‘Oh, Kester you didn’t!’ Helen manages to look appalled while stifling a laugh.

‘Sorry’ Kester grimaces, protecting his head from Helen’s slap with a cushion and laughing behind it.

‘And they ATE it?’

‘Every bit..and sat and meowed for more’ he giggles uncontrollably . ‘What would you have done with it? She meant well but it was like syrup…honestly!’

‘Quite sweet really’ Helen takes the cushion from him and snuggles under his arm.

‘It was…like alcoholic treacle’

‘Nooo…idiot!’ Helen pokes him in the ribs. ‘I mean…people have been so nice, haven’t they? I’ve got no work done at all over the last couple of days, so many people stopping me to wish us well, some that I’ve never spoken to before. Is this what it’s going to be like…being married to you?’

‘Oh, better’ Kester assures with a smile. ‘We’ll see each other every day for a start’ He circles his arms around her and turns his head to press his lips against her forehead.

‘Now word’s got round,  it’s like I’ve all of a sudden been accepted….or is it…is it…’

‘Is it what?’

‘Because you’re somehow…famous’ she asks hesitantly. ‘Because of who you are’

Kester takes a noisy breath through his nose. ‘I’m an ordinary guy, a plumber, earning his own living…’

‘But..’

‘No. I am me, my parentage makes no difference at all’ he insists categorically.

‘Not to you, maybe’

‘You’ve got a point, I suppose' he sighs '…Which brings me to the first thorny problem we’ve got to sort out between us..’

‘Our first?’ Helen contradicts with a smile, her eyes wide.

‘Yeah, okay…fair enough…perhaps not our first. Let’s not get into that right now…We need to decide how we want to play this’

‘Play?’

‘Is this a new game?’ he asks, squeezing his arms tighter and growling ‘Are you going to question everything I say?’

Helen grins up at him and mimes zipping her mouth.

‘I don’t know what you want…big splash…quiet announcement. Huge wedding…small affair…you know…These are the things we’ve got to talk about’

‘I’ll have a small affair. Who do you think I should have it with?’

‘Will you be serious?’

‘Sorry, I’m in a silly mood, have been ever since…’ She holds up her left hand, wriggling her finger and admiring the ring again.

‘You see? That’s something else we’ve got to do, get you a proper ring. We haven’t even got that sorted yet’ Kester puffs his cheeks, looking stressed.

‘Can’t I keep this one?’ Helen asks.

‘Of course you can keep it but it’s not very special is it?’

‘It’s more than special’

‘I want you to have a proper ring’

‘This IS a proper ring’

‘No, a proper engagement ring’

‘But…’

‘Not arguing about it now…There’s so much to think about…God, I haven’t even met your parents yet! I’ve sort of jumped the gun a bit, haven’t I? I should really have asked your father…’

‘Oh don’t be so old fashioned. Daddy will be thrilled and so will Mummy. They might even make it back for the wedding if we give them enough notice’ she giggles. ‘About two years should do it’

‘Make it back?’ Kester ignores the remark about the time frame.

‘From South America’

‘I thought they were on an extended holiday?’ he looks confused.

‘Noooo, they work out there’

‘Ah…right…I could fly out and ask, I suppose’

Helen giggles ‘I wouldn’t put that past you at all!’

‘You haven’t told them, then?’

‘I have mailed them but they don’t have readily available internet access. I expect a shrieking telephone call from my mother anytime now’

‘Shrieking?’

‘She’ll be so excited…She is….how shall I put it…erm…very matter of fact….quite staid… until something like this happens, then she just… blows!’

Kester grins ‘I can see where you get it from, then’

‘Thank you’ Helen beetles her brows in mock reproach.

‘Your father…’

‘Is a sweetie, you’ll love him….the epitome of the absent minded professor’

‘I’ll look forward to meeting him. We could always go out there, you know…seriously’

‘Kester, no! Thanks all the same. They’re miles from what I call civilisation. I like running water and somewhere to plug my straighteners’

‘Fair enough’ he shrugs and smiles. ‘So…going back to what I was saying…we’ll do an announcement in the local paper, yes? Once we’ve got the ring that is…We’ll have an official engagement..’

‘You make me sound like the queen!’ Helen laughs then her face grows serious ‘No, I’d like to leave things the way they are. We ARE engaged…you gave me a ring…and I love this ring’ She folds her hand into a fist and looks down, stroking the ring with the fingers of her other hand. ‘Buy me another if you want to…but for me…this will always be my engagement ring. Okay?’

‘Whatever you want is fine by me’ He kisses her temple. ‘Harriet was wondering if we intended announcing the engagement nationally..’

‘In the national press, you mean?’ Helen looks startled ‘Why?’

He grins ‘By the looks of it, you feel the same way I do but she wondered if I thought that might be the best way of letting all our friends know… she wasn’t promoting the idea’

‘What do you think?’

‘Honestly?’ He looks at her carefully.

‘Of course’

Kester sits forward, turning to face her, his arm slipping from her shoulders to allow him to take both of her hands in his ‘If it’s what you would like, I’ll go with it’ he says, lifting one hand to his mouth and kissing her palm. ‘…but…if you want me to be honest…I don’t want it…I don’t want to open my life to anyone but our friends and…frankly…’ he takes a deep breath ‘I do NOT want my mother getting column inches out of something that is ours…just ours…And she would find a way…you can be bloody sure of that!’

‘Shush’ Helen tries to defuse his irritation with a brief kiss on the lips. ‘She will get to find out eventually though, won’t she?’ she says quietly, holding his hand and squeezing it gently. ‘It’s not something that I am looking forward to either, if we are being totally blunt and truthful. Quite honestly, if I never met the woman again, it would be too soon’

‘So we’re agreed then?’

Helen grins suddenly ‘Agreed? We haven’t actually discussed anything yet’

‘No big announcement. If my mother gets to hear…we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it but I for one have no intention of letting her know. I don’t want her phoney good wishes or the reporter alongside while she delivers them!’

‘Calm down’ Helen puts a hand either side of his face and shakes him. ‘We will cope! Honestly…nobody can hurt me now and whatever happens, we’ll survive’

Kester nods and smiles in return. ‘A party…. That was another thing Harriet was asking about...an engagement party, in the house rather than my place. She would hold one for us. Maybe a bit old fashioned but…’

‘Now that…would be a wonderful idea’ Helen smiles softly ‘What a lovely thought…and what better way of letting people that we do want to know, know?’

‘Will you get together with Harriet and organise something then?’

‘Ohhh no you don’t!’ she frowns at him ‘Let’s start as we mean to go on, shall we? There’ll be none of this ‘you sort it’ goings on. Not in this relationship, thank you very much! You..’ she says, pinching his nose ‘Are going to be just as involved in this sort of thing as I am, okay?’

Kester grimaces and smiles sheepishly. ‘Guess that’s me told!’

‘Too right!’ Helen huffs exaggeratedly and shrieking with laughter, brings her knees up in an attempt to ward off his retaliatory tickle.

Pennywell, Bower Lane

Chapter Eleven

Chapter summaries may be reached via the Site Directory Page

25 Piper Street

‘Young Vivienne were telling me what her reckons they gonna turn the big ‘ouse in’ter un ‘otel’ Charlie calls from the hallway as he hangs his hat and coat on the peg rail running along the wall.

‘An’ ow would her know that?’ Edna grumbles from the front room, her attention taken from a crucial point in the programme she is watching.

‘Knows somebody in the planning, she reckons’ he replies, walking into the room and standing just inside the door, wary of walking in front of the screen to get to his chair.

‘Who would she know in th’plannin?’ she asks without looking at him.

‘Well, I dunno do I? Wha you askin me fer?’ he hovers uncertainly.

Edna folds her arms and purses her lips, still ignoring him in favour of a complicated plot. ‘One of er fancy men I s’pect, ain’t no better than she ought t’be that ‘un’ she mutters.

‘She’s all right is Vivienne’ Charlie deliberately slows as he passes between her and the screen. ‘Don’t you go sayin what she got loose ‘lastic cos I knows damn well she ain’t’

Edna sighs heavily and finally looks at him. ‘Why, you tried t'go there?’ she accuses.

‘No I int’ Charlie sinks into his chair, emitting something between a sigh and a groan. ‘Blimey, gal, what would a slip of a thing like er want wi’an ole codger like me?’

‘Huh! I knows what these barmaids a like! I’ve ‘eard bout the way she carries on. Flirting wi’men half er age an’ all’

‘Tha’s ow yer get pints sold! There int much wrong wi’er, I can tell yer. Good as gold, do anything fer any bugger she would’

‘Tha’s just what I were meanin’

‘Ere…’ Charlie wags a finger ‘You stop that, woman, she’s a good un an’ I wunt ave yer thinkin otherwise…Any road… as I were sayin…She says what there’s a n’application in fer change a use or summat…dunno if tha’s un official un  a what..Summat about avin t’sort papers out afore someone’ll buy it a summat. Wha’d’yer reckon?’

Charlie finally gets her full attention. ‘’Bout the planning? I don’t know nothin bout that sort a thing’

‘Noo…bout it bein ‘otel’

‘S’big enough fer an ‘otel…but I don’t know as I’d want it next door t’me…what wi’the traffic an everythin’

‘It’s a way out a the village though int it? Shouldn’t a thought it’d effect us much’

‘No it won’t. It’ll be them big ‘ouses what’ll be plagued wi’the noise. People comin and goin all times a the day ‘n night’

‘Spect it’s be a bit classy though…wouldn’t yer? They ain’t gonna ave no burger bar in it is they?’

‘That remains t’be seen’ Edna huffs. ‘She say when us ord’nary folk can ave a look an see wha’s goin on?’

‘It’ll be in the paper I s’pect’ Charlie mumbles and leans back in his chair, crossing his feet at the ankles and his hands in his lap, ready to watch the highlights of the football.

‘You go an’ find out! I’s seeing the girls t’morrer. They’ll want t’know’

‘Oh…I see…I can talk to er when it suits can I?’

‘Buy er a drink a two a the dinnertime’ Edna instructs ‘…and see if yer can’t find out who this bloke is an’ all’

She picks up the remote control.