(Part 01)
Neil Etherington was an average man approaching his thirtieth birthday not that he was a bad looking man, he wasn’t, but he wasn’t stunning, sexy or buff, he was strictly middling but his girlfriend
Samantha Barraclough was anything but, she was an absolute beauty three years younger, elegant, daintily petite, intelligent, funny, sexy and with a perfectly beautiful angelic voice, pure Carrington Chase educated perfection, Carrington Chase being Downshire’s version of Roedean, although those in Downshire thought it was the other way around, and it was a voice that made Charlotte Green sound common.
He pinched himself at the start of everyday, especially the ones on which he woke up beside her, just to check he wasn’t dreaming.
Because the good fortune that brought Samantha into his life was the type of thing that didn’t happen to him, and everyone who witnessed them together unanimously agreed that he was punching well above his weight.
They first encountered each other at a business meeting at the Abbottsford Regents Hotel, where she was a potential new client and he was trying to win a new account, but the meeting was unresolved as it was love at first sight.
Neil worked for a firm of architects called New Horizons whose head office was in Sharpington by Sea while Samantha Barraclough was approaching her 28th birthday and was a project consultant for the family business, Barraclough Ventures and the project that Samantha’s company was heading up was the regeneration of the former Industrial Power House of the county, Northchapel.
The love that bloomed between Samantha Barraclough and Neil Etherington in Abbottsford in June went from strength to strength
However things had not been all plain sailing since they had met, though not between the two of them they were completely simpatico.
The problems stemmed from a different quarter entirely and from those who should have been the most delighted for them, their close friends and family.
Neil and Samantha were the victims of snobbery, inverted and otherwise.
Her family thought she had set her sights to low while his nearest and dearest believed he had set his too high.
Her friends thought he was common while his thought she was a snob.
Only their closest friends Jonathon Hardman and Isabelle Decoene stuck by them.
So as a result they had found it difficult to fit inside each other’s worlds, but the couple believed that love will out and Samantha drew a line under the difficulties when she said
“If you can’t live in my world and I can’t live in yours we shall just have to make a world of our own”
If he hadn’t been in love with her already he certainly would have been after that speech.
So having overcome their initial difficulties of not being accepted in each other’s worlds and having set out to make a world of their own, they made the decision, after spending two weeks together on a narrow boat on their first holiday together, that they should move in together.
(Part 02)
Samantha asked “In Tipton or in Brocklington?”
Her house was up in Tipton, although she was rarely in it as she spent more time living in hotels than she did her house so it had never felt like home to her, but she thought it might if she had someone to share it with but Neil had a nice cottage in Brocklington and that would also be lovely so when he replied.
“Neither”
To her question, she was taken aback.
“Neither?” she asked
“I think we should buy somewhere new, a blank canvas, somewhere that will be ours and not yours or mine” he replied and a she exclaimed
“That’s perfect”
However as perfect as that solution was it didn’t solve the problem of where they should set up home.
Samantha was from Tipton in the north of the county but when she fell in love with Neil she also fell in love with the Finchbottom Vale so they considered buying a house in the area and they almost bought one in Forestdean but it fell through at the last minute.
At the time they were quite upset about it but every cloud has a silver lining because they found a place in Applesford that needed a bit of TLC but by the time they completed and took possession it was almost a year after they started courting.
Because of her high powered job with the family business, Samantha had to spend a lot of time away on business.
It was during one of her trips away that Downshire was gripped in winters bitter grasp and snow fall and near blizzard conditions had closed a lot of the Downshire roads and Samantha was stranded in Northchapel on the evening before Neil birthday.
“I can’t get back tonight darling” she said on the phone “But I’m going to try again in the morning”
“Don’t risk it hon” he said “it’s not worth it”
“But I want to celebrate your birthday with you” she said
“We can still celebrate the next day or the day after that”
He pointed out
“It won’t be the same though” she said sadly
“Promise me you won’t do anything silly” he said
“But…”
“Promise me” he insisted
“Ok I promise” Samantha said with her fingers crossed
“Ok I’ll see you soon” he said “I love you”
“Love you too”
Washed and shaved Neil decided to go and put the kettle on before he got dressed so he slipped on his dressing gown and made his way down the stairs to the kitchen and it was when he reached the bottom step that there was a loud knocking so he went to the door and when he opened it Nanook of the North stepped into the hallway.
The figure was dressed in a fur hat, long winter coat with a heavy woolen scarf wrapped around the neck and knee length boots and Nanook was carrying a hold all.
In fact the only part of them that was visible was there eyes but he recognized them immediately.
“Samantha?” he said, “What are you doing here?”
(Part 03)
“Samantha?” he said, “What are you doing here?”
“I didn’t want to miss your birthday” she replied through her scarf.
“You could have had an accident” he said crossly and took off her fur hat and kissed her forehead as she un-wrapped the scarf from around her neck.
“Where’s your car? I didn’t hear you pull up,” he asked as she sat on the stairs and unzipped her boots
“Do the honours?” she said holding out a leg.
Neil hung her hat on a peg and pulled her boot off to reveal a knee length red sock”
“I had to park down on the main road and walk up” she replied as she held out the other leg
“Happy Birthday” she said as he removed her other boot and she stood up and kissed him
“Thank you” he said “But I’m still cross with you”
“You can spank me later” Sam said and kissed him again
“I didn’t want to miss your birthday” she replied “and I wanted you to have your present on the day”
“I didn’t mind waiting hon” he said “I would rather have had it late than risk losing you”
“It was quite safe” she said and kissed him softly “I followed a snow plough all the way”
“I don’t know what I would do if I lost you” he said and held her tightly
“That’s never going to happen” she whispered “You’re my soul mate”
“And you’re mine” he said
After a prolonged embrace she broke the silence
“Do you want your present now?” she asked
“Well as you risked life and limb to bring it to me I better had”
“Good choice” she responded as she unbuttoned her coat and slipped it off to reveal her beautiful figure in a red wool dress.
“Oh is that my present?” he asked hopefully
“If I’d known that was all you wanted I wouldn’t have brought you these” she said as she carried the hold all into the lounge and then she shouted “happy birthday”
And she emptied the hold all onto the sofa.
When he had opened all his presents Samantha looked at him smugly
“I did good didn’t I?”
“Yes you did, I loved my presents” he said and she looked up at him childlike and smiled and then he kissed her smiling lips.
“I love that you are here with me, but I’m still cross that you took such a risk in the snow, but having you with me has made it a perfect day” he said and she looked up at him childlike and smiled and then he kissed her smiling lips
“But...”
“But? There’s a but?” she asked with a frown
“But there is something that would make it even more perfect” he said enigmatically
“What? What could possibly make the day more perfect?” she asked
“Just one thing” he said
“Yes but what is it?” She asked impatiently
“The one thing that would make the day more special and more perfect is you agreeing to be my wife” he said and handed her a ring box and her mouth fell open.
“You want to marry me?” she asked disbelievingly
“Yes” he replied suddenly doubting her response “if you don’t like the ring I can change it”
“NO!” she shouted “I’m never giving this back”
“So you like it?” he asked
“I love it” Samantha replied “it’s perfect”
“So is that a yes then?” he asked
“To what?” she asked as she admired the ring on her finger
“Will you marry me?” he asked
“Of course I’ll marry you” Samantha replied and threw her arms around him and showered him with kisses
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