This Bulldog Bites – Excerpt 2 – Malcolm Marsh

This Bulldog Bites – Excerpt 2

Ivy reluctantly agreed and that was how she met Freddy Danvers, the son of a bishop, who became after a whirlwind three-month courtship, her husband. His Mother wasn’t sure about Ivy, but when she was introduced to his Father, the bishop and unwittingly addressed him as your highness, she was accepted. The bishop admired her East End charm. He knew that given the chance, she would be the making of his son, and it was also patently obvious that Freddy adored her and she reciprocated.

They were ecstatically happy for a while, then it all ended abruptly. As the war with Germany became reality, not just rumour. Freddy was almost immediately sent to France with his Regiment. He was sadly, one of the first British casualties. Ivy was heartbroken, all of her friends rallied round, but there was no consoling her, she retired to the little country cottage that was to have been their home, where she mourned the loss of her beloved Freddy.

As the years passed by, History repeated itself, we had yet another World War. Ivy did what she could with her colleagues in the Women’s Institute, in her own words, ‘Every little helps’ More years passed by, and people became more affluent, soon ordinary working – class Brits were taking holidays abroad, to countries that most of their parents had never heard of, least of all visited.

Then one day, out of the blue, Ivy received a letter saying that she had won a substantial amount on the premium bonds, she said a big thank you to Mr. Ernest Marples, then carefully placed the cheque in her purse. Never having to hand this amount of money before, Ivy contacted her old chorus line chum, Daphne with whom she had always kept in touch.

Daphne came up with the suggestion that she should take a holiday, somewhere nice and sunny. Ivy suggested a week in Brighton. Daphne managed to convince her after hours of reasoning that she should in fact go abroad. Ivy perused what the holiday brochures had to offer, and chose the Majestic Hotel on Majorca, one of the Spanish Islands,