The Wishing Well

by Jilly Bowling

  “It’s a lovely house, much bigger than I expected. I’m surprised that you haven’t sold it.”

  Roman shrugged, “I consider it an investment, it’s value goes up every year. Edward maintains it well and pays the council tax so it owes me nothing.”

  They’d stopped outside the front door and as they got out of the car it opened and a young man came out.

  “Hi Ted.” Roman said.

  “Hello, did you have a good journey?”

  “Not bad, busy but moving,” Roman replied, then he turned to Bella and said “Bella this is Edward, my housesitter and well known author. Ted, this is the lady I’m going to marry, when she gets around to saying yes.”

  Bella blushed and held out her hand “Hello Edward, what a lovely spot this is.”

  He shook her hand and said “It is, isn’t it, and only thirty minutes commute into the city. Come on in, I expect you’re dying for a cuppa.”

  Roman had grabbed their overnight bags and he followed them into the house. The hallway was lovely with all the nineteen thirties original tiles and panelling. As Roman dropped their bags at the bottom of the splendid stairway Edward led them into a modern open plan kitchen/diner with glass doors looking out over a tropical style garden, full of beautiful plants and tree ferns. While Edward busied himself with the kettle and teapot, Bella walked to the doors and gazed out. There was a smart York stone terrace with modern rattan type furniture, a patio heater and barbecue, then a meandering brick tiled path led through the luxurious foliage. She could see lights placed along the pathway and imagined what it would look like at night, with the magnificent tree ferns all lit up.

  Roman had joined her at the doors and she turned to him and said “It is absolutely stunning, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, but I can claim no credit for it. Uncle Cedric started it years ago and Edward has taken over the updating and care of it. He’s an avid gardener.”

  Edward came over with a tray of tea things and biscuits which he put on a large round table in front of the doors.

  “This is amazing Edward,” Bella said as she sat down at the table.

  “Thank you, but you know Roman’s uncle had put the structure in. All I’ve done is take it back, from the jungle it had become and updated the patio etc.”

  “It still must have been hard work.”

  “Yes, but it’s an ideal place to let the plot of my next book develop in my head. Gardening is the ideal hobby for a writer to have, fresh air and no interruptions.”

  “I always wondered how writers thought of their stories.”

  “Not all do it the way I do, most just sit in front of their PC for hours and plug away. It doesn’t work for me as if the next chapter isn’t in my head I tend to just stare into space.”

  “Bella’s like that with her upcycling,” Roman said, “she amazes me as she always seems to know what she’s going to do before she even starts it.”

  “I suppose that’s true, when I see something at a car boot or in a charity shop I can usually see how it will look when I’ve finished it.”

  They’d finished their cups of tea so Roman stood up and said “I’ll take the bags up and show you our room, Bella.”

  “Don’t know if you’ll feel up to it, “Edward said, “but there’s music on in the pub and they do good food. Some old mates of ours, Keith and Terry, are in the group who’re playing. They’re very good and have quite a following locally. I booked a table, just in case as tickets sell out fast.”

  Roman looked at Bella “Do you feel up to it?”

  “Yes, that would be nice, take my mind off tomorrow. As long as we’re not too late.”

  “It finishes at twelve,” Edward said, “they can only get a licence `til then.in a residential area.”

  “And we don’t have to be up that early,” Roman added, “we can’t go to the venue until later in the afternoon.”

  “That’s true,” Bella said, “what time do they start?”

  “Eight thirty, but if we go about seven, seven thirty, we’ll get some food.”

  “That’s settled then,” Roman said and he led Bella out of the kitchen, picked up their bags and ushered her up the stairs. “Last room on the right,” he told her.

  When Bella entered the room she smiled with pleasure at the comfortable attractive room in front of her. It was obviously a man’s room, with a king size bed covered in a burgundy and beige bedspread, matching curtains at the windows and subtle pale beige walls that picked up the delicate colour in the bedspread and curtains. There were no fancy cushions on the bed and no rugs on the thick piled carpet. On the walls were watercolours of Devon, and she recognised Joy’s work. As well of paintings of Dartmoor there were two very nice seascapes, one of Woolacombe bay and the other of Brixham harbour.

  “She’s so talented, “ Bella said as she examined the paintings which were mounted in attractive frames.

  “Yes, although she won’t admit it, it’s a pity that such a talent is buried on a farm.”

  “She fell in love with a farmer, so I don’t think she regrets anything, and of course she still paints. I sold out of her paintings at Widecombe and have quite a few to sell at the Christmas fairs, and of course she is displaying in my craft studio which I’ve already sold a few from.”

  “She’s got twenty years of paintings that have just been piled up in a spare bedroom.”

  “Once you get the art bug, you can’t give up no matter what else you have to do. She amazes me how much she does, what with the kids, housework, and all the cooking and baking she does.” Bella shook her at the thought of her friend’s busy life.

  Roman laughed “Look who’s talking.”

  “I don’t have as much on my plate as Joy has. With four kids I don’t know how she finds the time to bake never mind paint.”

  “Hopefully one day you’ll find out!” Roman grinned meaningfully at her as he manoeuvred her backwards towards the bed.

  “Who says I want a child? Never mind four.” Bella said seriously as she toppled onto the large bouncy bed.

  He paused “You don’t want children?”

  Looking up into the consternation showing in his eyes, she couldn’t maintain her serious expression and she giggled “I think I might want children.but not for a while yet.”

  Relaxing he dropped down next to her and ran his hand up her hips, under her sweater caressing the soft skin under her breasts. Leaning over to kiss her he said “You know what they say, practice makes perfect.”

  “Mmm” Bella murmured, as she surrendered her mouth to his.

  * * *

  An hour later lying satiated and safe in his arms she finally managed to continue “Practice is necessary in any venture.”

  Then she giggled as he pretended to be exhausted, “I think we’ll need to build up the practice slowly until we’re proficient at it.”

  Cuddled together they dozed off for a while, jerking awake at a knock on the door.

  “Hey, you two,” Edward said through the door “It’s six o’clock and we need to leave at six forty five.”

  Roman sat up and called “Ok, Edward, we’ll be ready.”

  “Oh dear, where does the time go?” Bella groaned as she slid off the bed realising that she was naked, but not remembering how.

  Roman joined her and said “At least we’re ready to shower.” Then he pulled her to him and kissed her, thrilling at the response he felt shiver through her body. Finally he released her and they hurried into the ensuite to share the large power shower.

  “Gosh that’s powerful,” she said as she washed herself quickly. Then she gave a squeal as Roman flicked the switch to cold laughing as he held her there.

  When he let her go she said “You pig, it nearly took the skin off me!”

  “Wakes you up though,” he grinned.
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  Bellas threw him a dirty look, picked up a thick white bath sheet and dried herself rubbing some warmth back into her body. When she was dry she discovered that she felt invigorated, her skin was glowing and her sleepiness had disappeared.Roman was shaving so she went into the bedroom and collected her soap bag out of her overnight bag. A quick spray of deodorant, she put on clean underwear, jeans and a pretty tee shirt, then she brushed and blow dried her hair, piling it up into a messy topknot.

  Roman had finished shaving so she went back into the ensuite and cleaned her teeth. A touch of makeup, spray of perfume, socks and trainers on and she was ready. As Roman pulled on his jeans and a casual shirt she straightened the bed and finally they were ready, Roman’s watch saying six forty.

  “I knew there was a reason I like you so much,” he said.

  “Oh, what’s that?”

  “You can get ready as quickly as me,” he laughed as he pulled her to him and kissed the tender spot on her neck.

  She laughed as she remembered the hours and hard work it had taken for her to be presentable enough to go out with Gervaise.

  They walked to the pub chatting about the area, Edward being a font of local knowledge and gossip. On entering the bar they discovered that it was already busy with people who were eating.

  “The food’s so good and reasonably priced here,” Edward told them, “that they are busy most nights. However the older patrons leave before the music starts and the place starts to heave.”

  They were taken to a table, close to the stage, in the restaurant come concert room, where to Bella’s surprise a dainty redhead was already sitting. As they approached she stood up, smiling. Edward pulled her into a hug and kissed her gently, “Lydia you remember Roman and this is Bella,” he said as he let her go.

  Roman stepped forward and they kissed each other on the cheek, before she turned to Bella and said “Hello, nice to meet you, Edward has told me all about you.”

  Surprised, Bella laughed self-consciously “All about me? That sounds scary!”

  “No, no” Lydia said quickly “When he arranged tonight he told me that you’re with Roman and what a terrific artist you are.”

  The men pulled the chairs out for the two of them and they picked up the menus, which were surprisingly lavish for a pub. Although there were only six starters, mains and desserts, they covered all palettes from serious meat eaters to vegans and the description of each dish made Bella’s mouth water.

  “Gosh,” she said, “this all looks absolutely delicious.”

  “It is, every dish,” Lydia laughed, “Edward and I have tried everything. They change the menu every fortnight with just the six dishes for every course, so of course nobody gets tired of eating here.”

  “It isn’t from a chain is it?” Bella asked.

  “No, Ronnie and Sandy own it. They bought it five years ago when it was run down and the food was terrible, now it’s one of the best pubs in the area, if not the best.”

  A waitress approached them and asked if they were ready to order, which they did, then a young man took their drinks order; the men plumping for beer and Bella and Lydia opting to share a bottle of wine.

  As they were eating the main course, having enjoyed, for starters, scallops for Bella, king prawn for Lydia and pate for the men, the group who were playing that evening arrived. Two of them, having dropped their instruments on the stage, making a beeline for their table.

  “Roman you heathen. What are you doing in civilisation?” One of them said loudly as he slapped him on the back.

  The other man had gathered Lydia into a bear hug and was kissing her neck noisily, while saying “Caught you! Two timing me with this untalented hack.”

  Smiling calmly at it all Edward said to Bella “These cavemen are Terry and Keith who we’ve known since uni. We were called the `Musketeers` in those days.”

  “You mean you and Roman were in a group with them?”

  “Yeah, all through uni, how we got our degrees I’ll never know.” Edward stood up and rescued Lydia from his friend saying “Unhand my woman Tel.”

  Terry and Keith pulled up stools while pinching chips off their friends plates, then turned their gazes onto Bella.”

  Roman picked up her hand and said “Bella, these two reprobates are Terry and Keith.”

  “Hi” she said smiling at them.

  They grinned back and Terry said “Bella, if this farmer doesn’t treat you right, you can run away with me.”

  Keith flapped his hand at his friend “Take no notice of him, he’s a lightweight,” then putting on a pantomime leer he went on “whereas I know exactly how to treat a beautiful lady.”

  Bella blushed scarlet and Roman scowled at his friends “Leave her alone, she’s not one of your brainless groupies.”

  Terry clutched his chest and Keith put on a hurt expression until Lydia slapped the two of them across the head and said “Behave.”

  Concentrating on her food, a mouth watering steak and kidney parcel on fine sliced vegetables, Bella listened to the friends catching up. They’d obviously been very close when they were younger and had the easy comradery that would always be there whether they saw each other every day or once a year.

  Main courses finished with, Terry and Keith back with their group, they contemplated the dessert menu, all sounding so delicious Bella had difficulty choosing.

  “Oh dear” she said “I don’t know what to have. The brandy snap basket sounds terrific, but so does the trifle.”

  “Have both,” Lydia laughed.

  “To be honest I shouldn’t be even having. Good job I don’t live near here or I’d put on ten stone.”

  “I don’t believe you’d ever get fat, you seem to be like me, able to eat anything and stay slim.”

  Bella looked at Lydia, did she really look that slim? No, Lydia was just being kind.

  “Think I’ll have the brandy snap basket, it’s mostly fruit.”

  Lydia hid a grin “then I’ll have that too.”

  The men shared a cheese board, which, when it arrived would have fed four.

  “Is that really just one portion?” Bella asked, then did a double take as the brandy snap basket arrived. The basket itself was very large and it was filled with fruit, two kinds of ice cream, sorbet and clotted cream. “Oh my god, look at the size of it!”

  As she tucked into it the band started to play and suddenly the pub was heaving. While they’d been eating the older customers had left and their tables had been taken over by late teens and twenty somethings. To her surprise the group were very good, Terry having a terrific voice and stage presence. They covered ColdPlay, Sam Smith, The Coors and finally launched into`I could walk five hundred miles`, whereupon it felt as if the whole building was vibrating with everyone stamping their feet and singing loudly. Watching Roman singing along she pondered the many layers in him and considered how little she knew about him.

  By now the friends were on to coffee, with Roman and Edward having a brandy and Lydia and Bella a Calypso coffee, which Bella loved but had never been allowed to have when she was with Gervaise, only plebs drank that kind of coffee.

  The group on stage took a break and joined their table, the other members of the group being introduced as Mark and William. Bella complimented them on their repertoire and Terry asked if she sang.

  “Only in the bath” she laughed.

  “I’m sure you’ve got a lovely voice” Terry said, flirting with her.

  To her surprise she found that she enjoyed being flirted with and decided to play him at his own game. They were laughing so loudly at something one of them had said that the others around the table had paused in their conversations. Realising that the table had gone quiet Bella looked up, straight into Roaman’s perplexed eyes, her mouth fell open and to her chagrin she blushed.

 
“Won’t you share the joke?” Roman asked.

  Terry went very still and the rest held their breaths. They’d seen Roman squaring up to Terry over a girl, many times. Bella took all this in very quickly and laughed as she said “I was telling Terry about how we met and I ended up covered in cow’s muck and mud in the pouring rain.”

  “And how you turned up as the dark glowering hero who she hated on sight.” Terry added.

  Roman smiled “It was an interesting first impression.”

  There was a collective sigh as everyone breathed again and conversation resumed. Then it was time for the group to play again and Roman pulled her onto his lap. She relaxed and leaned her head against his shoulder as they swayed together to a slow romantic number. Cuddling against him Bella said “I’m sorry.”

  Roman frowned “Sorry for what?”

  She shrugged “Flirting with your friend.”

  “No, I’m sorry, you can flirt with whoever you like. Terry’s always brushed me up the wrong way.”

  “So, did he pinch one of your girlfriends?” Bella asked, dreading the thought that there might be someone in his past who he still had feelings for.

  “No, but when we were at uni he hurt a friend of mine, let her fall in love with him then dropped her, painfully, when he was bored. He’s a good friend to his male friends but lethal where women are concerned.”

  Terry was getting some of his groupies up on the stage to sing with him and Bella had to admit that he had a way with women that made them think they were special to him. She could see that he was deciding who would be his `date` for the night and he went down in her estimation. The way he behaved had probably been exciting in his late teens and twenties but now that he was over thirty it was just sleazy. She was pulled out of her contemplation when he leapt off the stage, landing in front of her and grabbing her hand.

  “Come and sing with us,” he ordered as he pulled her off Roman’s knee and onto the stage.

  Before she could escape he was introducing her to the crowd and the group had swung into Elton John and Kiki Dees `Don’t go breaking my heart`. She knew the words to this song well, it had been one of the tunes that kept going through her head when Gervaise had begun to grow cold towards her. So when Terry sang the first line, she got into the spirit of the evening and sang the next line while shaking her finger at him, `I couldn’t if I tried`.