The Smallholder Pt. 03

It will definitely help to have read parts one and two! Some sex in this part.

SEVENTEEN

"A man was here," Elaine told him at the front door, where she had awaited him. "I saw him walking across the yard towards the turbines."

"I hope you didn't try to follow him," said Joseph with a worried frown.

"No, I waited by the kitchen door with Bob; I knew he couldn't get into the cages round the turbines, or into the workings of the screw. I was safe enough with Bob."

"So?"

"He came back and saw me. He asked for the keys to the cages. He said he was from the council and he was investigating a breach in planning regulations. I told him you were not here and he would have to come back. Then he said I should give him the keys anyway. He said the turbines would have to be disabled until the planning error was resolved."

"And you told him you didn't know where they were," Joseph smiled in his certainty.

"That's right, and he said he'd come in and search for them and I said there was no way he was coming in with you being away. I think he thought I was only a girl. He reckoned without Bob."

"What happened?"

"Bob growled and showed his teeth. I was holding his collar. He told me to control the dog and he was coming in. I said if he took another step I'd let go of Bob. He backed off then and said he would be back with a warrant and you wouldn't want that. I told him to get his warrant. So he left."

"Thanks Elaine, you shouldn't have had to handle that all by yourself, but you did all the right things. He had no right to enter the house."

Elaine smiled at that, and smiled more broadly still when Joseph gave her double her usual fee for babysitting the house.

Once she had gone, pedalling her racing bike down the track, Joseph made some tea and thought hard.

First the RSPCA, then the court case and now this official from the planning office. Was it significant that the man came when Joseph was known to be appearing in court? Then a further thought: was he from the planning office at all?

Joseph was about to go out to walk down the track to make a phone call, when he laughed, remembering he had a phone at home. He got out all the papers relating to the turbines and phoned the planning office.

Yes, they remembered him, the clever man with all the turbines and the Archimedes Screw. Would he wait while they got out the papers. Yes, they were all in order, notices had been posted for the correct amount of time, there had been no objections and the National Park had no objections. Would he wait again while they checked on the official. No, no one had come from their office.

Joseph sipped his tea and pondered the visit. Now he was sure that the man came precisely because Joseph was absent at court. It was only after he had been seen by Elaine that he made up the story about the planning office. Joseph smiled grimly; the man would certainly not be back with a warrant – his mission had been to reconnoitre the turbines, or even wreak some destruction. For what purpose? He felt uneasy – he would definitely be setting all the alarms from now on.

He phoned the police and was visited two days later by a constable who took notes and Elaine's address. She rang him to say she'd given a description of the man, but it was unlikely he would be traced. The surveillance cameras were not active since it was the middle of the day.

Fri 27 March 09

The week passed with Joseph engaged in ground preparation for the sowing next month. It rained on and off and was cold, but he persevered and Barry came over and ploughed in the green manure.

Joseph was glad to ease off when Angela arrived on the Friday afternoon with a smile, a hug and a long sensuous kiss. Like the previous week, she changed and was eager to help, and he let her do as much as she could manage. Her work rate impressed him.

Joseph did not mention the man's visit, not wishing to worry her.

Barry and Mary were at the pub and of course Barry asked the question.

"Hear anything from the Planning Office? You know, the man prowling round while you were at the court?"

"I phoned the planning office," said Joseph. "They knew nothing about it."

"So he was up to no good," said Barry. "Bit worryin' that."

"Elaine did a great job seeing him off," laughed Joseph. "I was worried about her, she should never have had to do that."

Angela had been looking more concerned as the exchange progressed, and was agitated by the end of it.

"What happened?" she asked. "A man?"

Joseph sought to make light of it. "Some opportunist thief I reckon," he said dismissively. "Nothing to worry about. Everything is alarmed, and it would take some time even for a professional thief to get into the cages."

Angela let it drop, but it was obvious she was not happy. They passed on to other things.

It was a busy weekend, with a good deal of sowing in the greenhouses. Angela once again watched and learned, and they made good progress. He warned her that April was a busy month, with a good deal of sowing in the vegetable field. She smiled and nodded.

On Saturday night, she fell asleep while meditating, and Joseph gently woke her when he had finished. He carried her to the bedroom and sat her down on the bed. She had taken off her shoes before settling to meditate, and so he reached under her jeans and pulled off her socks. She kissed the back of his head.

He stood and pulled her tee shirt over her head, then unhooked her bra and pulled it away from her chest. She caressed his hips.

He stood her up and unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, pulling them down to her ankles. She lifted each leg and the garment was gone. His hands slid into her knickers and stroked her bottom cheeks as he brought them down her hips and thighs, where they fell to her feet and she kicked them off. As he bent she kissed an ear and her hands went over his back and sides, before taking his face in her hands and kissing his lips.

He lifted her and laid her in the bed, pulling the duvet over her, kissing her and stroking he hair and cheeks, before leaving for the bathroom. When he returned she was deeply asleep.

He smiled. He knew how fresh air and constant physical work, no matter how gentle, exhausts those who are unused to it. She had sown seeds in the greenhouse and potting shed nearly all day, and she had milked Susan and collected the evening eggs.

It was the beginning of British Summer time, and there would be an hour less to sleep. He slid into bed and was asleep as swiftly as she was.

The next morning she slept in, while Joseph followed his usual routine an hour earlier. Barry came and went, and then Joseph made tea and brought her a mug, leaning over her sleeping form and and kissing her forehead awake. She opened her eyes with a yawn, then smiled seraphically as he bent to kiss her lips. Then a look of horror crossed her face.

"I overslept! Why didn't you wake me?"

"You needed your sleep, we lost an hour last night: the clocks went on one hour, and there's more to do today, after breakfast and church." He paused. "Perhaps you'll stay at home this morning, while I go?"

"No fear!" she said, with a frown. "Where you go, I go, remember?"

He smiled at that, and left the room to make breakfast.

He called a halt to work at four, and they set to to make the evening meal. Pork Chops in breadcrumbs, with the last of the parsnips and broccoli, followed by a sponge pudding and custard.

They did their evening meditation together and then sat on the sofa, idly stroking each other, and chatting about the weekend's work.

Suddenly she said, "Make love to me, Joseph!"

She stood up and stripped off her clothes standing naked before him. He laughed and stripped in his turn and they coupled missionary style on the thin carpet in the living room. He was gentle with her, conscious of the hardness of the floor, until she sighed with what he interpreted as annoyance.

"Harder, my darling!" she gasped, "Harder, don't hold back!"

He did as he was told, until she cried out in her climax, and he with a few more thrusts came too.

He lay on top of her panting with his exertions, and she laughed.

"That's better! Some bruises to remember the weekend by! I missed you last night."

A pause.

"Joseph?"

"Yes, my love?"

"Can you spare a weekend, soon?"

"Yes, why?"

"I thought you might get Elaine in for the weekend, and come and stay with me in town."

Silence.

"I thought you might like to see how I live during the week," she added, "where I sleep, who my friends are."

A pause, then he smiled at her, "Yes, that would be good. How about next weekend? I can work longer during the week thanks to the extra hour, and make up the time. It'll depend on whether Elaine can make it, though."

Joseph was able to employ Elaine for the weekend, pointing out when she arrived that the upstairs bed had been refurbished. She was delighted with the entertainment centre in the study. He warned her to ensure the alarms were on during the nights, and showed her where the phone was. It was cordless, so she could keep it with her even when she went to bed. He was still concerned about the so called planning officer, and half expected more attention from whoever was waging the campaign against him. He was pretty sure Kevin was behind it.

Weekend 3-5 April 2009

Angela was on edge as she stood at the window. Normally she took a visitor's arrival in her stride, but this was different. She looked round the flat. Yes, it was tastefully decorated, it was warm, the fitted carpets were thick, the sofa and armchairs were plush and soft. Would he like it?

The flat was silent. Since meeting Joseph she no longer felt any need to put the radio or TV on as a matter of course. Now she switched on to listen rather than having background noise.

How would he react? Would he be uncomfortable? Then she saw the Range Rover pulling into the car park and halting in a visitor's space. There he was in a smart brown overcoat, carrying a holdall. He reached the door to the building and her bell rang. She ran to the hallway and pressed the door opener, and then opened the door of the flat and stood on the landing.

"Up here, Joseph!" she called, and watched as he began to climb the stairs.

He reached the landing and their eyes met. His face lit up in a happy smile, he approached her, dropped his bag and she was in his arms. They hugged and kissed, then she disengaged and led him into her home.

He stopped at the door, and slipped his shoes off.

"You don't need to--"

"Your floors are so beautiful and clean, you don't want dirty shoes on them."

He was so considerate, she thought.

"Bathroom left, kitchen right, bedroom second left, living room ahead," she told him, leading him into the bedroom.

"What a lovely bedroom, so comfortable!" he exclaimed, and she felt a warm glow at his praise.

He put his bag on a chair, unzipped it and drew out two bottles of wine, one white, one red.

"I think you'll like these," he said smiling.

"Thanks, you didn't need to, you know,"

"That's true, but I wanted to."

"Let's go into the living room," she suggested, "We can talk about what you want to do."

"I'm in your hands," he laughed. "You've obviously cooked something very tasty judging from the smell.

"You have made the flat quite beautiful. You have a lot of artistic talent," he said as they entered the living room.

"I used to enjoy painting; I loved art at school. I sort of got out of the habit."

"Have you got some of your work?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'll show you later tonight, or tomorrow."

"I'd like that."

"I thought we could eat here tonight and then go for a drink at my local. There may be some of my friends there: I said you were coming to visit."

"That's fine."

Joseph felt at ease in her home, but he could see she was on edge, but did not know how to put her at her ease.

They sat at the small dining table and she served bacon and egg spaghetti with a side salad.

"This is delicious my love," he said between mouthfuls.

"I told you I could cook," she said with a satisfied smile.

"I did believe you, but you've really proved it tonight."

They talked recipes and recounted their favourite dishes, and she served an apple pie with custard.

"You have a way with shortcrust pastry," he told her, "and the apples are just right, not too sweet."

She felt herself relaxing, and Joseph noticed it.

"That's better," he said, "you're relaxing now. You were very tense."

"I can't hide anything from you can I?" she said, "I don't know why I was on edge. I wanted it to go right; I wanted it to be good for you."

"You know that being with you is all that matters. I don't need anything else, everything else is a bonus. I've already learned you cook divinely and you paint and draw. We're getting to know each other, which is why you invited me."

They left the table, embraced and kissed, and pressed themselves against each other. Then leant back and gazed into each other's eyes, and saw love there. Thence to the sofa and a little more intimate stroking.

"You still want to go out?" she asked, breathing heavily.

"We can always do this when we get back, don't you think?"

"Yes, you're right. I wanted you to know my life here, so we should go."

So they went.

There were five at the table when they arrived and Angela introduced them all.

The couple were Harry and Penny, engaged, with a wedding in the offing. Harry was a little overweight, florid of face and with a ready smile and laugh. Penny was very slim, indeed thin, flat chested and with hardly any roundness to her bottom at all. Her arms and legs were the same. Her face was oval with prominent cheekbones, and her face was lit by an almost continuous smile.

Janice was a red haired green eyed freckled woman who one would assume was Irish, and indeed she was of Irish extraction. She was pretty, on the more statuesque side, everything about her body was generous while not extreme.

Desmond stood to shake Joseph's hand. He was dark. His hair was jet black as were his bushy eyebrows and his skin was burnished by an outdoor life overseeing building works. His hands were large and calloused, and his body muscular. He took Joseph's hand but made no attempt to score any points, his grip was friendly and firm.

Nigel remained seated. He was in every respect average: height, build, brown hair already receding, and his hands lying on the table were thin and delicate. He nodded at Joseph but there was no smile.

"Greta can't be here," Angela told the group, "she's on weekend night shift."

Joseph assessed their ages to be in the late twenties or early thirties. He smiled at each in turn as they were introduced.

"So you're the man Angie's been disappearing to see every weekend," Janice said with a warm smile. "She's very tight lipped about you; we hardly know anything about you-"

"Other than you've got up Gerard's nose in a big way," Nigel said.

Everyone but Nigel laughed. Nigel merely smiled: his smile was brittle. Joseph could not work out why.

"Yes," added Harry. "What's the story, Joe, we hear he took your wife and you took Angie here in revenge, that's what Gerard's saying. That true?"

"No," said Joseph with a half smile.

"That's not true," said Nigel. "He did take your wife." Again that cold smile.

"The 'no' was to an aspect of Harry's statement," said Joseph, simply. "The whole statement is thus untrue: it is quite a number of years since women were seen as the property of men. My wife left me to live with him. It was her decision to leave, not his."

"And Gerard couldn't keep her," said Desmond, whose smile for Joseph was warm, "or she'd be with him today. She obviously moved on."

"You could say that," said Joseph though without a smile.

"So you took – sorry, got with – Angie in revenge," persisted Nigel. "Stole his car and hid it. Seems you got a few friends to lie about that and got off."

Joseph wondered why the man was so belligerent, but he felt uncomfortable that Angela was now coming to his defence.

"Shut up, Nigel," Angela admonished him. "You know nothing about it, or about anything to do with Joseph. He's my guest, and I rather hoped my friends would make him welcome."

"Can you put us right on all this?" Penny asked Joseph with a friendly smile. "Angela won't say much, and Gerard is shouting his mouth off as usual."

"It's all in the past now," said Joseph. "Best left alone."

"But there was a court case," said Desmond, "something about that car of Gerard's?"

"I'd prefer it if we dropped the whole thing and changed the subject," Joseph said. He felt rather persecuted.

"Yeah, you would," Nigel went on the attack with a sneer.

"Ok Nigel," snapped Angela, raising her voice in anger. "You want the whole story? You won't believe it.

"Angela," said Joseph, "It won't help. Leave it."

"No way!" she was angry. "You just don't want to hurt anyone, even Gerard. Well I won't let your character be trashed."

Joseph shrugged and relaxed. She could not be stopped. It really was all one to him.

"Ten years ago," she began, "Joseph worked for his father in their manufacturing company. Then his father died in a factory accident and Joseph had to take over the company. His mother went to pieces and committed suicide blaming Joseph for his father's death. At the time Joseph was married with a young daughter. So he was trying to deal with both his parents' deaths and keep the factory going.

"Then Gerard came along, but called himself Trevor in those days. He seduced Joseph's wife and she left him taking their daughter with her. So he had lost both parents and his wife and daughter.

"Then when the Decree Nisi came through, Gerard insisted on a big party to celebrate, and get this Nigel, he invited Joseph so he could rub his nose in it. Gerard got stinking drunk, wouldn't let Joseph's wife drive, crashed the car into a tree and killed both mother and child. He got away with cuts and bruises, a fine, a three year driving ban and a suspended prison sentence. I bet he's never told you that, has he?"

That's terrible!" exclaimed Janice and the others nodded, except of course Nigel who looked puzzled.

"Hang on," said Nigel, "This sounds familiar. What's your surname, Joseph?"

"Ramsden."

"You're Joseph Ramsden? The Joseph Ramsden? Of Ramsden and Son?"

"Yes."

"So Gerard was the bastard...?"

"You know the story?" asked Angela.

"I work at Ramsden's. I only started last year, but I heard the story. It's a great firm: we all have shares."

"That's not all," Angela continued. "Susan's family (that was his wife's name) asked Gerard for help with the funeral. He refused saying that he was not married to her and so had no obligation to the family. He sent no flowers; he did not attend the funeral.

"Susan's sister had to go and beg Joseph for help, and he paid for the funeral, and carried his daughter's little coffin to the grave."

"That true?" gasped Janice. "That's horrible!"

"I heard about the funeral," said Nigel. "I never connected–"

"Now to the car," Angela ploughed on, "Gerard suspected I had visited Joseph for the weekend – Joseph was just my friend at that time. Gerard arrived in his Porsche in a raging snowstorm. He insulted Joseph to his face, crowing about taking Joseph's wife from him, and then left.

"D'you know? After him abusing Joseph, Joseph urged him not to go because the snow was drifting badly. He went anyway. Joseph suspected he would not make it and got his Range Rover out to follow him. Gerard had crashed the car and we found him under a tree semi-conscious. Joseph brought him back to the house and called for the air ambulance which came when the snow stopped. While Gerard was in the house in Joseph's bed, Joseph looked after him.