Chapter 4

I did a bit more work, preparing for the new boat and spent a fair few hours out and about with my faithful collie. I had never done so much walking before, nor had I taken so many photographs either, even taking one from the same spot as earlier but with different light. {https://1drv.ms/u/s!Al_8HgVUN9_pjRKVX5tTD5doQr3V?e=BL8TsH}

I didn’t get to see Ginny again until Friday afternoon when she called around, ostensibly to check what time we were going to the whisky tasting. When I told her that we had a few hours to spare, she rang Jane and told her to pick us up at 6:30. We spent those intervening hours in my bed, seeing who could pleasure the other the best. I won, though Ginny, half-heartedly and good-naturedly complained that I was too old to get it up often enough for her to stand a chance. I did mention that even in my prime I’d have never have matched the double figures Ginny had achieved.

‘Do you have anything planned for the weekend, David?’ Jane asked on the drive into Dorchester.

‘Work, I’m afraid,’ I replied only a little despondently.

When you build a boat with all its complexity, there are nearly always little things that are missed or not done quite to the new owners satisfaction. On average I find that I am required to visit a boat about once a month, or had when I was doing four or five a year. With the odd exception, customers accepted these teething problems.

‘I have to go up to Llangollen in North Wales, to put a couple of things right on one of my boats.’ I said before explaining why.

‘Don’t you get fed up with it?’ Ginny asked.

‘No. If you have spent seventy thousand pounds plus, then you deserve a great boat and correcting niggly problems is built into that price.’

‘Will you stay up there over the weekend?’

‘Yes! It is another beautiful area, so I’ll take the camera and stay Saturday night and drive back late on Sunday afternoon.’

‘How much work have you got to do?’ Ginny asked.

‘A couple of hours at most.’

The talk then switched to the ‘rumour’ around the village that Ginny had been seen leaving my cottage, looking suspicious.

‘Downright guilty more like,’ laughed Jane. ‘Still, gives them something to talk about. I wish I felt as comfortable doing such things.’

Ginny went quiet for a few minutes but before she could say anything we’d reached the vintner’s.

‘You go in David, I just want to check something,’ ordered Ginny.

The others were already there, so I didn’t notice her few minutes absence. The evening was a good one, with ten good single malts, including coincidently a Welsh one. My favourites were a sixteen year old Mortlach and a thirty year old Glenfarcles, both of which were Speyside whiskies. I plumped for a bottle of the Mortlach, mainly because it was a third of the price of the other. Jack and Peter both preferred the peaty taste of the Islays and each bought a bottle of Bunnahabhain. Tim decided against any purchase but once again Ginny surprised me by going for a cask strength Aberlour A’bunadh, another by a Speyside distillery.

Our Manor Bar bought two Islays, two Speyside and the Welsh one.

As soon as we were in Jane’s car, Ginny asked her stepmother if she’d thought about it. I had no idea what ‘it’ was.

‘Yes Ginny and I think it is a good idea, assuming David agrees.’

‘Oh goody, he will and you won’t be disappointed I promise.’

‘I will agree to what?’ I asked completely baffled.

‘I thought that you might like some company for your trip to Wales and Jane could do with a nice break, so I put the two together.’ Ginny explained.

‘I’d love to have you come with me Jane,’ I said looking at her, ‘but there is one small problem.’

‘And what is that?’ Ginny asked.

‘Aggie! I can’t leave her here and the hotels won’t allow her in so I tend to sleep in the van.’

I noticed a slight sigh of relief from Jane, so added, ‘and judging by that sigh Jane wasn’t really that keen anyhow.’

Jane turned sharply to look at me for a few seconds before returning her attention to the road ahead. ‘You misinterpret me David. I’d don’t like to admit it but the relief was that your reason is totally valid and had nothing to do with me.’

‘Why would it have anything to do with you?’

Ginny answered for me. ‘Step-mummy here thinks that because I share your bed occasionally that you won’t want her. Considering she is so confident in just about everything else, she has none where men are concerned. She won’t even accept that she is beautiful.’ Said a very frustrated Ginny.

‘Is that true Jane?’ I asked.

Our driver nodded but didn’t comment.

‘Jane, do you really want to come with me?’

‘Yes!’ she answered simply.

‘Then I shall ring a few hotels in the area and see if any take dogs, though I suspect we may have to use a B&B. Now for the tricky question. Are we talking one room or two? Before you answer, I’m happy with either scenario.’

‘One,’ said Ginny.

‘Sorry Ginny, I didn’t ask you?’

‘Definitely one room and one bed,’ Jane said strongly and even in the poor light I could tell that she was blushing.

‘Well I must admit, that is my preferred choice too,’ I responded with a grin.

‘Well surprise, surprise,’ laughed Ginny. ‘Tell you what, why don’t you leave Aggie with me, I’m sure that we’ll both love it, at least for a weekend.’

After due consideration, I agreed. Aggie had enjoyed being with Ginny, at least when she got the chance.

‘What time in the morning?’ Jane asked after a couple of miles.

‘I’ll call around at six, if that’s alright.’

‘Okay, I will make sure that I am ready. Do you want to go in my car?’

‘Yes, but I’m afraid that it’ll have to be the van, because I’m never quite sure what tools I’m going to need.’

The following morning I was up bright and early, and by that I mean that the weather was bright, not me. Aggie was as lively as ever and enjoyed her earlier than usual stroll. I think we were both a little bit surprised to hear a little voice call as we passed one of the village cottages.

‘Hi Mr. Aggie,’ said Lisa Marie, ‘are you taking Aggie for a walk?’

‘Yes, just a quick one today.’ I couldn’t help but smile at my new name.

‘Can I come?’

‘I think you’d better ask your mother.’

‘K!’ she responded skipping back to her house, before returning a few seconds later pulling her mother by the hand.

‘You remember now, mum?’

Her mother looked at me fleetingly before lowering her eyes. ‘Yes Lisa Marie, I do now but I don’t think it wise to go wondering off with a strange man.’

‘Pleeease,’ her daughter whined.

‘You heard your mother. Maybe another time.’ I said.

‘But you won’t hurt me like daddy did, will you?’ She pleaded, using her big blue eyes to great affect.

My heart went out to the poor child. If she had been abused then it was almost certain that her mother had too and probably worse. No wonder she struggled to meet my eyes. I knew that as a 6’ 6” man, I could look quite intimidating.

‘LISA MARIE!’ Shouted her mother, or at least loud enough for the little girl to cringe slightly.

‘No Lisa Marie, I won’t ever hurt you. Aggie would bite me if I did,’ I said kneeling in front of her. ‘But if I was going to then I wouldn’t tell you, now would I?’

The last bit nearly got a smile from her mother, but did get me a big grin from Lisa Marie.

‘I’ll tell you what. I am going away for a couple of days and when I get back we can all go for a walk.’ I looked at her mother, whose name I still didn’t know. I saw a mouthed thank you before she took her youngster back into the house.

After a rather short walk, I managed to still get back and to be up at the Manor in time to pick Jane up before six. Aggie disembarked whilst Jane put her things into the back. Ginny was up to see us off and any thought of my beloved collie missing me were blown away the moment Ginny threw a ball for her.

We set off almost immediately, as it was at least a four hour drive and I wanted to get the job out of the way so that we could have some fun time. We talked almost none stop and we discovered a lot about each other. I talked about my kids, my disastrous marriage and other relationship. I explained how and why I’d gotten into boats as a career. I’d already touched on Uncle Jim and the reasons why I’d moved to Dorset but went over it again anyway.

Jane told me about her husband, how they’d met not long after his first wife had been killed in a car accident and how a drunk driver had killed him when he was out riding his favourite horse. As I’d already seen, his daughter Ginny was a huge part in Jane’s life and they had played an equally massive part in getting over his death. She was honest enough to say that she didn’t really know if she was yet ready for another long-term relationship, but still wanted some male attention occasionally.

I then mentioned my meeting with Lisa Marie and how it had slipped out about her father hurting her.

‘David, there is a really sad story behind that. About three and a half years ago, Donna killed her husband,’ Jane told me and ignoring my stunned look continued. ‘It seems that for years he had been knocking her about but he always seemed repentant after and she stayed with him.’

‘I’ve never understood that. Leopards never change their spots as they say.’

‘Oh I agree, and as a magistrate I see that more than most. Anyway, this one time, when he had finished with her he started on two year old Lisa Marie. Donna begged him to stop but just got hit again for her troubles. She used a kitchen knife to make him stop and I do not blame her at all.’

‘Good for her, I say,’ I added.

Jane agreed, but explained that not everyone felt that way. There were still men from the middle ages who thought of women as chattels. Some villagers still refused to acknowledge her or her daughter, mainly those who were her husband’s drinking pals. I made a silent vow to help Lisa Marie and her unfortunate mother anyway that I could.

A toilet stop at Hilton Park services on the M6, just north of Birmingham, was enough to end that topic and when we continued the talk became more general.

As we approached Froncysyllte, a few miles before Llangollen, I told Jane to look out towards the right.

‘Wow!’ She said at the first glimpse of Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. My love of canals and their history ensured that I could tell Jane all about it. Designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1805, it is the longest and highest aqueduct in Britain and is a World Heritage Site. The name for most of its existence was known as ‘Pont y Cysyllte’ which is Welsh for ‘Bridge of the Junction’. It consists of a single cast iron trough supported 126 ft above the River Dee on iron arched ribs carried on nineteen hollow masonry piers.

Jane seemed almost as impressed by my knowledge as by the aqueduct itself. I took the opportunity to stop and take a quick photograph. {https://1drv.ms/u/s!Al_8HgVUN9_pjRtzx1iXa1zn6dpT?e=nJaj8d} Jane was amazed at the height of the aqueduct when we saw it from below {https://1drv.ms/u/s!Al_8HgVUN9_pjRaOG7EcWF_DM7d-?e=maayDN}

‘That’s were we’re heading. The boat is in Trevor Basin on the far side of the aqueduct.’

‘That means we are here. Good, I could do with a stretch.’

‘One or two more photos first.’ I turned off the A5 and onto the Trevor road before almost immediately turning off that to park by the side of the canal.