199 Steps to Love
Copyright © 2014 by Pauline George
Acknowledgments
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Another Title from Pauline George
Other Yellow Rose Books
About the Author
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199 Steps to Love
by
Pauline George
Yellow Rose
by Regal Crest
Texas
Copyright © 2014 by Pauline George
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The characters, incidents and dialogue herein are fictional and any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Print ISBN 978-1-61929-214-7
eBook ISBN 978-1-61929-213-0
Cover design by Acorn Graphics
Published by:
Regal Crest Enterprises, LLC
229 Sheridan Loop
Belton, TX 76513
Find us on the World Wide Web at http://www.regalcrest.biz
Published in the United States of America
Acknowledgments
Writing a book isn’t easy and there are a lot of people who help get it onto the bookshelves.
I would like to thank Cathy Bryerose for her continued faith in me and all the team at Regal Crest. Acorn Graphics for the fantastic cover picture. Verda for once again making the editing process so easy, I think I’ve got it now, thanks.
Patty for your help in answering my questions—not so many this time.
Special thanks go to Helen—the best sister in the world—and Sue for reading the first draft. Thanks to Geraldine for reading and correcting the next four! My Dad—who isn’t around to see my success—and my Mum, both of them gave me my love of reading, their love and support.
Thanks to The Magpie Café for allowing me use their name.
Dedication
To G this much times a million.
Chapter One
LUCY PARKED THE car and got out to stretch her legs. With only a few miles to go her journey was nearly at an end, but she couldn’t resist stopping to look over at the famous St. Hilda’s Abbey.
There it was, an imposing sight rising from the top of Whitby’s East Cliff, like a stark dark sentinel standing impressive and tall as it guarded the town, protecting it from all evil. Yet this same sentinel was the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula.
Lucy remembered her research when she’d decided on Whitby as her destination. Dracula was written by Irish author Abraham (Bram) Stoker in 1897 and is classed as a Gothic horror novel. He was famous for introducing the character of Count Dracula and it tells the story of his attempt to move to England from Transylvania.
The Abbey was a silhouette of black gothic walls and glassless windows, making a great scene against the blue sky. Lucy thought how easy it must have been for Bram Stoker to write his most remembered novel. Maybe he walked around it in the dark to create those eerie feelings sending shivers up and down your spine as you read. He gave life to the pictures in his imagination, of bats flying in and out of the Abbey, ending up with one of them morphing into the Count with those bloodsucking teeth.
Lucy grabbed her camera from the car and took a few pictures. She couldn’t wait to get up close and personal, it had such an appearance of mystery.
As she stared into the distance at the Abbey, Lucy saw it as whole, not a ruin at all. She continued to look at it in the distance and was reminded of the conversation she’d had with Alexi about her choice of holiday destination.
“WHY DID YOU choose Whitby, Mum?”
They were sitting in the café not far from Lucy’s office, sharing a pot of tea.
“I saw a lot of the Yorkshire Dales when your dad and I were courting and after we married. I love Yorkshire but I wanted to visit a different part, wanted to make my own holiday memories. Also I love the sea, hence I chose Whitby.”
“There’s also the connection with Dracula. Did you know that?”
“Yes I did. That’s another reason I chose it. I loved the book and saw the stage production our local drama society put on recently. It was fantastic. I guess that sealed it for me.” Lucy poured tea for both of them. “Whitby is also famous for where Captain Cook learnt his seamanship. Apparently he was introduced to the Walkers in Whitby. They were local ship-owners, and Cook joined one of their ships as a merchant navy apprentice.”
“Wow, did you swallow the guide book?”
Ignoring Alexi’s question, Lucy continued. “Whitby is also famous for its fish and chips, and one of the most famous shops is The Magpie Café, established in 1939. People queue outside, come rain or shine, all year round because the fish and chips are so good. Whitby Harbour’s claim to fame is for the whaling fleets. They used to bring their catch into the boiler houses built by the side of the harbour.”
Alexi drank some of her tea and looked at her mum.
“You have done a lot of research haven’t you? I love the way you think. I wouldn’t have chosen Whitby as a holiday destination because of Dracula or Captain Cook.”
“I know love, but you and David usually go abroad and sit in the sun. God knows where you get that from.”
“We’ve cultivated our love of the sun over the years Mum, and it’s relaxing.”
“Mmm, it’s not my idea of fun, but each to their own.”
“Are you looking forward to it?”
“Yes I am. I can’t wait to explore the town of Whitby and the Abbey.”
FINALLY, AFTER NEARLY six hours in the car, Lucy arrived outside what was to be her home for the next two weeks. She checked the paperwork and made sure she was at the right cottage. Lucy got out of the car, clutching the instructions on how she was to retrieve the keys to the front door. She really needed a cup of coffee.
It didn’t take Lucy long to release the keys from the key-safe and get her luggage and the small amount of food supplies she’d brought with her into the cottage.
“First things first, let’s get unpacked.”
Although she was tired, Lucy didn’t want to leave unpacking everything until later. At least by doing it now she could sit in the garden and enjoy her coffee with a clear conscience.
She went into the kitchen and put away the groceries and other essentials she’d brought with her. She’d passed a large supermarket on her way to the cottage and it was only a mile up the road. “Well I definitely won’t go hungry while I’m here. I think my first trip will be to the supermarket tomorrow, and stock up for a few days.” She’d been too tired to shop, wanting to get to the cottage and relax.
Lucy then took her bags upstairs to the master bedroom, unpacked her clothes and put them neatly away. She hadn’t brought much in the way of posh casual with her, as she was planning on doing a lot of walking, sightseeing and photography. Consequently she’d packed clothes that were suitable for these activities, and anything the Yorkshire climate could throw at her. She’d also packed her trusty walking shoes. While putting them away she wondered how many miles she’d actually done in them. Lucy loved walking, it was one of her favourite pastimes and an enjoyable way to keep fit and trim in the process.
She wasn’t going
to pack anything dressy as she had no intention of going out in the evening, especially on her own. But at the last minute Lucy had thrown in a couple of items, just in case. She’d probably spend most of her time in the cottage watching the television and reading.
Lucy looked in the mirror above the dresser where she’d just put some of her clothes.
“But maybe, just maybe, I’ll pop out to the local pub,” she said, as she emphatically shut the drawer and then grimaced at her reflection.
“Yeah, and just who am I trying to kid? I might as well book a flight to the moon—I have as much chance of doing that as going into a pub on my own.” She made a mental note though, to keep her options open.
The brochure had described a small enclosed garden, and that’s where she took herself once she’d made the coffee she was now desperate for. It was a lovely little area about fifty feet long and fifteen feet wide. There was a small deck just outside the kitchen door, which spanned the width of the house, where to one side sat a table with four chairs around it. Beyond the decking was a neatly maintained lawn edged with flower beds full of shrubs and flowers. The whole garden was enclosed by a six foot larch-lap fence, giving it a secluded feel. Lucy sat at the table and took a sip of her coffee and sighed. It was good to relax after the long drive up. She sat with her coffee for a few minutes, then got up and went back into the kitchen, grabbing her backpack and then settling back in the garden. Lucy took a large drink of her now cooler coffee and then rooted about in her backpack until she found what she was looking for.
She placed a new small notebook and her fountain pen on the table. Lucy sat staring at the book while she finished her coffee.
“Well it’s no good just staring at it, Lucy, that’s not going to get you anywhere.”
Her idea, when she bought the notebook, had been to make a journal of her holiday. Now, as she sat thinking about doing that, she wasn’t so sure it was a good thing. Lucy had never been one to keep a regular account in her life, or even of her life. She never understood the need to jot down every little thing that happened on a daily basis.
“Mind you, it would obviously help if I ever decided to write my memoirs, I’d need to have some decent notes to guide me. But I’m not going to write my memoirs am I?” she asked the birds in the beautiful garden.
“Maybe I should write things down. It may stop this habit I seem to have acquired of talking to myself.”
Finally Lucy opened the notebook to the first page. She stared at the blank whiteness that stared back at her, defying her to mar that said blank whiteness with her inadequate words. She uncapped her fountain pen and started to write.
Saturday 8th September
It was lunchtime when I arrived at what was to be my home for the next fortnight.
“Well that’s a start. Time for another coffee.” Lucy smiled, she knew she was putting off writing in the journal, but she did want to have a go just to see if she could manage it. She made a second cup of coffee, put one of the cup-cakes she’d bought on a plate, and sat back at the table to begin writing again.
It’s a lovely little cottage at the end of a terrace. There’s a beautiful back garden, which is a completely secluded suntrap. It must get very warm in the summer, maybe I’ll come back next year. I could even sun bathe naked if I wanted, although I might scare the local wildlife. You come into the cottage via the front door into a small lobby, then another door to a little passageway. On the left are the stairs to the bedrooms and to the right a door to the lounge-diner and past that door is one opening out onto the kitchen, which is a good size and will suit my culinary needs. Not that I intend to do any gourmet cooking while I’m here. At the end of the lounge area is a bay window, complete with a built-in seat that overlooks the little green out the front. There doesn’t seem to be much traffic, so it’s very quiet and just what I need. Upstairs it’s got two double bedrooms and quite a large bathroom. I’ve chosen the larger of the two bedrooms, which I call the yellow room, as it has daffodil yellow walls with beige curtains and bedding. The other bedroom I will call the pink room as that’s the predominant colour. The bathroom is a light blue and has a dolphin shower curtain for the over the bath shower. I think it must have been a third bedroom at one time as it’s very spacious. I’ve heard a lot of owners sacrificed one of the original three bedrooms to have a bathroom upstairs, and then they extended the kitchen. It’s exactly what I did in my own house.
After her divorce, Lucy bought a three bedroom mid-terrace house where the bathroom was downstairs. It backed onto the kitchen, a setup Lucy didn’t like so she decided to move it into one of the bedrooms. She then extended the kitchen and finished it off with French doors opening onto the garden. Lucy really didn’t need three bedrooms, and preferred to have her bathroom upstairs. When she had guests to stay she didn’t want them to have to trek down narrow and steep stairs in the middle of the night.
There’s a living flame gas fire surrounded by a chocolate brown three piece suite, consisting of two lovely big armchairs and a sofa. I have a feeling I could end up spending my whole time curled up with a good book. It will be so nice to sit in front of the fire, now the evenings are getting cooler. This would be a great house to live in, as it feels so comfortable and warm. The décor gives off a wonderful ambiance but it wouldn’t be practical as it’s too far away from Alexi and David. The lounge area walls are painted in a pale cream that complements the brown of the three piece suite very well. Bare real wood floorboards in light oak are finished off with a large, thick wool rug the same colour as the suite. A tall bookcase, with books and some ornaments, is on the left side of the chimney breast. On the right handside is a modern flat screen television on a corner unit with a music centre on a shelf underneath. The whole room looks as if it’s from a Homes and Garden magazine photo-shoot. In the dining area, which is quite big, the wall colour is carried through as is the flooring. The dining suite consists of a medium sized table with four chairs made of solid wood in a slightly darker oak than the flooring. If I knew three other people up here, I could entertain them quite comfortably. There’s a sideboard for the cutlery, crockery and place mats. I got a good deal with this cottage and I’ll certainly be very happy here. It seems to have been recently refurbished, but I saw no reference to that in the information the letting agent sent me.
I’m looking forward to exploring the Abbey, but the one hundred and ninety-nine steps leading up to it sound quite daunting. I’m assured by the guidebook that the trip up the steps will be well worth it. The views are supposed to be quite spectacular and the Abbey, although a ruin, will give me a great photo opportunity. It looks very impressive, even though I only saw it at a distance when I drove in.
Lucy stopped and read over what she’d written. She was quite pleased with the amount she’d managed to get down on paper, especially as it was her first attempt. Maybe writing wouldn’t be that hard after all. Although she did feel what she’d done so far sounded more like a sales brochure than a daily journal.
She looked at her watch, it was nearly three o’clock. Lucy decided she would have a relaxing bath and prepare an early dinner. Then she’d settle in the lounge for the evening. After gathering up her empty coffee mug, plate, book and pen she went indoors.
Lucy went up to the bathroom to run her bath. While she waited for it to fill she quickly got chicken and vegetables ready for a stir-fry.
Laying back in the bath, Lucy sighed as her muscles relaxed in the warm water. She slid under the water and shook her hair out as she came back up for air. She laughed at herself for behaving like a twelve year old, and realised how much she was looking forward to this holiday. It was going to be like a little adventure after the last couple of years.
LUCY HAD DIVORCED Brian, her husband of thirty-five years, two years ago. It was a mutual decision, but instigated by Lucy. If she hadn’t said anything they both would have carried on, probably until they died. Their marriage had been happy and in the beginning they’d been madly in love. The b
irth of their only child, Alexi, five years into the marriage was the icing on the cake. They both loved Alexi to bits and would have liked more children but it wasn’t to be. They lived their lives like so many other couples, but around the time Alexi left home to go to University things changed. At least they did for Lucy. There was only her and Brian to care for and it wasn’t enough. Lucy got a promotion at work and more responsibility, but she still felt there was something missing. She wanted more out of life and decided to go to adult education. Lucy hadn’t performed well in her exams at school as she’d been lazy, so much so her reports would often read—Lucy is a very capable pupil but could apply herself more.
So in her forties Lucy was ready to apply herself more. It was so much easier to study as an adult and she enjoyed her classes, and the process of learning, more than she ever had in school. Brian couldn’t understand her need for learning after all this time, but Lucy knew it wasn’t about passing exams. It was about having a life of her own after being a wife and a mother. Doing this helped her fill the gap. They’d muddled along for almost twenty years before she realised they couldn’t go on like this. Now she wanted to be Lucy.
Finally she plucked up the courage to speak to Brian.
“I think we should get a divorce,” she blurted out. It was as if she were commenting on buying a new car. She couldn’t believe she’d actually voiced what she’d only briefly contemplated.
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