Chapter six

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"The year was 1960. I was 10 and she was 8. Me and Judith lived on the same road, her parents' old house used to be next to Peters but they sold it to him years ago and he knocked it down and extended his land. We didn't exactly see eye to eye when we were that age, I'd always play pranks on her and she'd always tell my parents. As we got older, we went to the same secondary school and we didn't speak much but I knew she liked me. One day some of the kids from my class saw us both walking home the same way and made up a rumour that we were dating. After a while we both started talking about the rumours and I told her how silly they were and she agreed even though we both knew we liked each other anyway.

One day after school I was walking home and there was a lad talking to Judith who was also just trying to get home. He seemed to be bothering her so I went over and said

'Is this boy bothering you?' and Judith replied

'Yes actually, he won't leave me alone'. The lad pushed her down for saying that and I punched him square in the nose! I said

'You aren't to come back this way or talk to Judith again, you hear me!?'. He ran off whimpering and I took Judith by the hand and pulled her to her feet.

'Thank you' she said to me and I walked her home. We strode hand in hand back to her house and she invited me in for dinner. Her folks cooked us a lamb roast and she told them both how I was her 'hero'. As I was leaving hers that evening, I had just gotten to the door when she pulled me to one side by the shoulders and laid her lips on mine, it was glorious.

From then on, we were inseparable and we didn't have to hide from the rumours anymore. We were the 'it' couple. Judith has been by my side ever since, through school, through university and through the ins and outs of running a successful business. I don't know what I'd do without her, she really is my rock, my lighthouse, my world" he said.

"Wow what a lovely story" I said smiling.

"I'd do anything for Harold" she said in all honesty. They clasped hands and looked into each other's eyes.

"I've just seen Arthur pour some Mojito's; I must go try one" I said to exit the conversation. I wanted to go find out about these invitations.

"Hello Arthur, I'll take one of those if you don't mind" I said whilst picking up a drink.

"How are you this evening? Sir" he asked.

"I'm doing very well. I've been thinking, Harold's a busy man, running a business and all, he probably wouldn't have had time to send out invites to the party. Do you know who might have sent them?" I asked back.

"Me sir, I sent them" he said with a lifeless but honest look.

"Oh, and did you send one out to me?" I asked further.

"No sir I only sent out the six Mr Wingate told me to, there weren't even a spare invite printed to send" he confessed.

"How very odd," I said. I couldn't stop thinking about who must have sent that invite, and why? Was something going to happen? Was it all just some kind of joke like Reggie said? My thought train was interrupted by a large BANG! Eleanor had fallen onto a table and knocked off a few glasses in the process. She had had one too many drinks and needed to sleep it off.

"Arthur!" yelled Harold "Escort Miss Caldwell to her room safely" he told him. Arthur took her under his shoulder and carried her upstairs. The party was wearing thin and everyone seemed tired, with Arthur gone the drinks had stopped and everyone was sitting down relaxing. Arthur came back in with his trolley from dinner loaded with decaffeinated coffee and shortbread biscuits. We all tucked in and prepared for the night to end.

After coffee everyone got up and started to head upstairs. I got to my room, threw on some pyjamas and got under the covers. I tried to sleep but I couldn't stop thinking about everything I heard tonight and why I was invited; it made no sense. A few hours passed by and I was still wide awake. checking the time, it was 2am, I got up, put on a dressing gown and went downstairs.

When I got down, I could hear the faint sound of Sarah and Deborah talking while preparing food for tomorrow. I was about to walk into the kitchen when I heard one of them say

"I can't believe Mr Wingate did that"

"Poor Arthur, he relies on that money every year to help out with Christmas" replied Deborah.

"He told me that he's had to go into debt to get presents for the kids and grandkids," said Sarah.

"Since his wife passed, he's been struggling for money and now Mr Wingate's took away his Christmas bonus, it's disgraceful," said Deborah. I felt sorry for Arthur. He seemed a good man and definitely doesn't deserve to be treated that way.

"I know, he was staring at Mr Wingate so angry after he told him he wasn't going to get it this year. it looked like he was going to kill him," said Sarah.

"At least if he did that good looking detective would stick around a little longer" said Deborah and they both laughed. I enjoyed the way they could be themselves when no one was around. I decided I'd go outside for some fresh air. Stepping out into the garden I was greeted by another guest struggling to sleep.

"Hello," said Elizabeth.

"Hello, what are you doing, up? Couldn't sleep, either?" I asked

"Yes, I know this place was once my home but I miss my actual home, besides it's not like I grew up here anyway" confessed Elizabeth.

"Oh, but I thought your family had lived here your whole life," I said.

"Yes, this was my house, but my home, for most of my childhood, was a boarding school miles away. To be honest with you, my mother and father have always preferred William, I got shipped off to that school and he got home schooled by the best teacher's money could afford. I think my father was hoping for a boy and when I was born, they must have been disappointed.

When William came, I was only young but I remember him getting all their attention, and I was looked after by a nanny. When at school they never cared about my grades or even how I was physically doing, I remember one time a girl punched me and I got punished for it and when I came home for the summer my parents didn't even ask me about it.

William took up that dreadful violin when he was 12 and they absolutely ate it up. They used to tell me that if I was half as talented and successful as my brother then I'd be able to make it in this world. My father was a lot worse than my mother. He belittled me when I told him I wanted to be an author and he still thinks it's a pointless waste of time. You Know one year he brought William the Most expensive violin they sell for his birthday and that was before he could even play it properly.

That same year he didn't even remember it was my birthday, I woke up and everyone was just acting like it was any other day. At breakfast no one even spoke to me, after I went straight upstairs and cried my eyes out. I went back down for dinner and Arthur (who was out shopping that morning) passed me a fairy cake and wished me a happy birthday. My father looked at my puffy eyes shocked and said 'oh... no... we're sorry we've just been dreadfully busy; I'll send Arthur to get you a present first thing tomorrow morning'.

I'm sorry for venting, my parents are just hard to deal with, especially my father" she said.

"No need to apologise, that sounds difficult. Me and my father never got along, luckily for me I had my uncle to fall back on, he practically raised me. I told her.

"It's nice you had somewhere to get away from it all" she said. "I feel better now having told you all that I might actually be able to sleep now. I'm going to head up, I'll see you in the morning" she said before getting up and going back in. A few minutes later I followed suit and went up for some shuteye.

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