The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (049) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

 

The Forum theatre was an old cinema originally built in the twenties, and back then it was the only cinema on the island, and that was still the case a hundred years later.

Because of that in the seventies, when film had gone out of fashion across the rest of Downshire, and theatres closed, or suffered the indignity of becoming bingo halls, as many a fine picture house did, the Forum survived.

When the cinema revival happened, Islander David Lee, a local man made good, who like many had fond memories of the Forum, mainly associated with courting his wife, restored the theatre to its former glory, and he resisted approaches from the chains and remained independent.

The Forum was located on the town square, next to the Church and opposite Beth’s Coffee House, there were no shops around the square anymore, it was virtually all eateries, café and bars and the cinema and a small theatre, so it was a sort of leisure haven.

Hayley was early, which was typical of her, and not only by minutes, but she was ridiculously early, so she had time to kill.

As she walked past the war memorial for the umpteenth time, she spotted Jamie, who was also early, going into Beth’s.

“He’s keen” she thought to herself and put the memorial between her and Jamie.

She liked the fact that he was keen, that was sweet, but she didn’t want to give him the impression that she was too keen herself.

But after a minute or two she decided she didn’t care what kind of impression she gave him, she was going over now, early or not.

So, she walked around the memorial, and was on his blind side as she entered Beth’s and stopped in his peripheral vision and almost immediately, he turned around and seemed surprised to see her.

“Hi” she said smiling broadly. “You’re early.”

He stood up and said

“Hi” and gazed at her speechless as if transfixed, because she looked stunning in girl clothes, and then he suddenly realized he was staring.

“You look lovely”

“I scrubbed up well, didn’t I” she said.

“You can say that again” Jamie said and then blushed to his roots when he realized he’d said it out loud.

“Shall we go?” Hayley asked

“Good idea” he replied

He held the door open for her to go first and as soon as he joined her Hayley slipped her hand into his and they made their way slowly to the theatre.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (048) Surprising Sophie

Jamie White was meeting Hayley Stock in St Pierre on Sunday where they were going to the pictures.

George Wood was taking Katie to meet his sister in Saxvirdan so they said they would drop Hayley off in town on the way, and Jamie would then drive her home afterwards. 

 

Jamie’s younger sister Angela was also going to St Pierre, because there was someone she wanted to see, so she got a lift from her brother.

Angela first saw Sophie Blourde when she served them at the Beaumont Manor, when her parents took her and her siblings there for a meal at Christmas, and she fell head over heels, at first sight and she could tell by the way Sophie blushed when she caught Angela looking at her that she was interested.

When Sophie collected the plates there was a lingering exchange where their hands almost touched, but not quite, then the next time Angela caressed her hand with her thumb and brushed her fingertips against hers and Sophie blushed and got very flustered.

 

Sophie was four years younger than Angela, but she was smitten.

Angela knew what time the evening staff started at the Hotel because she had waitressed there herself when she was at college, she also knew that Sophie lived in Saxvirdan and got a bus to the Bellevue hospital and walked to the hotel.

So she made sure that she was on the path between the Hospital and the Hotel in order to “bump” into her, it was a bit stalky, she admitted that to herself, but she couldn't think of any other way, she couldn't have asked her out at the restaurant while she's taking orders.

“And for you madam?” Sophie could ask and Angel could reply “I’ll take you, any way you come”

And as they lived at opposite ends of the island “real” chance encounters just weren’t going to happen, so she had to stalk her prey.

It was an unseasonably mild day, peaceful and calm following the storms and the sun was shining.

Angela had elected to wear a short skirt, and black tights to show off her legs and slight heels to accentuate the shape of her calves, and a blouse with a shrug over the top.

 

Sophie was walking with her head down looking at her phone, and she almost jumped out of a skin when Angela said “hello Sophie”

“Oh eh um hello”

“Sorry did I startle you?” she said flicking her Raven hair off her shoulder.

“A bit” Sophie replied, with her cheeks Crimson red.

“Well perhaps I could buy you a coffee sometime by way of an apology” Angela suggested

“When you have a day off”

“I’m not working on Saturday” she blurted out

“Ok, Saturday it is” Angela said and took Sophie's phone from her hand, caressing Sophie’s hand as she did so and added a new contact and sent herself a text

“There now you have my number” Angela said trying to remain cool while wanting to jump for joy.

“I'll text you, time and place”

“Great” Sophie said and smiled,

“You’d better get to work now” Angela said

“Oh God yes” she said all flustered “bye”

Angela watched as she hurried away with her brunette hair dancing on the shoulders with every step, while her little buttocks were doing a different dance.

When Sophie glanced over her shoulder Angela knew she was hers.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (047) Family Matters

 

Molly Barrington’s grandfather, Sir Avery Arnold, was keen that Danny encouraged Molly's relationship with God, not that she needed any encouragement, she never missed a Sunday, and if she couldn't do the Sunday morning, she would do the evening service, even if it meant going to a different Church, which is what they did when they found themselves in Abbotsford on a Sunday and attended the evening service at St Dunston’s.

 

On the 17^th they met up with the family again in Abbottsford and over the following three days visited galleries, museums, the theatre, did more shopping, and Danny even managed to get tickets for the Abbottsford Town game, but all too soon it was time for them to leave.

As an employee of Shaw Brothers, David Leggett, got free travel on the ferry, so he took his car to the island, which was where he was sitting in his car in the carpark at St Pierre, adjacent to the port, and June Stonard was approaching furtively, in a baggy raincoat with her coat collar pulled up and the brim of her fedora pulled down, and he smiled as it was unlikely that anyone would notice her given how poor the visibility was due to the rain.

When she reached the car, she opened the passenger door and quickly got in and they immediately kissed, and the moment their lips met he wanted her, and he could tell by the urgency of her response that she wanted him too.

She had wanted him for several months, but he had resisted, but now the resistance was over.

There problem was where, she wasn’t the type of girl to do it in the car, they couldn’t go to hers as her husband worked nights and was at home during the day, and he couldn’t take her back to his house as his wife was terminally ill, and they certainly couldn’t do it al fresco given the weather, but they really wanted each other.

Unbeknown to her he already had a plan, which was why they were meeting in the car park.

He disengaged his mouth from hers, kissed her forehead and said, “Buckle up.”

“Where are we going?” she asked suspiciously.

“We’re going sailing” he replied as he pulled out of the carpark.

“What in this weather?”

They drove out of the port and followed the road past the Bellevue Hospital, and the Beaumont Hotel, and Halfway Lane then followed the road all the way to Spaniards Creek where they parked beside the Spanish River and quickly walked to down the tow path.

They walked surreptitiously for about 20 yards along the bank before he climbed aboard a small cabin cruiser.

“Where are you going?” she said with alarm, looking around to see if anyone was looking.

“Don’t panic” he said. “It belongs to my mate, Terry.”

“Are we allowed?” she asked feebly.

“Of course,” he replied. “He’s in the states”

“Yes, but are we allowed?”

“Yes, we’re allowed” he replied

 

In the cabin, as the flowing waters of the Spanish River lapped against the side of boat, he lapped at her flowing waters, and they made vigorous love as the rain beat down and the thunderclaps drowned out her moans of pleasure.

They continued their afternoon delight until the early evening when it began getting dark, so they left the boat, and he said after they returned to the car.

“That was a very pleasant afternoon,”

“Wasn’t it, I’m not so sure what your friend will think about the mess we’ve made.”

June said with a grin, and they drove back to St Pierre.

 

When they returned to the car park, they kissed again but with slightly less urgency than before.

“I liked sailing” she said and smiled.

“Me too” he agreed. “And Terry said I can have use of the boat until August.

“Smashing” she said as she got out of the car.

After watching her walk away into the darkness, he got on the last ferry of the day, returned home and after quickly showering away his lust, he went to check on his wife.

However, as he sat at his wife’s bedside, he reflected on his comment about having use of the boat until august, because as he listened to her breathing, he thought their need of it certainly wouldn’t reach until late summer, early spring was exceedingly optimistic.

 

After a tearful farewell at the Hotel, Molly repaired her makeup before they met up with publisher, Max Parsons, and had a long leisurely lunch.

They were planning to head back down the Expressway straight after breakfast but the previous afternoon they received a message from Bramstock, Goodman, Crossfield, and Bushe, Sir Avery Arnold’s solicitors, asking if they could meet at their offices on Saturday morning, the reason being that they had had some interesting news, so they had a very important and fruitful meeting with them, and decided to have a celebratory dinner and stay another night before checking out of the Abbottsford Regents Hotel on Sunday.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (046) The Christening

David Leggett was first mate on the Empress Victoria ferry and remembered the time, not so long ago when his sister-in-law, June Stonard, much the worse for drink, offered herself to him on a plate at Christmas, an offer which he rebuffed, so when she phoned him and invited him to a party, he was about to refuse until she mentioned that the rest of the family were going to be there, plus another ten guests, because it was a Christening party, so he accepted, albeit reluctantly, because his wife would not have been pleased if he stayed away.

 

David lived in Pipershaven with his wife Janis, who was sadly terminally ill, and was bedridden, and had good days and bad days, so he attended the party on Beaumont Island on his own, because even on a good day, travelling was no longer possible.

June lived on the Island, in Saxvirdan, and was unhappily married to John who was an islander.

David arrived late, as he wanted to make sure it was in full swing, and when he got there, she was well away, much as she was when they had their drunken near miss a few weeks earlier.

On this occasion he was coming out of the cloakroom, and she was rushing to the toilet, and they came untidily together, ending in a bit of a bear hug.

“I’m so sorry” he said. “Are you hurt?”

“Only my pride” she replied. “But that happens when you’re rejected.”

“Like I said, I’m sorry.”

“Anyway, I have things to do” she said as they parted company, and he was left with the smell of her scent in his nostrils and erotic images in his head.

As he sat at his wife’s bedside that evening and recounted the details of the party, he recalled how good June smelt, so the next day he phoned her.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (045) Getting Ahead of the Storm

 

The day after the celebratory meal was painful and unproductive one at Cliff Haven and after sleeping late, Danny and Molly seldom left the sofa for the rest of the day, and the day after that was little different.

The next day Molly got them back on track, as amongst other things she had become his muse.

At first in Colorado, because of the accident he had gotten behind, but she got him organized, but she was also a bit of a distraction, and a pleasant one at that, but later she became more of a distraction when she wasn’t with him, now he couldn’t imagine life without her.

Since the Archer’s returned to Sharpington after New Years there had been almost constant communications between Sam and Nikki, much as they had before they met but much more open and intimate than before.

For Arielle and Harry, it was almost daily Face Times but all four of them were really looking forward to the boys returning to the island in February. 

On Friday, because of an adverse weather forecast, warning of an approaching storm, Danny and Molly decided to leave the island early for the mainland to get ahead of the weather, so as not to risk getting stranded on the island and missing their rendezvous with Sam, Emma and the boys.

 

Longlake Farm is not the smallest of the five farms on the island, but covers the whole of the southwest corner, a parcel of land bordered by Halfway Lane to the north, Eagles Crag in the east and the rugged coastline to the south and west, and the White’s had raised their sheep on that land for more than four generations, and Jamie had every intention of making it five, but his immediate priority had become Hayley Stock, and their coffee date at the Galleon, where

Jamie and Hayley spent two hours talking about what might have been and before they left, they arranged a second date, and afterwards in the moonlight they shared their second kiss.  

Once they arrived in Pipershaven Molly and Danny drove straight to Applesford and stayed at his flat for two days where they could continue to work on the book before travelling to Abbottsford on the 16^th where they checked into the Abbottsford Regents Hotel.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (044) The Shepherdess

 

It was a cold damp morning when twenty-three-year-old Hayley Stock left the farmhouse at Beacon Farm, but she was chuckling as she crossed the yard to the barn because the kitchen was full of the living dead, all suffering the effects of overindulgence at the Beaumont Manor the night before, she was chuckling because she didn’t suffer with hangovers after she gave up drinking two years earlier.

Beacon was the third largest of the five farms on the island covering an area in the southeast, bordered by the Beacon River in the west, and the Spanish River in the east and the rugged coastline to the south from Beacon Rock to Spaniards Point.

On that morning the diminutive freckle faced, auburn haired Hayley was headed to the far southwest corner of the farm on one of the quadbikes with her dog Willow, checking for strays.

 

There was a storm front heading their way and that area of the farm was prone to flooding so they wanted to gather the flock closer to home, they didn’t want to lose any ewes with lambing time just around the corner.

Nikki said she would join her with the drone as soon as her eyeballs stopped itching.

 

Hayley wasn’t from the island, she was born and raised in the vicinity of Highfinch where her family had a farm, but she was the youngest of six so she was the baby of the family and felt cossetted, but also felt like the gofer about the farm, so she said to her parents that she needed to get out and get some experience in the real world where there wasn’t a safety net.

They were very understanding and even got her the job at Beacon farm, because Katie and her mum were distant cousins.

 

Katie was reluctant at first, not knowing what the girl was like and wondering if she would be more trouble than she was worth, but they were desperately short handed at the time so she agreed and couldn’t have been happier with her decision. 

 

Hayley loved the island and had been treated as one of the family by the Harrison’s, but they also gave her responsibilities.

 

The Beacon River splits into three once it passed Eagles Crag, the first one passed to the east of Beacon Rock, the second to the west of it and formed the boundary between Beacon and Longlake farms, and the third dissected the latter farm.

It was the Beacon River that would be the source of the expected flooding following the arrival of the storm, so it was essential that she clear any ewes in the wedge of land surrounding Beacon Rock.

It was so called, because a beacon was built on the rock to warn of the impending arrival of the Spanish Armada, but it was never lit due to the fact that the weather was so bad that the sentry’s couldn’t see past the end of the island let alone a fleet of ships, and that was precisely the type of weather that was on its way again.

It took about an hour for her and Willow to gather up a dozen ewes and drive them over the stone bridge to the safe side of the river and through the gate.  

She was just about to cross the bridge to continue the search when Nikki arrived on the other Quad with her dog, Charlie.

“How are you doing?” Nikki asked 

“Wow, how can you see through those eyes?” Hayley asked and laughed.

“It’s not funny”

“It’s a bit funny” Hayley said “from this side of them”

“Don’t make me laugh” Nikki said “it hurts when I laugh”

“Ok”

“So how are you getting on?” Nikki asked

“I’ve found a dozen so far; I was just heading back to have another look” she replied

“Ok let me put the drone up, that’ll narrow down the search area” Nikki suggested

After about twenty minutes Nikki had located two small groups so she went towards Beacon Rock where she’d spotted three ewes and Hayley went southwest after a group of six down by the gated bridge that led to Longlake farm.

Thanks to Nikki and her drone she went straight to them, and Willow quickly had them under control, but she was drawn to the sound of another shepherd working their dog, it was too close to have been Nikki and it didn’t sound like her, so she walked towards the river and onto the gated bridge, and when she reached the gate she spotted him, or maybe not, why would he be on the island?

But it was him, Jamie White, on the other side of the river, and they had a history of sorts as they once shared a very passionate alcohol fuelled kiss when she was at agricultural college, after which she made it quite clear she would have liked the kiss to have been the beginning of something, but his interest seemed to be somewhere else, and not in her.

Jamie was in the year above her and them shouldn’t really have been in the same orbit, but she had admired him from afar until that end of term party when she got to grips with him, it was his last year at college, so it was her last chance, because she would probably never see him again. 

She doubted very much if he’d remember it, but she’d never forgotten it, and it was when she was reminiscing about that special kiss, that he turned to look at her and it caused him to do a doubletake.

“Hayley?” he exclaimed and began to walk towards her “Hayley Stock?”

“You remember me?” she asked, and he laughed

“Why wouldn’t I?” he said “We had a … moment, and as I recall it was a very passionate moment”

“Yes, I agree, that’s how I remember it” Hayley said “And yet I still ended the evening alone”

“Kevin Bateson” he said and grimaced

“What does he have to do with anything?” She asked

“He drank too much and ended up in hospital with alcohol poisoning” he replied “and me and a couple of others stayed there with him”

“Oh, I see”

“He nearly died” he said solemnly 

“I’m sorry I didn’t know” she said

“I understand now”

“I haven’t had a drink since that night” Jamie said 

“Nor have I” Hayley said, but she had quit for a very different reason, that night they kissed was the first time she had been drunk, and although she didn’t regret the under the influence kiss, she didn’t like the lack of control she felt, or the hangover, so she chose not to put herself through it again.  

“I didn’t know you were from the island” She added wanting to change the subject

“My family have farmed here for four generations” Jamie said,

“What about you? how long have you been here?”

“A few months” She replied, just as Nikki’s Quad appeared in the distance. 

“It looks like you’ve been found” he said

“So, we’ll have to cut our catch up short”

“Yes, that’s a shame” she said

“Well, we could always continue over a coffee” he suggested

“Where do you suggest?”

“How about the Galleon in Spaniards Creek?”

“When?”

“How about Friday?” Jamie asked

 

“Who were you talking to?” Nikki asked

“Jamie White”

“Oh, he’s a hottie” Nikki retorted

“And we’re meeting for coffee” she said smugly

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (043) The Anniversary

 

Unbeknown to Danny, when they hosted the New Years Day lunch at Cliff Haven, Molly conspired with the guests to arrange a surprise meal, to mark the one-year anniversary of their first meeting in Sir Avery Arnold’s room at the High Pines Hospital in Colorado Springs.

As far as he was concerned, they were just having a quiet celebratory meal on January 10^th, at the Orangery restaurant in the Beaumont Manor Hotel but when they walked into the lounge they were greeted by Louise Stratford, Katie, and Nikki Harrison, George Wood, Josh Beaumont, Olivia Shaw and the Vicar Arielle Nicholas, which took him completely by surprise.

While they were waiting to be seated, the Vicar asked

“So where did you meet?”

“In a hospital in Colorado” Danny replied

“Ok, more details” Louise said

Molly then explained about her grandfather’s illness and Danny’s car crash.

“It was clearly cupid at work” Katie said

“Cupid almost killed me” Danny said dramatically

“Drama queen” Molly retorted “He had a broken wrist and a few scrapes and bruises”

“Then what happened?” Olivia asked

“I became the victim of a crazed fan” he said “And she took advantage of a wounded man”

“You can tell he’s a writer” Molly said “Pure fantasy, the staff hadn’t even twigged who he was, I was the only one who recognized him”

“So, it was his pride that was wounded, and his ego that was bruised” George said, and everyone laughed, including Danny.

Everyone was still laughing as, Sophie Blourde, their server led them to their table, but once they were seated and starters and drinks were ordered, Danny began to regale them, in true raconteur style, with regular interjections from Molly, of the actual details of their meeting, how she helped him with the book, his stay at Lakeside, his chess games with Sir Avery, his subsequent death, and their journey to Beaumont island and how they fell in love along the way, and all the while Molly was holding his hand under the table.

They were on their main courses by the time he had finished the tale and then invited others to recount their own stories, so Josh took on the mantle of storyteller, and told his and Olivia’s story.

“Right your turn George” Molly said over coffee

“Nothing to tell, as soon as Katie saw me, she wrestled me to the ground” he said, and they all laughed.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (042) In the Aftermath

 

After their visitors had left, Gwen went through Cliff Haven like a whirlwind, stripping beds, washing, tumble drying, hoovering, dusting, and mopping until the place sparkled like a new pin, she would normally have spread the work over a couple of days, but she had plans with Phil.

 

Molly and Danny spent the first two days slobbing around in their pyjama’s, they had no idea how tiring it was having houseguests, but they thoroughly enjoyed it though, even though it was exhausting.

Then all too soon it was twelfth night, so they had to take the Christmas decorations down.

“This isn’t nearly as much fun as putting them up” Molly observed.

“No, it’s not” he agreed.

“But it’ll be November in the blink of an eye, and we can put them back up again.”

“Oh, very sage, old man” she said and giggled.

“Any way it could be worse,” he said.

“How so?”

“We could be outside in the rain with George” he replied, and they both laughed, and just at that moment the door opened, and a soaking wet George appeared, and they laughed even louder.

 

Once all the decorations had been neatly packed away, with the exception of the snow globes, which had pride of place, they had another pyjama day, well actually they had a pyjama weekend and then on Monday work on the book commenced again, and they had to work flat out to finish the next two chapters in time for their trip to Abbottsford on the 17th.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (041) At Hastings Lake

 

The damp and fog of the previous day had given way to a glorious cold and crisp day, with a bright blue sky, all too soon Sam, Emma and the boys’ stay on the Island had come to an end, the time had come for them to return to the mainland.

They were to spend the next two weeks visiting Emma’s family and catching up with friends.

Molly and Danny would meet up with them on the 17th in Abbottsford and they would spend three days seeing the sites of the Town before their guests had to return to Australia.

 

Arielle Nicolas had been standing on the quayside for about ten minutes, she was always early, when she saw Harry approaching and then her heart sank when she saw his brother Sam and Nikki Harrison following him, she had hoped it would be just the two of them.

However, she was much happier as soon as she found out that Nikki and Sam were just going to the island to fly the drone and get some shots of the landmarks, Cabot Point Lighthouse, Cabot Town, St Giles Chapel, Norman Rock, the Seaview Hotel for Sam’s business and nature and landscape shots for her artwork.

 

So as Phil Holgate started the engines of the Ocean Breeze Water Taxi, they got aboard, and she and Harry sat together as the boat moved off down the Spanish River towards the open water and it was a smooth ride across the dead calm sea.

 

The Shaw Brothers ferry, the Empress Victoria, was on the jetty at Cabot Town, and Phil brought the launch to a halt beside the small quayside.

Cabot Town itself was actually just a hamlet, with a café, and a General Store/Post Office, from there Sam and Nikki went to the North of the Island where they were going to start filming while Arielle and Harry went South to the farthest end of Broad Beach Sands, then they walked back up the full length of the beach and back up the rocky path to the lane past the Seaview Hotel which led to the meteorological station and then they walked inland to Hastings Lake to have their picnic lunch.

 

Nikki and Sam meanwhile had worked their way down to Cabot Point and filmed the Lighthouse and were making their way back to the café to get some lunch.

When they got to the southern end of the lake, they put the drone up again to get some shots of the lake and the woods from a different angle.

“Oh my God!” Nikki said, “I wasn’t expecting to see that.”

“See what?” Sam asked.

“Here have a look” she said.

“Bless me” Sam said as he saw the image of his big brother kissing the Vicar by the water’s edge. “Good for him”

“Good for her” Nikki corrected him.

 

An hour later they were sitting in the café eating bacon sandwiches when Nikki gave Sam a nudge and nodded towards the window where she could see Harry and the Vicar walking along the lane holding hands.

“I bet he’s glad I made him come to the island now” Sam said.

“So’s the Vicar” she said, and they both laughed.

 

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (021) A Bishop Calls

 

Following their meeting with the Vicar, their second full week in the cottage settled into a comfortable routine, of long walks on the pleasant days, collaborating on the new book on the unpleasant ones, with a liberal sprinkling of love making in between, a pattern they maintained through much of November, which was when Danny’s thoughts turned towards Christmas and what gift to buy Molly.

For her birthday he had commissioned a special present for her by Sam Archer, a craftsman who lived and worked in Sharpington, a hand-crafted snow globe, containing a detailed model of her former Colorado home, Lakeside, which she loved, so he contacted Sam again.

 

Towards the end of the month, they had a phone call from the Bishop's Palace in Abbottsford, by the Archdeacon on behalf of Bishop Aubrey Backer.

“Is that Miss Barrington?” Archdeacon Michael Perrone asked.

“It is” she replied.

“His Grace the Bishop understands that you wish to make a donation to the Church, a substantial donation I believe” he said.

“In a manner of speaking” she confirmed.

“Well, his Grace would very much like to meet you to discuss the details, perhaps we could make an appointment for you to come to the Palace.”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible” Molly said “We have quite a lot on at the moment and can’t spare the time for a trip to Abbottsford this side of the New Year” she said as she lay naked beneath the duvet with Danny.

“We could make some time to meet here” she suggested.

“His Grace isn’t normally in the habit of making house calls” he said distastefully.

“No matter, thanks for calling, I’m sure I can find other worthwhile causes to spend my money on” she said and hung up.

“We’re getting a visit from the Bishop” she said.

“What exactly are we too busy with” Danny asked.

“What do you think?” she replied and pulled the duvet up over their heads.

 

Three days later Bishop Aubrey Backer, who was not in the habit of making house calls, was sitting in the lounge at Cliff Haven along with Archdeacon Michael Perrone.

“So, I understand you wish to make a substantial donation to the Church” the Bishop said.

“Not exactly” Molly replied.

“Well, I do hope I haven’t travelled here under false pretences.” He said looking accusingly at the Archdeacon.

“Having inherited my grandfather’s estate, I am a very wealthy woman and the donation I wish to make is to St Clara’s Church, for the necessary repairs and maintenance” Molly explained.

“Well, I think that money would be much better spent in more deserving parishes” the Bishop said.

“Such as?”

“We have many inner-city locations that are very deprived” he said.

“But not very Christian” Danny pointed out.

“Their need is very great” the Archdeacon confirmed.

“My interest is St Clara’s” Molly said quietly.

“I have many parishes and parishioner’s, and they all have needs, and I must balance those needs, so I am unable to sanction the expenditure on such a small insignificant Church, but I can promise your donation will be well spent” he said, and Molly rolled her eyes.

“Can you talk to her” he said to Danny.

“What do you mean? Are you suggesting that I explain to the silly little woman? Is that what you mean Bishop?” Danny said Angrily.

“No of course not, that’s not what the Bishop meant” the Archdeacon interjected.

“St Clara’s has a small congregation and not diverse enough for my taste and the church itself still retains too much of its papist fripperies.” The Bishop said, “But I promise I will spend every penny wisely.”

“I am not prepared to trust you to spend the money in accordance with my wishes once you get your grubby little hands on it”.

“Well, I will see it demolished and replaced by house’s rather than spend a penny on it” he said as he stood up.

When Molly spoke with the Solicitors, she asked them to find out as much as they could about St Clara’s, covenants, deeds, and such like, and what she found out informed her response.

“Unfortunately for you, you are unable to do that for two reasons, firstly it is a Grade 2 listed building and secondly you don’t own the land, I do” Molly said indulgently.

 

“So, there is nothing else to say on the matter, goodbye Bishop.”

She shouted as he left through the front door.

“The correct form of address is “Your Grace”  by the way” the Archdeacon said.

“I will refer to him as such when he shows evidence that he possesses any” Molly pointed out as she closed the door behind them.

“I’m very aroused right now” Danny said.

“Hold that thought” she said and picked up the phone and called Bramstock, Goodman, Crossfield, and Bushe

“I want to buy a church.”

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (020) Meeting Arielle

November

Molly’s grandfather, Sir Avery Arnold, was keen that Danny encouraged Molly's relationship with God, not that she needed any encouragement, she never missed a Sunday, and if she couldn't do the Sunday morning, she would do the evening service, even if it meant going to a different Church.

In fact, it was more a case of her encouraging him because although he was a Christian he wasn’t a regular churchgoer, he wasn't a weekly worshiper until he met Molly.

 

Worship was quite different in the UK than it was in Colorado, and Molly had tried on a few churches for size in Downshire, St Hilda’s in Abbotsford, St Michael’s in Applesford, St Winifred’s in Mornington and St Lucy’s in Sharpington.

She had attended St Joan of Arc and St Pierre’s while staying at the Beaumont Manor but found the worship rather too High Church for her taste.

She hoped St Clara’s in Spaniards Creek would suit her rather more than the main churches on the island in St Pierre.

So, when she and Danny walked inside, she was apprehensive, but she was not disappointed with the church she’d chosen and felt immediately at home.

It was a small church by Norman standards and was full of catholic iconography and a spectacular stained-glass window behind the dais was a joy to behold.

The congregation were also very welcoming, and she really liked the Vicar, Arielle Nicolas, a small delicately featured woman with bobbed brown hair, quickly approaching her 40^th birthday, not that she looked it.

 

“That was a lovely service Vicar” Molly said as they left the Church and it’s a really beautiful Church”.

“Thank you” she responded and shook Molly’s hand “It’s always nice to see new faces among the congregation, especially local celebrities.”

“And it’s nice to be among them” Molly said, “I’d very much like to discuss something with you.”

“Certainly, is tomorrow, ok?” The Vicar said.

“I can come to you if you want, 11 o’clock?”   

“That would be perfect” she said “Goodbye.”

 

Back at Cliff Haven Molly cooked her first Sunday Roast, with Danny’s guidance, and the end result was more than acceptable, so much so that they both overate and fell asleep on the sofa watching TV.

 

There was a knock on the door Monday morning a minute or two before Eleven and Danny opened the door.

“Hello Vicar” he said, “Please come in.”

“Thank you, Mr, Nightingale.”

“No one calls him that” Molly said ““He’s Danny and I’m Molly”.

“Well, if we’re on first name terms then I’m Arielle.”

“What a lovely name” Danny said.

“Thank you”

 

“How are you liking Spaniards Creek?” The Vicar asked.

“Very much” she replied, “Although I’m not really a newcomer, I was born in this house.”

“Really?”

“I’m a foreigner” Danny said, “Are you a native?” 

“No, I’m from Tipton” she replied.

“But I love the island, I’ve walked every inch of it, you can’t help feeling close to God when you’re on the hills.”

“Yes, it is beautiful.” Molly agreed.

“I will miss it when I have to leave.” The Vicar said.

“You’re leaving?” asked Molly.

“It’s looking like a distinct possibility.” She replied sadly.

“What a shame” Molly expressed.

“Anyway, what was it you wanted to talk about?” Arielle asked and Molly spoke at length about the reinterment of her grandfather and then the Vicar said.

“That might be problematic.”

“Oh?”

“The Bishop wants to close St Clara’s”

“Why?”

“As pretty as the church is there are some issues that need attending to” she explained.

“Such as?” Danny asked.

“The Roof, the masonry on the bell tower and the belfry itself” she said.

“What about fundraising?” Molly asked.

“Well, we’re a small parish and we struggle to raise funds at the best of times and the diocese can't or won’t help us, so things are rather desperate.”

“Not anymore, they're not” Molly said resolutely.

“I will put up the necessary funds.” 

“That’s very generous Molly” The Vicar said, “But I doubt the Bishop will sanction spending the money on St Clara’s, he thinks of Beaumont Island as “little England”.”

“Well, that's what it's for and that is where I want it to be used.” Molly said crossly “So can you tell that to the Bishop?”

“I like you” Arielle said, “You’re feisty.”

“She never used to be” Danny said and smiled.

“Danny brings out the beast in me” Molly said and blushed.

 

“Do you even have access to those kinds of funds? And can you commit to such an outlay?” Danny asked.

“I’ve no idea” Molly replied and laughed “I suppose I’d better find out.”

Sir Avery Arnold appointed Bramstock, Goodman, Crossfield, and Bushe of Abbottsford, to manage Molly’s affairs, and all her finances and all the assets which would be hers in its entirety when she was 25.

But they also had discretion to release funds at her request for what Sir Avery called her “Special Projects” and that was what they told her when she phoned them.

“Apparently I do” Molly said after hanging up. 

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (019) Exploring Spaniards Creek

 

The next day was Thursday, and they were much more disciplined and wrote from breakfast until dinner and saved the lust for the evening.

The following day was Friday, and the weather was absolutely foul and was also their household chores day.

They had just finished breakfast when George arrived.

“Morning you two” he said, “Its grim out there.”

 

Molly put a load in the washing machine before leaving with Geroge to drive to the Stephenson’s Supermarket in St Pierre, leaving Danny cleaning the bathrooms.

 

Saturday was a much brighter day and unseasonably mild, so they set off on foot to explore the fishing village of Spaniards Creek, so called because it was where a severely damaged Spanish Galleon from the Armada sought refuge from the English Navy and the storm in May 1588, the only evidence of the event in the present day were the oak beams in the Tudor buildings of the old village dwellings.

There was a single road that wound its way down to the riverside quay where the fleet of fishing boats were moored, and then crossed the river and climbed again on the other side, and the cottages clung to the hillsides.

They met a lot of locals as they walked hand in hand in the sunshine and found them to be very friendly, especially at the village pub, Philips Folly, with the exception of Paul Steptoe, who thought he should have been given first refusal on Cliff Haven, he left without speaking when they walked in.

It turned out that he was just as unpopular with the villagers as he was with them.

 

After a pleasant lunch they walked slowly back up the hill until they reached Church Lane.

“Let’s go up here” Molly said, and they followed the lane that wound its way around the cottages for about 100 yards until it emerged at a plateau where St Clara’s Church stood, surrounded by the graveyard, which was what interested her on that day.

Unlike many graveyards at Christian Churches St Clara’s was well tended and they wandered around until they found what they were searching for, the graves of Molly’s parents, Charlotte and John Barrington, and her Grandmother Bella Arnold, and this was where Sir Avery Arnold wished to be laid to rest.

When he died, after the normal formalities and legalities were completed, there was a small private funeral at St Savior’s Church, outside Colorado Springs, after which he was temporarily interred in the crypt, where he would reside until arrangements could be made for him to be repatriated to Beaumont Island.

 

Satisfied with what she had seen and as they walked slowly to Cliff Haven, they discussed the reinterment and when the best time would be and how best to achieve it.

When they got indoors Molly quickly shed her outdoor clothes and waited impatiently until Danny had done the same, and then took him by the hand and said

“Nap time”

“And by “nap time” you mean?”

“Not napping” she replied with a leer as she led him to her room.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (018) A New Beginning

 

On Tuesday morning Danny and Molly woke up with more than the normal excitement they would have expected from waking up in the cottage they had been working on for so long, because they had made love for the first time the night before.

After making love for the second time on that momentous morning, they drifted off to asleep again.

“That was an amazing housewarming” Molly purred as she cuddled up close to him after they eventually awoke again.

“It was amazing full stop” he said putting his arm around her “But it was more than that.”

“What do you mean?” she asked dreamily.

“Well, what I’m trying to say is” he said hesitantly “I love you Molly Barrington”

“I love you too” she replied and kissed him passionately and then they just lay in each other’s arms for about ten minutes until she suddenly rolled over and sat on the edge of the bed and pulled a sweater over her head and wriggled into it

“Where are you going? I really want to kiss you again.”

“Well, you’ll have to wait until later” Molly said and smiled over her shoulder before adding “We have another Sharon Jacques book to write.”

 

Best endeavours aside, after an extremely late lunch, they got virtually no writing done to speak of at all, in between all the kissing.

It was during one of their rare canoodling interludes that Danny suddenly exclaimed.

“Oh my God!”

“What? what?” she asked with alarm.

“We have to tell George.”  

“Ohhh” she sighed. “I forgot about George.”

“That’s not easy to do” Danny said, and they both laughed.

6ft 4 Gentle Giant George Wood was 47 years old and had worked for Sir Avery Arnold for 20 years after serving 9 years in the Downshire Light Infantry, and the reason Sir Avery choose him out of all the many applications he received, wasn’t his exemplary military record, or the impeccable references, what made him stand out from the crowd was that he was a fellow Beaumont Islander and he had gone to school with his daughter Charlotte, Molly’s mum.

He had always been in Molly’s life and was like a cross between a big brother, a kindly Uncle, and a bodyguard.

When he was part of the household staff at Lakeside, he always referred to himself as the chauffeur gofer.

“We’ll tell him tomorrow” she said.

“Ok, we’ll walk over to the farm first thing in the morning” he suggested.

“We’d better have an early night then” Molly said and began nibbling his earlobe.

 

They woke up on Wednesday morning in Molly’s bed but unlike the previous day they didn’t dwell, however much they might have liked to.

They showered, separately, to avoid distraction, then Danny made them bacon and eggs and fresh coffee.

It was a misty morning and there was an autumnal chill in the air and as he and Molly stepped outside, they exchanged a look that said, “I wish we were cuddled up and warm in bed.”

However, once they got going, they soon warmed up and they were laughing and joking.

“Maybe this could be the plot of the new book, a young couple are lured to the countryside and are murdered by the old family retainer.” He said when Beacon Farm came into view.

“Or the tale of a beautiful young maiden coming to terms with the death of her lover at the hands of a psychopathic chauffeur” she suggested.

“Brutal” Danny retorted.

 

As they walked down the hill, they saw Katie Harrison in the yard.

“Hey Katie” Danny called.

“Hello, you two” she said and smiled, then she kissed them both.

“What brings you here this early?”

“We need to speak to George” Molly replied.

“He’s in the barn, fuelling the quadbike, we’re just about to go out to check the flock.”

“Thanks Katie, we won’t keep him long” Danny said and walked towards the barn.

“Just my luck” Danny said quietly “They have sharp tools in the barn.”

“It’ll be alright,” Molly said, “He won’t kill me.”

“Very reassuring” he said as he opened the barndoor.

George was stood by the quadbike screwing the cap back on to a fuel can and when he saw them, he asked

“What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing’s wrong” Molly replied.

“Well somethings got you outdoors early on a damp autumn morning” George retorted suspiciously as he looked at them, picturing them as a pair of naughty school children outside the headmaster’s office.

“There’s really nothing wrong” Danny assured him.

“But we do have some news” Molly added.

“What kind of news?”

“Well…” Molly began, and George raised his eyebrows.

“We’re an item” Danny blurted out, and they held hands.

George dropped the fuel can and walked towards them and they braced themselves.

“About bloody time” he said, roared with laughter and hugged them both to within an inch of their lives.

“You’re ok with it then?” Molly asked meekly.

“Of course, I’m chuffed” he said but then he gave Danny a menacing look and added.

“But if you hurt her, they’ll never find the body.”

Then he smiled and said

“Let’s go and tell Katie, not that she didn’t guess already, I think she knew before you did.”

 

There was a lot of hustle and bustle in the farmhouse that morning because Katie’s sister Louise, who had given birth to twins a month earlier at the Bellevue Cottage Hospital, was now home and the babes were already ruling the roost.

 

“Are you going to stay for a cuppa?” Katie asked after they had shared their news.

“We don’t want to get in the way” Danny replied hoping that Molly would back him up.

“Nonsense, they have babies” Molly said excitedly.

 

The weather had brightened up considerably by the time they left Beacon Farm, though it was still cold.

“That went well” Molly said, and they held hands as they left the yard heading for home.

“Now we can get back to the book.”

They got quite sweaty trudging back to Cliff Haven, but the cold had got into their bones regardless by the time they got home.

“I’m chilled through” Molly said when they got indoors.

“Have a soak in the bath, that’ll warm you up” Danny suggested “I’m going to the same”

 

Danny stepped into the bath and immersed himself in the foamy water and the bathroom was good and steamy when he saw the bathroom door open, and the slender figure of Molly Barrington, walk in wrapped in a bath towel.

“Because of climate change it would be irresponsible to run two baths, so I thought it would be more civic minded to share”  

“Well, that sounds like a very sensible idea” he said, and Molly turned her back to him and dropped her towel.

“I’ve never shared a bath before” she said as she stepped in, and her round naked buttocks were only inches from his face.

“I’m glad” he said,

“So am I” she agreed and lowered her cute buttocks into the water between his legs, then loosely tied her hair up to keep it out of the water, and Danny kissed her neck, and she leant back against him, and the hot water lapped up over her breasts.

As they lay stretched out in the bath together, and Molly was laying back against his chest, her breasts were under the water, but broke the surface every time she breathed in and Danny found it very sexy, suffice is to say they didn’t get any writing done that day.