Nature Reserve Tax

Patience and I went to restaurants together and frequently I was at the Nature Reserve with yet another group of adult students. It was harder but not impossible to show them things in February than it would be later when signs of Spring were more obvious.

Patience and I were in love yet unable to get into bed together to explore the possibilities. The frustration was annoying both of us and could have caused arguments between us but we usually managed to direct our anger towards Dean's allegations against Patience. We didn't succeed always but a kiss and cuddle always restored our feelings towards each other, even if that enhanced our sense of frustration.

It took a couple of weeks to obtain affidavits from my ex-wife and my fellow trustees for the nature reserve about when I had any contact with Patience for the first time. My ex-wife Rebecca's affidavit completely demolished Dean's claims. I hadn't known but when Rebecca first thought of divorcing me, even before she had spoken to me about the possibility, she had employed a private detective company to see if they could find any evidence of my infidelity with anyone. She attached copies of their reports to her.

They had found no evidence of anything remotely compromising and reported that I was a workaholic who barely noticed any women. Their reports covered from five years ago and continued up to the date of our divorce proceeding three years ago, and interviews with some of my work colleagues and family friends confirmed that had been the situation for at least a decade. When Rebecca has eventually spoken to me about divorce we had agreed a no-fault breakdown so her money had been wasted. But now those reports would be useful for me and Patience. As thanks for her help I sent a cheque to Rebecca for the full cost of the private detectives.

My work colleagues and fellow trustees were also angry about Dean's claims. None of them had known of Patience before she applied for the post of Nature Reserve warden three years ago. I had not been involved with the interview panel nor her appointment. At the time I was too busy with my own company.

The credit card companies changed their minds when threatened by my solicitors with a claim on Patience's behalf, refunded all the money she had paid, gave her compensation and started proceedings against Dean.

At the divorce hearing Patience and I were represented by separate barristers. Apart from the affidavits, Patience and I were separately asked under oath whether we had had 'carnal relations'. Our formal denials seemed to convince the judge. His remarks about Dean's claims were vitriolic. He awarded Patience a decree absolute with all legal costs to be paid for by Dean and also ordered Dean to pay Patience several thousand pounds in compensation.

Dean also lost the case brought by the credit card companies and was ordered to pay all the outstanding balances and the amounts paid to Patience and the legal costs of the credit card companies. None of us got any money from Dean who went bankrupt. Sharon also kicked him out for consistently lying to her about Patience. Sharon had believed his statements about Patience's long term infidelity that the divorce case had shown to be persistent lies.

Patience had been very worried and stressed while the divorce hearing was pending. Although she had appreciated the relief of being cleared of credit card debts, she was sure that Dean's plausible lying would affect the result. Even afterwards, when Dean went bankrupt, she was worried that the legal costs had to be borne by me. They were, at a cost of over ten thousand pounds. Despite my assurances that Patience was well worth the money I'd spent, she wasn't convinced.

When I'd paid the solicitors, Patience was still upset that she had cost me so much. I tried explaining that I saved more than that in tax every year by owning the woodland that was the Nature Reserve. She just didn't appreciate that ten thousand pounds was a small amount to me. She had been worried for so long about a few hundred pounds still owed to the credit cards after paying as much as she could every month for three years that ten thousand pounds seemed impossibly large.

Eventually I found a way to settle her worries. I asked her to run a repeat of our Valentine's Day date with a meal at her house and I'd bring an overnight bag.

Before the meal I knelt before her and proposed again. She accepted me -- again and we started to talk about getting married in a quiet Registry Office ceremony. After the meal we went to her bed and had the 'carnal relations' that had been on hold since Valentine's Day.