(Part 01)
It was flaming June and Claire Andrews was in love and she was very happy about it, she never imagined she would fall in love again especially with someone who loved her too, and the love making wasn’t at all bad either.
The practice was going from strength to strength and everything in the garden was lovely.
But when Olivia knocked on her front door before work on the morning of the last day of the month she feared the worst.
She took a breath and then opened it.
“Hi Liv” she said
“Hey Claire can I come in a minute, I have something to tell you” she said
“Sure” Claire replied definitely fearing the worst
“The thing is” she began
“What?” Claire said with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach
“I’m dating the vicar” she blurted
“Thank God” Claire said and laughed “I thought you were going to leave”
“What do you think?” she asked ignoring Claire’s comment
“I think I couldn’t be happier” Claire said and kissed her
Then as Olivia was going out the door she stopped and asked
“Why would I be leaving?”
“It was just the way you said it” Claire said and laughed
Flaming June turned into a humid and oppressive July but still everything in Claire’s garden was lovely.
Even her stubborn broken soldier Paul Spreadborough was making good progress under the diligent supervision of India Harris.
One night at the end of July there was a knock on the cottage door and when she opened it Olivia was standing there
“Hey Claire I have something else to tell you” she said
“Sure” Claire replied definitely really fearing the worst this time “are you sure you’re not leaving?”
“No I’m definitely not leaving” Olivia said with a smile “What is your obsession with me leaving?”
“Nothing Hun” Claire said “Carry on”
“I’m engaged”
“You’re what?” Claire said unsure of what she had heard
“I’m engaged to the Vicar” she blurted
“Good God woman you work fast” Claire said and laughed before the two friends hugged
“I’m so pleased” Claire said and then they both cried
Two days later Claire and Olivia went on an all-day shopping trip to Abbottsford including a long leisurely lunch in the Phoenix Centre.
The lunch was to celebrate Liv’s engagement and the shopping trip was for them both to buy wedding outfits.
Not for Olivia’s nuptials but for the wedding of a mutual friend that they were attending a couple of weeks later.
They had a wonderful girlie day out, something they hadn’t done for an age and both of them found perfect outfits complete with hats and Olivia saw something that would serve for another occasion.
A week later Paul Spreadborough, the wounded soldier, had a bit of a setback.
It was the day after he had completed his first complete circuit of the perimeter road around Teardrop Lake with his minder, India Harris.
He had a slight muscle strain in his repaired hip and Claire had no choice but to ban him from any high impact exercise for a while, he wasn’t happy about it to say the least, he was getting so close to turning the corner and then wham a major setback.
But India Harris came up with the solution and got him swimming in the lake.
And Paul and India swam in the lake every day for the next week until Claire passed him fit to resume heavy exercise.
Claire spotted India when she called into the surgery one day to pick up a repeat prescription of her mums migraine tablets.
She approached her from behind and then tapped her on the shoulder and made India jump.
“Hello Indie” she said
“Hi doc” India replied
“Well done for what you’re doing with Paul” she said “He’s coming on in leaps and bounds”
“That’s ok” India replied a little embarrassed
“And getting him to swim was pure genius” she continued
“I wish I’d thought of that”
Then she went back into her room.
Three weeks into August bright and early on Saturday morning Claire and Olivia set off when Evangeline left a warm bed and a hot girlfriend to drive them to the station.
They were travelling back to Bushy Down for the wedding at St Lucy’s Church of their friends Harry Beaumont and Pandora Parkinson-Brown.
Pandy was only able to marry in church by virtue of the fact her husband died of a heart attack before she could divorce him.
(Part 02)
Claire was disappointed that Peter couldn’t make it as it was the first social event she had been invited to since they got together and it would have been nice to have her boyfriend at her side.
She liked the way that sounded “her boyfriend” so she repeated it her head several times.
Unfortunately Peter was going to be working in Abbottsford overseeing production on a location shoot.
Ben couldn’t accompany Olivia either as he was already attending three weddings that day in Shallowfield.
It was not a direct journey but they thought the train would be more relaxing than driving.
They got the slow train from Shallowfield to Abbottsford then a fast train to Kiddingstone and then another slow one to Bushy Down.
When they arrived in the village they paused as they left the station and took in the view that was so familiar view to them.
Claire liked Bushy Down, she always had, and she had some very happy memories there and some sad ones too and quite a considerable amount of dirty ones too thanks to the local lothario, Simon Fisher.
They looked across the car park to the general store, once called Mahajak’s after the widow’s old husband Omid, now named Zunguzah’s after her new one, Alois.
Olivia looked at Claire and smiled and then they both walked to the Cross Keys where they were going to get changed and spend the night after the reception.
Eric Wilson was still the Landlord and his wife Carol still ran the B&B.
The moment they walked through the door they were warmly welcomed and it was like they had never been away.
After a typical Cross Keys lunch and some congenial conversation Carol settled them into their rooms so they could get changed for the wedding.
The Church was more than half full by the time Claire and Olivia arrived in their brand new outfits and they sat down in the first vacant seats they came to and found themselves sitting next to the vicar Robert Hunter and his wife Tilly.
Tilly had married her vicar, Robert, and the beneficial side effect of that marriage, was that it finally rid of her birth name Ophelia Bushe which was a source of great embarrassment to her especially in her youth.
They exchanged greetings, hugs, kisses and polite small talk before Olivia asked
“Are you not performing today Robert?”
“No” he said “it’s my day off”
“You get a day off?” Olivia asked
“Yes I have a curate” said Robert “so we divide the workload which is great and he’s very keen so it allows me to spend more time with my lovely wife”
“Oh how sweet” Tilly said
And Olivia said something to herself that Claire didn’t quite catch.
Looking around the pews there were a sea of familiar faces, many of them old friends and acquaintances plus there was an odd adversary.
The Bridegrooms brother Mortimer and soon to be wife Judith Hunt were the first two who caught their eye.
Then Geoffrey and Laura Gregory, Victoria Braithwaite, India Carrington and her girlfriend Maisie Stewart and India’s parent’s Cecil and Clemence.
The Zunguzah’s, from the shop, who had already started on the next generation of little shopkeepers with two small children in tow.
Dakota Browning and fiancé Tristan Bushe, Beryl Beamish, The Conway sisters and last but by no means least Simon Fisher.
The man with whom both Claire and Olivia had previously had congress.
Not that either one knew the others secret.
A lot of very salacious thoughts passed through her mind as Claire’s gaze fell on her ex-lover Simon, who was there with his young wife Georgia and her eyes stayed on him for longer than was necessary and the pictures in her head grew more and more lurid.
She snapped out of her trance and chastised herself for having such lustful thought in Gods house.
And she felt Katie Olivia’s gaze from above and she smiled.
As she averted her gaze she noticed Olivia was still watching Simon intently and all of a sudden she blushed beetroot red, so goodness knows what she was thinking.
“Are you alright?” Claire asked
“Yes it’s just very warm in here” she lied
Claire didn’t think it was particularly warm but thought no more of it.
(Part 03)
The ceremony was wonderful and Pandora looked stunning, she always was a beautiful woman, and there were many tears before, during and after.
More tears followed at the reception as old friendships were rekindled.
After the meal, speeches and toasts Claire and Olivia hardly saw each other as they headed in opposite directions around the ballroom to mingle.
As they chatted their separate routes around the busy room at the Golf Club, they renewed acquaintances and drank a liberally.
Even Agnes Snipe, the snooty and aloof commercial manager of the club, took time to exchange pleasantries.
On her way around during the reception Claire spent some little while in deep conversation with Tilly while her husband Robert Hunter was being interrogated by Olivia on the opposite side of the room.
She must have spoken to the entire population of Bushy Down that afternoon, in fact the only person she didn’t speak with was Simon.
By the end of the night she and Olivia were quite tiddly.
The next morning they were up bright and early and although a little jaded from the night before they still took full advantage of one of Carol Wilsons world renowned full English breakfasts.
After breakfast they packed for the trip home but they left their bags at the pub while they attended the Sunday service.
As they walked across the road they saw Judith Hunt coming along the path.
She was a small woman with disproportionately large breasts and a heart and personality to match, Judith Hunt was one of the angels.
“Hello you two” she said “I thought you’d gone already”
“Hi Jude” Claire said “No we’re getting the train after church”
“Oh it’s a rotten service on a Sunday” she said
“What, at St Lucy’s?” Claire said
“No, I meant the trains” Jude said and laughed
“I’ll drive you over to Kiddingstone”
“Are you sure?” Olivia said
“That’s very kind” Claire added
“Not at all” she insisted
After the service they said their goodbyes at the Church and walked over to the pub while Judith returned home to get the car.
On the journey over they laughed as they reminisced about the good old days.
At Kiddingstone station they stood on the pavement and she said
“It’s been so lovely to see you both again”
“You too Jude” Claire said and kissed her
Then Olivia did the same
“I hope you will come next year when Morty and I tie the knot” she said
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world” Liv said
They left Judith on the pavement dabbing her eyes with a hankie and went straight through to the platform.
Almost to the second that the Abbottsford train pulled out of the station Claire fell asleep.
She was exhausted thanks to a late night and a great deal of wine.
Claire woke up with a start the second the train came to a stop at the buffers and was as fresh as a daisy.
They disembarked and Olivia stood on the concourse with the bags while Claire went to spend a penny and then they swapped places.
As Claire stood there watching all the comings and goings she saw someone she thought she knew but she dismissed it instantly.
This person was hugging and kissing goodbye a woman and a child.
The man waved to them as they passed through the gate and then turned in her direction and that’s when she knew it was him and all of a sudden everything in the garden was definitely not lovely.
Olivia returned and the picked up the bags, if she noticed the fact that Claire had been crying she didn’t mention it.
They walked to platform 8, showed their tickets and boarded the waiting train.
Claire was practically silence all the way back to Shallowfield, and as they passed through the penultimate station Olivia said
“Do you want me to ring Eva?”
“What?” Claire replied
“Do you want me to ring Eva?” she repeated “Or shall we get a cab?”
“We’ll get a cab” Claire replied flatly
It was close to four in the afternoon when they disembarked in Shallowfield and Claire didn’t say much as they walked to the taxi rank and she said even less in the cab.
Claire was seething inside at being played for a fool in fact she was even angrier at herself for allowing it to happen.
They got out of the cab and Olivia settled the fare and Claire went straight inside without speaking and once inside she burst into tears.
(Part 04)
She lay on her bed sobbing for the best part of two hours and when she was all cried out she got up and had a long hot soak in the bath and then she cried some more.
Afterwards she didn’t bother dressing she just put on her toweling dressing gown and wrapped a towel around her head.
When she felt like she was going to cry again she got up and went to the kitchen.
It was as she stood at the kitchen sink that she saw the swine pull up outside the cottage.
Peter got out of the passenger seat, she couldn’t see who was driving, and walked towards the cottage.
And she was ready for him.
He knocked on the door and she opened it immediately.
“Hello darling” he said and leant in to kiss her but she backed away.
“Is everything alright?” he asked as he stepped in and closed the door.
“Why shouldn’t it be?” she snapped
“Amanda and I have just got back and we thought we’d grab a bite at the Brown Windsor” he said
“I’ve been trying to ring you for hours”
“I turned my phone off” she replied tartly
“Are you sure there isn’t something wrong?”
“Of course there’s nothing wrong you cheating bastard” she shouted and through a cushion at him which hit him square in the face.
But that just made her even angrier because she hadn’t thrown something heavier.
“What do you mean, darling?” he said and ducked as another cushion came his way.
“What is going on?”
“I should be asking you that” she shouted
“I really don’t understand” he said and sat down heavily in a chair
“I saw you” she said and slumped in the chair opposite
“You saw me what?”
“I saw you with her”
“With who?”
“I was at Abbottsford Station and I saw you kissing your family goodbye, I believed you when you said you couldn’t come with me to the wedding because you had to work and all the time you were with your family”
He tried to interject but she was in full flow again
“I’ve been there before, I’ve been the other woman, and I’m not doing it again”
Technically speaking she hadn’t been the other woman at all when she had the affair with Simon Fisher it was her who was being unfaithful, Simon was a dog with women but she was the one that was married.
“Do you mean Rachel and Guy?” he asked and relief spread across his face.
“I don’t know their names” she barked
“Rachel isn’t my wife or girlfriend and Guy isn’t my son”
“She’s my sister and Guy is my nephew”
“They live in London and they just happened to be in Abbottsford for the weekend so Amanda and I had lunch with them before they went home, it was too good an opportunity to miss”
Claire was finally silent
“Your sister?” she said quietly
“Yes” he replied
“Oh God please take me now” she said and put her head in her hands
Peter got out of his chair and knelt on the floor in front of her and gently lifted her head from her hands.
“I promise I will never, ever be unfaithful to you” he said “and I don’t want any other girlfriend or wife than you”
“Wife?” she asked
“Of course wife” he said
“Do you mean?” she began
“Yes I mean” he said “I just never imagined I would be pelted with cushions while I did it”
“I’m sorry” she said
“You mean you’re turning me down?” he asked
“Not bloody likely” Claire said “I’m sorry for throwing cushions at you, but of course I’ll marry you”
“Good” he responded and kissed her tenderly.
Then he stopped abruptly and got up
“Where are you going?” she said
“I’m going to tell Amanda we will not be dining together this evening as we have another engagement” he said and went outside.
When he returned he found no sign of Claire just a dressing gown and a damp towel on the chair where she was previously sitting.
He bolted the door and turned off the light he was pretty sure he knew where to find her.
Later that evening as they lay in her bed she asked him a question
“Would you mind if we didn’t tell anyone just yet?”
“Any particular reason?”
“Well Olivia has just got engaged to the Vicar and I just don’t want to steal her thunder” she explained
“It would only be for a month or so”
“I don’t mind as long as I can tell Amanda” he said
“I don’t see why not” she agreed
“Good because I told her already”
“God, talk about loose lips” she said
“You can talk” he replied and planted a kiss on her mouth.
No comments:
Post a Comment