The beautiful Downshire village of Clerembeax St Giles was situated to the west of Abbeyvale located between Grace Hill and Bushy Down and on the outskirts was the Clerembeax Palace Hotel and Spa and when Yvonne Labuschagne inherited it from her cousin, the last remaining Clerembeax, she undertook the task of modernizing the Palace and opening a Hotel and Spa offering, fitness classes, gym, rock sauna, infra-red sauna, aroma steam room, ice fountain, drench showers, Jacuzzi, a Romanesque pool, Reflexology, Raki, facials, scalp massage, hand massage, Manicure and Pedicure, while also providing accommodation, meeting and function rooms, a superior restaurant and whatever temptation might attract potential visitors.
She was by profession a masseuse and had worked for many years along with her late husband at the Dancingdean Spa Hotel in Childean.
Staffing the Hotel and Spa was crucial, and Yvonne used her contacts in the Spa world to find the right specialist people in her field of expertise’s and employed Hannah Morgan to fill the remainder of the roles, on the understanding that she employ from the village populous where possible, and that was how the Ward girls came to work at the Palace.
The Ward family had a small holding on the North side of the village, parents Jack and Olive, and daughters Donna, Felicity, Josephine, and Maxine.
It was a profitable concern and gave them all a modest living but when the Palace opened, it gave them a chance to supplement their incomes without having to travel to Abbeyvale.
They were all hard-working girls and didn’t care what work they did so Hannah Morgan didn’t hesitate to offer them all housekeeping jobs.
Donna was the oldest at twenty-five and the smallest at 5ft 2.
But she was wiry and strong with thick chestnut coloured hair.
With the girls all working shifts at the Spa it was necessary to employ some extra labour when harvest time came around.
Which was when Laura Van Zyl came into Donna’s life.
She was smaller than her and even thinner and although they had both spent their entire lives in the village they had never met.
Laura was only 18, shy, naïve and sweet natured and all alone in the world she didn’t really understand.
She had been raised by a bitter, mean spirited and domineering mother.
Her father had deserted them when she was a baby and her mother blamed Laura and made her life a misery.
But now she was free and living in the cottage in which her mother kept her imprisoned, but there was only a little money, so she had to work.
Donna took her under her wing immediately and showed her how things were none.
“You’re a quick learner” Donna said “Like my Phil was”
“Thank you” Laura said meekly
During the first week of harvesting they got on really well although the conversations were fairly one sided as Laura was as quiet as a mouse, while Donna prattled on, Phil did this, and Phil did that, but Laura didn’t mind, she’d never had anyone that talked to her before.
After a couple of weeks at the farm Donna said
“You’re a really hard worker, we could use you up at the Palace”
“Really?”
“Yes, I’ll get you an application form if you like” she said
“Oh, I can’t do it then” Laura said
“What do you mean?”
“I can’t read or write” she said quietly and started to cry
“Don’t cry honey” Donna said
“I’ll help you with the form”
“Will you?” she asked as she wiped tears off her cheeks with her sleeve
“Yes of course”
“But what if they ask me to read something, or fill something in while I’m there” she said in a panic
“You’ll be making beds and cleaning bathrooms” Donna said “All you need to be able to do is recognize room numbers, and I know you can do that”
“But…”
“And I will teach you to read and write” Donna said
“Honestly?” she asked and began crying again
Over the next couple of months Donna was good to her word, she helped Laura fill in the form, and got her an interview, and explained to Hannah Morgan about the illiteracy, which they were already addressing, and Laura got the job and by the beginning of December Hannah had waived the remainder of her probation because she was such a hard worker.
Also, over that period Donna also took it upon herself to introduce Laura to things she had not been exposed to in her earlier life.
Donna already knew that her knowledge of popular culture was virtually non-existent, so the cinema was an obvious choice, as was bowling and Pizza.
But there was one thing that she was reluctant to introduce her to, which was very important to Donna, the Church.
The Ward Family had always been churchgoers and not out of a sense of duty, the whole family had very strong faiths, but Laura was a blank canvas, but at the end of November Laura suggested they do something as they both had Sunday off.
“We could go shopping” Laura suggested
“I can’t” she replied “I have Church in the Morning, it’s the first Sunday of Advent”
“I don’t know what that is, is it important?”
“Yes” Donna replied and then explained its significance
“Could I go?” she asked
“Anyone can go” Donna replied
“Could I go with you?”
“Of course, you can Honey” she said and smiled at the sweet innocence on her face.
“Is it always like that?” Laura asked as they left St Giles’
“Sometimes it’s even better” Donna replied “I take it that you enjoyed it”
“Oh yes”
“Well if you liked that then you’ll love the Carol Service, Christingle, Midnight Mass and Christmas Morning”
“And I can go to all of them?” she asked innocently
“Yes honey” Donna replied and put her arm around her
Laura had lunch with Ward family and then afterwards she and Donna delivered a van load of Door Wreathes, Holly Boughs and Sprigs of Mistletoe to the Hotel.
There were plenty of willing hands at the Hotel to help unload the van but before they left she needed to go and get the delivery signed for by Hannah, so she parked the van and went inside.
It only took a minute to get the manifest signed off, but before they left Donna spotted Graham Watts, who was a shy young lad that Donna knew fancied one of her sisters, so she thought she’d have some fun with him before they left, so she snaffled some mistletoe and went after him.
When they caught up with him he was on the first floor.
“Hey Graham, you’re taller than us, can you hang this sprig over this door?” Donna asked pointing above the door.
“Oh ok” he replied and adopted a strange ungainly stance before reaching up, at which point they both kissed him on the cheeks beneath the mistletoe, just a peck on each cheek, but that was enough to make him turn beetroot red, drop the mistletoe and rush through the doors unceremoniously.
They both fell about laughing at his reaction and then Donna held the mistletoe above Laura’s head as she adopted Graham’s distinctive stance and she kissed her, but unlike with Graham it didn’t stop at a peck, in fact it didn’t stop at all, and the recipient didn’t run away red faced down the corridor.
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