They threw their cases onto the bed; they unpacked their meagre belongings, putting them carefully in the drawers and wardrobe; and Teddy arranged her cosmetics on the dressing table.
‘Shall we eat?’ asked Alex, ‘I’m starving!’
‘The only thing I’m hungry for is my husband,’ Teddy responded impishly.
‘Calm yourself, woman,’ Alex admonished, ‘We should enjoy the hospitality before we enjoy each other!’
‘Yes, but rabbit or pigeon?’ she sounded disappointed, ‘I’m not sure about pigeon, having lived in London, and I had a pet rabbit when I was a child! I bet the poor things were going home to their wives and children this morning when the poacher caught them!’ She sounded pitiful as she recounted such a tale of heart-rending sadness.
Teddy thought Alex sounded a bit heartless when he responded, ‘Well, not eating them and having them thrown away for the pigs is not going to bring them back, is it? Besides, I’m jolly hungry – I think it must be the after-effects of being driven by you for so long!’
Teddy threw a pillow at him, which he dodged.
*
The happy couple went downstairs for supper. At the bar, Alex ordered a half-pint of porter for himself, and Teddy settled on a gin that she drowned with lemonade; such exotic drinks as Martini had yet to migrate that far into the country.
They made their way through to the alcove where tables were laid for eating. Both ordered the rabbit – it was excellent, having been well stewed with root vegetables and with a wonderfully flavoursome gravy; boiled potatoes and carrots accompanied the meal, which had almost certainly been freshly dug from the garden, as the flavour was superb and unlike anything bought in London. They decided against the rice pudding and chose cheese, which was an outstanding Double Gloucester, served with piccalilli, chutney and a slice of home-made bread, which would almost have served as a meal by itself, but rounded the rabbit stew off perfectly.
They wished the innkeeper, a cheery ‘Good night!’ and the honeymooners retired for the night.
*
Both being city dwellers, Alex and Teddy had yet to become accustomed to the sounds of dawn in rural England, and the orchestra of countless birds warming up for the dawn chorus preluding the solo performance of the cock that crowed to herald the new day awoke them from their deep slumber. Both embraced the comfort and cosiness of the bed, and they had fallen asleep almost as soon as their heads had hit the pillow the previous night; both slept deeply in the security of each other’s company. With nature’s alarm clock rousing them just as the first rays of light illuminated the starry night, and having consulted his watch, Alex grumbled to Teddy that it was only 5.15am.
Her brain was apparently on a mathematical plane that morning as she calculated quickly and commented that it was two and three-quarter hours until breakfast. ‘What shall we do until then?’
Alex suggested, ‘Sleep,’ and closed his eyes, returning determinedly to slumber.
When Alex next opened his eyes, it was 7.30am, and he was aware of another presence in the room; he was instantly alert. ‘Hello?’ he called, perhaps a little more sharply than was necessary.
‘I’m sorry, sir,’ came the timid response in a youthful Cotswold accent, ‘my pa sent me up with some hot water for you. I did knock, but you didn’t reply, so I crept in to change jugs. I didn’t mean to startle you.’
Teddy had woken and was listening to the conversation while peeking over the edge of the bedclothes. The visitor was a young girl, about fifteen years old, wearing a cotton shift, and carrying a large jug of water. She was quite attractive, in a plain sort of way, and struggling with the awkwardness of nature as she was changing from girl to woman; she looked acutely embarrassed.
‘That’s all right,’ Alex reassured her, ‘Thank you very much.’
The girl breathed a sigh of relief and changed the jugs of water. ‘Pa says breakfast will be in half an hour.’
‘Thank you,’ replied Alex, ‘we shall be down presently.’
The girl left, and Alex looked at Teddy, and Teddy looked at Alex with a grin on her face.
‘It’s a good job that we were snuggled under the bedclothes,’ she said lightly, ‘You would have given her nightmares otherwise!’
Alex lifted the bedclothes, and looked down at his nakedness. ‘Oh, I don’t know,’ he said.
Teddy started to tickle him until he got out of bed. He poured some water into the basin, washed and shaved before putting on his pyjamas and dressing gown, then walked down the landing to the toilet, where he also emptied the dirty water from the bowl. On returning to the room, Alex poured some water into the basin and enjoyed the sight of Teddy washing as he got dressed. He sat and watched Teddy dress, and thought that the sight of a woman dressing was almost as sensual as watching one undress.
Once they were both suitably attired, they went downstairs.
*
They arrived for breakfast just after the grandfather clock had struck the hour, and they joined the only other guest in the alcove where they had eaten dinner the previous night. Alex and Teddy wished the other guest a, ‘Good morning,’ but received scant acknowledgement in response.
The young girl who had brought their water earlier brought their breakfast, and Alex thanked her; Teddy noticed the subtle application of cosmetics and perfume that had been absent earlier.
‘I think you have an admirer,’ she murmured to Alex sotto voce, after the girl had returned to the kitchen.
‘What? Who?’ The penny dropped. ‘Are you joking?’ he asked.
Teddy smiled knowingly and turned her attention to the plate of bacon, sausages, eggs, tomatoes and fried bread that was before her. ‘Good God!’ she remarked, ‘If I eat all this, I shall be the size of a blimp!’ She used the vernacular and popular name for a barrage balloon. But, by the time, she had finished, the plate was clean.
‘Was that tasty, my little blimp?’ asked Alex.
‘Your Uncle Walter told me that this country air gives you an insatiable appetite… for everything,’ responded Teddy mischievously.
They both groaned in submission, however, when the girl brought a basket of freshly toasted country bread, a slab of butter and home-made jam.
‘They certainly eat well in the country,’ remarked Alex, ‘You would hardly think there was a war on!’
‘Isn’t that rather the point of me moving down here?’ commented Teddy.
To show willing, they each had a slice of toast, and washed it down with their third cup of tea, before returning to their room and dressing warmly for their day in the country.
*
Arriving downstairs just after 9.00am, Alfred the landlord met them and told them that somebody called Bartlett, who was the land agent, would meet them at Ashton Court at 10.30am. He gave them a hand-drawn map to the Oddingtons and showed where they should turn to find the property; Alex thanked him.
‘Sorry if my Alice startled you this morning; she did say she knocked on your door but got no answer; I hope ’twas all right?’ Alfred appeared concerned.
‘No problem at all,’ Alex reassured him, ‘I’m sorry if I was a bit sharp with her. Alice is a nice name; one of my wife’s middle names is also Alice.’
‘’Twere my mother’s name,’ was all that Alfred said.
*
With time to spare, Alex and Teddy walked into the Market Square, and they thought what a quaint-but-beautiful market town Stow-on-the-Wold was. Teddy observed that, with all the farming around the area, it would almost be self-sufficient.
They walked up Church Street to St Edward’s, where they were intrigued by the yew trees that protected either side of the north door. They entered the church and sat at the back, each praying silently and petitioning God that the other would be safe in the troubles ahead.
On leaving the church, Teddy said to Alex decisively, ‘I want to co
me here to church, tomorrow.’
They returned to the Market Square basking in the sun of one of those bright autumn days that are sent to remind us that summer was not such distant history, collected the Alvis, and, with Teddy driving, they headed out of the town following the directions that their host had supplied.
Finding Ashton Court was simplicity itself, and they arrived a full fifteen minutes ahead of schedule; even so, the gates were open, and a black Riley saloon sat outside the house at the end of a sweeping, gravel driveway.
‘Bartlett’s arrived, then?’ Alex remarked.
Ashton Court was, by any standard, an impressive property. Constructed in that wonderfully buttery Cotswold stone that mellows over the ages to give character, it comprised a central gabled section flanked either side by wings containing three windows apiece on two floors and two dormer windows spoiling the symmetry of the roof, but at least these were in balance with each other. The entrance was a large pair of studded oak doors that looked secure enough to withstand the onslaught of an entire German panzer division. There was a large cedar tree in the front garden, with layers that Teddy thought would look spectacular laden with snow.
The door opened, and a dark-suited man with a balding head and round glasses came to greet them. ‘Mr and Mrs Carlton, I presume?’
‘Indeed. Mr Bartlett?’ Alex enquired.
‘Yes. You are early; I was just opening shutters and airing the place,’ Bartlett reproached them.
‘I apologise for our early arrival,’ Alex responded, ‘My wife has a greater preference for the accelerator than the brake!’
Teddy nudged Alex. ‘Has the house been shut up long, then?’
‘Not unduly long,’ replied Bartlett, ‘as the present owners moved to America last year.’
‘That would be the Ashtons?’ Alex hazarded a guess.
‘Good heavens, no.’ Bartlett was amused. ‘The Ashtons built the place in the early 1800s, but it has changed hands twice since then. Each new owner has added a bit, which is why the house appears a little higgledy-piggledy at the back, but it is still an imposing and characterful gentleman’s country retreat.’
‘I agree,’ said Teddy, ‘and it would do for the lady of the house also!’
Not having thought previously of Teddy as having suffragette leanings, Alex sought to move the conversation to safer ground. ‘How many rooms are there?’
‘If you would care to step this way, sir and madam,’ Bartlett invited them, and he headed for the door
Alex and Teddy followed obediently into the main reception hall.
Bartlett expounded, ‘Starting on the ground floor, there is this main reception hall, to the right is the morning room and to the left is a sitting room; continuing further, we have the drawing room and a dining room. Along this corridor and past the morning room is the new kitchen, larder and scullery. Beyond the dining room, there is the office, a cloakroom and a boot room with an entrance to the rear courtyard.
‘On the first floor, there are eight large bedrooms; one has its own private bathroom, and there are two other bathrooms. There is also a nursery, with a small room beyond where the nanny used to sleep.
‘On the second floor, there are three simply decorated rooms where the servants would reside. In the basement, there is the old kitchen, which now holds the boiler for the central heating and a well-insulated wine cellar.
‘Outside, there is a garage and stabling for six horses. Over the garage, there is a room where a chauffeur can live, and, over the stables, there is a dormitory for the stable hands.
‘Quite apart from that there are two cottages on the land, although both have not been lived in for many years and need much work. Most of the farmland has been sold off over the years, but there are still two paddocks for horses. Also, there is a small lake for fishing, but it is rather overgrown at the moment.’
Mr Bartlett showed them around all of the rooms, and while the house came with furniture in situ, Alex realised that most would not be to his uncle’s taste and that there would have to be changes. He also spotted some other work that was needed: a radiator that had leaked, a few cracked panes of glass, some of the Cotswold tiling was missing on the roof, and there was the general sense of abandonment that would soon go once the boiler had been fired up and the house was warm again.
From all around, the views across the rolling Gloucestershire countryside were spectacular, and Alex was most envious that his wife would be living there with his mother. On the whole, Alex thought it a delightful property.
After leaving the house and walking round to the stable block, Alex and Teddy noticed an overgrown tennis court and an area of lawn that was flatter than most, suggesting either croquet or bowls.
Bartlett continued his exposition by describing the surrounding area, ‘There is a village post office with a village shop, and a school whose numbers have been swelled by the evacuated children. The Fox pub is just up the road. Of course, Stow-on-the-Wold is just two and a half miles away, where you can get most things, and there’s a railway station there that will take you to Cheltenham or Banbury. And about half a mile in that direction is Adlestrop station, which will take you into Oxford to change trains for London.’
Alex was starting to realise how convenient the house was, being close to two railway stations, being relatively close to the A40 trunk road, and with the Fosse Way Roman road running through Stow-on-the-Wold, should Uncle Walter have to return to the city in a hurry, either by road or rail. Better yet, the house should be free from the attention of the Luftwaffe, with the only possible, but unlikely hazard coming from a misplaced bomb aimed at RAF Brize Norton or Little Rissington.
Teddy and Alex spent some time looking around the house by themselves, and Teddy declared that she thought she could be very happy living at Ashton Court; she believed it would be an idyllic setting to bring up their family. Alex reminded her that the house in Onslow Gardens would be their home, but Teddy commented pragmatically that it was highly likely that he would inherit Ashton Court in the fullness of time. He was a little taken aback by the acquisitive nature of Teddy’s train of thought; it was something that had not even occurred to him, but the truth in her statement was apparent.
They had been at the house for over two hours, and, after having thanked Mr Bartlett for his kindness in showing them around, Teddy and Alex drove north to the market town of Moreton-in-Marsh. Being another town that had grown up as a result of the Fosse Way passing through it, there was an uncanny similarity to its slightly smaller neighbour. Both were market towns that were mainly dependent on agriculture as their lifeblood, both were built mostly from Cotswold stone, both had good transport links to more sizeable towns, but there the similarity ended, as there was a degree of rivalry between both places. Even St David’s Church, with its glorious spire standing commandingly on a hill, appeared to dominate St Edward’s stubby tower, even though the building in Stow-on-the-Wold is considered by many to be superior.
The shops in the town were much the same as those in any country market town: saddlers, gunsmiths, ironmongers and the like. Teddy said that she might take up horse riding as the house had stables, and might even buy a horse, if she took to it, so they spent time in the saddlers looking at all things horsey. Alex said he fancied becoming the country squire, and hence would probably need a shotgun, so they spent time looking in the gunsmiths.
As they were crossing the road, Alex spotted their fellow guest from the King’s Arms examining the contents of a shop window nonchalantly on the other side. ‘Hello, old boy, fancy seeing you here!’ Alex said, as they drew near.
‘Damn!’ swore the man, and he hurried away, to the surprise of both Alex and Teddy.
Alex and Teddy returned to the Alvis and drove back to Stow-on-the-Wold, retracing their earlier drive so that they could drive past Ashton Court again; they stopped outside and admired what would be Teddy’s new home th
rough the closed and padlocked wrought-iron gates.
‘It is enormous,’ commented Teddy, ‘but it is a charming house. I’m sure I shall like it here.’ Teddy had made the decision.
With that, they resumed their journey back to the pub.
*
They arrived back at the King’s Arms to discover that the other guest had just checked out early.
Alfred was a trifle upset. ‘Booked ’til Monday, he was; I hope you two are staying, as we’ve bought food in!’
Alex reassured him that they were both delighted and pleased to remain until Sunday afternoon when they had to travel back.
*
After dinner, Alex picked up the newspaper to read what was happening in the war, and it appeared that Friday 13th had been a terrible day for Germany. Three of their U-boats had been sunk, and the first air raid on Britain driven off by the RAF, which had shot down four German bombers over the North Sea as they headed for Tyneside. Alex was amused to read that one of the fighter pilots had approached a Danish ship and signalled that there were German flyers in the water, and the Danish ship had rescued them and then landed them at Rudkjobing near Svedberg in Denmark. Chivalry, it seemed, still existed in those early days of the war.
Alex’s noticed a small article piece about King Gustav of Sweden hosting King Christian of Denmark and King Haakon of Norway to discuss the Soviet claims on Finland at a summit in Stockholm the following Wednesday, and that President Kallio of Finland would attend.
Remembering that Teddy wanted to go to church the following morning, Alex asked the innkeeper what time the services were held at St Edward’s. Alfred told him that there was communion at 9.00am, matins at 11.00am and evensong at 6.30pm.
On discussing the options with Teddy, they decided on attending matins.
*
Later that evening, Alex decided that him wearing pyjamas and Teddy wearing a nightgown might save their embarrassment should young Alice enter the room again in the morning, while they were dishevelled.
Winston's Spy Page 31
