SO FAR: Divorcee Hope Honeybun's interest in young Mr Carson is that Nash writes a little and seems to have a worldly attitude so she commissions him to write a novel based on her colorful and turbulent life, much of which spans the time she has lived in the valley. Nash hears with interest about the development of the valley and about her lusty father and his women and reasons he must probe to find out about Hope's sex life. It appears this is a Valley of Sinners. He has indulged himself in one sinner and Hope's daughter Lisa arrives home and her interest in Nash appears heading for a lusty coupling but she returns to Sydney without that happening. Author Nash learns about illegitimate children and that Hope has made provision to compensate for these sins of her late father. There are two dangerous men as Hope terms them in the valley and she becomes increasingly concerned as she finds Nash is beginning to learn too much and the passing interest her youngest daughter had in Nash appears to be turning into a fixation.
*
In drifting off to sleep Hope Honeybun had been thinking of her long dead father. She'd brought him to mind because this novel she had commissioned, now changing form to become Hope's autobiography. Talking about the project kept reviving his influence -- good and bad; after all, he was one of the original sinners of the valley.
Her mind slipped back to 1993.In mid-March of that year, two months after his seventy-second birthday, Cedric Honeybun watched the last of the hand-picked grapes in the Home Paddock being trucked off to the winery with Hope leaning on the rail of the balcony beside him.
"Neven is expecting this vintage will be our best Montgomery Cab/Sav and optimistically has ordered labels to be worded Montgomery's Reserve Home Paddock Cabernet Sauvignon," Hope said. "This is surprising because the prediction for the whole district is for an average vintage."
"Averages don't automatically apply to micro-climates and localized weather patterns," retorted her father. "It looks as if I'll be achieving my high hopes for that block at last. The vines are getting some age on them now and we've had a wonderful run of weather this season -- actually the fewest days of high humidity that I can recall. Drago's stepped up supervision also has resulted in improved vine management. I am very pleased. By the way, how's Marko getting on with his studies?"
"Very well, according to Neven, but he would be expected to say that, with Marko being the baby of the family," Hope said. "Marko's home at present and is sharing wine-making duties with Neven. According to Neven he's a pain in the ass to work with as he's insisting old equipment be replaced, which is costing them a packet, and is fastidious about winery hygiene." "Good for Marko, as that's the way it has to be even for low-cost wines they output," Cedric nodded. "The days of making wine commercially by doing what daddy did are over, well and truly, and even Neven accepts that."
"Yes daddy. They begin their new executive structure this next season. Neven remains managing director of course, but removes himself from wine-making duties. He'll switch completely to winery management and director of marketing. Drago will continue to be director of field operations and takes on Neven's responsibilities for building maintenance, while Marko becomes chief winemaker with responsibility for production line operations and equipment maintenance and replacement. Dog's body Mimi will continue to run the day to day operation will be conferred with the new title of sales manager."
"Yes, I saw the write up about her appointment in the local newspaper. I guess you left that page open for me to spot?"
"Yes, daddy. I'm a good girl, aren't I?"
"Only the best, love," Cedric said, placing an arm over her shoulder and hugging her affectionately. "Come on, jump into the Chevy and take me to town and shout me lunch to celebrate our end to harvest. Mimi says the big party will be held Saturday week when all crushing and pressing will have been completed and the juice from contract growers in Poverty Bay will have arrived and gone into fermentation tanks. The red grapes will come later from Hawkes Bay."
"Poverty Bay is now generic Gisborne, daddy. Poverty Bay does not fit with modern day marketing imagining."
"It was Poverty Bay when I went to school, and will remain Poverty Bay geographically to me," Cedric growled.
"Yes, a little like an official geographical authority change that turned Mt Egmont back to Mt Taranaki."
"Mt Taranaki? Never heard of it," Cedric said slyly but was ignored.
On the Monday after the fabulous Saturday night dinner-dance at the winery, Cedric was home alone. Hope had left the previous day to spend two days with friends in Hamilton. The phone went -- it was Mimi. Neven had gone sailing for a couple of days, so Mimi wondered if Cedric would like to go out for lunch. Cedric knew of course, she was letting him know that Neven was out of town and that she could manage to evade the rest of the extended family, so he invited Mimi to come over and wear something sexy.
After Cedric's death Mimi told Hope about this occasion as Cedric had discussed it with her. He put down the phone thoughtfully: Hope away for two days and Neven away for two days; was that's a coincidence or not? One or both could be lying about their whereabouts. Cedric didn't worry about Mimi making the possible connection of adultery between her husband and Hope -- those two were at it long before Neven came across Mimi in France and she chased after him to snare him as her husband. What will be, will be. Instead, he had something far more serious occupying his mind.
On Friday at lunch in Henderson with his old schoolmate, Toby Smith, Toby had given him bad news. Tests results confirmed that Cedric had advanced prostrate cancer. Toby had urged Cedric to enter hospital immediately as there was a chance that surgery could prolong his life with relatively modest discomfort.
"I'll let you known my decision in a few days, 'Dickhead'," 'Spunky' Honeybun had grinned. "Now finish your claret and I'll get us another couple of glasses. Not a word to Hope, do you hear?"
'Dickhead' sighed and nodded. That request of non-disclosure had been expected, as he was also Hope's medical practitioner.
Mimi arrived looking ripe for the plucking. Physically she was shorter and a little plumper than Hope and was two years younger. Rather than greet her with a kiss, Cedric nuzzled between her half exposed breasts. Mimi closed her eyes and partly melted with a groan, pressing into him.
"Lunch first, or after," Cedric offered. Although they were standing outside the front door, in view of the roadway below, Mimi unzipped and dropped her dress, leaving her dressed only in a sexy bra and high-heel shoes.
Cedric growled, seized the front of her bra with hands strengthen by almost four decades of veterinary practice -- dealing mainly with horses -- and ripped it apart. Mimi squealing unrestrainedly and had her first orgasm. Cedric picked her up and carried her indoors, leaving the dress and ruined bra behind them. He also knew his condition was making it more difficult to perform but had taken pain-killers to avoid extreme discomfort.
Their age difference of thirty-three years could seem a barrier to sex by some people on age alone but not to Mimi or Cedric. He was unable to recall ever shafting a woman older than himself and the age difference between himself and the rural mail delivery woman who occasionally arrived at his door with a parcel and received more than a thank you if Hope was away from home was forty-two years.
Cedric had almost missed Neven and Mimi's wedding ceremony -- which marked the occasion when he signaled his sexual desire to entertain Mimi after marriage -- because he'd been out to humanely dispose of a pony that had broken a leg at the local pony club gymkhana. The eight-year-old rider was inconsolable, screaming hysterically at her parents when Cedric returned from supervising the removal of the pony by volunteers who lifted the body into a horse float.
Cedric simply went down on one knee, held out his arms and the child ran to him and within a minute was reduced to quietly sobbing. The parents and friends were astonished.
"What's your name, love?" Cedric had asked.
"Carol."
"Well, Carol. I'll talk to your dad. I know of a lively young pony just broken in. It is a pony just made for you. If you and your dad are agreeable, I'll deliver it to your paddock before you get home from school on Monday."
"Please -- yes, we accept," interjected the girl's mother.
Cedric looked at the father, who nodded and the girl left Cedric's arms, nodding vigorously at him while walking backwards into her mother's embrace.
"Just do it, no matter at what cost," the father whispered to Cedric.
Cedric looked surprised. "Oh, I'm buying the pony for Carol. I'm not going to half ruin her young life by destroying her beloved pony without providing its replacement, a quite superior replacement."
The vet then strode off to his vehicle, leaving Carol's parents looking stunned.
"How will he know where to bring my new pony?" asked Carol.
"I gave him my card," said her father.
