Elisa Ghelardoni had always
been an early riser, so she showered and dressed and after a solitary coffee in the conservatory she set off for a
walk down the hill to the river.
She liked the early morning walks, whatever the weather, but even
more so on a bright morning while the rest of the world were still in their
beds.
Spaniards Creek was such an idyllic spot and starting out from
Cliff Haven she was really spoilt for choice when it came to pleasant walks.
She strode purposefully down the hill her salt and pepper hair dancing about her Swan neck.
Once she was on the quayside, she watched the fishing boats
heading out to sea and then strolled on towards the bridge from where she
followed the riverbank, and continue beyond the village, and just as she left
the village behind her, she saw Reverend Henry Noble standing by the bend in
the river gazing out across the water.
“You’re up early Vicar” she
called but got no response, so called louder
“Morning Vicar!”
But still got no response,
so she tapped him on the shoulder
“Morning” she said again, and
he jumped and went as white as a sheet.
“Good God” he exclaimed “I
nearly had a heart attack”
And then he roared with
laughter, a laugh which was so infectious Elisa was soon laughing along with
him and their
hearty laughter echoed across the water.
“I’m
sorry” she said “But I did callout”
“Vaughan
Williams” he retorted
“Excuse me?”
“The Lark Ascending” he explained and
removed his ear pods
“Oh I see” she said, and
they laughed again, then he said
“I’ve really missed this”
“I beg your pardon?” Elisa
said
“I haven’t laughed like
this since before ….” he began
“I understand” she said
They decided to continue
their early morning walk together and they were an unlikely looking pair,
Victoria possessed an inherent elegance
about her, she may have been plain looking, and she spent little or no time on
her appearance, she always looked more than presentable.
In stark contrast Henry Noble was a big man, well over
six feet tall and built like a rugby player, and he looked as unlike a clergyman as it was possible to get, but he was
very eloquent and in Elisa’s humble opinion he had a very cultured voice.
Which she heard a lot over the next half an hour as he
spoke at length about his wife’s death and the emptiness he had felt.
“But today when I got up this morning, I felt alive,
for the first time since Linda died, I actually felt alive” he said “And that’s
why I’m out so early enjoying the beauty in the world, and here we are sharing
this wonderful countryside together”
“Beautifully expressed” She remarked and took his arm.
When she finally got back to Cliff Haven the household
had stirred.
Danny had already got the
coffee on, and Molly was in the kitchen boiling eggs and making toast.
“Hi Elisa” she said
brightly “Did you have a good walk?”
“Yes, I did”
“You’ve been a long time”
Victoria said
“I know it was such a
beautiful morning we got a bit carried away” Elisa replied
“We?” Molly asked
“Yes, I bumped into the
Vicar” she said
“Really?” Molly said, “How
much bumping was involved?”
“Don’t be dirty dear” Elisa
said “He’s a man of the cloth”
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