Two days after Charles Phelps’ birthday there was another knock on the door on a beautiful spring Monday morning at the end of March, so he opened it.
“Hello, Mr. Phelps?”
“Yes, Good
morning, please come in” he said
“Can I offer
you a hot drink Sister”
“Thank you, a
coffee please” she replied then added as she sat down at the kitchen table
“But I’m not a Sister,”
“Oh, I’m sorry,
I was sure Verity said “Sister Clair”
And you’re
wearing a head thingy” he said gesticulating
“It’s just a
head scarf” she said with a giggle “my hair was still damp and it’s a chilly
morning”
“Oh, I am sorry”
he said, “and I so wanted to make a good impression”.
“That’s fine
and you’re not too far off the mark” she said as she took the scarf off and
revealed an abundance of pale ginger hair, streaked with strands of grey which
she animated with a slight headshake.
“I was a Sister
at St Adelaide’s convent until quite recently, but
I decided to leave the order” she said sadly, and in an attempt to try and
lighten the mood, Charles Phelps said with a wry smile
“Oh, tell me
more, have you fallen from grace?”
Her face immediately
responded with a rich smile employing every muscle and nerve and then she laughed
loudly, which made him laugh as well.
When the
laughter subsided, he said
“So, what
should I call you?”
“That’s a good
question, as I’m not a Nun anymore Sister is out and Clair was my convent name,
so that’s out”
“What’s your
given name?”
“Millicent Todd
and I always hated Millicent”
“What about
Milli?” He suggested
“Good heavens
no, that makes me sound like a puppet from a children’s show”
“Middle name?”
“Winnifred!”
“Good grief
didn’t your parents like you?” he asked, and they both laughed again
“It was my grandmother;
my mother was unmarried, and she died when I was born so I was raised by my
grandmother in Quarry Hill” she explained
“I’m sorry I
didn’t mean to be flippant” he said sympathetically
“Thank you, but
what you never had you don’t miss” she explained “and I had a very happy
childhood and always felt I was loved”
“That’s nice to
hear”
“I was at the
convent school in Pipershaven when she passed, and having no other family the
nuns took me in and when I was of an age, I chose to take the veil, and I’d
been there ever since, and I never regretted my decision, and furthermore I
would be there still had the church not decided to close the Convent”
“Why are they
closing it?” he asked as he put a second cup of coffee in front of her
“Well, the
order has shrunk over the years and with only 7 sisters and no novices joining
for 10 years the Church has decided that it is unsustainable and the money they
raise by selling up, could be better spent elsewhere”
“What about the
other sisters?”
“Bless you for
asking, the younger ones will join other orders, the two most senior, Sister
Lucy and Sister Margaret, are going to the retreat on St Giles for the time
being”
“And you’ve
ended up at the Vicarage”
“Yes, I wanted
to stay in the area as I was raised in
Quarry Hill,
schooled in Pipershaven and lived most of my life in Pepperstock Green and I
knew the Vicar as we were his parishioners, and we saw him at the Convent at
least once a week, so after telling him I was leaving the order he offered me a
room at the Vicarage for as long as I needed it”
“That’s typical
of him, he’s a good man”
“Do you know
him well?” she asked
“I should do;
he’s my brother-in-law” he replied
“Chloe is you
sister?”
“She is”
“Now you
mention it I can see a family resemblance”
She said “She
has more hair obviously”
“Nice and I was
just starting to like you” he said, and she dissolved into laughter
When she had
composed herself, she asked
“So older or
younger?”
“Younger by two
years” he replied
“So, you’re
Charlie” she mused “She’s very proud of you”
“Its mutual” he
said “And we’ve always looked out for each other, which is why you’re here”
“Well, it’s
nice that she has faith in me” she said
“I hope I don’t
let her down”
“Have faith in
yourself” he said
“Well, I was
responsible for feeding the Sister’s and grew all our own produce in the
kitchen garden, my horticultural prowess is legend” she said and pulled a face
at her pomposity “Which is why I suppose it was…. Suggested I might be able to
help”
“I was actually
informed you were a marvel, or was it marvelous?”
“I’ll take marvelous”
she said, “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“What do you do?
apart from make exceptionally good coffee” she asked as she drained her third
cup “And not do the gardening”
“I’m retired”
he replied “I sold my business a few years ago, although I still seem to be as
busy, I just don’t get paid anymore”
He wasn’t a
hundred percent honest in his answer, he had indeed
sold his business, which was in aerospace engineering, for an obscene amount of
money, and he was keeping busy spending it on philanthropic endeavour’s.
“So do you
think you’ll stay in the village long term?”
“Yes, I’m quite
keen to see what becomes of St Adelaide’s” she replied “If I find it too upsetting,
I may move on”
“Well
hopefully, you’ll be around for a good while longer then” he said and felt
himself blush and she looked at the clock and exclaimed in alarm
“Goodness me,
look at the time, I’ve talked your ear off for most of the morning, I’m so
sorry”
“Nonsense I’ve
enjoyed it immensely”
“You’re very
kind” she responded as he got up and walked to the French doors.
“Well let’s see
if you can apply your legendary prowess on the garden,” he said throwing open
the doors and stepping out “Of course I use the term garden in its loosest form”
“Wow” she
exclaimed
“Sorry its
rather wild and untamed”
“It’s wonderful”
she retorted “This is going to be fun”
“Really?” he
said “I thought you might run for the hills”
“Not a bit of
it” she replied “However….”
“Second
thoughts?”
“No, 3 mugs of
coffee” she replied and giggled “a visit to the little “Nuns” room before I
explore further”
“This way” he
said and laughed
He was stood on
the patio when she returned red faced and smiling “That’s better”
“Yes, it is”,
he said to himself as he returned her smile, and they spent the next hour
yomping around the not insubstantial jungle as she surveyed the task in store
for her with glee.
“So, you’re
happy to take it on then?” he asked
“Absolutely”
she replied “I can start tomorrow, if that works for you”
“Ok name your
price”
“Oh, I don’t
know, I’ve never been paid before you’re my first client” she chuckled “I don’t
even have any tools yet”
“Well, we can
talk about the money later and I noticed there are some tools in the garage”
“Great, let’s
have a look” she said and yomped off back towards the house and after a few
minutes Charlie suddenly exclaimed
“Toddy!”
“Excuse me?”
she said as she turned to look at him
“That’s what
you should call yourself, it’s a strong name, confident, trustworthy and
dependable and would suit you very well”
“Toddy?” she
mused “Yes I like that, Toddy it is”
In the garage
she rummaged through the meagre selection of old unloved tools and said,
“They’ll do to
get started”
“We can hire or
buy whatever else you need” he added
“Thank God” she
retorted and crossed herself
“They’ve seen
better days”
“Haven’t we
all?” he said, and they laughed
“So, when I see
you tomorrow you can let me know what you need” he said as he opened the front
door
“I will” she
responded “Thank you Mr. Phelps”
“Call me
Charlie” he insisted
“Thank you,
Charlie,”
“Well, that was
surprising” he said to himself as he watched her walk down the drive.
He returned to
the kitchen and made himself another coffee before making three phone calls,
the first was to his solicitors, Bramstock, Goodman, Crossfield and Bushe in
Abbottsford, and then his accountants Webster and Lindstrom and Estate Agents Chapman
Millar both in Pipershaven.
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