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How we met: 'He asked if I'd like a fork for my chips'

When Rachael Simpson was invited to a battle reenactment held by The Sealed Knot, a historical association, in May 2010, she jumped at the chance. “My friend turned up to a fancy dress party in this 17th-century gear,” she says. “I found out it was a costume for one of her battle reenactments and decided to join her for an event at Edzell Castle.” At the time she was studying nearby in Aberdeen and working as a horse-riding instructor.

Meanwhile, Lewis Jones, a student, was also making his way to the reenactment from London. “My dad got me into the events when I was a kid, and they were always fun. You can join a regiment like you can a football team and every battle has a theme. They’re often educational events for the public,” he says. “As well as the reenactment, we would show weapons from the period and talk to children. They are hands-on history lessons.”

The night before the battle, Rachael and Lewis gathered under a gazebo with other attendees to eat fish and chips. “We didn’t speak much, but he asked if I’d like a fork for my chips,” Rachael recalls. The next day, during the battle, they were on opposing sides, but met up later for cocktails. “I’m not sure margaritas were very authentic to the period,” laughs Lewis. “I enjoyed talking to Rachael and didn’t feel cripplingly shy like I usually would have.” She was struck by his height and good manners. “I don’t think I left my seat once during the party. We just clicked.”

After the event, they went their separate ways, staying in touch via instant messenger. Four weeks later, they scheduled their first proper date in Doncaster at a reptile show. “Rachael kept snakes then, and I was terrified of them,” says Lewis. They still had a great weekend together.

They met again for another battle reenactment in August and made the decision to give things a go. “I moved to Aberdeen to be with Rachael in the autumn while I applied for master’s degree courses,” says Lewis. He took jobs in shops while Rachael continued to work as a riding instructor and completed her own degree. “In 2012, I decided to study international relations, and we moved to Watford together,” he says.

But after meeting when they were both just 21, the pair began experiencing problems. “I was growing up faster than Lewis,” says Rachael. “We ended up breaking up in 2014.” For Lewis, the break gave him the chance to work out what he really wanted. “I’d gained weight and had been feeling unmotivated. I sorted my health out and knuckled down. I came out of my shell and started a career in customer services.” At the same time, Rachael made a career switch, and went into magazine editing.

They met up as friends a year later, before deciding they couldn’t live without each other. “It became apparent how much he’d grown up,” she says. “I realised I really loved and missed him.”

The pair moved in together near Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire in 2016 and became engaged later that year at Edzell Castle. “We pulled up in this awful Scottish weather and the gates were all closed,” says Rachael. “We were out on the lawns trying to find the spot we first met. I turned around to keep the rain off my face and when I looked back he was down on one knee.”

In August 2018, they married, and now live together with their two dogs, Brian and Nero, six chickens and three giant African land snails. “We love going for long walks, playing games and watching movies,” says Rachael. “We’re definitely homebodies, but we just love being together.”

Lewis likes that his wife pushes him out of his comfort zone. “She always wants me to be the best version of myself.” For Rachael, it is her partner’s unwavering support that keeps the spark going. “He’s very intelligent, funny and compassionate. Whatever hare-brained scheme I propose, he always goes along with it. He has total faith in me.”