(Part 01)
Downshire is a relatively small English county but like a pocket battleship it packs a lot in, a short but beautiful coastline, a channel port, the Ancient forests of Dancingdean and Pepperstock, the craggy ridges and manmade lakes of the Pepperstock Hills National Park, the rolling hills of the Downshire Downs, the beautiful Finchbottom Vale and farm land as far as the eye can see from the Trotwood’s and the Grace’s in the south to the home of the Downshire Light infantry, Nettlefield, and their affluent neighbour’s, Roespring and Tipton in the north and our story begins in the affluent village of Roespring.
Mark Adams had been in and out of hospital for the ten years following a bad car accident just after his 15th birthday.
But he felt reborn when he and Abigail Evans gave each other their innocence.
She was also 25 and was the verger at St Catherine’s where her Uncle, James Hall, was the vicar.
Abigail was a beautiful red head with pale skin and freckled cheeks with whom he had fallen in love and she with him.
Abigail worked for the Downshire and District Building Society in the Nettlefield branch and Mark worked across the street at the Downshire Journal and when they could they would meet up for lunch.
“Are we going to see each other tonight?” He asked just before they went their separate ways.
“I have Evensong but we can meet at the vicarage afterwards” she replied
“Deal” Mark said and kissed her goodbye and watched her go into the Building Society and then he quickly doubled back to pick up something he was going to need that night.
He got back home about 6pm and went home to change before going to the vicarage to meet Abigail.
Some days they would travel home together but when she had Evensong she always got an earlier train.
As he made the short walk from his home to the vicarage he was feeling rather proud of himself, proud of her, and proud that she was his girlfriend.
He had fancied her for so long, and the Roespring Verger ticked all of his boxes and he wanted her to be more than just his girlfriend.
And it wasn’t just because of the physical side of their relationship, which was amazing and getting better all the time, she was his soulmate and he hoped she was his.
He was thinking that hopefully he could persuade her to bathe in the light of his love forever.
He would just have to ask her and hope he wouldn’t scare her away.
So as he walked up to the front door of the vicarage he had the ring in his pocket.
But as soon as she opened the door to him he forgot it was there because of the way Abigail was dressed, she was still wearing her vestments.
This was not normal, her usual routine was to change in the vestry before going home, but she had not done that, and that distracted him from his proposal because he started having salacious thoughts.
He wasn’t sure why she hadn’t changed but his mind started to wander into lusty territory, what if Abigail was to give him an invitation to canoodle?
If she was he certainly wasn’t going to let it go unaccepted.
Even if there was a lack of attraction, which there was not, what she was wearing would have done the trick on its own, he liked uniforms and outfits, and even though they were both good Christians her vestments certainly didn’t put him off.
It was probably a combination of the fact that she was almost a woman of the cloth, he thought a verger counted, and their faith which made it extra saucy.
So the whole prospect of making love to a Verger, in costume, had made him forget about the ring in his pocket.
(Part 02)
It was probably a combination of the fact that she was almost a woman of the cloth, he thought a verger counted, and their faith which made it extra saucy.
So the whole prospect of making love to a Verger, in costume, had made him forget about the ring in his pocket.
He was sitting on the sofa watching her as she flitted around the room with her white surplice over her full length cassock, clumping about in the stout ankle boots with her Barbie pink socks showing above them.
“So where’s the vicar?” he asked innocently
“He’s gone to Mornington to dine with the St George’s at the Manor”
“Then take your Cassock off and come and have a cuddle”
“I can’t I’m not decent” she said and blushed.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean” she began “That my clothes are in the vestry”
“So you’re naked under that cassock?” he said and she turned to look at him like a rabbit caught in the headlights.
“No I am not” she said adamantly “I’m not a tart, I have underwear on”
“And you walked from the church like that?” he enquired
“Yes but it was dark and no one could see” Abigail said defensively but in her embarrassment she tried to rush past him but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the sofa and she was blushing scarlet red and hid her face behind a cushion.
“I think it’s sexy?” he said and hugged her
“Ow” she yelped
“What’s wrong?”
“Something dug in my thigh” she replied
“Oh yes, I almost forgot” he said and reached in his pocket and brought out a ring box
“What’s that?” she asked in a whisper
“Nothing important” he replied
“Then why was it in your pocket?”
“Well it was something I thought you might like but now I’m not so sure” he replied enigmatically
“I’m sure I would like it” she offered
“Well, I don’t know” he mused and then after he thought he had tortured her enough he added
“But as I have it here you might as well see it”
So he opened the box and showed her and she gasped
“It’s beautiful”
“Do you like it?” he asked
“I really do” she replied as she stared at it
“Good” he said and snapped the box shut and put it back in his pocket
“I just wanted your opinion, it’s for Katie at work”
“But…” she began in disbelief
“I suppose if you really like it you can have it, but on one condition” he said taking from his pocket
“What condition?” she said sadly
“You have to marry me” he said
“What?”
“You have to marry me” he repeated
“You want to marry me?” she asked in disbelief
“Absolutely” he said “but if you don’t want to I can always ask Katie”
“Don’t you dare” she said and snatched the box from his hand
“Is that a yes then?” he asked as she slipped the ring on her finger
“Yes, yes, yes” she replied and punctuated each affirmative with a kiss
“Good, now can I have my cuddle?”
“Yes, sweetheart” she replied then she kissed him again and wrapped her arms around his neck and let out a rather smug self-satisfied sigh.
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