The traditional seaside resort of Sharpington-by-Sea with its Victorian Pier, seafront hotels, crazy golf, The Palladium ballroom, well maintained gardens, promenade, theatre and illuminations, has all the usual things to have a great time by the seaside, as well as amusement arcades and of course the Sharpington Fun Park and it was in the grand neighbourhood of Granite Hill, which in a nod to San Francisco, the locals had nicknamed Nob Hill, where the new Curate of St Lucy’s, 35 year old Russell Glavin, was headed.
And the reason he was going up to Granite Hill was to have dinner at the home of a local bigwig, and he was muttering to himself and shaking his head for virtually the whole of his walk, as he reran an incident that happened earlier in the evening.
He was at the home of the Church Warden Henry Appleby for a meeting about
the beginning of Advent, when he needed to pee, so he discreetly slipped away
from the meeting and went to use the down stairs bathroom and no sooner had he
gone inside and locked the door than he spotted a woman sitting on the toilet, with
her tights and underwear around her knees and her skirt hoisted up her thighs.
“I'm so sorry” he said in a fluster “I didn’t
think, I am so, so sorry”
He was in such a state that he didn’t know where to look, but when he noticed her smiling at him he got all
flustered and turned to leave, but his hand was shaking so much that he
couldn’t unlock the door and then he heard her get up and replace her clothing.
“It’s ok I’m not angry” she said, and he turned around to face her
“But I’m so terribly sorry” he said, and she smiled at his discomfort and he got all flustered again and this time when he turned to unlock the door he succeeded and returned to the meeting, just in time for the end, despite the fact he still hadn’t peed.
But as he made the steep climb up to Granite Hill all he could think of was the incident with the young and beautiful young woman with the dark skin and bobbed brunette hair and dark, almost black eyes, and that glorious smile.
When he reached the house, he knocked on the door and was greeted by Henry Appleby, who he had met at the earlier meeting at his home.
“Hello Russell, the lady of the House is in the lounge” he said and pointed the way
“Thanks Henry” He responded and then headed to the lounge as directed, and no sooner had he gone inside and closed the door than he spotted the woman who’d been sitting on the toilet at Henry’s and she flashed him her glorious smile, a smile that reached her dark, almost black eyes, sharp and intelligent eyes behind her gold rimmed spectacles as they sat on her aquiline nose and with her finely chiselled features she was the beautiful side of attractive, and despite his embarrassment from earlier he found himself drawn to her.
“Ah Russell this is our hostess Alesha Khan”
“Alesha, this is our new Curate, Russell Glavin”
“Hello Russell” she said offering her hand “It’s nice to see you again so soon”
“Likewise,” he said shaking her hand and he felt a tingle of electricity pass between them.
“Oh, I didn’t realise you’d already met” Henry said
“It was on a brief hello” she said without elaboration
He knew that she wasn’t at Henry’s for the meeting, she was only there to go through the Parish accounts, so he wasn’t quite sure how they’d met.
“Alesha Khan?” he said “the Children’s Writer”
“Yes” she replied
“I just bought my niece “the Wayward Wiccan” for Christmas” he said “She’s a big fan”
“She has impeccable taste” she said with a laugh
“Now you must excuse me while I check the food”
He was conciderably less embarassed after having met, and been formaly introduced to her, especially as she was fully clothed, so he was able to relax and mingle with the other guests.
In addition to the hostess Alesha, there was a skinny young woman of a similar age, Kim Labuschagne, an illustrator, who was an old school friend of the hostess, and she also assisted in the kitchen, Alesha’s brother Zach, an artist, Henry Appleby, Church Warden at St Lucy’s, Literary agents, Jayson and Kathryn Mercer,
Actresses Kerry Freeborn and Sharon Blackburn and Tim Street who was a Local Historian, so it was an interesting bunch.
When the time came for them to take their seats he found that he was seated between the Actress, Kelly Freeborn, and Alesha, and as the actress seemed to be focusing all her attension on the man across the table from her, Jayson Mercer, he found he spent most of the meal talking to his hostess.
She was a delightful young woman, intelligent, witty and a very good cook, toboot, he thought of her as a young woman but she was only younger than him by a year or two.
“So tell me about you niece?” she asked
“Amanda is my sister Liz’s daughter, 12 years old, incredibly bright, a voracious reader, and she can twist me round her little finger” he said proudly “and as she is an only child, I spoil her”
“Is she local?”
“Relatively, they live in Shallowfield” he said “So I see them fairly regularly”
“And do you have any other nephews and nieces?”
“No, just the one” he replied
“What about children of your own?” she asked
“No, sadly, but then I am a batchelor”
“So you’re not the marrying kind eh?” she said and winked
“I wouldn’t say that. I just havent met the right person yet” he replied
“Perhaps you’ve been looking in the wrong places” she said and raised her eyebrows, in reference to their first meeting and they both laughed.
Over coffee Alesha said
“As your niece Amanda is a fan, why don’t you pop round with the book some time and I’ll sign it for you”
“That’s very kind but I wouldn’t wish to presume on your good nature” he protested
“Nonsense, I insist” she said and touched the back of his had, and he felt that tingle of electricity again and he could tell by her expression that she felt it too.
“Thank you” he said after she removed her hand
“That would be great Kudos for me, She’ll think I’m the best Uncle in the World”
“I’m sure she does already” she said and smiled and then people started getting up to leave so he felt that he should too.
Alesha was at the front door saying goodbye to her guests and Russell was the last of them
“So I know you’re going to be busy for the next few days at St Lucy’s as it’s the first Sunday of Advent, and then I’m in Abbottsford for a couple of days, seeing my publisher among other things, so is Wednesday eveing ok with you?”
“That would be perfect” he said and shook her hand, “Good night”
“Good night, Russell I’ll see you Wednesday”
Alesha was right about him being busy on Sunday, St Lucy’s was such a well attended Church that they ran three services, at his previous Parish they barely had enough Parishioners to run one.
When he called round to her house on Wednesday Evening he related his thoughts to her while they sat in her lounge drinking coffee.
“So how did you motivate yourself to so few, was it Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them”” she asked
“No I used an old joke that my Uncle Walter told me many years ago, he was also a clergyman, and a very funny man” he said
“Well do tell” she said in ernest
“Ok then” he said “It was a bitterly cold and bleak Christmas morning and the snow had been falling heavily for hours, and the Vicar stood at the door waiting to greet his congregation, but none came, then just as he had decided to cancel the service, one solitary parishioner arrived, a farmer named John, “Merry Christmas john”, the Vicar said, but alas you’ve had a wasted journey because even though it’s Christmas day I’ve decided there’s no point in having a service today”
“Well Vicar when I go to the fields at feeding time and only one cow turns up, I still feed it””
“That’s a great analogy” Alesha said and laughed delightfully
“Not as poetic as Matthew but very funny”
“Now wheres that book?” she asked and put a lap tray in place in preparation and he gave her it to her and she opened the fly leaf and began to write, and write.
“That’s a very long inscription” he said
“Hush, I’m busy giving you more kudos” she said and chuckled
“There” she said offering the book to him, and snatching it back imediately
“No peeking until she’s read it, promise”
“Promise” he said and she handed the book to him which he put straight in his bag.
When it was time for him to leave Alesha took the cups to the kitchen while he slipped his coat on and when she came back she said
“Its absolutely bucketing down out there”
“That’s ok I don’t have far to go”
“I’ll drive you in the car” she offered
“I’ll be fine really”
“Nonsence you’ll catch your death, and you’ve got a busy time ahead, you still have three advent services, St Lucy’s Day, the Carol Concert, Christingle and then theres Christmas itself, so if you think I’m going to let you get soakd to the skin you are very much mistaken” she said forcefully and found herself buttoning his coat when she was finished “So we’ll go in the car”
“Ok then” he conceeded
As she walked him to the front door he added
“I have to confess I was surprised to find the Author of “the Wayward Wiccan” was a christian”
“Do you mean because my heroine is a pagan?”
“Yes I suppose so”
“Well first of all despite her being a Wiccan she is also a force for good” she said
“And its very difficult to completely sepearate paganism and christianity, especially at this time of year, Christmas itself takes place at the time of the old Roman festival of Saturnalia”
“Well yes that’s true” he agreed
“And the bringing of evergreens in to the home, a wreath on the door, holly boughs, Christmas Trees and of course this…” she said pointing upwards to the mistletoe hanging above them.
“Ah” he exckaimed
“A very potent pagan symbol” she said
“I don’t suppose we could just ignore it” he enquired
“Not really”
“We could pretend we havent seen it” he suggested
“I wouldn’t recommend it” Alesha said gravely
“You wouldn’t?”
“No, it might anger the Gods”
“The pagan Gods?”
“No, the Christmas Gods” she said and kissed him, and it was a gentle tender kiss that made his knees go weak.
“Oh my, that’s very potent” Russell sighed
“Well I think that should appease the Gods” she said and opened the door “For now”
“Oh I think so” he agreed
When she pulled up outside Jubilee Court he was hoping for another taste of pagan potensy but he was to be dissapointed
“I’m off on my travels again” she said “but I should be back on St Lucy’s Day”
“Ok, good night then, and thanks for the lift”
“My pleasure, good night, I hope to see you at the party” she said
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