Chapter 33

Amelia-Rose froze as she felt something behind her, despite the snarls and screams that were coming from the undergrowth. She swung round with the gun at the ready. It was Ralph.

"Come with me quickly into the caravan," he said. "They've caught the smell of his blood. We need to get away while they're in their feeding frenzy."

As soon as they were safely in the caravan, Amelia-Rose fell into Ralph's arms, sobbing with relief. Slowly, as she calmed down, she outlined the whole story.

"You didn't ever need to worry about money," said Ralph, sadly.

"But what will I do, how am I going to live - I was just beginning to like it here."

"Look," said Ralph, slowly. "Tomorrow we'll move my caravan down into your garden. At the moment, I pay rent to a local farmer to keep it here so instead I can pay the rents to you and that will give you a small income."

Amelia-Rose 's eyes started shining.

"But aren't there laws against just putting a caravan just anywhere to live in. Surely people will see you."

"What makes you think that I will be living in the caravan?"

Ralph kissed her tenderly.

The last few hours while I've been away from you were the worst of my life. I couldn't believe how much I wanted to be with you again. I couldn't work, I couldn't think and I could hardly eat."

"I don't understand," said Amelia-Rose. "Spell it out for me. I want to be clear about what you are saying. I'm only a simple girl."

He took his handkerchief and tenderly wiped some blood off her face.

"It seemed you got blooded after all," he smiled, "and there you were pursuing a man with a powerful rifle. Quite the fearsome hunter."

His face softened.

"You are not the only one hunting, Amelia-Rose. If I have to pursue you to the ends of the earth, I'll never ever give you up until you are my wife and we are living together ... forever ..."

She whooped with excitement and, as tears of happiness flowed down her cheeks, she wrapped her arms around his strong slender frame trying to press every inch of her against him.

"You don't need to chase me, I'm here and I'm never going to leave."

Suddenly she felt as if all the music in the universe had joined their souls together. Hugging each other tightly, and watching out for the Exmoor Beasts, they went to check on Terence.

The ambulance had arrived and so had the police. The paramedics said unofficially that after a short spell in hospital Terence would probably be fine. But the recovery vehicle which pulled Terence's motor vehicle out of the river, also found John's car with his body in its boot and this turned the investigation into a murder enquiry.

They never recovered the body of the man with the camouflage jacket or caught the animals that had taken him away but they did find the man's bunker with its half open hidden door splattered with blood.

Amelia-Rose and Ralph were married six weeks later, and they even received Kate's blessing who couldn't deny their shining happiness. All the musicians for miles around joined in with the celebrations and they say that one day there may be some more little musicians in the little cottage in the valley between the hills of Exmoor where that kestrel hawk still flies overhead.  

The End
(c) Rob Hopcott 2001

Copyright of this site is Rob Hopcott's, 1999 - 2009, all rights reserved. All characters in this story are fictitious and no reference is intended to any person living or otherwise.
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