Tuesday, 10 September 2024

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (102) Wedding Plans

 


Reverend Henry Noble arrived in Spaniards Creek on Friday afternoon and there was a tearful reunion between him, and Arielle and they talked into the wee small hours.

 

Stuart Cameron spent his weekend walking well-worn and familiar paths while Deborah was in Sharpington visiting her brother.

There were walks to different parts of the island he wanted to explore but he wanted to save them for when Deborah was back, it was always more enjoyable with her, shopping on his own at Stephenson’s wasn’t as enjoyable on his own either.

When he wasn’t out walking, he was at work on the irregular shaped piece of Perspex they found on one of their walks.

 

Because the wedding was much sooner than Arielle and Harry originally planned there was a lot of “last minute” thinking.

Her dress was not one of the after thoughts however, as she was wearing the same silk wedding dress that her mother and grandmother wore, which was currently in the hands of Lily Nunthorpe in St Pierre who owned a vintage clothes shop, “Then for Now” and specialised in repairing and rejuvenating old garments, as well as stocking a large quantity of Vintage wear.

However there were other things that she didn’t have in her bottom draw, including some very unecclesiastical underclothes.

So following the traditional Barrington Sunday lunch after Church, the ladies of the wedding party Molly, Arielle, Katie, Nikki and Rachel were leaving on a shopping trip to Abbotsford.

“I’m going to miss you” Molly said

“I’m going to miss you too” Danny said and kissed her 

“We’ve never been properly apart before” she said “Not more than a few hours”

“Then this is our test” Danny said

“A test of what?” she asked

“The strength of our love” he said, and they embraced

 

Henry Noble wasn’t just officiating at the wedding he was covering all off her ecclesiastical and parochial duties for the week either side of the wedding and was staying at the vicarage.

 

Elisa Ghelardoni had worked for Sir Avery Arnold for thirty years and although she had lived in America since she was twenty five she was not an America in fact she was a Devonian and after her employer passed she decided to move back to the land of her birth, but as of that moment she had not decided where and all her worldly goods were now in storage awaiting the destination of her choice, wherever that might be.

 

She was a spinster, and by her own admission a bit of a plain Jane, but despite having a difficult start being raised in the care system, she had had an amazing life, and although she has no family, she has a wealth of friends.

She could easily feel sorry for herself, because she had never known romantic love and knew she would never have children, but she was cut from different cloth, she was a “cup half full” type of person.

 

On Monday afternoon she was walking down by the River looking out across the water and the opposite bank beyond bathed in June sunshine when a voice said

“It’s very picturesque isn’t it”

“Oh hello Vicar, yes, it is, its very charming” she replied

“In fact everything here is, on the Island I mean”

“I agree,” he said “I felt it the moment I set foot here”

“I’m going to explore a bit more of the charm along the riverside” she said “Would you care to join me”

“I would” he said and the spent a very pleasant hour or so walking and talking until he had to get back to the church.

 

While the ladies were in Abbottsford shopping Danny George and Sam where sorting out the wedding vehicles, which was why they took the ferry to the mainland on Tuesday to look at some suitable candidates.

 

Headteacher of the village school, Margaret Johnson, was organizing the bouquet, buttonholes and sprays, as well as the flowers for the church, and Church Warden Howard Nelson was organizing the ladies of the parish to decorate the church with them.

 

Victoria was surprised how quick and easy it was to liquidate her existence in a City that had been her home for more than a decade, and the only fly in the ointment was her having to pay three months’ rent in order to terminate the lease early.

Perhaps because she had lived such a nomadic life her entire existence was represented by two suitcases and a dozen boxes, which the shipping agent collected from her appartment.

With water and electricity disconnected she spent her last night on American soil in an airport hotel then eight days after leaving the island Victoria flew home, and that was what convinced her that she was doing the right thing, because it felt like home.

When Victoria caught the early ferry on Thursday she was surprised to find Molly, Arielle, Katie, Nikki and Rachel on the ferry as well.

That evening all the principles met at Molly’s for wine and pizza.

And the next day was hair, facials and nails day and all the ladies travelled to St Pierre for their pampering, and afterwards they picked up Arielle’s wedding dress.  


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