Olympic Dreaming Ch 19

I think we are getting close to the end of this story now, one, maybe two more chapters unless I can think of further adventures for the gang. In case people haven't read all the previous chapters (please do!), I thought a brief description of the main characters might be useful. Please comment and vote. I look forward to reading any comments, and voting helps me know my effort isn't in vain.

List of characters from previous chapters

David Wilshire—The protagonist. Born in 1993, he grew up in Shropshire, England, and moved to Totton, Hampshire, when he was 15. 2012 and 2016 Olympic Gold medalist in taekwondo and judo. He received the George Cross from the Queen after stopping terrorists in a shopping mall in Manchester.

Keith and Eva Wilshire. David's dad and mum. Sister is Alice.

Alicia - David's fiancé. Met when they were both 16 on the Isle of Mull when David stopped her from committing suicide. They met again when starting at Manchester University. Her parents live in York, in the North of England.

Naomi - also David's fiancé. Met when they were 17 as Naomi was being abducted by four men to raped and murdered, David intervened and saved her. Met again at Manchester University when she was house-sharing with Alicia and Mai. Mother, Diane, is of African descent and lives in London; Diane was recently remarried to Steve; Naomi's father is Scottish.

Mai's - also David's fiancé, parents were refugees from Vietnam in the 1970s and settled in Edinburgh. She met David while on holiday near Bordeaux in France with her sister and cousins. Mai got caught in a rip current, and David saved her from drowning.

Sabrina - also David's fiancé. Met the others while on the same course as Naomi at Manchester University. She was caught in the crossfire when two terrorists opened fire in a shopping mall. David saved her and killed both men, almost dying as a result. She moved in with the other girls soon after.

Egwene - Cornish chef the gang met on holiday in Italy. She is in her early thirties with long red hair and works and lives in a pub in Cornwall.

Astrid - Swedish actress who grew up in France. David's first film was with her and they have recently just finished another.

Brooke - Japanese-American, former MMA fighter and now actress, just filmed with David.

Celeste - African American actress, just filmed with David.

Emily - David (and Astrid's) agent. Husband is Philippe, they have a young daughter, Yvette, that David saved from being run over when she was four.

Lady Urchfont, elderly owner of Tredethick Hall in Cornwall, only son Tobias who is married to Constance and lives in London.

Chapter 19

After returning from California, Mai and I were asked to appear on various chat shows to discuss our experiences. Mai wasn't very comfortable in those situations, so I did most of the talking. There was the usual round of Breakfast shows, The One show -an early evening programme and The Graham Norton evening talk show. I'd been on Graham's show before, and this time, the other guests were Tom Hanks (!) and Dua Lupa, who had recently had a number-one hit in the UK. Tom was fascinating to listen to and as lovely in person as I'd read. Dua Lupa was beautiful and, again, a delightful person to meet.

A week later, we travelled to London and met up with Astrid, Brooke, and Celeste to spend a week re-doing some of the lines in a sound booth that we'd performed outdoors to make them clearer. After our enforced absence, the girls all looked well and enjoyed reconnecting with their families and friends. Stewart, the director and the production team aimed to release 'Retribution 8' in February, and interest was now at a fever pitch after our kidnapping in Mexico. The studio already had green-lit '9', and a script was being written, which was excellent news for the four of us.

In early December, Naomi and Sabrina announced that their firm had decided on Plymouth for the new offices, so we decided to spend the Christmas holidays in the area and see what houses interested us. I contacted Egwene to let her know we'd be down, and she was delighted. Mai and Alicia also started looking for potential jobs in the area, so it was an exciting time.

We stayed at a hotel just West of Plymouth and started house hunting. We'd set a budget of £2m - £5m and found a few estate agents specialising in that price range. We looked at several properties that, while nice, weren't what any of us could say "Wow", so I said I'd come back down in the New Year to continue looking. It was a beautiful part of England, so we'd find our forever home if we searched hard enough. The new office wouldn't open until April, so we had plenty of time and could easily rent again until we found what we all wanted. We met up with Egwene several times, and she was doing well; the pub where she was the chef was getting an excellent name for itself due to her delicious food.

The pub was closed on Christmas Day, so Egwene stayed with us. We cooked her a traditional Christmas meal, although we had to ply her with drinks to persuade her to relax and keep out of the kitchen. It wasn't up to her standard, but it was still delicious, and she enjoyed it. We played silly games in the afternoon and watched 'The Wizard of Oz' and 'Mama Mia' in the evening, all singing along enthusiastically to the songs. Egwene and Sabrina slept with me that night, and Egwene had lost none of her passion.

In January, Mai and Alicia started applying for the jobs near Plymouth they had found, and I returned to the area to continue looking for a house to buy, or rent until we found a permanent home. They were more successful than I was, and each secured interviews at several places while our house search continued.

The premiere for '8' was held in Leicester Square, and I escorted Astrid, Brooke, and Celeste up the red carpet. We had to stop multiple times for the paparazzi to take pictures, and the girls were dazzling in their dresses. The critics loved the film, and like '7' before it, it went to number one at the box office worldwide. I'd made £20m so far on the 2% cut on '7', so even if I were 'only' getting 1.5% for '8', I would still be earning more than I'd ever dreamed of earning in my whole lifetime. We had a big party after the premiere attended by the great and the good of London high society, most of whom I'd never heard of before. While pressing the flesh and trying to pretend I knew who on earth some of the social influencers were, I spotted Tobias and Constance, so I made my excuses and headed to them.

"Hi!" I said, pleased I'd actually found someone I knew. "How are you both and Lady Urchfont?"

We exchanged pleasantries, and they congratulated me on a great film. We talked briefly about my plane crash, adventures in Mexico, and what I had planned for the future.

"Well, 'Retribution 9' has been greenlit, so I imagine we might start shooting that towards the end of this year or early next. Naomi and Sabrina are moving to a new office in Plymouth, so we are currently looking for a house in the area so that we might be near neighbours of Lady Urchfont later this year."

Tobias was intrigued, so I explained that their companies were expanding and that they would be getting promotions with the move. Mai and Alicia were waiting to hear back after some interviews, and I would be down in Cornwall again later that week to look for somewhere to rent whilst we kept searching. Tobias and Constance congratulated us on our news, but then Emily apologised and dragged me away to talk to some directors who wanted to discuss some projects with me, so we didn't get to speak any more.

One of the directors had been approached by Michelle's father, the woman we rescued, along with her husband, Brad. Her father wanted to commission a docu-drama of their experience and ideally tie it to ours. I promised to talk to Astrid, Brooke, Celeste and Mai and let him know soon. Broadly, it would be a good idea as long as the script was acceptable and they kept it as accurate as practical. Well, accurate minus all the sex, which, as no one else knew about it anyway, should be possible. Towards the end of the event, I gathered all seven girls in a quiet corner and told them of the proposal I'd been given. I was keen that Alicia, Naomi and Sabrina were also involved in the decision-making process. The eight of us quickly decided that it had to be a unanimous decision and that we should think carefully about it for the next week. We didn't want it to bring back bad memories to any of us.

"Who would play me?" Mai asked. "Would I get some say in it?"

"I know the perfect person to play you!" Brooke said.

"Who?" Mai asked excitedly. "Do I know them?"

"You!" Brooke responded, laughing.

Although Mai was unsure, we agreed with Brooke and assured her she could do it. Eventually, she decided to give it a try if we went ahead with the project. The five of us returned to Manchester on Sunday afternoon, and the girls returned to work the following day. I left for Cornwall after the girls went to work on Wednesday and arrived mid-afternoon to check into a hotel. I'd booked a few viewings over the next few days and intended to look at several rental properties we could stay in while we continued our search. Just as I'd finished my dinner in the restaurant and was heading to the lift to return to my room, my phone rang with an unknown caller.

"Hello?" I asked tentatively.

"Is this Mr David Wilshire?" an elderly-sounding lady asked me.

"Yes," I replied.

"This is Lady Urchfont's private secretary. Her ladyship wanted to invite you for tea. Are you free tomorrow? I believe you are currently staying in the area?"

Of all the phone calls I thought this could be, this certainly wouldn't be in the top 100!

"Er, yes. I'm staying just outside of Plymouth for the next few nights. I'd be delighted to see her. What time should time should I arrive?"

"3 pm sharp," the lady replied. "Don't be late. Lady Urchfont despises tardiness."

"Of course," I replied. "I'll be there on time."

"Oh," Lady Urchfont's private secretary continued. "The dress code is blazer and cravette, in case you were wondering."

"Okay," I said, wondering what the hell a cravette was. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Once I returned to my room, I quickly Googled 'cravette' to find that it was some broad, fancy tie, probably worn by men in the Victorian era. Great. Now I need to go shopping tomorrow for something to wear.

I saw two rental properties on Thursday morning and found a gentleman's outfitter who supplied me with a blazer, shirt, trousers and, of course, a cravette. I almost asked about a top hat, but I thought that might be taking the piss. After getting changed back at the hotel, I drove to Tredethick Hall and arrived ten minutes early. Pulling up in front of the house, I saw Tobias or Constance's Maserati on the driveway.

As I approached the front door, it opened, and Tobias welcomed me in. I was surprised to see him wearing a T-shirt and jeans. Constance was walking down the grand staircase, and she, too, was dressed very casually.

"I hope you don't mind me asking," she said. "But that doesn't look like your normal attire?"

"Er, Lady Urchfont's private secretary told me this was the dress code," I replied in confusion.

Tobias and Constance looked at each other in confusion.

"My Mama doesn't have a private secretary," he replied.

"I think she's playing a joke on you!" Constance laughed. "Well, that's a good sign. She's been so depressed recently. She used to play jokes all the time."

They escorted me through some large rooms into a sunroom. The room was like an enormous conservatory, with stunning views of the grounds and lake.

"What do you think?" Tobias asked.

"Stunning," I replied. "It must have been wonderful to grow up here."

"Yeah, although a bit lonely as I was an only child. But having the freedom to play in this setting helped."

We chatted for a while and then, Lady Urchfont joined us. I glanced at the clock on the wall; it was ten past three. Lady Urchfont saw my glance and smirked.

Well, I thought two could play that game.

I approached Lady Urchfont and bowed deeply, sweeping my arm before me in greeting.

"Your Ladyship," I said in the poshest accent I could muster. "How pray, can your humble servant be of assistance?"

Lady Urchfont squealed in delight as I took her hand and kissed her fingers.

"Well, good sir," she replied in a regal voice. "You can tell me about all your recent daring adventures on the high seas and foreign shores and your future endeavours!"

I stood to see her smiling widely at me.

"I'm sorry for pulling your leg about a dress code!" she said. "I don't know what came over me. Please sit."

I held her hand and escorted her to a chair, keeping in character before sitting myself.

"Well, I'm sure I can use this at a fancy dress party, and the girls will think it would be a hoot if I wear his when I return!"

Lady Urchfont insisted I call her Catherine and asked about my adventures in Mexico.

"Is it true you proposed to all four lovely girls who were with you last time?" she asked.

I explained our plans and that, although not ideal, I would marry each for a few years so that eventually they could all be Mrs Wilshire. To us, we would still be married, just not in law. She asked about the girls, and I told her about Naomi and Sabrina's new jobs in Plymouth and that their prospects looked good at the law firm. Alicia had just accepted a job at the BBC studios in Plymouth, and Mai was also starting in an accountancy firm soon. My acting career was taking off at a remarkable pace, and I was inundated with offers.

I kept trying to steer the conversation to her, but the three of them seemed to want to know so much about me. I hid a smirk as I realised this was almost an interrogation! Perhaps they were just a very nosey family!

Constance and Catherine exchanged a glance, and then Constance said to me.

"Would you like a tour around the house before tea?"

"Yes," I replied. "I'd love that. It's a beautiful house."

Tobias and Constance stood, and we started the grand tour while Catherine went to tell the maid to get tea ready.

Tredethick Hall had been built in 1725 and was set in around 1000 acres of parkland, including an old deer park and a lake. On the ground floor were a library, billiard room, ballroom, a kitchen bigger than my parent's house, an orangery, four reception rooms and a magnificent grand stairway. The first floor had sixteen large bedrooms, ten of which had ensuite bathrooms, plus eight further bathrooms. On the second floor were the old servants' quarters with eight smaller bedrooms and various storage rooms. It took ages to walk around the house, and I was glad I was being escorted as it would be easy to get lost.

We ended up in the grand dining hall again, and refreshments were ready at one end of an unbelievably long table.

We sat down with Catherine and tucked in. Thankfully, the conversation became more mundane, so I didn't feel like I was being grilled anymore. After we'd finished, Catherine told the maid that we'd have cake and tea in the sunroom, and we relocated there again.

"Did you enjoy your tour?" Catherine asked me as the maid poured the tea.

"It's beautiful," I replied. "You could get lost in here!"

"It's such a shame I could only have Tobias," she said. "With so many bedrooms, one should have a horde of children growing up here."

"Don't talk to me about bedrooms!" I laughed. "My fiancés each want a few children in the future, and finding a house big enough isn't easy. We're considering buying a plot of land and building our own."

"What about Tredethick Hall?" Catherine asked.

"What about it?" I replied, confused.

"As you've seen, it has plenty of bedrooms for children," she said.

"If we can find something a tenth as nice as this, we'd love it!" I laughed.

They looked at me.

I looked at them.

"It's not common knowledge," Tobias said. "But Mama was diagnosed with cancer last year, and we'd like her to live with us so she is nearer her specialist in London."

Catherine quickly put her hand up.

"No sympathies, please," she said sternly. "They don't agree with me."

I held up a hand to indicate I understood.

"As Tobias and Constance don't want to live here," Catherine said. "I've put Tredethick Hall on the market. So far, the only interest has been from Russian Oligarchs, Sheiks, Hedge Fund managers and sundry unsavoury foreign billionaires."

She sighed deeply before continuing.

"Our family has lived here for nearly two hundred years, and if I must sell it, I want the next custodian to be a family that will live here and raise their children. Not a rich man's plaything to be used to show off a few times a year."

I stared at her with my mouth open as I realised where this was heading.

"I like you," Catherine continued. "You are an honourable man, and you will undoubtedly need all this space once your future wives start getting broody."

"Um," I replied, my eyes darting between the three of them, not quite knowing how to ask the million-dollar question. Or rather, how many million pounds she was talking about.

"You're probably thinking, can you afford it?" she asked.

I nodded, and she continued.

"We've been asking £20m from the vultures who've enquired so far," Catherine said. "But I'm willing to accept £15m for a quick sale and to get them off my back. Bear in mind that you'll probably need to modernise a bit, and it's a grade 2* listed building, so any changes require jumping through lots of hoops and red tape."

I was at a loss for words, my mind spinning with possibilities. The girls would scream in horror if I said I would spend over £15m on a house. But. But. The look on their faces if they thought we could live and bring up our children here? Priceless. It was a lot of money, but we just about had enough, and all signs were that I was set for at least another £20m from 'Retribution 8'. Emily had lined me up for several other big-money projects, and '9' was not too far away from being finalised.

My eyes wandered around the room, taking it all in and imagining living here. When they finally came back to Catherine, she was smiling at me.

"I take it from that stupid grin on your face that you haven't immediately turned down the idea?" she asked me.

"I can't think of many things that would make me happier than to live here!" I replied. "I'll obviously need to see if the girls approve of it, but I think we know what they'll say. I'll also need someone to check the house over, if you don't mind?"

"You'd be stupid not to," Tobias said. "If you need us to suggest a few local builders and surveyors, we'd be happy to, but I quite understand if you want to find your own."

"No. No, No, that would be very helpful," I stuttered, my mind going a million miles an hour with all the possibilities. "Could I bring them down this weekend to have a look?"

"Of course," Catherine replied. "Do you want to stay here?"

"Oh wow!" I answered. "That would be fantastic!"

"Just let us know how many beds to make!" she said, winking at me.

I blushed, and we continued chatting while Tobias wrote down some contacts for me. I stayed much longer than I'd planned and ended up eating dinner with them and having another tour of the house. This time, each time I entered a room, I imagined us living there. It was an easy picture to paint.

When I returned to my hotel, I video-chatted with the girls and said we should all spend the weekend here. I didn't mention Tredethick Hall or my conversations that afternoon. I'd finally found a potential rental property in the morning, but we probably didn't need one now! I called a local builder and a surveyor from Tobias' shortlist and arranged for them to meet me at the Hall the following week. If the girls were against the idea, I could easily cancel.