very pleased to see she was looking much more like her old self and seemed to have fully recovered from the malady of despondency that had afflicted her when he first arrived and she thought the Bishop was going to transfer her.
Jenna was also on very good form in the pulpit and she delivered a very inspiring and enlightening sermon.
However it wasn’t long before a gloom descended over her when she remembered that even before she reached the first hurdle of her Christmas marathon she had another problem to solve first.
A local man called Henry Gold normally played Santa at the St Martins Christmas Bazaar and had done for many years but since his sad demise earlier that year it had proved difficult to replace him.
However Rosie thought she had the perfect solution.
“What about Brian?”
“Brian?”
“Yes, he’ll need a bit of padding but I think he’ll be a natural” Rosie said “He’s got lovely broad shoulders”
“I think that’s a great idea” she said and kissed her check “Well done”
Jenna walked into the lounge at the Vicarage and she said
“Brother Dearest”
“What?” he responded suspiciously?
“I have a task for you”
“And what’s that?” Brian asked
“I need you to help out at the Christmas Bazaar” she said
“Oh ok yes I can do that” Brian said a little relieved to get off so lightly
“Excellent” she said “We just need to get the ladies to alter the costume”
“Hold on what costume?” Brian said “I don’t remember agreeing to a costume”
“The Santa costume obviously” Jenna said
“I am not going to dress up and Santa” he said adamantly
“But you have to, you can’t sit in Santa’s grotto in your ordinary clothes” Jenna insisted
“What grotto?” he asked
“You’ll make a wonderful Santa” Rosie added
“That’s not fair, you’re ganging up” he said indignantly “ganging up isn’t fair”
“I’ll let you know when you’re needed for the first fitting” Jenna said as she left the room
“But Jenna?” he called
“Can’t talk, I’m going to lunch with my boyfriend”
A moment later her head appeared around the door and she added
“I rather like the way that sounds”
Brian spent the next five minutes trying to fathom how she had managed to rope him into playing Santa at the St Martin’s School Christmas Bazaar without him even realising what he had agreed to and in fact he was left with the impression that he actually volunteered.
(Part 03)
However she became more troubled the closer she got to the first obstacle to be conquered in the marathon which came on
November 29th, and that was the First Sunday of Advent.
But despite it being a test of endurance she got through it without a hitch and with it successfully under her belt she should have been able to approach the next leg with renewed vigour.
However it soon began to look as if she wouldn’t get there with her sanity intact.
The day after her success Jenna was in the church Hall with a small team of ladies who were on hand to affect alterations to Brian’s Santa suit.
It was obviously the team of ladies who did all the work while she looked on, but the lack of activity gave her time to think and time to think meant time to worry and it didn’t go unnoticed.
And at the Vicarage that evening Brian broached the subject with her.
“What’s the matter sis?”
“Christmas is the matter” she replied
“But you love Christmas” he reminded her
“Yes but It’s such a busy time, there is so much going on, Advent, Christingle, Carol Concert and the Bazaar and everyone is watching me to see if I screw up”
“But you’ve been here for ten years” he said “this is hardly your first Christmas”
“Yes but it’s my first Christmas as the Vicar” she said worriedly
“Look you’ve already ticked off the first Sunday of advent and the Bazaar is totally covered, so stop worrying” he reassured her.
Despite her brothers words of comfort she still approached the Second weekend of Advent with little confidence and when she got to Friday lunchtime it suddenly got a whole lot worse.
She was in the Church Hall where she was waiting for Brian to arrive for the final fitting for his costume when her phone rang.
Jenna hung up the phone and muttered something under and almost knocked her brother over who just happened to be coming the other way.
“It’s a total disaster” Jenna blurted out “Trevor Gurney has appendicitis”
“Oh no” Brian said “is he ok?”
“What?” she said as if confused by the question
“Trevor” he clarified “is he ok?”
“Oh shit,” the Vicar exclaimed, “I never thought to ask”
“So what’s the disaster then?” He enquired
“Trevor is the chief Elf to your Santa,” she explained
“So what’s the problem?” he said “can’t we just find someone to fill his shoes?”
“It’s not his shoes that are the problem” Jenna explained
“He’s a six foot stick insect with a bum like a twelve year old boy”
“Oh” Brian said unhelpfully
“We can’t get anyone else with their own costume at this late stage” she went on
Brian went to speak but she was in full flow and cut him off
“No! We can’t hire a costume they’re all gone, and if we put one of the volunteers in Trevor’s costume they will just look ridiculous”
“Don’t you think a six foot Elf is ridiculous anyway?” Brian remarked
“He’s a very good Elf” Jenna said indignantly “and he supplied his own costume”
“So let me get this straight we need someone six feet tall, stick thin with an arse like a 12 year old boy” he asked
“Yes” Jenna replied crossly, “That’s why it’s a disaster”
“I know just the person,” he said
(Part 04)
“So let me get this straight we need someone six feet tall, stick thin with an arse like a 12 year old boy” he asked
“Yes” Jenna replied crossly, “That’s why it’s a disaster”
“I know just the person,” he said
“Really?” she asked doubtfully
“Really” he said and taking out his mobile phone he got up his contacts list, scrolled down and hit call.
“Rosie? Where are you?”
“I’m here” she said suddenly emerging from the Church Hall
“What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked and put his phone away.
The Vicar paced up and down like an expectant father while looking her Curate up and down.
“I don’t believe it, the solution was right under my nose all the time” she said
“Will you do it?” She asked eventually
“Do what?” Rosie asked
“Be the chief Elf to my Santa” he said “You are uniquely qualified”
“Ok” Rosie agreed
“Sorted” Brian replied
“Thank you God” Jenna said looking to the heavens and crossing herself “and thank you Brian”
“You’re perfect Rosie, I can’t believe I didn’t see it” she said
“You obviously don’t spend as much time looking at her as I do” Brian said and then blushed at the realization that he’d said it out loud.
Jenna pretended that she didn’t notice but Rosie did and she was smiling as she went back inside.
Jenna just kissed his cheek before going off to belatedly enquire about Trevor’s state of health.
On Saturday morning Jenna and Rosie left the Vicarage very early as there was a lot still to do in readiness for the Bazaar.
By the time Brian arrived at St Martin’s school at 11.00am she was fussing around like a mother hen, uncharacteristically wanting things just so.
“Hey sis” he said
“You’re cutting it fine” Jenna said crossly
“There’s plenty of time” he said
“There’s still so much to do” she retorted
“Ok just calm down” Brian said “it’s all in hand”
“Look it’s not just a Christmas Bazaar you know we’re making Christmas memories” Jenna said “it’s important for the children so it’s got to be done right”
Just then Rosie came through the door behind him
“Hello Santa” she said brightly
“Hi Rosie” he said “Hey why aren’t you in costume?”
“Some of us have had a very busy morning Grouchy Clause” Rosie said
“Come on Rosie your costume is through there” said Jenna and lead her away to one of the offices, but she paused by the doorway and let Rosie go ahead of her gave her an appraising look and declared to her brother.
“You were right bro she does have a bum like a twelve year old boy”
“Yes she’s perfect” she heard Brian say and smiled and left him with the drama teacher Cherry Overton-Brown who showed him in to the grotto where he was to be fully regaled in the red velvet suit and sat on his throne where Cherry would apply the finishing touches to his beard, wig and hat.
(Part 05)
Jenna was much relieved by the end of the afternoon when everything was over and done.
All the feedback she had heard was that the new Santa had done a very good job so she went to find him and thank him, she had been sharp with him earlier in the day and he hadn’t deserved it.
To get to the grotto you had to enter via an adjoining classroom, like an anteroom, where the walls were hidden behind red velvet drapes, decorated with tinsel and coloured lights.
The adjoining door was slightly ajar so she looked through the gap into the magical grotto.
Leading to the throne was a snow covered path and on one side of it was a festive tableau of snowmen and reindeer and on the other side Santa’s sleigh was parked.
The huge throne was in the furthest corner surrounded by Christmas parcels where Brian, fully regaled in the red velvet suit was sat on his throne, and sitting on his lap was a tall and flat chested Elf and they were kissing.
As the resident celebrity of Highfinch, and the Vicars boyfriend, Nick Faulkner, was both the guest of honour and the raffle prize draw master.
But with the draw complete he went in search of his own prize draw, namely the Reverend Lawton and he caught up with her in the ante room to Santa’s grotto and she was peering through a gap in the door to the grotto.
“What are you looking at nosy?” Nick said
“Shush” she said and put her finger to her lips “Come and have a look”
He tiptoed across the room and also peaked through the crack in the door and could see Rosie the Elf snogging Santa Claus.
“Well, well” he said “Just wait until Mrs Claus finds out about this”
“Oh I think she already knows” Jenna said
With the resounding success of the St Martins School Bazaar and the added bonus of discovering her brother and her Curate were in love she breezed through the Second and third Sundays of Advent which meant she was on the home straight.
The Trifecta of Christingle, Carol Service and the fourth Advent Sunday which were on consecutive days.
But she was in a great frame of mind and was brimming with confidence.
However a phone call from on Wednesday morning threw a spanner in the works, it was from Lee Shuttlewood, the church warden.
“Oh God, It’s just one thing after another” Jenna said “It’s Christingle on Friday and then the Carol concert”
Jenna hung up and let out a muffled yell.
“What’s the matter? Is life testing you’re patience sis?”
Brian asked cheerfully
“No it’s testing my faith,” she retorted without humour and left the room.
“Now look what you’ve done” Rosie said and followed quickly in the Vicar’s footsteps.
“What was Lee saying anyway?” Rosie asked hoping she would be able to give her some words of comfort
“The sound system and the visual displays have packed up” Jenna replied “Christingle is in three days”
“Oh no” Rosie exclaimed and started crying and then Jenna had to comfort her.
(Part 06)
The Christingle Service has become ingrained in Anglican worship though it had its origins in Eastern Europe.
The Christingle Service is a Service of candle lights where long ago people gathered in the street, sang carols and collected gifts to help the less fortunate in the community.
It is a beautiful candle lit service of hymns, carols, recitations and bible readings, but Christingle goes beyond a candle light service and it tells a story.
A story is told with the symbolic use of specific items, an orange representing the world.
A red ribbon tied around the orange to symbolize the blood of Jesus shed for his people.
Toothpicks decorated with dried fruits and sweets placed at the four corners of the orange representing all the people of the world and a lighted candle in the centre of the orange representing the gift of the light of Christ to the world.
After about 10 minutes Jenna and Rosie were sitting in the kitchen feeling sorry for themselves when they had a visitor.
“Hello!” a voice said
“Who’s that?” Jenna asked
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me already” Nick said as he appeared in the door way.
“Oh Nick” she said and threw herself into his arms.
Brian had been feeling rather guilty about his earlier flippancy with Jenna so he phoned Nick.
“So what can I do to help?” he asked
“Nothing much” she said “unless you know anything about the sound system”
“Well no” he confessed
“That’s not my area of expertise, but I know people who know people”
“Really?” she said suddenly encouraged.
“I’ll makes some calls” he said
Two hours later, Greg Scott, a friend of Nicks pulled up outside St Martin’s.
Nick introduced him to Jenna, Rosie and Lee Shuttlewood and then they all went inside.
After giving him a brief tour they left him to it and waited in the vestry until he was done.
The waiting was awful, no one spoke and they all feared the worst and Jenna was convinced that Christingle and the Carol Concert would have to be cancelled or simplified significantly.
“So what conclusion have you reached?” Nick asked
“Well it’s not a complicated system,” Gregg replied “I can easily patch it up in the short term, and after Christmas we could look at a more permanent solution maybe even replace the whole thing”
“We don’t have much money” Jenna added
“That’s not an issue” Greg said “I wouldn’t have a business at all if it wasn’t for Nick so I’m just repaying a long overdue favour”
After Scott had gone Jenna said
“It’s divine providence”
And burst into tears.
Gregg Scott was good to his word and had the audio visual systems working like clockwork.
He did have to swap out the visual displays as the circuitry was fried on the old ones but he had the work completed in plenty of time for Christingle which was On Friday December 18th.
(Part 07)
Gregg Scott had the work completed in plenty of time for Christingle which was On Friday December 18th.
First of all the children assembled at the church hall in their Sunday School groups and made their Christingle lights and when all the congregants were seated in the church the children carried them proudly in procession into the church where they were lit for the service.
It was always a big hit with the children which was why Jenna wanted it to go smoothly, which it did.
The Carol Concert was on the following night and was an all ticket occasion and as always it was performed to a packed house.
The sound system was excellent and the new visual displays came into their own.
But as successful as the concert was there was no time for Jenna to rest on her laurels because the next morning brought the Sunday Service and the lighting of the fourth candle of advent, the final leg of the trifecta.
From the moment the service ended she relaxed and as she stood in the doorway with the breeze stirring her brunette hair,
The difference in her demeanour was palpable, her intelligent green eyes were laughing again and broad toothy smile was on full display.
She still had Christmas Morning to contend with but that pretty much took care of itself, she had written the sermon, the readings had been selected as were their readers, the hymns and carols had been chosen and the slideshow for the visual displays was done.
So she was looking forward to a few stress free days off.
The day following the last Sunday of Advent was Nick’s Fortieth birthday so as soon as she was up and dressed she walked round to his house carrying a little gift bag.
She stood on the door step and knocked on the door and when it opened she said
“Happy Birthday old man, I come bearing gifts”
“Well thank you” he responded and kissed her “Come in”
For his big day she had booked a table at the same restaurant where they had their first serious date, the Runcible Spoon in Purplemere.
It was an expensive restaurant especially for her but she felt it was important.
As a result her present was a bit less than she would have liked to have spent on him, but she made what little she had count by buying something he would appreciate.
Nick wasn’t just a TV Sports Presenter he was a sports aficionado.
In fact he was writing a book on the subject, so while she was browsing at the Christmas Bazaar there was a stall selling second hand Bric-à-brac including a small selection of books and amongst them was an old book from the 1970’s entitled ABC of Soccer Sense by Tommy Docherty.
She was sure he would like it until he started unwrapping it and then she thought it was a bit naff.
“Wow” he said “this is one of Norman Giller’s”
“Is that good?” she asked
“Yes it is” he replied “Where on earth did you find it?”
“Do you like it then?” she asked
“I love it” he replied and kissed her
(Part 08)
On Christmas Eve Nick suggested they take a walk over to The Kingfisher over in Kingfisherbridge.
They had taken a walk over there on a rainy lunchtime back in September before he had to leave to work on the Rugby World Cup.
They hadn’t been back since, she thought it was sweet of him to think about going back.
It was about a mile and a half walk from Highfinch but it was a much brighter day as they walked towards Hawks Wood on Christmas Eve than the previous occasion.
They had a couple of drinks and some sandwiches and then they headed slowly back.
As they were walking back through Hawk Wood he said
“Look this is where we almost got run over”
Back in September they were so busy concentrating on hearing what the other was saying above the beating of the rain that they didn’t notice the mad cyclist approaching them from behind.
In fact they only knew he was there when he shouted
“GET OUT OF THE WAY, I’M NOT STOPPING”
They jumped sideway just in the nick of time.
“You Godless heathen” she yelled at the errant cyclist
As Nick was falling backwards and instinctively reached out to grab something while he was falling but the only thing in reach was Jenna so he landed on his back in the wet bracken and she landed on top of him.
“Yes and that’s where you almost kissed me” she said
After jumping clear of their assailant they lay there nose to nose on the wet ground for a full minute before she said
“This is awkward, and not a little compromising for a woman of the cloth”
“Indeed” he agreed desperate to reach up the infinitesimal distance to her lovely lips and plant a kiss on them
“A less gentlemanly man than I would probably take advantage of the situation”
Then he rolled her over onto her back and pushed himself up and helped Jenna to do the same, “But alas I am”
“Trust my luck to find myself lying in the undergrowth with the only gentleman in Highfinch”
And a smile began around her green eyes and a broad toothy smile spread across her pleasant demeanour.
“I seem to remember that was where you almost kissed me” he retorted.
“Well we could just kiss now instead” she suggested so they did.
“You know the old saying” he said “life begins at 40”
“Yes” she replied “Are you going to go all philosophical on me?”
“What I’m trying to say is that my life began before I was 40, because it began when I met you” he said
“Mine too” she agreed
“And there is only one thing that that could possibly improve on that beginning” Nick said taking his hand from his pocket
“So will you marry me?”
“You want to marry me?” she asked staring at the ring
“Of course I want to marry you” he said “But if you say no I’m happy to try your Curate, I do like a brunette”
“Don’t you dare” She said and snatched the ring
“You’re mine”
Christmas was just around the corner for the inhabitants of Highfinch which nestled on the edge of the Pepperstock Hills where the Lily Green Hollows Golf Club separated the village from the Hamlet of Lily Green, which made up the parish of St Martins Church.
It was the first time for quite a few years that Jenna Lawton had approached the season with a boyfriend, although calling him a boyfriend was pushing it a bit as he was almost forty, but then she wasn’t exactly a girl at 37.
It was also the first time she had approached it as a Vicar.
Another significant difference was something that also hadn’t happened for quite a few years and that was she would be spending it with her baby brother.
Brian Lawton was 33 years old and had been medically discharged from the Downshire Light Infantry due to injuries sustained in Afghanistan when he lost most of his left foot.
Brian had led a rather rudderless existence since leaving the Army in the previous January, until mid-October when he made one of his infrequent phone calls to touch base with his sister who was at the time the de facto Vicar of St Martins in Highfinch while the Reverend Mortimer was recovering from a heart attack.
Everything that subsequently followed began with a simple question on the innocent phone call.
“So how are you sis?” he asked jovially and she burst into tears.
Unable to get any sense out of her over the phone he said
“Ok I’m on my way”
Fortunately he wasn’t a million miles away as he and another ex-soldier were doing some security work in Sharpington and it was his day off.
However once Brian arrived to comfort his older sister he never left as she suggested he stay with her permanently at the Vicarage and he agreed and also suggested he might find work at the Golf Course.
In truth Jenna had no doubts whatsoever that they would welcome him with open arms at the Golf Club because the manager of Lily Green Hollows, David Pike, was on the parish council and she had already broached the subject with him and used her influence.
But Brian was not the only newcomer to Highfinch and the Vicarage that year because two weeks after he took up residence he and Jenna were joined by the 30 year old replacement Curate, Rosie Coulter and Jenna and Rosie took to each other from the first moment they met.
But even with, Nick Faulkner, the man she loved, at her side, and her brother Brian on hand for support and an eager young Curate to help with her with the burden she was not looking forward to Christmas with as much enthusiasm as she had in past years.
Because that particular year she saw the normally joyous event of the Christmas church calendar as nothing more than tiresome obstacles that had to be overcome.
(Part 02)
The month of November began in a much happier vain when Jenna and Nick began dating, firstly to bonfire night display at Sharpinghead and then on Saturday Night he took her over to Purplemere and they had a lovely meal at the Runcible Spoon.
The next day Jenna was in a wonderful mood and it didn’t take an expert to know why and Brian was very pleased to see she was looking much more like her old self and seemed to have fully recovered from the malady of despondency that had afflicted her when he first arrived and she thought the Bishop was going to transfer her.
Jenna was also on very good form in the pulpit and she delivered a very inspiring and enlightening sermon.
However it wasn’t long before a gloom descended over her when she remembered that even before she reached the first hurdle of her Christmas marathon she had another problem to solve first.
A local man called Henry Gold normally played Santa at the St Martins Christmas Bazaar and had done for many years but since his sad demise earlier that year it had proved difficult to replace him.
However Rosie thought she had the perfect solution.
“What about Brian?”
“Brian?”
“Yes, he’ll need a bit of padding but I think he’ll be a natural” Rosie said “He’s got lovely broad shoulders”
“I think that’s a great idea” she said and kissed her check “Well done”
Jenna walked into the lounge at the Vicarage and she said
“Brother Dearest”
“What?” he responded suspiciously?
“I have a task for you”
“And what’s that?” Brian asked
“I need you to help out at the Christmas Bazaar” she said
“Oh ok yes I can do that” Brian said a little relieved to get off so lightly
“Excellent” she said “We just need to get the ladies to alter the costume”
“Hold on what costume?” Brian said “I don’t remember agreeing to a costume”
“The Santa costume obviously” Jenna said
“I am not going to dress up and Santa” he said adamantly
“But you have to, you can’t sit in Santa’s grotto in your ordinary clothes” Jenna insisted
“What grotto?” he asked
“You’ll make a wonderful Santa” Rosie added
“That’s not fair, you’re ganging up” he said indignantly “ganging up isn’t fair”
“I’ll let you know when you’re needed for the first fitting” Jenna said as she left the room
“But Jenna?” he called
“Can’t talk, I’m going to lunch with my boyfriend”
A moment later her head appeared around the door and she added
“I rather like the way that sounds”
Brian spent the next five minutes trying to fathom how she had managed to rope him into playing Santa at the St Martin’s School Christmas Bazaar without him even realising what he had agreed to and in fact he was left with the impression that he actually volunteered.
(Part 03)
However she became more troubled the closer she got to the first obstacle to be conquered in the marathon which came on
November 29th, and that was the First Sunday of Advent.
But despite it being a test of endurance she got through it without a hitch and with it successfully under her belt she should have been able to approach the next leg with renewed vigour.
However it soon began to look as if she wouldn’t get there with her sanity intact.
The day after her success Jenna was in the church Hall with a small team of ladies who were on hand to affect alterations to Brian’s Santa suit.
It was obviously the team of ladies who did all the work while she looked on, but the lack of activity gave her time to think and time to think meant time to worry and it didn’t go unnoticed.
And at the Vicarage that evening Brian broached the subject with her.
“What’s the matter sis?”
“Christmas is the matter” she replied
“But you love Christmas” he reminded her
“Yes but It’s such a busy time, there is so much going on, Advent, Christingle, Carol Concert and the Bazaar and everyone is watching me to see if I screw up”
“But you’ve been here for ten years” he said “this is hardly your first Christmas”
“Yes but it’s my first Christmas as the Vicar” she said worriedly
“Look you’ve already ticked off the first Sunday of advent and the Bazaar is totally covered, so stop worrying” he reassured her.
Despite her brothers words of comfort she still approached the Second weekend of Advent with little confidence and when she got to Friday lunchtime it suddenly got a whole lot worse.
She was in the Church Hall where she was waiting for Brian to arrive for the final fitting for his costume when her phone rang.
Jenna hung up the phone and muttered something under and almost knocked her brother over who just happened to be coming the other way.
“It’s a total disaster” Jenna blurted out “Trevor Gurney has appendicitis”
“Oh no” Brian said “is he ok?”
“What?” she said as if confused by the question
“Trevor” he clarified “is he ok?”
“Oh shit,” the Vicar exclaimed, “I never thought to ask”
“So what’s the disaster then?” He enquired
“Trevor is the chief Elf to your Santa,” she explained
“So what’s the problem?” he said “can’t we just find someone to fill his shoes?”
“It’s not his shoes that are the problem” Jenna explained
“He’s a six foot stick insect with a bum like a twelve year old boy”
“Oh” Brian said unhelpfully
“We can’t get anyone else with their own costume at this late stage” she went on
Brian went to speak but she was in full flow and cut him off
“No! We can’t hire a costume they’re all gone, and if we put one of the volunteers in Trevor’s costume they will just look ridiculous”
“Don’t you think a six foot Elf is ridiculous anyway?” Brian remarked
“He’s a very good Elf” Jenna said indignantly “and he supplied his own costume”
“So let me get this straight we need someone six feet tall, stick thin with an arse like a 12 year old boy” he asked
“Yes” Jenna replied crossly, “That’s why it’s a disaster”
“I know just the person,” he said
(Part 04)
“So let me get this straight we need someone six feet tall, stick thin with an arse like a 12 year old boy” he asked
“Yes” Jenna replied crossly, “That’s why it’s a disaster”
“I know just the person,” he said
“Really?” she asked doubtfully
“Really” he said and taking out his mobile phone he got up his contacts list, scrolled down and hit call.
“Rosie? Where are you?”
“I’m here” she said suddenly emerging from the Church Hall
“What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked and put his phone away.
The Vicar paced up and down like an expectant father while looking her Curate up and down.
“I don’t believe it, the solution was right under my nose all the time” she said
“Will you do it?” She asked eventually
“Do what?” Rosie asked
“Be the chief Elf to my Santa” he said “You are uniquely qualified”
“Ok” Rosie agreed
“Sorted” Brian replied
“Thank you God” Jenna said looking to the heavens and crossing herself “and thank you Brian”
“You’re perfect Rosie, I can’t believe I didn’t see it” she said
“You obviously don’t spend as much time looking at her as I do” Brian said and then blushed at the realization that he’d said it out loud.
Jenna pretended that she didn’t notice but Rosie did and she was smiling as she went back inside.
Jenna just kissed his cheek before going off to belatedly enquire about Trevor’s state of health.
On Saturday morning Jenna and Rosie left the Vicarage very early as there was a lot still to do in readiness for the Bazaar.
By the time Brian arrived at St Martin’s school at 11.00am she was fussing around like a mother hen, uncharacteristically wanting things just so.
“Hey sis” he said
“You’re cutting it fine” Jenna said crossly
“There’s plenty of time” he said
“There’s still so much to do” she retorted
“Ok just calm down” Brian said “it’s all in hand”
“Look it’s not just a Christmas Bazaar you know we’re making Christmas memories” Jenna said “it’s important for the children so it’s got to be done right”
Just then Rosie came through the door behind him
“Hello Santa” she said brightly
“Hi Rosie” he said “Hey why aren’t you in costume?”
“Some of us have had a very busy morning Grouchy Clause” Rosie said
“Come on Rosie your costume is through there” said Jenna and lead her away to one of the offices, but she paused by the doorway and let Rosie go ahead of her gave her an appraising look and declared to her brother.
“You were right bro she does have a bum like a twelve year old boy”
“Yes she’s perfect” she heard Brian say and smiled and left him with the drama teacher Cherry Overton-Brown who showed him in to the grotto where he was to be fully regaled in the red velvet suit and sat on his throne where Cherry would apply the finishing touches to his beard, wig and hat.
(Part 05)
Jenna was much relieved by the end of the afternoon when everything was over and done.
All the feedback she had heard was that the new Santa had done a very good job so she went to find him and thank him, she had been sharp with him earlier in the day and he hadn’t deserved it.
To get to the grotto you had to enter via an adjoining classroom, like an anteroom, where the walls were hidden behind red velvet drapes, decorated with tinsel and coloured lights.
The adjoining door was slightly ajar so she looked through the gap into the magical grotto.
Leading to the throne was a snow covered path and on one side of it was a festive tableau of snowmen and reindeer and on the other side Santa’s sleigh was parked.
The huge throne was in the furthest corner surrounded by Christmas parcels where Brian, fully regaled in the red velvet suit was sat on his throne, and sitting on his lap was a tall and flat chested Elf and they were kissing.
As the resident celebrity of Highfinch, and the Vicars boyfriend, Nick Faulkner, was both the guest of honour and the raffle prize draw master.
But with the draw complete he went in search of his own prize draw, namely the Reverend Lawton and he caught up with her in the ante room to Santa’s grotto and she was peering through a gap in the door to the grotto.
“What are you looking at nosy?” Nick said
“Shush” she said and put her finger to her lips “Come and have a look”
He tiptoed across the room and also peaked through the crack in the door and could see Rosie the Elf snogging Santa Claus.
“Well, well” he said “Just wait until Mrs Claus finds out about this”
“Oh I think she already knows” Jenna said
With the resounding success of the St Martins School Bazaar and the added bonus of discovering her brother and her Curate were in love she breezed through the Second and third Sundays of Advent which meant she was on the home straight.
The Trifecta of Christingle, Carol Service and the fourth Advent Sunday which were on consecutive days.
But she was in a great frame of mind and was brimming with confidence.
However a phone call from on Wednesday morning threw a spanner in the works, it was from Lee Shuttlewood, the church warden.
“Oh God, It’s just one thing after another” Jenna said “It’s Christingle on Friday and then the Carol concert”
Jenna hung up and let out a muffled yell.
“What’s the matter? Is life testing you’re patience sis?”
Brian asked cheerfully
“No it’s testing my faith,” she retorted without humour and left the room.
“Now look what you’ve done” Rosie said and followed quickly in the Vicar’s footsteps.
“What was Lee saying anyway?” Rosie asked hoping she would be able to give her some words of comfort
“The sound system and the visual displays have packed up” Jenna replied “Christingle is in three days”
“Oh no” Rosie exclaimed and started crying and then Jenna had to comfort her.
(Part 06)
The Christingle Service has become ingrained in Anglican worship though it had its origins in Eastern Europe.
The Christingle Service is a Service of candle lights where long ago people gathered in the street, sang carols and collected gifts to help the less fortunate in the community.
It is a beautiful candle lit service of hymns, carols, recitations and bible readings, but Christingle goes beyond a candle light service and it tells a story.
A story is told with the symbolic use of specific items, an orange representing the world.
A red ribbon tied around the orange to symbolize the blood of Jesus shed for his people.
Toothpicks decorated with dried fruits and sweets placed at the four corners of the orange representing all the people of the world and a lighted candle in the centre of the orange representing the gift of the light of Christ to the world.
After about 10 minutes Jenna and Rosie were sitting in the kitchen feeling sorry for themselves when they had a visitor.
“Hello!” a voice said
“Who’s that?” Jenna asked
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me already” Nick said as he appeared in the door way.
“Oh Nick” she said and threw herself into his arms.
Brian had been feeling rather guilty about his earlier flippancy with Jenna so he phoned Nick.
“So what can I do to help?” he asked
“Nothing much” she said “unless you know anything about the sound system”
“Well no” he confessed
“That’s not my area of expertise, but I know people who know people”
“Really?” she said suddenly encouraged.
“I’ll makes some calls” he said
Two hours later, Greg Scott, a friend of Nicks pulled up outside St Martin’s.
Nick introduced him to Jenna, Rosie and Lee Shuttlewood and then they all went inside.
After giving him a brief tour they left him to it and waited in the vestry until he was done.
The waiting was awful, no one spoke and they all feared the worst and Jenna was convinced that Christingle and the Carol Concert would have to be cancelled or simplified significantly.
“So what conclusion have you reached?” Nick asked
“Well it’s not a complicated system,” Gregg replied “I can easily patch it up in the short term, and after Christmas we could look at a more permanent solution maybe even replace the whole thing”
“We don’t have much money” Jenna added
“That’s not an issue” Greg said “I wouldn’t have a business at all if it wasn’t for Nick so I’m just repaying a long overdue favour”
After Scott had gone Jenna said
“It’s divine providence”
And burst into tears.
Gregg Scott was good to his word and had the audio visual systems working like clockwork.
He did have to swap out the visual displays as the circuitry was fried on the old ones but he had the work completed in plenty of time for Christingle which was On Friday December 18th.
(Part 07)
Gregg Scott had the work completed in plenty of time for Christingle which was On Friday December 18th.
First of all the children assembled at the church hall in their Sunday School groups and made their Christingle lights and when all the congregants were seated in the church the children carried them proudly in procession into the church where they were lit for the service.
It was always a big hit with the children which was why Jenna wanted it to go smoothly, which it did.
The Carol Concert was on the following night and was an all ticket occasion and as always it was performed to a packed house.
The sound system was excellent and the new visual displays came into their own.
But as successful as the concert was there was no time for Jenna to rest on her laurels because the next morning brought the Sunday Service and the lighting of the fourth candle of advent, the final leg of the trifecta.
From the moment the service ended she relaxed and as she stood in the doorway with the breeze stirring her brunette hair,
The difference in her demeanour was palpable, her intelligent green eyes were laughing again and broad toothy smile was on full display.
She still had Christmas Morning to contend with but that pretty much took care of itself, she had written the sermon, the readings had been selected as were their readers, the hymns and carols had been chosen and the slideshow for the visual displays was done.
So she was looking forward to a few stress free days off.
The day following the last Sunday of Advent was Nick’s Fortieth birthday so as soon as she was up and dressed she walked round to his house carrying a little gift bag.
She stood on the door step and knocked on the door and when it opened she said
“Happy Birthday old man, I come bearing gifts”
“Well thank you” he responded and kissed her “Come in”
For his big day she had booked a table at the same restaurant where they had their first serious date, the Runcible Spoon in Purplemere.
It was an expensive restaurant especially for her but she felt it was important.
As a result her present was a bit less than she would have liked to have spent on him, but she made what little she had count by buying something he would appreciate.
Nick wasn’t just a TV Sports Presenter he was a sports aficionado.
In fact he was writing a book on the subject, so while she was browsing at the Christmas Bazaar there was a stall selling second hand Bric-à-brac including a small selection of books and amongst them was an old book from the 1970’s entitled ABC of Soccer Sense by Tommy Docherty.
She was sure he would like it until he started unwrapping it and then she thought it was a bit naff.
“Wow” he said “this is one of Norman Giller’s”
“Is that good?” she asked
“Yes it is” he replied “Where on earth did you find it?”
“Do you like it then?” she asked
“I love it” he replied and kissed her
(Part 08)
On Christmas Eve Nick suggested they take a walk over to The Kingfisher over in Kingfisherbridge.
They had taken a walk over there on a rainy lunchtime back in September before he had to leave to work on the Rugby World Cup.
They hadn’t been back since, she thought it was sweet of him to think about going back.
It was about a mile and a half walk from Highfinch but it was a much brighter day as they walked towards Hawks Wood on Christmas Eve than the previous occasion.
They had a couple of drinks and some sandwiches and then they headed slowly back.
As they were walking back through Hawk Wood he said
“Look this is where we almost got run over”
Back in September they were so busy concentrating on hearing what the other was saying above the beating of the rain that they didn’t notice the mad cyclist approaching them from behind.
In fact they only knew he was there when he shouted
“GET OUT OF THE WAY, I’M NOT STOPPING”
They jumped sideway just in the nick of time.
“You Godless heathen” she yelled at the errant cyclist
As Nick was falling backwards and instinctively reached out to grab something while he was falling but the only thing in reach was Jenna so he landed on his back in the wet bracken and she landed on top of him.
“Yes and that’s where you almost kissed me” she said
After jumping clear of their assailant they lay there nose to nose on the wet ground for a full minute before she said
“This is awkward, and not a little compromising for a woman of the cloth”
“Indeed” he agreed desperate to reach up the infinitesimal distance to her lovely lips and plant a kiss on them
“A less gentlemanly man than I would probably take advantage of the situation”
Then he rolled her over onto her back and pushed himself up and helped Jenna to do the same, “But alas I am”
“Trust my luck to find myself lying in the undergrowth with the only gentleman in Highfinch”
And a smile began around her green eyes and a broad toothy smile spread across her pleasant demeanour.
“I seem to remember that was where you almost kissed me” he retorted.
“Well we could just kiss now instead” she suggested so they did.
“You know the old saying” he said “life begins at 40”
“Yes” she replied “Are you going to go all philosophical on me?”
“What I’m trying to say is that my life began before I was 40, because it began when I met you” he said
“Mine too” she agreed
“And there is only one thing that that could possibly improve on that beginning” Nick said taking his hand from his pocket
“So will you marry me?”
“You want to marry me?” she asked staring at the ring
“Of course I want to marry you” he said “But if you say no I’m happy to try your Curate, I do like a brunette”
“Don’t you dare” She said and snatched the ring
“You’re mine”
Mornington-By-Mere – (27) Maggie May
(Part 01)
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.
(Part 02)
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.
(Part 03)
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”
(Part 04)
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
(Part 05)
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”
(Part 06)
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”
(Part 07)
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.
(Part 08)
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.
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.
(Part 02)
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.
(Part 03)
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”
(Part 04)
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
(Part 05)
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”
(Part 06)
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”
(Part 07)
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.
(Part 08)
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.
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