Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (16) The Highfinch Curate

 

The village of Highfinch sat just on the edge of the Pepperstock Hills and Lily Green Hollows Golf Club separated the village from the Hamlet of Lily Green and since moving there in January, Nick Faulkner, had completely immersed himself in Village life and they welcomed him with open arms such was the nature of celebrity.

Nick was a TV presenter on a popular sports show and was immediately given membership to the ultra-exclusive Lily Green Hollows Golf Club.

It was a very exclusive Golf Club with a large number of grand House’s in both village and hamlet backing on to it.

It was not widely known but the Golf Club and all the plush dwelling attached to the course belonged to the Mornington Estate.

It came into their ownership in the late 1980’s when a developer tried to buy it to create a luxury housing estate, Gabriel St George’s father, Valentine, who was the then Baron, stepped in and saved it.

Because it was so exclusive the membership fees were exorbitant but they had to be because the Golf Club and all the properties that surrounded it had to pay their own way.

Gabriel hated the fact that the club was strictly for the rich but it was a necessary evil to preserve it and protect it from the developers and Nick Faulkner’s celebrity status didn’t exempt him from the fees.

He also joined the congregation at St Martins Church which was where he got his first glimpse of Jenna Lawton, the curate who was the de facto Vicar of St Martins while the Reverend Mortimer was recovering from a heart attack.

 

 

Reverend Mortimer’s standing Vicar was an attractive woman by any measure, with a warm open manner, a willowy thirty something, nearer to forty than not, with shoulder length brunette hair, intelligent green laughing eyes and a broad toothy smile, altogether he thought a very pleasant demeanour.

 

Nick had moved to the country for the peace and quiet in order to write his book but it didn’t work out that way.

Apart from joining the Golf Club and the regular attendance at the Church he was also persuaded to sit on the parish council, which he thought might be akin to a scene from the “Vicar of Dibley” but in reality it was nothing of the sort and was actually quite rewarding and it brought him in close proximity to the lovely curate.

And it was she who was fairly instrumental in press ganging him into giving talks and live readings to the Women’s Institute, the Round Table and the Rotary Club et al.

He also helped with planning the Summer Fete, numerous Fund raising events and Quiz nights and by the time Easter was finished he had already been penciled in for duties at Halloween, bonfire night and Christmas.

However he had really taken to village life and the village had taken to him but he was in a quandary because somewhere along the way the work on his book had stalled and he had managed to fall in love with the Curate come Vicar, Jenna Lawton which undoubtedly contributed greatly to the ease in which she managed to press gang him, and she had absolutely no idea of the effect she had on him.

 

Nick was knocking on the door of his 40th birthday but he still had all his own hair and not too much middle aged spread. 

On Sunday morning he was making his way to St Martins Church when Julia Thomas caught up with him.

She was a rotund lady in her fifties who sat on the parish council with him and was his next door neighbour.

“Nicholas darling” she said and took him by the arm as they walked down the street.

He had known her and her husband Charles, for many years and it was Julia who had encouraged him to move to Highfinch, when he mentioned he was looking for a rural idyll.

“Charles has left” she said blandly

“I’m sorry,” he said though in truth he was glad

He really liked Julia but he didn’t like her husband Charles, he thought he was a hard drinking womanizing arsehole.  

“Don’t be” she said “it’s for the best”

“The boys threw him out you know” she announced proudly

“You can do better than him” He said squeezing her hand “you deserve better than him”

Julia squeezed his hand back

“Thank you”

Just then a voice called to them

“Wait for me”

They stopped and looked back to see Vicki Paulding

Hurrying after them.

“Hello you two” she said, “are you going to Church?”

“Yes” they said in unison

Vicki suddenly noticed Judith’s arm through his and gave him a look.

“I have a spare arm,” he offered

“Well that’s ok then” she said and quickly took his arm.

As they cordially strolled, arm in arm towards the church they did elicit the occasional sideways glance.

“You do know that you two will be the talk of the village?” he said and they both looked at him a little old fashioned.

“You’ll be the two jezebels hanging off the arms of the local TV star”

They were still laughing as they reached the door of the church where Curate Jenna Lawton, the object of his desire, was at the door as they approached, doing the meet and greet.

Her warm open face was smiling as were her green eyes and the willowy thirty something’s shoulder length brunette hair was being stirred by the breeze.
“Aren’t you worried about your reputation?” she called

“No I have broad shoulders Jenna” he replied

“Not you, you are tarnished beyond all hope” she said smiling

“I was speaking to your companions”

“That’s most unfair and only goes to show how misunderstood I am,” he said feigning injury.

“I have merely made it my mission in life to save fallen women, and I’m saving these two for later”

Jenna laughed, Julia punched him on the arm and Vicki blushed and then they went inside.
It was a good service, short on sermonizing and long on rejoicing, as usual the mix of hymns was a balance of the old and traditional with a sprinkling of the modern and happy clappy.

Jenna Lawton kept the sermon short and sweet and never ever over egged the pudding and at the end of the service he felt invigorated and refreshed.
There was a coffee and mingle at the end where those who wanted to could chat and catch up with members of the congregation, he had hoped to use it as an opportunity to rub shoulders with Jenna but he couldn’t get close to her.

He had known her for more than 8 months and he still didn’t know how to get close to her.

 

Nick, Julia and Vicki all did the rounds amongst the congregants and then said their goodbyes, he for one was in the mood to socialize so as they were leaving he said,
“Do you two need to rush off?”
“I don’t have any plans” Vicki replied
“No nor me” said Julia
“How about lunch then? At The Downshire Arms?” he suggested “my treat”
“I’m on” chirped Vicki
“Me too” Julia said brightly
Just then they arrived at the door where Jenna was seeing the faithful out the door.
“What's he up to now?” she said to Nicks companions
“Lunch” said Vicki
“Why don’t you join us?” he added “At The Downshire Arms”
she looked blank for a moment as she processed the invitation almost as if she had been asked a question in English but had to translate it into German before she could answer.
“You know what? I would love too,” she said beaming
“I will have to meet you there though”
“No problem” He said and the three of them made their way through the village to the pub.

They had a very pleasant lunch and Jenna was an absolute delight very down to earth and very witty.

He had obviously met her many times at the Church, parish council meetings, various local events and things like the soup kitchen but it was the first time they had socialized.
Vicki had earlier penciled the Curate in as a sherry drinker and she was shocked to the core when Jenna asked for a pint of Guinness and when she noticed the look on Vicki’s face she said
“They don’t do it in half’s”
Vicki nodded understandingly in response, and then the penny dropped and she laughed 
At the end of an excellent lunch Jenna reluctantly declined a third pint of the black stuff stating that she had to prepare for the evening service.
They walked through the gate in the pleasant afternoon sunshine of a September Sunday when the Curate paused
“Thank you for the lunch Nick” she said “But thank you so much all of you for the companionship”

Then she added

“No one ever invites me to the pub, and I do like a drink and a chat”
“We will bear that in mind for the future Jenna” he said and
Julia and Vicki heartily agreed
When they reached the Vicarage thanks were muttered and immediately dismissed, cheeks were kissed and blessings exchanged.

Promises of doing it again soon were made and would not be broken.

Jenna had genuinely enjoyed lunch, as had the rest of them, but none of them envied Jenna having to spend the rest of the afternoon in preparation of that evening’s service while the rest of them would be dosing off in their respective garden chairs and sleeping off their lunches.
Having safely delivered his luncheon companions to their respective front doors, where cheeks were kissed etcetera he returned to his house and was asleep ten minutes later dreaming of Jenna.

 

Nick was still doing his weekly sports show while he was trying to write his book, which wasn’t going well, partly because he’d allowed himself to be distracted by committees and good works and his infatuation with the Curate. 

Frustrated by his inability to put pen to paper, so to speak, he decided to take a walk into the village despite the steady rain, where he chanced upon Jenna Lawton.

“Thank you God” he said to himself but aloud he said

“Good afternoon Jenna”

“Hello Nick” she replied “What’s brought you out into the rain”

“Writers block” he said “And you?”

“Well I’m stuck on my sermon” she replied “so I feel your pain”

“I think we need to be fortified” he said “The Downshire Arms?”

“I have a better suggestion” she said “Rather too many of my parishioners drink in the Arms”

“So where do you have in mind?” he queried

“The Kingfisher” she replied

“I’ve never heard of it” he said

“It’s in Kingfisherbridge” she said “it’s about a mile and a half walk, but it’s worth it, are you game?”

“Why not” he retorted

 

Due to the inclement weather the village was deserted as they walked towards Hawks Wood.

While they walked they unloaded their burdens on each other.

Nick detailed the constant nagging from his publishers demanding another chapter, and another and another and Jenna talked at length about certain sections of the congregation who had still not really accepted her as Reverend Mortimer’s stand in.

When they reached the pub, to make her feel better, he told her some particularly scandalous tales about the most vociferous of her protagonists which he thought would make her feel a little better, which they did, and in a spirit of quid pro quo she told him a few disgraceful tit bits that he hadn’t heard before.

He had hoped that the beer would suppress his inhibitions and allow him to ask her out on a date.

When they were on their second drink Jenna began to reveal some things about herself but soon regained control and talked about the community instead.

“Well this is very fortifying” she said as she drained he second pint.

“Yes but we’ll be fortified as newts if we don’t eat something”

Nick pointed out.

Nick asked at the bar about food only to find that they didn’t do hot food only sandwiches.

“Sandwiches it is” they both agreed.

 

After devouring the sandwiches and washing them down with another pint they had to trudge the mile and a half back to the village.

There wasn’t any chance of him asking her out on the homeward journey as she never stopped talking but with the sound of the pouring rain he missed most of what she was saying.

He managed to catch the odd phrase, like time running out and sand running through her fingers but as he missed everything else he had no context.

As they were walking through Hawk Wood he was concentrating so much on trying to hear what she was saying that they didn’t notice the mad cyclist approaching them from behind.

In fact they only knew he was there when he shouted

“GET OUT OF THE WAY, I’M NOT STOPPING”

They jumped sideway just in the nick of time.

“You Godless heathen” she yelled at the errant cyclist

Nick was falling backwards and instinctively reached out to grab something while he was falling but the only thing in reach was Jenna so he landed on his back in the wet bracken and she landed on top of him.

They lay there nose to nose on the wet ground for a full minute before she said

“This is awkward, and not a little compromising for a woman of the cloth”

“Indeed” he agreed desperate to reach up the infinitesimal distance to her lovely lips and plant a kiss on them

“A less gentlemanly man than I would probably take advantage of the situation”

Then he rolled her over onto her back and pushed himself up and helped Jenna to do the same, “But alas I am”

“Trust my luck to find myself lying in the undergrowth with the only gentleman in Highfinch”

And a smile began around her green eyes and a broad toothy smile spread across her pleasant demeanour.

 

“A “Godless heathen”?” he said after they had brushed the debris off each other.

“That wasn’t a very christen response”

“Turning the other cheek doesn’t extend to cyclists” she retorted and laughed.

 

When they arrived outside the Vicarage she said

“Well that was very pleasant”

“Yes it was very enjoyable” he agreed “And has it cured the problem regarding your sermon?”

“Oh yes I think I know exactly what subject to talk on”

She replied

“And that is?”

“Well you’ll have to wait until Sunday” she replied

“Unfortunately I won’t be here on Sunday in fact I won’t be back until November”

He said

“Oh what a shame you’ll miss the harvest festival” she said falteringly “Are you going anywhere nice?”

“London, The Chelsea Harbour Hotel” he replied

“My TV station has exclusive rights to the Rugby World Cup”

“Well I’ll see you in November then” she said “Thanks again for lunch”

As she walked down the path to her front door he realized that it would be his chance so Nick took a deep breath and said

“When I get back, perhaps we could have dinner”

She turned around and gave him the full radiance of her lovely toothy smile 

“Yes that would be lovely”

 

With the question asked and answered to his satisfaction he was able to clear his head of “what ifs” and got some significant writing done for the first time in weeks.

Nick decided very early on that he would spend the duration of the Rugby World Cup at The Chelsea Harbour Hotel, to cut down on the repetitive commutes.

Once he had checked in he began to regret that decision when it dawned on him how much he was going to miss seeing Jenna over the following 7 weeks.

However on the upside it left him a lot of time alone in his room away from distractions where he could work on the book.

 

Despite his longing to return to Highfinch he enjoyed the World Cup immensely, from the opening game between England and Fiji up to the final between New Zealand and Australia and he was kept exceptionally busy by it, there was also a considerable amount of socializing which he found less enjoyable.

 

He had missed the Harvest Festival and All Hallows Eve vigil at St Martins and spent All Hallows Eve at a huge end of tournament party in stark contrast to the quiet solemn time where he would have lit a candle for his dead loved ones.

The partying had begun on Saturday night and went on all through Sunday and well into Monday morning.

But despite only getting 4 hours sleep he left the hotel straight after breakfast on the 2nd of November and drove at breakneck speed along the Pepperstock Express Way and his only thought was to get back and see Jenna as quickly as possible.

He pulled onto his drive and without even unloading his bag he set off on foot to the Vicarage.

Nick was in such a hurry to get to see her that he rushed headlong round a corner and met Jenna coming the other way and they both ended up on their backsides on the cold pavement.

“I’m so sorry” He said getting quickly to his feet and proffering a hand to the prostrate Curate, which she gratefully accepted.

“Nonsense” she replied, “I wasn’t looking where I was going my mind was elsewhere”.

“Mine too” he said “are you ok? Are you hurt?”

“No, Only my pride” she replied

They dusted themselves off and there was a brief moment of awkwardness as they finally looked at each other properly.

“Anyway” she said “Duties to perform”

“Yes” he agreed “things to do”

And then possibly because he hadn’t had enough sleep and wasn’t thinking clearly or maybe just because he’d missed her so much and he was only thinking of her he pulled her close to him and kissed her which she graciously welcomed. 

“How clever of you to know where my mind was” she said and returned the compliment.