(Part 01)
Pilot Officer Ronald Carrington and Land Army girl Fiona Blake met twice on the journey from their home towns when they were traveling to Mornington, once on the train between Nettlefield and Purplemere and again on the bus as they crossed the Finchbottom Vale.
And by the time they reached the quaint picturesque chocolate box idyll, with its Manor House, 12th Century Church, Coaching Inn, Windmills, an Old Forge, Schoolhouse, a River and a Mere, they had fallen in love.
As a result they made a date for the following Saturday which culminated with a good night kiss by the gate of Manor Farm.
After that first date at the Old Mill Inn they saw each other as often as her work on the farm and his sorties with the RAF permitted but at the end of April his squadron were notified that they were on the move to an undisclosed destination.
When he met Fiona that evening he was wearing a grave expression
“What’s wrong?” she asked with concern
“I have just received some bad news” he informed her
“Why what’s happened?” she asked even more concerned
“The squadron has been posted” he said
“Where to?”
“We don’t know” he replied “We won’t know until the day we leave”
“When is that?” she asked flatly
“In two days” Ronald replied
“Oh God so soon” she exclaimed
“But no one is allowed off base after ten o’clock tonight” he said
“So tonight is your last night” Fiona said sadly
“I’m afraid so, but I will come back to you” he assured her and she threw herself into his arms
“I love you so much” he said
“I love you too”
“I will write to you every day” he promised “but you might not get them as often, and they might be out of sequence when you receive them depending on where they’re posted from”
“I’ll write everyday too” she said and then she began to cry
And he suspect there would be more tears, after all they wouldn’t be seeing each other again for goodness knew how long.
When she had dried her eyes she said
“Let’s not go to the pub, I don’t want to share you with anyone else on our last night together”
So they walked slowly around the village just like they did on their first date.
And afterwards they walked back to the farm hand in hand and as he expected there were more tears by the gate and when she was composed enough to say a proper goodbye they kissed and she walked straight into the farmhouse without looking back.
He kept his word and wrote to her everyday even though it was difficult with the amount of training missions they were flying in what was the preparation for D-Day, but he promised her he would so he did and posted them whenever he could.
It became more difficult once they crossed the channel and her letters to him, which arrived as regular as clockwork, became more sporadic once he reached France and by October they had stopped altogether.
Despite her letters drying up he continued to write but only once a week, then one a month and by February of 45 he stopped.
(Part 02)
He returned to Mornington in August of 1945 as a Squadron Leader and his first port of call was to Manor Farm to see Fiona but Mrs. Hargrave told him that she had left the farm and the Land Army twelve months earlier after her father was killed in an air raid and she went home to look after her mother.
He asked if she had left a forwarding address, but she hadn’t, and the lady of the house said she had a box full of unread letters and he recognized them as his.
He had spent the three weeks since he learned of his posting, hoping he could reconnect with Fiona and get to the bottom of why she stopped writing.
But after going to the farm he was faced with the fact that he would never see her again.
After 3 months in Mornington he was sent on temporary secondment to RAF Millmoor which was a promotion of sorts because at Millmoor he would be flying jets.
After a month at Millmoor he got a call from one of his old Squadron who was going to be in Nettlefield a few days before Christmas.
“We get in on Saturday morning” William said “so we could have lunch maybe, you me and Crispin”
“Ok great” Ronald replied
So on Saturday morning, a week later, he caught the train at Millmoor station.
He had planned to meet up with William and Crispin in Nettlefield at a restaurant called “The Boars Head” at half past twelve on Saturday, and he had left the base five minutes later than he intended and thought he was going to miss his train but for some unknown reason he not only caught the train, but he arrived in Nettlefield half an hour early.
So he stood outside the station staring at his watch and scratching his head trying to figure out where he had gone wrong with his calculations.
But it was snowing hard and he was feeling the cold so he decided to have a beer at the nearest watering hole, which happened to be “The Grey Friar Inn”.
As it was almost Christmas the pub was bedecked with the best that post war Downshire could conjure up, namely paper chains, holly and balloons.
It was a very welcoming pub despite the understated festive décor, there was a roaring fire in the grate, and a middle aged man was playing Christmas songs on the piano and there was Mornington ale on tap.
He ordered a pint and sat at the nearest table to the fire and smiled at the tableaux before him of the mixed clientele of Christmas shoppers and workers at lunch.
The music was good, but then he thought you couldn’t go wrong with Christmas music, and the pianist was good.
It was when he was halfway down his pint that he spotted a familiar face and he had to do a double take.
The girl was short with a nice little figure, and long straight brown hair and a rather attractive, if heavily freckled face, lovely hazel eyes, a cute nose and a thin-lipped smile.
(Part 03)
Ronald was halfway down his pint that he spotted a familiar face and he had to do a double take.
The girl was short with a nice little figure, and long straight brown hair and a rather attractive, if heavily freckled face, lovely hazel eyes, a cute nose and a thin-lipped smile.
She was dressed differently from the last time they met, her summer dress had been replaced by a dark green tweed skirt and a brown cable knit sweater, tan coloured stockings encasing her shapely legs and she had brown brogues on her tiny feet.
He watched her move from table to table collecting empties and putting them on the bar.
She was an altogether more confident girl than the shy little mouse he first met on the train to Purplemere,
But although he had fallen in love with her, a love that was clearly still alive, judging by the effect that seeing her had had on him, there was still the question as to why she had stopped writing to him.
He was desperate to get up and walk to the bar and speak to her but he feared his legs might not carry him so instead he called out.
“Fiona? Fiona Blake?”
“Yes” she answered and as she turned towards him recognition dawned on her face and she smiled
“Ronald” she said and walked over towards him.
“Hello” he said
“Ronald” she responded
Fiona had mixed feelings when she saw him, because she still loved him but she was also still hurt that he hadn’t written back to her after she left Mornington even though she wrote to him half a dozen times explaining why she left and where she had gone.
Of course what she didn’t know was that after D-Day there was a back log in the mail supply to frontline units and it was several weeks before it got on its way, unfortunately one of the Dakota’s ferrying the sacks across the channel was shot down and crashed into the sea, and Fiona’s letters along with it.
Wearing half a smile she walked towards him and asked
“Why didn’t you write?”
“What?”
“Why didn’t you answer my letters?”
“I did” he said “I wrote everyday as I promised, until it became clear that you had stopped”
“I didn’t get them all if you did” she pointed out
“Well when I went to Manor Farm Mrs. Hargrave showed me a box full of my letters, which were delivered after you left” he explained
“But why?” she asked “Why didn’t you send it to Heathervale?”
“What’s Heathervale?”
“That’s where I live” she snapped “I wrote and told you that”
“I never got that letter” he said and she went pale and sat down heavily on a chair
“I don’t know what to say, I thought you had just lost interest in me”
“Never” he said “Not for an instant”
“I’m sorry” she said in her soft mousy voice.
“FIONA! Customers!” the landlord barked
“OK!” she snapped “I have to get back to work”
“So it would seem” he said and then looked at his watch “oh God! I have to go”
“What? No, don’t go” she implored “We need to talk”
“I have to, I’m meeting William and Crispin, they’re only in Nettlefield for a few hours” he said drained his glass and stood up
“I’ll come back later”
“I finish at seven” Fiona said
“Great I’ll see you then” He said, smiled and left and Fiona watch him leave with tears welling in her eyes.
(Part 04)
Ronald reached “The Boars Head” at half past one on the dot only to find the other two were late, which left him time to dwell on the meeting with Fiona, until the other two sauntered in fifteen minutes later.
“Sorry we’re late” Crispin said, “my fault I’m afraid, my train was delayed”
It was a wonderful reunion and an exceptionally nice meal considering the post war shortages but it was the company that made it so enjoyable.
Ronald enjoyed it so much that he didn’t have time to think about Fiona and before he knew it the afternoon had gone.
When they left the restaurant it was almost five o’clock as they headed to the station.
It was snowing heavily and when they got there they found that no trains were running south, but William and Crispin, who were heading north, managed to get on the last train running.
After they said their goodbyes he tried the taxi rank but there were no cabs to be found so after he had met Fiona again he would be stranded in Nettlefield.
He walked to the “Grey Friar Inn” and went to the reception and managed to secure their last vacant room.
It was a few minutes after five when he was handed the key for room six and as the rather gruff receptionist returned to the bar a small figure wrapped up against the cold, came through the door from the noisy lounge bar and stopped dead when they caught sight of him.
“Ronald” she said, her voice muffled by her scarf.
“Is that Fiona under all that?” he asked
She didn’t speak but nodded.
“Where are you off to?” he queried
“I’ve got to get home,” she said
“I thought we needed to talk” he pointed out
“We do and I want to but I need to get home” Fiona assisted
“There aren’t any trains,” he told her
“What? To Heathervale?” she asked urgently
“To anywhere” he replied
“And there are no taxis either”
“Oh damn,” Fiona exclaimed
“I have to try” she said, “I’d like to stay, but I have to try”
“Ok” he said “I’ll walk with you”
She nodded and then they walked out into the snowy night,
They passed the empty taxi rank on the way and when they reached the station they found it was closed and Fiona turned towards him and put her face against his chest and began to cry.
“I”
“Cant”
“Get”
“Home” she said between sobs
Inside his head he said
“Well I did tell you that”
But saying it out loud would not have helped the situation so he just thought it and made sympathetic noises instead.
“All the trains are cancelled,” she said
“I know,” he thought
“And there are no taxis”
“I told you that as well,” he thought
After a few moments he asked
“What’s at home that you are so desperate to get home for?”
He was certain it wasn’t a sweetheart and he was right.
“My mum” she answered
“For God’s sake” he thought “you’re in your twenties, you’re a big girl now”
Out loud he just said
“Oh?”
And she explained that the air raid that killed her father also paralyzed her mother and Fiona looked after her.
She worked all day in at the pub in Nettlefield but she was at home mornings and evenings to tend to her mum.
Ronald felt bad when he heard her explanation.
“I have to try and get home” Fiona said
“But it’s just not possible” he said “is there anyone in the village who could check on her”
“Yes, Mrs. Rooney” she replied “But I can’t ask her because she doesn’t have a phone”
“No, but Warrant Officer Coleman does” Ronald said
“Who?”
“Former WO Coleman at Mornington Field is now Police Sgt Coleman in the village of Heathervale” he said “come on let’s find a phone box”
(Part 05)
The nearest phone box was just across the street so they ran hand in hand across the road and squeezed into it, and Ronald phoned Sgt Coleman and after a minute or two of reminiscence he explained the reason for the call and the nature of the emergency and the Sgt promised he would dispatch his PC out into the snow to Mrs. Rooney’s.
“Thanks George” he said and hung up the phone
“Thank you” she said and hugged him
“That’s ok”
“What now?” she asked expectantly
“He’s going to ring the “Grey Friar” when he has news” he replied
“Why there?” she asked
“I have a room” he replied “we can stay there tonight, and we can set off early tomorrow morning”
“I can’t spend the night with you” she said with horror
“It’s ok, you can have the bed” Ronald assured her “There won’t be any impropriety, I promise”
“Ok” she said meekly as she gazed up at him and he kissed her.
They got back to the “Grey Friar” and weren’t able to go straight to the room as the rather gruff receptionist he’d seen earlier, who was Mrs. Cleary, the Landlords wife, was behind the counter so they went into the bar and ordered drinks, but they didn’t stay long as it was very loud and raucous, so they quickly drank up and as soon as she saw Mrs. Cleary walk into the bar Fiona knew that reception would be unattended so she discreetly took the key for room six from Ronald, slipped out of the bar and sneaked up to the room and he followed five minutes later, but was stopped in his tracks by grumpy Mrs. Cleary.
“Squadron leader!”
“Yes Mrs. Cleary” he said
“Telephone” she snapped
When he got to room six he found Fiona sitting on the end of the bed still wearing her outdoor clothes
At first glance the room was a bit small and dingy but on reflection he thought it was better than some of the billets in France and Belgium he’d stayed in after D-Day.
Fiona was looking rather glum but he had some news that would cheer her up, because it was Sgt Rooney on the phone to say that Mrs. Rooney had been contacted and she was only too happy to oblige, and to tell Fiona not to worry.
As promised he let Fiona have the bed and he spent the night in an armchair but neither of them slept as they talked the night away.
Saying all the things they had said before in letters that had gone unread.
The next morning, although physically and mentally they were collectively, a spent force, they had never felt more alive as they had found each other again, and the happiness that went along with that reunion.
But as happy as she was that the man she loved was back in her life she was eager to get back to Heathervale to see her mum.
The heavy snow of the day before had given way to rain during the night so they thought the trains would be running some kind of service, the only problem was getting her out of his room unseen.
So Ronald went down the stairs first and distracted Mrs. Cleary while Fiona slipped out unseen into the street then they walked to the station together.
Although the station was open and trains were running there was a greatly reduced service due to the previous day’s cancellations, which was going to result in a rather lengthy wait on the platform.
He left her looking at the revised timetable while he went and got the tickets, and when he returned she said
“There’s a train going south in ten minutes, but I’ve got a longer wait for a train to Heathervale”
“That’s ok because I’m coming with you” Ronald said
“You don’t have to do that” she said
“I know, but I’m not letting you get away from me again without knowing where to find you” he said
“Don’t worry you’re mine now, forever” Fiona said and they kissed
Sunday 4 June 2017
Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (94) St Cuthbert’s Bazaar
The Finchbottom Vale was once a great wetland that centuries earlier stretched from Mornington in the East to Childean in the west and from Shallowfield in the south to Purplemere in the north.
But over the many centuries the vast majority of it had been drained for agriculture, a feat achieved largely by the efforts of famous Mornington Mills, of which only three had survived to the present day and even those were no longer functional and were in various states of repair.
There were only three small bodies of water left in the Vale now one in Mornington, one in Childean and third was Purplemere.
The village of Brocklington was on the River Brooke about six miles downstream from Sharping St Mary in the Finchbottom Vale which was nestled comfortably between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest to the south and the rolling Pepperstock Hills in the north, those who are lucky enough to live there think of it as the rose between two thorns.
Sophie Welby was the head teacher at St Cuthbert’s School and was a much respected figure in the village who had dedicated her life to educating the children of Brocklington, but she had done it at some personal cost, namely the love of her life Paul Barrington.
Paul was a journalist and had been offered a job at the Washington Post shortly after she was offered the Headship at St Cuthbert’s, he wanted her to go with him and he assured her that she could get a job in any school she chose, but she was scared, fearful of the unknown and the uncertainty, and was unsure about her love for him.
In the ten years that followed she realized that she loved him more than life itself, but that ship had sailed so she soldiered on as a loveless educator and stalwart of the village.
One of the high points of her year was the Christmas bazaar which was busy and exciting event that took a lot of organizing but brought a lot of joy, with all the usual attractions as well as Santa’s grotto.
But on Saturday afternoon at the height of the event as she strolled amongst the throng she caught sight of an attraction she hadn’t expected to see, Paul Barrington, and he beamed a smile in her direction the moment they made eye contact and her legs instantly turned to jelly.
He hadn’t changed a bit in her eyes, although his hair was a little greyer and his waist a little thicker, but he was still the man she loved, loves.
“Sophie!” he said “You haven’t changed a bit”
“Paul?”
“You look great” he said
“What are you doing here?” she asked, although that wasn’t the question she wanted to ask, she wanted to know everything else, was he married? Was he back? Was he hers?
“I’ve transferred to the London office” he replied
“Are your family moving with you?” she asked
“No only me” he replied “There is only me”
“So when did you get back?” she asked encouraged by his previous answer
“Last night” he replied and she dared to hope, after all he had wasted no time in getting to Brocklington, but before she could build on the glimmer of hope she was called away from him to avert a crisis
“It’s good to see you” she said as she was led away.
The moment the problem had been resolved she set off in search of Paul to continue her interrogation of him, but after a thorough search and three circuits of the School there was no sign of him and very soon the visitors started to drift away and the doors were closed for another year and as the team of helpers began to pack away Sophie sought out a quiet corner in which to reflect on a missed opportunity and she took sanctuary in the grotto.
The grotto was decorated with red and gold velvet drapes, adorned with tinsel and coloured lights, with a huge throne in the furthest corner surrounded by Christmas parcels and 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.
She walked slowly down the snow covered path and sat on Santa’s throne and put her head in her hands and sighed and remained there for an indeterminate amount of time until she was brought back to the moment.
“So this is where you’re hiding”
“You’re still here” she exclaimed
“You sound disappointed” Paul pointed out
“No, no I didn’t mean that” she corrected him a little too forcefully
“It’s just that when I couldn’t find you anywhere I thought you must have gone”
“You were looking for me?” he asked
“Erm well we hadn’t finished catching up” she explained
“That’s good but I didn’t travel three and a half thousand miles just to catch up” he said
“What did you come for then?” she asked
“I came here to pick up” Paul said
“What?” she exclaimed
“From where we left off” he added and kissed her and it was liked they’d never been apart.
But over the many centuries the vast majority of it had been drained for agriculture, a feat achieved largely by the efforts of famous Mornington Mills, of which only three had survived to the present day and even those were no longer functional and were in various states of repair.
There were only three small bodies of water left in the Vale now one in Mornington, one in Childean and third was Purplemere.
The village of Brocklington was on the River Brooke about six miles downstream from Sharping St Mary in the Finchbottom Vale which was nestled comfortably between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest to the south and the rolling Pepperstock Hills in the north, those who are lucky enough to live there think of it as the rose between two thorns.
Sophie Welby was the head teacher at St Cuthbert’s School and was a much respected figure in the village who had dedicated her life to educating the children of Brocklington, but she had done it at some personal cost, namely the love of her life Paul Barrington.
Paul was a journalist and had been offered a job at the Washington Post shortly after she was offered the Headship at St Cuthbert’s, he wanted her to go with him and he assured her that she could get a job in any school she chose, but she was scared, fearful of the unknown and the uncertainty, and was unsure about her love for him.
In the ten years that followed she realized that she loved him more than life itself, but that ship had sailed so she soldiered on as a loveless educator and stalwart of the village.
One of the high points of her year was the Christmas bazaar which was busy and exciting event that took a lot of organizing but brought a lot of joy, with all the usual attractions as well as Santa’s grotto.
But on Saturday afternoon at the height of the event as she strolled amongst the throng she caught sight of an attraction she hadn’t expected to see, Paul Barrington, and he beamed a smile in her direction the moment they made eye contact and her legs instantly turned to jelly.
He hadn’t changed a bit in her eyes, although his hair was a little greyer and his waist a little thicker, but he was still the man she loved, loves.
“Sophie!” he said “You haven’t changed a bit”
“Paul?”
“You look great” he said
“What are you doing here?” she asked, although that wasn’t the question she wanted to ask, she wanted to know everything else, was he married? Was he back? Was he hers?
“I’ve transferred to the London office” he replied
“Are your family moving with you?” she asked
“No only me” he replied “There is only me”
“So when did you get back?” she asked encouraged by his previous answer
“Last night” he replied and she dared to hope, after all he had wasted no time in getting to Brocklington, but before she could build on the glimmer of hope she was called away from him to avert a crisis
“It’s good to see you” she said as she was led away.
The moment the problem had been resolved she set off in search of Paul to continue her interrogation of him, but after a thorough search and three circuits of the School there was no sign of him and very soon the visitors started to drift away and the doors were closed for another year and as the team of helpers began to pack away Sophie sought out a quiet corner in which to reflect on a missed opportunity and she took sanctuary in the grotto.
The grotto was decorated with red and gold velvet drapes, adorned with tinsel and coloured lights, with a huge throne in the furthest corner surrounded by Christmas parcels and 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.
She walked slowly down the snow covered path and sat on Santa’s throne and put her head in her hands and sighed and remained there for an indeterminate amount of time until she was brought back to the moment.
“So this is where you’re hiding”
“You’re still here” she exclaimed
“You sound disappointed” Paul pointed out
“No, no I didn’t mean that” she corrected him a little too forcefully
“It’s just that when I couldn’t find you anywhere I thought you must have gone”
“You were looking for me?” he asked
“Erm well we hadn’t finished catching up” she explained
“That’s good but I didn’t travel three and a half thousand miles just to catch up” he said
“What did you come for then?” she asked
“I came here to pick up” Paul said
“What?” she exclaimed
“From where we left off” he added and kissed her and it was liked they’d never been apart.
Those Memories Made on Teardrop Lake – (94) For the Love of Anna
Rod McGregor was cold to his core as he hurried towards Shallowfield, it was three days before Christmas and 24 hours earlier he had been in Brisbane, which had been his home for the previous 24 years, where he worked as a conservationist for the Enoggera Forest Reserves, and it was his first time back in Downshire since he emigrated, and he never expected to see it again, in fact he had promised that he would never return.
But it was the person to whom he had made that promise, Anna Abbiss, who had summoned him back, so he couldn’t refuse.
Anna was the love of his life, and the only woman he had ever truly loved, and he loved her still, and she had loved him in equal measure, the only problem was that she was married, to his brother.
A two year affair between them resulted in her falling pregnant, Rod was sure that he was the father because Bob had mumps when he was in his teens and what Rod knew, and his brother didn’t was that such an affliction at that time at the age he was almost without exception resulted in rendering the recipient sterile.
However Bob was in blissful ignorance and because of his obvious delight at his impending fatherhood, Rod and Anna decided they should draw their affair to a close, but because they had tried previously and failed she said the only way was for him to leave, and he agreed, so he emigrated to Queensland.
Obviously because they were his family he couldn’t sever all contact but he maintained the distance although there had been close calls over the years when Bob would invite his brother to stay or would himself plan a trip to Australia, something always came up, something fabricated, to prevent it.
As he drove across the Vale he listened to the Radio and the weather forecast predicted a White Christmas and the artic winds were already blowing and had brought little flurries of hailstones and sleet throughout the day, but the slushy particles dissolved as they hit the ground.
However as he got closer to the Dancingdean Forest wet sleet turned to powdery snow, and the snowflakes floated and swirled through the air and formed a soft white carpet over the silent countryside and dusted the trees and turned the landscape into a magical wonderland.
He pulled up outside the Larkspur Hospice and took a few deep breaths before he got out of the car to steel himself for what was ahead.
He walked inside and the first person he saw was his brother Bob, who beamed a radiant smile at him as they approached each other and then they hugged
“Thanks for coming bro”
He stood by the door and looked into the room, and there she was, a pale imitation of what she had been, and beside her bed was a younger woman, clearly her daughter, their daughter, and she was the spitting image of Anna.
When she saw him she got up and walked towards him with tears in her eyes, because although they had never met she recognised him and exclaimed
“Uncle Rod!”
“Sweet Amy” he retorted
Because he was unable to cut the family ties he had managed to conduct relationships with his brother and his niece via email and maintained one with Anna vicariously.
What they hadn’t told him in their chatty email exchanges, at Anna’s request, was that Anna was battling breast cancer, but as each successive treatments failed and hope was finally replaced by palliative care, she had to see him one last time before she died.
“How is she doing?” he asked
“It won’t be long now” Amy said and the tears welled up and she broke down, in her father’s arms.
“Go and sit with her” Bob suggested “The morphine has her but talk to her”
He sat beside her bed and held her hand and said
“I love you my Anna”
He felt her hand move in his and then her eyes slowly opened and a glimmer of recognition spread across her face and she licked her lips and retorted
“Hello my only love”
They held each other’s gaze for what seemed an eternity, but in reality it was only seconds before she closed her eyes and she was gone back beneath the morphine veil.
But it was the person to whom he had made that promise, Anna Abbiss, who had summoned him back, so he couldn’t refuse.
Anna was the love of his life, and the only woman he had ever truly loved, and he loved her still, and she had loved him in equal measure, the only problem was that she was married, to his brother.
A two year affair between them resulted in her falling pregnant, Rod was sure that he was the father because Bob had mumps when he was in his teens and what Rod knew, and his brother didn’t was that such an affliction at that time at the age he was almost without exception resulted in rendering the recipient sterile.
However Bob was in blissful ignorance and because of his obvious delight at his impending fatherhood, Rod and Anna decided they should draw their affair to a close, but because they had tried previously and failed she said the only way was for him to leave, and he agreed, so he emigrated to Queensland.
Obviously because they were his family he couldn’t sever all contact but he maintained the distance although there had been close calls over the years when Bob would invite his brother to stay or would himself plan a trip to Australia, something always came up, something fabricated, to prevent it.
As he drove across the Vale he listened to the Radio and the weather forecast predicted a White Christmas and the artic winds were already blowing and had brought little flurries of hailstones and sleet throughout the day, but the slushy particles dissolved as they hit the ground.
However as he got closer to the Dancingdean Forest wet sleet turned to powdery snow, and the snowflakes floated and swirled through the air and formed a soft white carpet over the silent countryside and dusted the trees and turned the landscape into a magical wonderland.
He pulled up outside the Larkspur Hospice and took a few deep breaths before he got out of the car to steel himself for what was ahead.
He walked inside and the first person he saw was his brother Bob, who beamed a radiant smile at him as they approached each other and then they hugged
“Thanks for coming bro”
He stood by the door and looked into the room, and there she was, a pale imitation of what she had been, and beside her bed was a younger woman, clearly her daughter, their daughter, and she was the spitting image of Anna.
When she saw him she got up and walked towards him with tears in her eyes, because although they had never met she recognised him and exclaimed
“Uncle Rod!”
“Sweet Amy” he retorted
Because he was unable to cut the family ties he had managed to conduct relationships with his brother and his niece via email and maintained one with Anna vicariously.
What they hadn’t told him in their chatty email exchanges, at Anna’s request, was that Anna was battling breast cancer, but as each successive treatments failed and hope was finally replaced by palliative care, she had to see him one last time before she died.
“How is she doing?” he asked
“It won’t be long now” Amy said and the tears welled up and she broke down, in her father’s arms.
“Go and sit with her” Bob suggested “The morphine has her but talk to her”
He sat beside her bed and held her hand and said
“I love you my Anna”
He felt her hand move in his and then her eyes slowly opened and a glimmer of recognition spread across her face and she licked her lips and retorted
“Hello my only love”
They held each other’s gaze for what seemed an eternity, but in reality it was only seconds before she closed her eyes and she was gone back beneath the morphine veil.
Friday 2 June 2017
Mornington-By-Mere – (92) The Good Samaritan
(Part 01)
David Ball lived in the small country village of Mornington-By-Mere in the Finchbottom Vale nestled between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.
It was a quaint picturesque village, a proper chocolate box picturesque idyll, with a Manor House, 12th Century Church, a Coaching Inn, Windmills, an Old Forge, a Schoolhouse, a River and a Mere.
He lived and worked up at Mornington Field which had once been an RAF base but had been converted into a mixture of commercial and residential units.
David lived in apartment 7 of Lancaster House, which was converted into flats from the old Officers Mess.
He lived alone, and had done since he left home at the age of 18 and he had got to his mid 30’s and had needed no other company than his dog, or a dog, as there had been several incarnations of Kelvin.
He was employed by Light of Day, who were Led Lighting Specialists, and he was well regarded in the business but he became wider regarded after the events of his first Christmas in Mornington.
It was a week before Christmas when David was woken by Kelvin, his West of Argyle Terrier, it was 4 am and Kelvin clearly needed to go out despite the fact the wind was howling.
So reluctantly he got dressed and bundled up and they started out but when they got to the foot of the stairwell, Kelvin started to bark.
“Quiet you stupid creature” David said but Kelvin persisted his outburst until David opened the door and then he just became agitated and started pulling on the lead, but not along the path like he normally did, this time he turned immediately left to a slumped figure huddled in the corner of the porch, on closer examination Dave saw that it was a woman.
He tutted because his first reaction was that she was drunk, not something he had much tolerance with.
He took a penlight torch from his pocket and shone it in the woman’s face which was when he saw who it was, she was a woman from that building, Selina Tilley.
It was at that moment when he became more concerned because all though he didn’t know her well he did know one thing about her and that was that she was a Methodist and she didn’t drink, so he thought it was more likely to be hypothermia.
It looked like her lips were blue and when he touched her cheek it felt icy cold, then he checked her pulse which was weak, but it was present.
He let Kelvin off his lead while he got Selina to her feet and manhandled her inside the foyer to get her out of the bitter wind.
He lay her on the carpeted floor and draped his coat over her and then used his mobile phone to call for an ambulance.
Kelvin had done his business so David let him and he sat and held Selina’s hand while he waited for the ambulance and Kelvin cuddled up to the other side of Selina.
The ambulance was mercifully quick and came roaring up to Lancaster House with flashing lights and David told them what he knew, which was hardly enough, in fact it was very little, but the paramedics went quickly about their work.
They laid her on the trolley and started to check vital signs and then off they went to the hospital, with his name and number.
He called the Winston Churchill Hospital several times but he was told “Family only” every time he called.
So he tried a different tack. There were several nurses in the village, Rosie Parsons, Lorraine Chapman and Jane Hall to name but three and Jane was not only a friend his but was also a Staff Nurse at the Winston Churchill so he asked her if she could find out how the patient was and she agreed.
He was right about it not being alcohol related and he was also correct about her having hypothermia but it turned out that her underlying condition was diabetes which on that night had led to Hypoglycaemia.
Thankfully there would be no lasting effects but they were going to keep her in for a couple of days.
News of the events of that night quickly went around the village and David’s street cred went through the roof and he and Kelvin gained celebrity status.
Kelvin loved all the extra attention but David was less comfortable with it, and his thoughts kept straying to his stricken damsel in distress.
Selina Tilley was 27 years old and had worked for Crazy Chocolatiers since she left school, in fact she was the very first employee.
She also lived in the old Officers Mess, Lancaster House, in apartment 11 where she lived alone.
Selina hadn’t always done so, but she had been for a number of years and had become accustomed to it, but Christmas was fast approaching which was one of those times that she felt her solitude most keenly.
But as she lay in her hospital bed at the Royal Downshire it wasn’t Christmas that was occupying her mind.
She was patently aware that had it not been for David Ball and his little dog that she would have died and she really needed to do something to say thank you in some way but wasn’t sure what or how, she would of course say thank you, but it didn’t solve the essential problem of how to show her gratitude.
(Part 02)
Alexandra Quarit was the founder and owner of Crazy Chocolatier’s who were the makers and purveyors of handmade chocolates and to many they made the best handmade chocolates in Downshire.
She began with a shop in the Abbottsford’s Phoenix Centre but she now had shops all over Downshire as well as several factory’s including the one at Mornington Field where Selina worked.
Alexandra was a good boss and everyone that worked for her, liked her, because she cared about the people she employed which was why she insisted on picking Selina up from the hospital two days before Christmas Eve.
As they drove towards Mornington Alexandra said
“I don’t want you back to work until the New Year”
“But I’m fully recovered” Selina said “thanks to David Ball, he saved my life”
“Which is why I don’t want you to come back to work too soon”
Alex said
“You had a lucky escape”
“Yes I did” she agreed “And I am very grateful for everything David did, and I want to get him a thank you gift”
“I’m sure he would appreciate that” Alex concurred
“But what?” Selina asked “What do you get for someone who saves your life?”
“I think Chocolates make a nice gift” Alex said and smiled
“You would say that” Selina retorted with a smile, “But it’s a bit of a cop out”
“Not if you make them yourself” Alex said and after a moment added “Hand made by you”
“I thought I was on enforced leave” Selina pointed out
“You can do it at home, think of it as occupational therapy”
Alex said
“I don’t have enough stuff” she replied
“It’s just as well I had Andrea stock you up then” Alexandra said cockily
“What are you up to?” Selina asked suspiciously
“I don’t know what you mean” she said innocently although she knew very well.
Alex had been encouraged by the fact that Selina spoke a lot about David Hall, not entirely unsurprising given that he had saved her life, but more noteworthy bearing in mind that she had been unconscious throughout the incident.
So she clearly had an interest in him prior to his intervention and because of that Alex was going to fan the flames, because her friend deserved someone in her life.
Selina made a selection of her finest handmade creations and made up a beautiful gift box, she also ordered a small pet hamper from Hanratty’s Department Store in Abbottsford’s Phoenix Centre for Kelvin and then on Christmas Eve she went downstairs and knocked on David Hall’s door.
He was sitting watching Alastair Sim in “Scrooge” when Kelvin heard Selina approach and he was on his feet, ears pricked, tail wagging long before David heard the knock on the door.
He tutted because “Scrooge” was one of his favourite Christmas movies but he got up and walked to the door and looked through the peephole and saw it was Selina and his heart rate quickened, he had heard she was home and he had thought about going to see if she was ok, he had even bought her a Christmas present, but he lost his nerve because he didn’t know what to say to her.
But now she was knocking on his door and there was no escape, unless of course he pretended not to be in, but he would have regretted that because he wanted to see her, but he still didn’t know what to say.
So he took a deep breath and opened the door.
“Hello” he said “it’s nice to see you fully recovered”
“Hello David and hello Kelvin” she said “I am much better thanks to you two”
“Come in” he said side stepping her comment
“Oh ok”
Once inside she sat on the sofa and made a fuss of Kelvin and when David had taken his seat
“I cannot express how grateful I am” she began
“Nonsense” he retorted “it was Kelvin who found you”
“Well I am very grateful to both of you” she said and rummaged in her bag “so I have these gifts as a token of my gratitude”
“Oh” he said “you didn’t have to do that”
“It was the least I could do” she said
“It really wasn’t necessary” he insisted
“If you prefer you can consider them Christmas presents” Salina said and put them under the tree
“That’s very kind, thank you” David said
“We have a present under the tree for you too, don’t we Kelvin” he said
“Really? How nice” Selina said taken aback and that was when David gathered up all his courage and said
“Come for lunch tomorrow and we can open them together”
“Oh yes what a lovely idea, thank you” Selina said happily
So they spent Christmas Day together, which was to be the first of many.
It turned out that when David and Kelvin saved Selina’s life that dark December morning he saved her life in more ways than one and saved his own in the process.
David Ball lived in the small country village of Mornington-By-Mere in the Finchbottom Vale nestled between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.
It was a quaint picturesque village, a proper chocolate box picturesque idyll, with a Manor House, 12th Century Church, a Coaching Inn, Windmills, an Old Forge, a Schoolhouse, a River and a Mere.
He lived and worked up at Mornington Field which had once been an RAF base but had been converted into a mixture of commercial and residential units.
David lived in apartment 7 of Lancaster House, which was converted into flats from the old Officers Mess.
He lived alone, and had done since he left home at the age of 18 and he had got to his mid 30’s and had needed no other company than his dog, or a dog, as there had been several incarnations of Kelvin.
He was employed by Light of Day, who were Led Lighting Specialists, and he was well regarded in the business but he became wider regarded after the events of his first Christmas in Mornington.
It was a week before Christmas when David was woken by Kelvin, his West of Argyle Terrier, it was 4 am and Kelvin clearly needed to go out despite the fact the wind was howling.
So reluctantly he got dressed and bundled up and they started out but when they got to the foot of the stairwell, Kelvin started to bark.
“Quiet you stupid creature” David said but Kelvin persisted his outburst until David opened the door and then he just became agitated and started pulling on the lead, but not along the path like he normally did, this time he turned immediately left to a slumped figure huddled in the corner of the porch, on closer examination Dave saw that it was a woman.
He tutted because his first reaction was that she was drunk, not something he had much tolerance with.
He took a penlight torch from his pocket and shone it in the woman’s face which was when he saw who it was, she was a woman from that building, Selina Tilley.
It was at that moment when he became more concerned because all though he didn’t know her well he did know one thing about her and that was that she was a Methodist and she didn’t drink, so he thought it was more likely to be hypothermia.
It looked like her lips were blue and when he touched her cheek it felt icy cold, then he checked her pulse which was weak, but it was present.
He let Kelvin off his lead while he got Selina to her feet and manhandled her inside the foyer to get her out of the bitter wind.
He lay her on the carpeted floor and draped his coat over her and then used his mobile phone to call for an ambulance.
Kelvin had done his business so David let him and he sat and held Selina’s hand while he waited for the ambulance and Kelvin cuddled up to the other side of Selina.
The ambulance was mercifully quick and came roaring up to Lancaster House with flashing lights and David told them what he knew, which was hardly enough, in fact it was very little, but the paramedics went quickly about their work.
They laid her on the trolley and started to check vital signs and then off they went to the hospital, with his name and number.
He called the Winston Churchill Hospital several times but he was told “Family only” every time he called.
So he tried a different tack. There were several nurses in the village, Rosie Parsons, Lorraine Chapman and Jane Hall to name but three and Jane was not only a friend his but was also a Staff Nurse at the Winston Churchill so he asked her if she could find out how the patient was and she agreed.
He was right about it not being alcohol related and he was also correct about her having hypothermia but it turned out that her underlying condition was diabetes which on that night had led to Hypoglycaemia.
Thankfully there would be no lasting effects but they were going to keep her in for a couple of days.
News of the events of that night quickly went around the village and David’s street cred went through the roof and he and Kelvin gained celebrity status.
Kelvin loved all the extra attention but David was less comfortable with it, and his thoughts kept straying to his stricken damsel in distress.
Selina Tilley was 27 years old and had worked for Crazy Chocolatiers since she left school, in fact she was the very first employee.
She also lived in the old Officers Mess, Lancaster House, in apartment 11 where she lived alone.
Selina hadn’t always done so, but she had been for a number of years and had become accustomed to it, but Christmas was fast approaching which was one of those times that she felt her solitude most keenly.
But as she lay in her hospital bed at the Royal Downshire it wasn’t Christmas that was occupying her mind.
She was patently aware that had it not been for David Ball and his little dog that she would have died and she really needed to do something to say thank you in some way but wasn’t sure what or how, she would of course say thank you, but it didn’t solve the essential problem of how to show her gratitude.
(Part 02)
Alexandra Quarit was the founder and owner of Crazy Chocolatier’s who were the makers and purveyors of handmade chocolates and to many they made the best handmade chocolates in Downshire.
She began with a shop in the Abbottsford’s Phoenix Centre but she now had shops all over Downshire as well as several factory’s including the one at Mornington Field where Selina worked.
Alexandra was a good boss and everyone that worked for her, liked her, because she cared about the people she employed which was why she insisted on picking Selina up from the hospital two days before Christmas Eve.
As they drove towards Mornington Alexandra said
“I don’t want you back to work until the New Year”
“But I’m fully recovered” Selina said “thanks to David Ball, he saved my life”
“Which is why I don’t want you to come back to work too soon”
Alex said
“You had a lucky escape”
“Yes I did” she agreed “And I am very grateful for everything David did, and I want to get him a thank you gift”
“I’m sure he would appreciate that” Alex concurred
“But what?” Selina asked “What do you get for someone who saves your life?”
“I think Chocolates make a nice gift” Alex said and smiled
“You would say that” Selina retorted with a smile, “But it’s a bit of a cop out”
“Not if you make them yourself” Alex said and after a moment added “Hand made by you”
“I thought I was on enforced leave” Selina pointed out
“You can do it at home, think of it as occupational therapy”
Alex said
“I don’t have enough stuff” she replied
“It’s just as well I had Andrea stock you up then” Alexandra said cockily
“What are you up to?” Selina asked suspiciously
“I don’t know what you mean” she said innocently although she knew very well.
Alex had been encouraged by the fact that Selina spoke a lot about David Hall, not entirely unsurprising given that he had saved her life, but more noteworthy bearing in mind that she had been unconscious throughout the incident.
So she clearly had an interest in him prior to his intervention and because of that Alex was going to fan the flames, because her friend deserved someone in her life.
Selina made a selection of her finest handmade creations and made up a beautiful gift box, she also ordered a small pet hamper from Hanratty’s Department Store in Abbottsford’s Phoenix Centre for Kelvin and then on Christmas Eve she went downstairs and knocked on David Hall’s door.
He was sitting watching Alastair Sim in “Scrooge” when Kelvin heard Selina approach and he was on his feet, ears pricked, tail wagging long before David heard the knock on the door.
He tutted because “Scrooge” was one of his favourite Christmas movies but he got up and walked to the door and looked through the peephole and saw it was Selina and his heart rate quickened, he had heard she was home and he had thought about going to see if she was ok, he had even bought her a Christmas present, but he lost his nerve because he didn’t know what to say to her.
But now she was knocking on his door and there was no escape, unless of course he pretended not to be in, but he would have regretted that because he wanted to see her, but he still didn’t know what to say.
So he took a deep breath and opened the door.
“Hello” he said “it’s nice to see you fully recovered”
“Hello David and hello Kelvin” she said “I am much better thanks to you two”
“Come in” he said side stepping her comment
“Oh ok”
Once inside she sat on the sofa and made a fuss of Kelvin and when David had taken his seat
“I cannot express how grateful I am” she began
“Nonsense” he retorted “it was Kelvin who found you”
“Well I am very grateful to both of you” she said and rummaged in her bag “so I have these gifts as a token of my gratitude”
“Oh” he said “you didn’t have to do that”
“It was the least I could do” she said
“It really wasn’t necessary” he insisted
“If you prefer you can consider them Christmas presents” Salina said and put them under the tree
“That’s very kind, thank you” David said
“We have a present under the tree for you too, don’t we Kelvin” he said
“Really? How nice” Selina said taken aback and that was when David gathered up all his courage and said
“Come for lunch tomorrow and we can open them together”
“Oh yes what a lovely idea, thank you” Selina said happily
So they spent Christmas Day together, which was to be the first of many.
It turned out that when David and Kelvin saved Selina’s life that dark December morning he saved her life in more ways than one and saved his own in the process.
Those Memories Made on Teardrop Lake – (91) Yuletide at the Claremont Hotel
(Part 01)
Shallowfield sat on the southern edge of the Finchbottom Vale and was bordered on the other side by the Dancingdean forest and the town’s fortunes had always relied largely upon forestry and agriculture for its survival.
In the post war years with rationing and a shortage of work a lot of people moved away from the area and it only just survived and the community around Teardrop Lake fared even worse.
Only a few of the houses around the Lake were thriving, a lot of the houses had been rented out and those that hadn’t were in a poor state of repair, some too such an extent they were little more than ruins.
But by the 70s however things were beginning to change, thanks mainly to tourism as a result of an increase in leisure time.
This trend was reflected by the fact that the previously derelict Shallowfield Lodge, which had been inherited by a young couple from Lincolnshire, Rob and Sheryl Brown, was being turned into a Hotel.
From then on Shallowfield went from strength to strength which was echoed by the fortunes of the Claremont Hotel.
It was once the home of a wealthy Downshire family but like so many similar great houses in the county it fell into disuse as the fortunes of the owners suffered after the Great War.
It had had many reincarnations since then, particularly in the years between the wars and had been used for many things over the post war years but it wasn’t until the 60s that it became The Claremont Hotel.
However things had got tough in the Hotel trade with the success of Travelodge, Premier Inn and Holiday Inn Express and so places like the Claremont needed to offer something extra to attract the guests.
In the early summer a new manager was appointed, Matthew Millward, and he was an instant hit with the locals because he was young, tall, dark and handsome, physically fit, well-toned and had a reputation as a fair minded guy, which had very much preceded him.
He was 28 years old and his father owned the Millward Manor chain of hotels and he was grooming him to one day take over the reins of his worldwide hotel empire, the problem was that Matt had no head for business and he felt that he was more of an artistic soul.
Which could possibly have been ignored but for the fact that he had broken off his engagement with the granddaughter of his father’s oldest friend.
However that in itself wasn’t what had him exiled, it was Elaine’s attempted suicide, not that his action had caused her mental meltdown, it was rather more her mental instability being the deciding factor that forced him to end the engagement.
So it was decided to send Matt to the Claremont Hotel where he could do no real harm until the dust settled.
When he first found out he was being sent to Shallowfield, Matt was very unhappy, he was a city boy, born and bred, and he viewed being sent to the country as purgatory, but no one was more surprised than he was when he found that he actually loved it, it was a beautiful place, it was quiet and the air was clean and he felt immediately at home.
(Part 02)
When he first found out he was being sent to Shallowfield Matt was very unhappy, he was a city boy, born and bred, and he viewed being sent to the country as purgatory, but no one was more surprised than he was when he found that he actually loved it, it was a beautiful place, it was quiet and the air was clean and he felt immediately at home.
After the broken engagement and the resulting fall out Matthew Millward decided that he would not under any circumstances get himself romantically entangled while he was on punishment duty.
But there is a very apt saying which goes “never on your own doorstep” which he had clearly never heard because on his first day he fell head over heels for the Hospitality Manager, Sarah Poole, although in his defence the feeling was mutual.
Although apart from two very passionate kisses, the first initiated by her and the second by him, and the fact they were hopelessly in love with each other nothing else happened.
She was five foot eight with short red hair, in a pixie cut, mesmerizing green eyes and a cute figure with curves in all the right places and long slender legs.
Sarah was 26 years old and wasn’t looking for a relationship either because she was married, albeit to an alcoholic who hadn’t had shown her any marital attention for two years but she was still married to him nonetheless.
Sarah had worked at the hotel for since she left school, five years in housekeeping, five more in hospitality, and for two of those as Manager and she loved her job.
Despite the fact that Matthew was sent to the Claremont as a punishment and possessed no head for business he surprised his father as well as himself by doing a very acceptable job of managing the hotel and had grown the corporate side of the business and it was becoming a very popular venue for functions.
This was as a result in no small measure to his decision to promote the former Hospitality Manager Sarah Poole.
This was after Martin Tyrer tendered his resignation, he had been a loyal employee of the Millward Manor group for ten years and had been the Assistant Manager at the Claremont for 5 of those and when the Manager’s vacancy came up he believed he was a shoe in for the job.
So when Matthew Millward was parachuted in over his head it was just too much for him to take.
It left Matthew in a very difficult position as he needed someone who knew the place inside out and Sarah Poole was the only person that really fitted the bill so he offered her the job.
Matthews father was particularly pleased with him, there had been no reported mishaps and he had turned around the fortunes of the hotel, and so he invited him up to Abbottsford for the weekend for a celebratory meal but as he was conscious that his success was due more to Sarah Poole’s efforts than his own he dragged her along as well.
The following weekend he went on his own, the meal was very good and it was nice to see his parents but he didn’t stay the whole weekend as he was missing the quiet of Claremont.
And in truth he was a little embarrassed taking all the credit for the success at the Claremont plus he rather missed Sarah.
Matthew felt very pleased with himself for persuading Sarah to take the assistant Managers job although it was for purely selfish reasons.
Having Sarah as assistant manager, who was not only hard working and diligent but could also handle the guests very well, meant he could comfortably leave her in charge while he was doing what he did best, letting other people get on with it.
(Part 03)
Sarah Poole was five foot eight with long shapely legs, but in his leather chair she looked quite small, almost childlike, her head, with her pixie cut red hair was turned to the side and she had an angelic look on her face.
It was a pretty face that he was very familiar with, he saw it every day at work and every night in his dreams.
Matthew Millward’s arrival at the hotel had a massive impact on Sarah Poole, and not just the fact that she fell in love with him at first sight and the relationship that had developed between them after she had stolen a kiss on his first day.
She had been promoted from Hospitality Manager into the assistant manager’s position and she had been able to leave her alcoholic husband because she was living in the Gate Lodge.
And Matthew had decided that because she had done such a wonderful job, to such an extent that she was making him look good, coupled with the fact that he was in love with her, he decided she deserved a reward, and he knew just the thing, her own office.
Which he surprised her with in November after Sarah had a week off to move the remainder of her possessions from her former marital home in the village to her new home at the Gate Lodge and she was thrilled with it.
Although Sarah was living in the gate lodge and had started the process of divorcing her alcoholic husband, and had completely lost her heart to her boss, they had not progressed from sharing the occasional spine-tingling kiss.
She knew though that he was just being the gentleman and was waiting until she was ready, well by December she was.
It was on Christmas Eve when Sarah was sitting in her office opening the mail and she had a rather large parcel addressed to her personally, she opened it and found a gift wrapped present inside but she didn’t open it, she just read the card instead
“Have a very Merry Christmas Sarah, with love from a very grateful Guest”
“Well that’s lovely” she said to herself and then she remembered that she had a present to deliver as well.
After she had finished opening the mail she ordered what sounded like a very interesting sandwich from the kitchen which turned out to be rather boring so she drank the cup of tea that came with it and decided to go and deliver a present of her own.
Sarah stood in the hall holding a Christmas package when she knocked on the door of his suite.
When the door opened she found Matthew Millward standing there wearing a dressing gown.
“Happy Christmas Matthew” she said beaming a big smile and holding out the package.
“Wow Happy Christmas Sarah” he responded, “come in”
“Ok” she said still smiling broadly “but no impropriety”
“No impropriety” he agreed and Sarah stepped inside
“You didn’t have to get me a gift,” he said to her as she sat down on the sofa.
“I think I did though because last Christmas Ken was drunk for ten days in a row, we had no decorations, because he ripped them all down in a drunken rage, no tree for the same reason, no Christmas dinner because he spent all the housekeeping money on booze and there were no presents” she said and tears were beginning to form in her eyes
“This year, I have a new job, which I love, I have somewhere I can call home, which I love, I have my own office, which I also love, I have money in the bank and a bright future ahead and it’s all thanks to you”
He tried to interrupt but Sarah continued
“If you hadn’t helped me, believed in me, I wouldn’t be here now having the best Christmas I’ve ever had since I was child, and I will always be grateful for that, and the other things of course” she added and blushed as she stood up and produced a sprig of mistletoe.
“Doesn’t that constitute “impropriety”?” he asked
“No this doesn’t count” she explained
“We have to kiss, it’s the law”
“What law?” he asked
“Christmas law” Sarah replied
“Oh ok then” he conceded and they kissed and afterwards she said
“I don’t want to have to use mistletoe like this again”
“Ok I’ll try and remember for next year”
“No that’s not what I mean” She said and smiled “I want to be able to kiss you at any time I want, wherever I want, no matter who might be looking”
“Are you sure?” he asked
“Absolutely, it’s time for me to be happy” she replied and kissed him again.
After satisfying the Christmas ritual and establishing the new status of their relationship, she left his suite.
Matthew was leaving to spend Christmas in Abbottsford with his parents while she was on duty.
She had volunteered to give people with family the time off, but they would be spending New Year’s Eve together and the New Year would be their new beginning.
“Happy Christmas to me, I’ve got a boyfriend” she said as she walked down the hall smiling broadly.
Shallowfield sat on the southern edge of the Finchbottom Vale and was bordered on the other side by the Dancingdean forest and the town’s fortunes had always relied largely upon forestry and agriculture for its survival.
In the post war years with rationing and a shortage of work a lot of people moved away from the area and it only just survived and the community around Teardrop Lake fared even worse.
Only a few of the houses around the Lake were thriving, a lot of the houses had been rented out and those that hadn’t were in a poor state of repair, some too such an extent they were little more than ruins.
But by the 70s however things were beginning to change, thanks mainly to tourism as a result of an increase in leisure time.
This trend was reflected by the fact that the previously derelict Shallowfield Lodge, which had been inherited by a young couple from Lincolnshire, Rob and Sheryl Brown, was being turned into a Hotel.
From then on Shallowfield went from strength to strength which was echoed by the fortunes of the Claremont Hotel.
It was once the home of a wealthy Downshire family but like so many similar great houses in the county it fell into disuse as the fortunes of the owners suffered after the Great War.
It had had many reincarnations since then, particularly in the years between the wars and had been used for many things over the post war years but it wasn’t until the 60s that it became The Claremont Hotel.
However things had got tough in the Hotel trade with the success of Travelodge, Premier Inn and Holiday Inn Express and so places like the Claremont needed to offer something extra to attract the guests.
In the early summer a new manager was appointed, Matthew Millward, and he was an instant hit with the locals because he was young, tall, dark and handsome, physically fit, well-toned and had a reputation as a fair minded guy, which had very much preceded him.
He was 28 years old and his father owned the Millward Manor chain of hotels and he was grooming him to one day take over the reins of his worldwide hotel empire, the problem was that Matt had no head for business and he felt that he was more of an artistic soul.
Which could possibly have been ignored but for the fact that he had broken off his engagement with the granddaughter of his father’s oldest friend.
However that in itself wasn’t what had him exiled, it was Elaine’s attempted suicide, not that his action had caused her mental meltdown, it was rather more her mental instability being the deciding factor that forced him to end the engagement.
So it was decided to send Matt to the Claremont Hotel where he could do no real harm until the dust settled.
When he first found out he was being sent to Shallowfield, Matt was very unhappy, he was a city boy, born and bred, and he viewed being sent to the country as purgatory, but no one was more surprised than he was when he found that he actually loved it, it was a beautiful place, it was quiet and the air was clean and he felt immediately at home.
(Part 02)
When he first found out he was being sent to Shallowfield Matt was very unhappy, he was a city boy, born and bred, and he viewed being sent to the country as purgatory, but no one was more surprised than he was when he found that he actually loved it, it was a beautiful place, it was quiet and the air was clean and he felt immediately at home.
After the broken engagement and the resulting fall out Matthew Millward decided that he would not under any circumstances get himself romantically entangled while he was on punishment duty.
But there is a very apt saying which goes “never on your own doorstep” which he had clearly never heard because on his first day he fell head over heels for the Hospitality Manager, Sarah Poole, although in his defence the feeling was mutual.
Although apart from two very passionate kisses, the first initiated by her and the second by him, and the fact they were hopelessly in love with each other nothing else happened.
She was five foot eight with short red hair, in a pixie cut, mesmerizing green eyes and a cute figure with curves in all the right places and long slender legs.
Sarah was 26 years old and wasn’t looking for a relationship either because she was married, albeit to an alcoholic who hadn’t had shown her any marital attention for two years but she was still married to him nonetheless.
Sarah had worked at the hotel for since she left school, five years in housekeeping, five more in hospitality, and for two of those as Manager and she loved her job.
Despite the fact that Matthew was sent to the Claremont as a punishment and possessed no head for business he surprised his father as well as himself by doing a very acceptable job of managing the hotel and had grown the corporate side of the business and it was becoming a very popular venue for functions.
This was as a result in no small measure to his decision to promote the former Hospitality Manager Sarah Poole.
This was after Martin Tyrer tendered his resignation, he had been a loyal employee of the Millward Manor group for ten years and had been the Assistant Manager at the Claremont for 5 of those and when the Manager’s vacancy came up he believed he was a shoe in for the job.
So when Matthew Millward was parachuted in over his head it was just too much for him to take.
It left Matthew in a very difficult position as he needed someone who knew the place inside out and Sarah Poole was the only person that really fitted the bill so he offered her the job.
Matthews father was particularly pleased with him, there had been no reported mishaps and he had turned around the fortunes of the hotel, and so he invited him up to Abbottsford for the weekend for a celebratory meal but as he was conscious that his success was due more to Sarah Poole’s efforts than his own he dragged her along as well.
The following weekend he went on his own, the meal was very good and it was nice to see his parents but he didn’t stay the whole weekend as he was missing the quiet of Claremont.
And in truth he was a little embarrassed taking all the credit for the success at the Claremont plus he rather missed Sarah.
Matthew felt very pleased with himself for persuading Sarah to take the assistant Managers job although it was for purely selfish reasons.
Having Sarah as assistant manager, who was not only hard working and diligent but could also handle the guests very well, meant he could comfortably leave her in charge while he was doing what he did best, letting other people get on with it.
(Part 03)
Sarah Poole was five foot eight with long shapely legs, but in his leather chair she looked quite small, almost childlike, her head, with her pixie cut red hair was turned to the side and she had an angelic look on her face.
It was a pretty face that he was very familiar with, he saw it every day at work and every night in his dreams.
Matthew Millward’s arrival at the hotel had a massive impact on Sarah Poole, and not just the fact that she fell in love with him at first sight and the relationship that had developed between them after she had stolen a kiss on his first day.
She had been promoted from Hospitality Manager into the assistant manager’s position and she had been able to leave her alcoholic husband because she was living in the Gate Lodge.
And Matthew had decided that because she had done such a wonderful job, to such an extent that she was making him look good, coupled with the fact that he was in love with her, he decided she deserved a reward, and he knew just the thing, her own office.
Which he surprised her with in November after Sarah had a week off to move the remainder of her possessions from her former marital home in the village to her new home at the Gate Lodge and she was thrilled with it.
Although Sarah was living in the gate lodge and had started the process of divorcing her alcoholic husband, and had completely lost her heart to her boss, they had not progressed from sharing the occasional spine-tingling kiss.
She knew though that he was just being the gentleman and was waiting until she was ready, well by December she was.
It was on Christmas Eve when Sarah was sitting in her office opening the mail and she had a rather large parcel addressed to her personally, she opened it and found a gift wrapped present inside but she didn’t open it, she just read the card instead
“Have a very Merry Christmas Sarah, with love from a very grateful Guest”
“Well that’s lovely” she said to herself and then she remembered that she had a present to deliver as well.
After she had finished opening the mail she ordered what sounded like a very interesting sandwich from the kitchen which turned out to be rather boring so she drank the cup of tea that came with it and decided to go and deliver a present of her own.
Sarah stood in the hall holding a Christmas package when she knocked on the door of his suite.
When the door opened she found Matthew Millward standing there wearing a dressing gown.
“Happy Christmas Matthew” she said beaming a big smile and holding out the package.
“Wow Happy Christmas Sarah” he responded, “come in”
“Ok” she said still smiling broadly “but no impropriety”
“No impropriety” he agreed and Sarah stepped inside
“You didn’t have to get me a gift,” he said to her as she sat down on the sofa.
“I think I did though because last Christmas Ken was drunk for ten days in a row, we had no decorations, because he ripped them all down in a drunken rage, no tree for the same reason, no Christmas dinner because he spent all the housekeeping money on booze and there were no presents” she said and tears were beginning to form in her eyes
“This year, I have a new job, which I love, I have somewhere I can call home, which I love, I have my own office, which I also love, I have money in the bank and a bright future ahead and it’s all thanks to you”
He tried to interrupt but Sarah continued
“If you hadn’t helped me, believed in me, I wouldn’t be here now having the best Christmas I’ve ever had since I was child, and I will always be grateful for that, and the other things of course” she added and blushed as she stood up and produced a sprig of mistletoe.
“Doesn’t that constitute “impropriety”?” he asked
“No this doesn’t count” she explained
“We have to kiss, it’s the law”
“What law?” he asked
“Christmas law” Sarah replied
“Oh ok then” he conceded and they kissed and afterwards she said
“I don’t want to have to use mistletoe like this again”
“Ok I’ll try and remember for next year”
“No that’s not what I mean” She said and smiled “I want to be able to kiss you at any time I want, wherever I want, no matter who might be looking”
“Are you sure?” he asked
“Absolutely, it’s time for me to be happy” she replied and kissed him again.
After satisfying the Christmas ritual and establishing the new status of their relationship, she left his suite.
Matthew was leaving to spend Christmas in Abbottsford with his parents while she was on duty.
She had volunteered to give people with family the time off, but they would be spending New Year’s Eve together and the New Year would be their new beginning.
“Happy Christmas to me, I’ve got a boyfriend” she said as she walked down the hall smiling broadly.
Thursday 1 June 2017
Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (91) Christmas Plans
“I fancy something to eat” she said and the movement of her head caused the golden earrings to glint in the Christmas candlelight.
“Me too” he said
As they left their pews he glance up at the memorial plaques on the wall and one of them in particular
“Lt William Beaumont Killed in Action, Died February 1941 aged 19”
It struck a chord for two reason firstly because his brother was 19 when he lost him, though not in a war, his demise was due to drink driving, his own.
The other thing was that he felt a connection to William Beaumont because his grandfather knew him, in fact they served together in the Downshire’s and was actually present when he was killed and he always spoke well of him.
The reason it struck a chord on that day was that he had been taking stock of his life and had come to the conclusion that life was a participation kind of thing and he hadn’t participated fully and he had lived twice as long as William.
And that was why he had gone to church that day for guidance from on high while enjoying the peace and tranquility and he got an answer of sorts
“You know what to do”
And then by divine providence she was there in the church, Caroline Kimber.
“Now it’s up to you” he said to himself
She smiled when she saw him and sat beside him and they chatted as they had many times before, but on this occasion he was more overt in his converse which gave Caroline hope which was why she said
“I fancy something to eat”
They left the church and crossed the street to the corner café where they had often had lunch together.
They used to sit right in the window, never saying much, they just sat there in a comfortable silence, drinking tea and watching the world go by.
But he had decided that other people sitting in café’s should be watching him and Caroline go by.
So on that day as the Christmas shoppers bustled by George was oblivious to them because he had eyes only for Caroline and nor was he silent and as a result she was expectant and then he said
“I was wondering what you were doing for Christmas”
“Nothing, I have no plans” Caroline replied
“Nor do I” George said “so why don’t we plan to do nothing together”
“You mean spend Christmas…. Together”
“Yes”
“I would like that very much” she said
“Merry Christmas” he said and saluted her with his mug and she reciprocated.
“Me too” he said
As they left their pews he glance up at the memorial plaques on the wall and one of them in particular
“Lt William Beaumont Killed in Action, Died February 1941 aged 19”
It struck a chord for two reason firstly because his brother was 19 when he lost him, though not in a war, his demise was due to drink driving, his own.
The other thing was that he felt a connection to William Beaumont because his grandfather knew him, in fact they served together in the Downshire’s and was actually present when he was killed and he always spoke well of him.
The reason it struck a chord on that day was that he had been taking stock of his life and had come to the conclusion that life was a participation kind of thing and he hadn’t participated fully and he had lived twice as long as William.
And that was why he had gone to church that day for guidance from on high while enjoying the peace and tranquility and he got an answer of sorts
“You know what to do”
And then by divine providence she was there in the church, Caroline Kimber.
“Now it’s up to you” he said to himself
She smiled when she saw him and sat beside him and they chatted as they had many times before, but on this occasion he was more overt in his converse which gave Caroline hope which was why she said
“I fancy something to eat”
They left the church and crossed the street to the corner café where they had often had lunch together.
They used to sit right in the window, never saying much, they just sat there in a comfortable silence, drinking tea and watching the world go by.
But he had decided that other people sitting in café’s should be watching him and Caroline go by.
So on that day as the Christmas shoppers bustled by George was oblivious to them because he had eyes only for Caroline and nor was he silent and as a result she was expectant and then he said
“I was wondering what you were doing for Christmas”
“Nothing, I have no plans” Caroline replied
“Nor do I” George said “so why don’t we plan to do nothing together”
“You mean spend Christmas…. Together”
“Yes”
“I would like that very much” she said
“Merry Christmas” he said and saluted her with his mug and she reciprocated.
Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (79) The Christmas Gift
Claire Jarvis went to the University of Downshire where she studied English at Abbottsford and it was for her, like many girls of her age, a life defining time.
She was the only child of well to do parents, who divorced when she was seven and as a result she had been thoroughly spoilt and was given everything her heart desired, except the one thing she craved most in all the world, their love and as a result she withdrew into her own world.
Although Claire was the oldest of the four girls in her dorm she actually looked the youngest by some distance.
Despite the fact that she had the body of a mature woman she had a baby face but she was destined to bloom into a very beautiful woman.
She was in halls for the first year and she shared with three other girls Amy Coates, a tall big busted redhead, Alison Holmes, a skinny girl with a bad case of OCD and Carole Bean a tall, beautiful and kindly girl who like herself was a brunette.
All four of the girls were studying English in one form or another and apart from their studies they also had in common the fact they were all natives of the Finchbottom Vale.
Claire was from Purplemere, Carole from Childean, Alison from Finchbottom and Amy from Shallowfield.
But being in the close company of the three girls brought her out of herself and the friendship that resulted from, on the face of it, 4 very different characters coming together, lasted for their lifetimes.
And as they got on so well the four of them decided very early on to rent a house between them for the second and third years.
However of all the girls Claire found herself drawn most to Carole Bean.
The fact that the two of them had more lectures and seminars together than the other two partly aided their closeness but it was mainly because they got each other, they shared a sense of humour as well as having similar tastes in music, a love of pizza and old romantic comedies and when it came time to go home to the Vale they normally travelled together, but what really drew them together in her first year was something that would define her world and shake her to the core.
It happened during the Easter Holiday of their first year when Carole returned to the flat to discover Claire laying naked on the sofa and Carole couldn’t take her eyes off of her and when Claire discovered that she had an audience Carole couldn’t keep her hands off her either and they made love for the first time.
Allthough neither of them could fully come to terms with the fact that they might be gay it didn’t prevent them from adding to their lesbian experiences throughout their University years and the fact that they were in love and because of that love they had some very exciting experiences together one of which was particularly memorable and occurred at the house they shared.
At the end of the year they found themselves alone in the rented house on Christmas Eve, they wanted to spend a whole day of their first Christmas together on their own, and they would travel back to the Vale early on Christmas Morning to spend Christmas with their families.
They were all packed for the next day apart from the presents which were still sitting underneath the tree, just to make the place more Christmassy.
And all that afternoon and most of the evening Claire was like a child.
“Can I open a present?” she asked Carole every ten minutes.
“Just one, please, please, please” she begged and after several hours of it, she was getting right on Carole’s tits to tell the truth.
She kept picking up the presents, shaking them, squeezing them, and even listening to them until finally Carole relented and as she headed upstairs to the loo she said.
“We can open one present each before we leave for midnight mass”
“Oh Goody” Claire squealed
When she came back down stairs she was expecting to find Claire waiting impatiently by the tree to open a present.
But instead she found her lying beneath the tree with wrapping paper loosely draped about her body and she wasn’t wearing any clothes.
“You go first” she said
Once Carole had un-wrapped her present and thoroughly enjoyed the contents they were very nearly late for midnight mass.
She was the only child of well to do parents, who divorced when she was seven and as a result she had been thoroughly spoilt and was given everything her heart desired, except the one thing she craved most in all the world, their love and as a result she withdrew into her own world.
Although Claire was the oldest of the four girls in her dorm she actually looked the youngest by some distance.
Despite the fact that she had the body of a mature woman she had a baby face but she was destined to bloom into a very beautiful woman.
She was in halls for the first year and she shared with three other girls Amy Coates, a tall big busted redhead, Alison Holmes, a skinny girl with a bad case of OCD and Carole Bean a tall, beautiful and kindly girl who like herself was a brunette.
All four of the girls were studying English in one form or another and apart from their studies they also had in common the fact they were all natives of the Finchbottom Vale.
Claire was from Purplemere, Carole from Childean, Alison from Finchbottom and Amy from Shallowfield.
But being in the close company of the three girls brought her out of herself and the friendship that resulted from, on the face of it, 4 very different characters coming together, lasted for their lifetimes.
And as they got on so well the four of them decided very early on to rent a house between them for the second and third years.
However of all the girls Claire found herself drawn most to Carole Bean.
The fact that the two of them had more lectures and seminars together than the other two partly aided their closeness but it was mainly because they got each other, they shared a sense of humour as well as having similar tastes in music, a love of pizza and old romantic comedies and when it came time to go home to the Vale they normally travelled together, but what really drew them together in her first year was something that would define her world and shake her to the core.
It happened during the Easter Holiday of their first year when Carole returned to the flat to discover Claire laying naked on the sofa and Carole couldn’t take her eyes off of her and when Claire discovered that she had an audience Carole couldn’t keep her hands off her either and they made love for the first time.
Allthough neither of them could fully come to terms with the fact that they might be gay it didn’t prevent them from adding to their lesbian experiences throughout their University years and the fact that they were in love and because of that love they had some very exciting experiences together one of which was particularly memorable and occurred at the house they shared.
At the end of the year they found themselves alone in the rented house on Christmas Eve, they wanted to spend a whole day of their first Christmas together on their own, and they would travel back to the Vale early on Christmas Morning to spend Christmas with their families.
They were all packed for the next day apart from the presents which were still sitting underneath the tree, just to make the place more Christmassy.
And all that afternoon and most of the evening Claire was like a child.
“Can I open a present?” she asked Carole every ten minutes.
“Just one, please, please, please” she begged and after several hours of it, she was getting right on Carole’s tits to tell the truth.
She kept picking up the presents, shaking them, squeezing them, and even listening to them until finally Carole relented and as she headed upstairs to the loo she said.
“We can open one present each before we leave for midnight mass”
“Oh Goody” Claire squealed
When she came back down stairs she was expecting to find Claire waiting impatiently by the tree to open a present.
But instead she found her lying beneath the tree with wrapping paper loosely draped about her body and she wasn’t wearing any clothes.
“You go first” she said
Once Carole had un-wrapped her present and thoroughly enjoyed the contents they were very nearly late for midnight mass.
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