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Chapter 39 Carrisbrooke



“Buffy………love, wakey-wakey!!” Spike gently shook her arm.

“Hmm – wha- oh (yawn)…sorry! I must have dropped off…the fire was so lovely and warm…what’s the time?” Buffy asked –having succumbed to the warmth of the fire and a touch of jet-lag.

“Nearly two thirty, You’ve had just over an hour…want to come and have a look around?”

“Oh yes!” She yawned again and stretched, rolling her head around.

“Come on then – oh, and by the way…I told Mrs Calendar we only need one room, so I’ve had my stuff put in the guest room with yours, cos my old room looks like what it was, a room of a 15 year old schoolboy!”

“Great – so where are we going?”

“Well, the suns out, rare occasion, I thought I’d show you the outside first, and if you like we could tag along on the 4 o’clock house tour – that’s if you wanted to of course?”

“Oh that would be great!”

“Come on, well see the outside stuff first, here…I bought your padded jacket down and your boots…I’ll just get my coat on…” Spike opened a door to reveal a small entrance hall with a load of coat hooks. He helped Buffy on with her coat and she sat and put her boots on.

Standing up she zipped up her coat and said,

“Right, ready to go!”

Taking her hand they left through the small doorway that was partially hidden by a swath of ivy hanging down. It led to a path that was half way to the ‘Orangery’ tea-room and restaurant, and the gift shop.

Spike walked into the gift shop smiling. There were two young girls in there, both wearing green sweatshirts with a line drawing of the stately home on it. Both were wearing name badges too, one girl was called Lucy, the other, Rebecca.

Sitting at the till was a much older lady, with her glasses hanging on a gold chain around her neck. Spike went up, slipped his hands over her eyes from behind and said,

“Guess who?!” – He uncovered her eyes and leant around to grin at her before standing in front of her.

“Goodness! – Oh Master William!”

“Mrs Murdoch – how are you?”

“Well, I’m fine, and how are you, heard all about your tumble off that damn bike of yours, get yourself killed you will – oh come here…!” She gave him a hug and Spike kissed her cheek.

“I’ve brought someone to meet you, this is Buffy – Buffy, this is Mrs Murdoch, she and her husband Donald, who is head gardener around here have been with us since we started opening to the public”

“Hmm…shows how much you know!” Mrs Murdoch said smiling, she patted Buffy’s hand and said,

“Very pleased to meet you my dear – and Don retired at Easter, he only potters about a couple of hours now, mostly on a Friday”

“Don, left – retired? – I don’t believe it!”

“Oh yes - got a veg-patch of my own now, and my garden is beginning to look how I want it too, now he’s got time to do it!”

“Well it’s good that we’ve still got you!”

“Only part time, Becca and Lucy are here full time, I just do over the lunchtimes, and they call me in if we have extra coaches booked in for visits”

“Becca, Lucy, come here” Mrs Murdoch called. Both girls dutifully came over to where Spike and Buffy were standing and Lucy said,

“What is it Mrs Murdoch?”

“Do you know who this is?” Both girls looked at Spike, and then Lucy said,

“No, I don’t…”

“Oh god, I DO! You’re Spike from the Vampyres – you’re the master of the house!” Rebecca said grinning when she recognised him. Everybody grinned and Spike shook hands with both girls, who then shook hands with Buffy.

Lucy explained that she was working there and was at Exeter University doing Art History, and Becca was also at uni was reading the classics and doing English.

They moved out of the way so that some customers could be served and a tall young girl with her hair tied back in a pony tail put her head around the door and asked if ‘anybody had seen Diggory’. She also had on one of the picture sweatshirts in green, and cream jodhpurs.

“He said he’d be stringing up fairy lights in the tree-top walk all afternoon” Becca said helpfully and the girl said ‘thanks’ and left.

Customers served Mrs Murdoch said,

“That was Camilla, daughter of Charles Kingsley-Houghton, she helps him with the horses. Full time here now as we’ve got the hunt horses to look after”

Spike nodded.

“Well, look at the time, my Don will be looking for his cuppa – lovely to see you William, how long are you staying?”

“Just a week, then we’ve got to get back to work, but we’ll be back after Christmas again I’m sure”

“Well pop in and see me, I’d love to catch up – wait till I see young Jamie, he’ll be so jealous I’ve seen you and he hasn’t met you yet!”

“Who’s Jamie?” Spike asked frowning

“My 14 year old grand-son, loves your group he does!”

“Defunct now I’m afraid – tell you what, bring in any CD’s he’s got and I’ll sign them for him” Spike said kindly.

“Oh Master William, he’d love that! Well girls, that’s me gone, see you Monday”

“Okay, Bye Mrs M” the two girls said, and then they said bye to Spike and Buffy and went back to filling the shelves and putting out more stock.

Outside, Spike led Buffy to the stables. The girl that they’d seen earlier was talking to a tall slim geeky-looking guy with unruly curls and round glasses in the middle of the yard. Ignoring her Spike went up to one of the stable doors and unbolted the top part of the door only, opening it out.

“Excuse me…hello, excuse me, what do you think you’re doing, this is private property, these stables aren’t open to the general public!” She said with a very posh accent.

“Hmm, I know…Camilla isn’t it?”

“I’m sorry, how do you -?”

“Daughter of Charlie – Mrs M told me”

“Mrs M had no right to tell you that, now I’m sorry, but I’ll have to ask you to leave!”

“Is there a problem Cammy?” The geeky looking guy came over to them.

“No” Spike said grinning

“Yes! I’ve tried to tell him that this part isn’t open to the general public, but he won’t listen!”

“That’s because he isn’t the general public!” a loud gruff voice said, a man who was wearing the same green sweatshirt, but with a green padded body-warmer on over the top and brown cord pants came striding into the yard, he was tall and slim, with a greying moustache and temples.


“Dad! Well if he’s not the general public, who are you?” Camilla almost glared at Spike.

“Want to introduce us Charlie?” Spike asked with a grin.

“Cam, this is Master William, Sir Giles’ son” her father said.

You could see the poor girl going red from the neck up and she began to apologise profusely.

“Calm down love, no problem, I should have said who I was before, glad you did your job properly – how’s that hunter of mine Charlie?” Spike asked grinning.

“Come and see for yourself – we keep our horses up this end now” Charles turned and began to walk up to the top of the stable block, expecting them to follow, which they did.

Camilla shut the stable top door that Spike had opened, and then ran to catch everybody else up.

“Here you go…here’s Minstrel…here you go…get – come out - get yer nose...out of me pocket! Sod he is…always nosing in my pockets for Polo mints, aren’t you, yer bugger….makes him fart something fierce too!” Charles said, but he was petting the white blaze down the magnificent horses head.

“Hello boy…hello…who’s a beautiful boy then!” Spike said patting him

Everybody laughed as the horse neighed and whinnied, and gave great big ‘nods’ with his head.

“I see you agree that you’re beautiful then!” Spike said laughing

“Oh, hello, who are you then?” Another head appeared by Minstrels, not quite so big, and an all over shiny conker colour. Spike patted this horse too.

“That’s Arielle, my horse” Camilla said.

“She’s lovely, how old?” Spike asked, the horse seeking his hand for more fuss!

“2…we’re off point to pointing next week – she’s a fuss pot too, stand any amount of fuss won’t you”

“She’s lovely!” Buffy said tentatively giving the horse a stroke.

“Do you ride?” Camilla asked Buffy

“Me – god no, nearest I’ve ever been to a horse this is…” Buffy said

“I’m sorry, me and my manners, everybody, this is Buffy, my girlfriend” Buffy, this is Charlie our head stable boy – man – and this is Camilla”

“Call me Cammy – oh where did Diggory go?”

“I’m here…here you go gal – didn’t bring you one lunchtime, did I huh?”

“Put your hand flat like this” Diggory said to Buffy, so Buffy held her hand out, flat, palm facing upwards. Diggory put the apple onto it and moved her hand a little higher. Arielle delicately took the apple from Buffy’s hand and munched noisily.

Buffy smiled and patted the horses nose when she’d finished the apple.

“Only one a day, but she loves her treat, don’t you gal!”

“Dad, watch it, Minstrel, he’s after your – in your pocket – oh! Too late!”

“Oh yer bugger, that was a new packet – paper and all…he’ll fart like a trooper all night now!” Charlie just saw the green wrapper of the tube of Polo mints disappear into Minstrel’s mouth.

Everybody started to laugh.

“Come on, let me show you the petting zoo” Spike said taking Buffy’s hand.

“See you later!” Spike said and he and Buffy went to walk off.

“Had to close that down for a while sir!” Diggory said respectfully

“Oh, why?”

“You been out of the country sir?”

“Er yes, I live in America”

“Arh, that’s why you don’t know, seems some children caught E. Coli, a nasty bacterial infection from petting some animals and one kiddie died”

“Good god, not here!” Spike asked in alarm.

“No, no sir, not here, it was at a farm in the Midlands, but even with notices up and bottles of antibacterial gel fastened to posts, people ignore them and pet the animals, the go for something to eat and feed the kids without washing their hands – we’ve had no problems so far, but we’re going to put up a proper shed with a sink and soap and running hot water so people can wash their hands before and after, just to make it more safe”

Spike nodded and said, “Good idea”

“We do have a new Butterfly house opening up in the old fruit store next week, should be very popular, having some glass cases with spiders and stick insects too!” Buffy shivered at the word spiders!

“You don’t have dangerous spiders here do you?” she asked Spike

“No…only huge big ones that would bite your legs off!” Spike said

Buffy knew he was teasing her and popped him one on the arm.

“So Diggory is it, what do you do here?”

“I’m a tree surgeon!”

“Really, fascinating!” Spike said.

“Yes, I look after the arboretum, the tree top walk, and all the estate trees in the park land and farms, and I also do the coppice hedging too, keeps me busy”

Spike nodded. He noticed Buffy shiver despite her coat, their breathes were coming out in wispy steam against the cold air. The sun had gone in and it had begun to get a little misty.

“Well sir, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to finish putting up the fairy lights in the tree top walk”

“Fine, well, I’ll let you get on, never let it be said I’ve kept a man from his work and you must call me Master William”

“Later then master William!”

“Yup, bye Diggory!”

“Bye!” Buffy called

“So, no petting zoo…want a cuppa?”

“Ooh yeah, something to warm me up!”

“Come on then pet…let’s go get a hot chocolate in the Orangery, it’s a quarter to four, just got time before we catch the last tour of the house” Buffy eagerly followed


Chapter End Notes:
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