Chapter 4 - New Digs in Kingham
Adrian arrived from London in ninety minutes or so. He had to use an umbrella walking from the station platform a short distance to the Inn. He smiled with the lingering warmth of the sunny weekend with his lover, Nicole.
The Inn, like many in small towns, was a highway stop for stages before railroads came. Unlike others, the owners had adjusted to changing times, and it served a fine meal and provided a good bed even in the age of the automobile. The innkeeper was a sixth generation of the owning family, who married a local farmer as a girl, but found the inn was in her blood, and presided over the bar with a smile and a hard push out the door for any drunks who made a fuss.
She recognized him immediately as one of the young men from the public school. "Come out of the wet, would you like something hot?"
He sat at the bar, accepting her courtesy and saying a toddy would be very nice. He was the only customer this early in the afternoon. Sipping at his steaming drink, he said, "I'm in my final term and have some new family responsibilities. I would like the freedom of living off, but have to convince the rector that my arrangements are decent and proper. Do you suppose you might provide me room and board for three months?"
She eyed him. Tallish, muscled, handsome. Reddish hair. No rings, no fancy clothes.
"The Inn is fairly busy and I can't afford to let a room go for a low rate. Could you manage twenty pounds a night and ten more for supper?"
He sipped again and thought about it. She added, "There is probably one of the guesthouses that would be less expensive."
They were interrupted by a pretty young woman coming from the back, "Auntie, do you know where those new sheets for the big beds have gone?"
The owner turned to her, "They are still in the cardboard box in the back passage... This young man may stay with us while he finishes school."
He stood and extended his hand, "Hullo, I'm Adrian Compton."
She gave him the slightest curtsy and responded, "How do you do. I'm Inish Miller. I know of you from my brother. He says you are the best back on the team."
She batted her eyes and said to her aunt, "Sign him up. We can try out new recipes on him. If he is not cold in the morning, we have a winner."
The owner, who went by Vicky, said, "You are a saucy flirt, Inish. I'm going to find the scrub bucket for you." They all laughed and he said, "I'll talk to the school tonight when we are all there from break, and if it is ok, I will be back after class tomorrow. Perhaps I will be able to ring you in the morning if it is approved."
As he went out into the rain, the two women looked at each other and Vicky said, "What do you make of that? I suppose it's none of our business, what his family problems are."
Inish smiled and said, "He's handsome enough, and a fine rugby player, my brother says. We will have to feed him well!"
That evening after dinner, Adrian caught the Rector passing by and asked if he could have a moment's conversation at a convenient time. The man obligingly took him along to his office to see what the matter was.
"Sir, my father's business takes him to dangerous places now and then and he has gone missing on a trip. It's been more than a month, and no news. His woman friend is taking it badly and I have been doing my best to comfort her while on break. Since we don't know when things might get better, I'd like to ask that you allow me to take lodgings in the village for my final term. This will give me flexibility in dealing with the situation. I thought about dropping out for now, but so close to graduation, it seems best to try to concentrate on finishing."
"Adrian, you have been a model student and a great athlete for the school. I have no hesitation about allowing this, but is there anything we can do to help?"
"If you'd permit me, sir, could I give that some thought. Nicole, that's my father's friend, is doing better, but shattered by the uncertainty of not knowing. I expect she may come here for a day or a weekend. We are in this together, even though she is not my mom, or married to my father, though they have been living as a couple for years. Her family is in France and she is distant from them. I'll certainly ask if there is help the school could provide."
The Rector told Adrian the necessary permissions would be granted the next day and he was free to move to the village.
On Monday evening, Adrian was sitting in the middle of mess in the upper back bedroom of the Inn. It was small, rustic, and isolated from the other lodgers and the noise of the bar. There was a knock at the door, and Inish entered with a tray. She smiled at the disarray and said, "I thought you might prefer dinner tonight up here, needing to get settled as you are. There's even a brew. Good for the nerves, but perhaps not for the homework?"
He sat back and stared at her pretty face. "Thank you very much. You are a sight for sore eyes. How did you guess so much about me? Please do sit down."
She used an arm to sweep a table clear, making more mess, and set the tray down. "This is my night to serve, and we are in the middle of the evening rush. Would you like me to come back later and lend a hand?"
"Oh, very much. Very, very much. May I give you a thank you kiss?"
She stepped close to him. "You are a bold one, Adrian Compton. Do you think I grant favors the first moment I meet someone?" She rose on her tiptoes and gave him a warm kiss with a tiny bit of her pink tongue at the end.
He sighed and said, "Oh my, I have an instant schoolboy crush. How will I survive?"
Her small hand punched him smartly in the stomach and she scurried away, laughing.
He had finished the delicious meal and was beginning to deal with finding a place for books and his computer when his mobile rang and it was Nicole. They exchanged news of busy days for both of them. She had been to the warehouse with Mark, the real estate man from Cavendish, and made the rounds of the building asking questions about what could be remodeled and when and how. The locks would be done tomorrow, and a man from a security firm was scheduled to drop by as well. Adrian was describing his classes and trying to get organized when there was a soft knock and the door opened. He waved Inish forward, changed his voice, and said, "Yes, I am getting settled. There is the nicest woman here who helps her aunt with running the Inn, and she kindly offered to help arrange this room with me. Yes, she is definitely older than I am and extremely pretty. You had better come up and protect me as soon as possible. You want to talk to her? Are you sure? All right, her name is Inish. You be nice or my assistance will disappear."
The soft voice said, "Hello, this is Inish." There followed several minutes of Inish listening, with frequent exclamations and looks at Adrian. Finally, she said, "Thursday or Friday sure? I'll tell him and I am very much looking forward to meeting you."
She clicked off, and seeing no open chair, sat in his lap. "We must find you a sofa, so every girl doesn't have to just flop in your lap. Although this is a very nice lap." She kissed him lightly.
His arm went around her waist and he said, "You and Nicole seemed to get on. I was worried. She and I have this complicated relationship."
Inish kissed him again and said, "She said she worries about your spending too much time with an old woman and perhaps I might take over your education in certain matters." She kissed him yet again and giggled. "She told me you had your birthday last fall, so that makes me older than you by more than a year. A terrible difference."
He tightened the arm and brushed the thumb of his other hand across the front of her blouse. It encountered one buried nipple and went on to find the other. He growled at her and nuzzled her neck.
"You don't date these silly boys from school, do you?"
"She warned me that you tell wild and exciting stories and can be very captivating."
