Sunday, 21 September 2025

In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (104) – The Fancy Dress Party

September

 

At end of September there was a fancy dress ball at the Barnabus Manor Hotel and there was a large group of guests attending the occasion from St Adelaide’s Reflection and Healing Retreat and among them was Sous Chef Madelaine Colgate.

The party was in full swing when she arrived, she’d been to visit her sick mother in hospital and then she had car trouble, so she was much later than she’d anticipated and after stopping at home first to get into her costume she was very, very late.

But she knew he wouldn’t be angry when he saw her in her costume because even she thought she looked gorgeous dressed as Vestal Virgin.

But despite how good she looked when Maddie walked into the Hotel ballroom it appeared that she was not only arriving late, but she was also too late to save her engagement as she found her fiancé Bob otherwise engaged in a very passionate kiss with her best friend Angela.

 

If Maddie had been surprised by what greeted her in the Ballroom when Spiderman was kissing Marilyn Monroe, it was nothing compared to Spiderman’s surprise when Maddie kicked him in his spidie testicles and there was definitely a look of surprise on Angela’s face a split second after Maddie slapped it.

Leaving Bob doubled up on the floor unable to speak and Angela with a scarlet handprint on her face, Maddie stormed out of the hall like a Goddess with her Roman cloak and flaming red hair streaming behind her.

 

Madeleine left the ballroom at speed and rushed out through reception and went out through the front entrance like a heat seeking missile and shot straight down the steps and out into the car park without stopping and ran straight into Marcus Worthington, who was late arrival himself and was at that moment lost in thought as he walked the other way and after the collision they both ended up in a heap on the floor.

“Why don’t you look where you’re going you bloody idiot” she screamed, followed by a string of expletives.

Marcus totally ignored Maddie’s angry remarks and chose instead to consider, as he looked at the striking red head in the red cloak, what had upset her.

“Are you ok?” he asked with concern and with an appraising eye.

She looked confused at first, because she had been very rude to him and he was being nice in return, and then she opened her mouth to launch another tirade of abuse at him but dissolved into tears instead.

Marcus then took her in his arms and comforted her while she cried her pitiful tears as they sat in the darkness on the tarmac of the car park.

After five minutes or more he helped her to her feet and with his arm around her shoulder he said

“Come inside and get warm.”

“Ok” she responded meekly as she continued to sob and dribbled on his cloak sleeve as he guided her.

 

Vestal Virgin and the Centurian sat in a quiet corner of the hotel bar warmed by brandy and the glow of kindred spirits, he listened intently as she spoke of her sadness and reason for her rage, and as he in turn spoke words of comfort to her in return, and their hearts became inexorably entwined.

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