The next day Charlie prepared a light lunch for himself and Toddy, who arrived at Beechwood at midday and was wearing a lovely floral summer dress and a beaming smile when he opened the door.
They soon
slipped back into the same companionable comfort of the night before and had a
lovely, relaxed lunch together before getting more comfortable on the sofa and
resuming the previous night’s embrace.
But no sooner
had their lips met than his mobile phone rang, they tried to ignore it, but it
was killing the moment, so he picked it up.
“It’s my
sister!” he said,
“What has she
got against us kissing anyway?” Toddy asked
“Impeccable
timing sis” he said “What…. Oh, ok I’ll hand you over”
“She needs to
talk to you” he said and handed the phone to Toddy, and he could tell by her
grave expression that it was not good news.
She dissolved
into tears when the call ended, and he spent the next ten minutes consoling her
before she was able to explain what was wrong.
When she had
composed herself, she was able to get the words out and explain what had upset
her.
“Sister
Margaret has had a heart attack”
When the
Convent closed Sister Lucy and Sister Margaret, relocated to the retreat on St
Giles Island which was the smallest of the two Bay Islands.
It was only 6
miles long and 4 miles wide and named after Giles du Cabot who died after the
battle of Hastings.
It was a rugged,
inhospitable and largely uninhabitable island surrounded by treacherous
rocks.
For hundreds of
years, following the dissolution of the monasteries, a hardy community of Monks
eked out a meagre existence before they had to share their seclusion when work
on a lighthouse at Cabot point began in the middle of the 19th Century.
Three quarters
of the island is now a Wildlife Sanctuary, but there is a small Meteorological
Station, a small Hotel, the Seaview, the lighthouse and the Monks, who now ran
St Giles’s religious retreat, which meant there was a population of between 50
and a 150 people, depending on the time of year.
There is no
Church on the Island but for those of a religious bent were always welcome at
the St Giles Chapel, in the southwest corner of the
island.
“I don’t know
what to do” she blurted out and tears welled up in her eyes again.
“Do you want to
go to her?” he asked
“Yes, yes” she
exclaimed “But I don’t know how”
He went on his
phone and checked the sailing times, “There’s a ferry at 4 o’clock, which is
doable” he said and a moment later he added “And that’s booked”
“Uh um uh” she
stammered
“Come on let’s
get you home” he said and kissed her
“But…” she
began
“Chloe will
help you pack a bag, and I’ll drive you to the ferry port” he explained
“Ok” she said
meekly
Charlie drove
her to the Vicarage and walked her in and after a moment’s explanation Chloe
whisked her away to pack and then he went to Richmond’s Corner Shop and
purchased a pay as you go phone and loaded it with £100 of credit.
After plugging the
phone in to charge he returned to the Vicarage to find Toddy ready and waiting
for him looking anxious.
“This isn’t how
I thought the day would go” she said sadly as they left the village
“We will pick
up from where we left off when you return” he assured her, and she smiled
weekly
When they
reached the Ferry Port, he parked the car and walked with her to the departure
gate and waited with her until it was time for her to board.
While they waited,
he gave her the mobile phone and said,
“There is
plenty of credit and I have put mine, Chloe’s and Verity’s numbers in it so you
can talk to any of us whenever you need to”
They kissed
goodbye and then he watched her board, she turned briefly and gave him a wave
before disappearing from view, and he waited until the ferry departed.
He hadn’t even
reached the car when his phone rang
“I miss you
already” she said and hung up, so he texted her
“I miss you too
x”
There were many
more calls and texts while she was away which punctuated the time, he was
working on the task to complete the project he had been working on under the
radar for several months.
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