OH, THE SHAME, THE SHAME OF IT.
ALISON WORTHYWOOL PURRED CONTENTEDLY, as beside her, Christopher Yarrow dozed in post-coital languor. They were officially ‘a couple’, and although West Garside proprieties would most certainly disapprove, not to mention the Chief Constable, if she were to move into his house permanently whilst still unmarried – after all, this was the 1950s, before the swinging sixties when the world discovered sex for the first time – however, she did manage to stay over a couple of nights each week, whenever her shifts allowed.
As she turned to face him, a small white feather escaped from her pillow. She blew on it sharply, and it floated up in the light, as light, well, as light as a feather. The feather floated back down, and she picked it up, twirling it between her fingers and thumb. Then she leaned over and tickled his nose with the feather, and his nose twitched like a rabbit’s. She smiled in mischievous glee and did it again. His nose twitched again, and he opened his eyes and turned towards her, smiling contentedly as she snuggled up even closer to him.
‘Hey you,’ she said.
‘Hey you, too,’ he replied.
‘Detective Inspector Christopher John Yarrow, I love you,’ she whispered into his ear.
‘I love you too, Nurse Alison Worthywool,’ he answered, running his hand down the smooth curve of her flank. ‘I’ve been thinking; I think I ought to make an honest woman out of you.’
‘Oh no, sir, anything but that,’ she squealed in mock horror. ‘Oh, the shame, the shame of it.’
He took her hand. ‘Alison Worthywool, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?’
She pouted, pushing out her plump lips. ‘Mmm. I will have to think about that.’ She put a finger to her lips and gazed up at the ceiling as if in deep thought. ‘I’ve decided.’
‘And?’
‘I’ve decided I need to think about it some more.’
‘Oh,’ he answered, deflated.
‘I’m teasing you, silly; of course, I’ll marry you. I want lots of your children, at least ten, no, eleven, six girls and five boys.’
‘Mmm, not quite sure how we go about that.’
‘Well, we’d better get some practice in.’