The girl in the one-piece dress
Figure
hugging
Seamless
and crease free
Smooth
and fluid
A
curvy lass
No
bones showed through
Everything
moved in unison
Smooth
as liquid silk
In
fact, the contents of that dress
Seemed
not to be a solid
So
fluid was the movement
Love is layered,
Sedimentary
Each
layer secured
By
the one above
Love
is not shallow
Love
is deep
And
does not lay
Pretty Girl on a bicycle
In
a low-cut top
Whose
baps almost popped out
I
didn’t think they’d stop
She
saw me looking
Smiled
and shook her head
I
smiled back, gave a shrug
To
say “enough said”
The Finchbottom Vale nestles comfortably between
the Ancient Dancingdean Forest to the south and the rolling Pepperstock Hills
in the north, and to the east 15 miles inland from Sharpington-By-Sea,
equidistant between the seaside resort and Pepperstock Green was the rambling
village of Brookley and at its heart was St Mildred’s Church.
The
villager’s spiritual needs were met by its vicar Rev Cecil Payne who lived
at the adjacent vicarage with his wife Lily and their six unmarried daughters,
Chrissie, Daniela, Hazel, Heather, Katie and Elise.
For Lily her hopes involved the
grandchildren that were not forthcoming whereas Cecil just wanted them to
spread their wings, but as Easter loomed, there was no sign of either of them
getting their wish, but the power of prayer was a wonderful thing and both
parents prayed for their daughters.
However
24 year old Hazel had already found love, and that love had lasted since she
was eight years old when she fell in love with music.
Hazel was a very
accomplished musician, and an exceptional talent, and was something of a
prodigy and could have pursued a career had she not also loved God and between
her music and her faith she had no room in her heart to love anyone else as
well.
But as Easter approached
something happened that turned her world upside down when they were at the
height of the rehearsals for Easter, when at the beginning of Holy week, she
tripped down the church steps and broke her arm.
The choir rehearsals ground to a halt as
she was confined to the Vicarage to rest, while frantic phone calls began to find someone of a decent enough standard to fill her shoes and it took a
couple of days phoning around the county to find Harry Paul who had just
completed his Masters at Abbottsford.
Harry was another
prodigious talent but unlike Hazel he was a relatively new convert to the
faith.
It was when he was in his first year at
University and having arrived from a rural community to a large and busy city,
of all things that might have happened to him, the most surprising thing was that,
despite the fact that he had always believed himself to be an atheist, he had
found solace in God.
He wasn’t sure where it came from, it
certainly wasn’t from his upbringing, and although his grandmother and
grandfather were both from strict Methodist families his parents were not
believers themselves.
In fact he had never even set foot in a
Church until he was almost 19, when one of his housemates asked him to escort
her to mass at St Hilda’s Church, on one cold dark December night.
Glenda was the chorister and her
presence was very much required but her usual companion was unwell so she was
facing the walk there and back on her own.
But Glenda was of a nervous disposition
and really needed an escort so Harry volunteered.
He planned to walk her to the door,
leave her there in the safety of the church and then pick her up later, but it
was a bitterly cold night so Glenda persuaded him to go inside.
“You can just stand at the back”
“Ok” he agreed but as soon as he walked
through the doors he felt it, it was like a comforting hand settling on his
shoulder and he immediately felt at home.
After
that first time he became a regular and within six months he playing church
music, although St Hilda’s didn’t have an organ so it was a further year before
he had his first experience of a real church organ, and he enjoyed it so much
that he chose organ music for his masters.
He
quickly gained a reputation as a talented and gifted exponent on the instrument
and was very soon asked to sub for organists at Churches all over Abbottsford.
So
when Arthur Owens, Vicar of St Hilda’s heard on the grapevine that his old
friend Cecil Payne was in dire need of an organist with Easter looming he
didn’t hesitate to suggest Harry Paul for the task.
He even drove him over to Brookley to
introduce him to his friend and when Harry entered St Mildred’s during Holy
week he again felt Gods hand on his shoulder so he knew at once that he was
where he was meant to be.
“Good to see you again Cecil” said
Arthur and the two men embraced.
Introductions were made and then the two
clergymen went off to the Vicarage and left Harry with choirmaster Robert Perry
who introduced him to the instrument, and the choir.
There was no time however for him to
ease into the role because even though St Mildred’s
had found Hazels replacement relatively quickly they still lost two days
rehearsal, which was time that had to be made up so Harry hit the ground
running because as Easter approached the Choir needed to intensify the
rehearsals to catch up and he was impressed as everyone involved gave total
commitment and worked diligently to make up for lost time.
He was starting to panic
as he had another piece to play in the Good Friday service that did not involve
the Choir that he needed to practise.
But when it got to the
evening of Maundy Thursday there was only Heather Payne’s Good Friday solo, and
Choirmaster Robert Perry kept insisting on Heather doing the solo over and
over, not because he was a hard task master, it was obvious that he was
mesmerised by her angelic voice, and appearance.
However Harry eventually
called a halt to proceedings when Robert asked to go again.
“I don’t think that’s
necessary, it’s getting late and you can’t improve on perfection”
“No you’re quite right”
Robert agreed with his eyes still fixed on Heather.
Once the choirmaster and his angel had
gone he set about practising one of the two pieces he needed to rehearse, and
it was the one he was performing the next day that he gave his immediate
attention to, and fortunately it was the easier of the two but he still stayed
at the organ until the early hours, and would have stayed longer if the Vicar
hadn’t dragged him away to the Vicarage.
But the next day he was up early and was
on the way out the front door of the Vicarage before Lily Payne caught him by
the arm.
“Oh no you don’t young man” she said
“But I really need to get back to the
church” he protested
“Not without some breakfast inside you”
she insisted and steered him into the dining room where the entire Payne clan
were sitting around the table and apart from Heather and the Vicar there were
unfamiliar faces looking back at him.
“Harry dear boy” the Vicar said amiable “let
me introduce you to the brood”
The Vicar went around the table
introducing his daughters in turn, but it was the last of the six who had
caught his attention.
She was a very striking looking young
woman with long brown hair, tied in a French Plait, she was also very straight
backed and showed a confidence he might otherwise have found quite disarming,
but Harry very much liked what he saw, and he knew from the fact that she had
her arm in a sling that she was Hazel, the organist.
“And you must be the organist” Harry
said “You have a great reputation, I look forward to hearing you play, by all
accounts you not only play beautifully but have a great repertoire”
“Well that’s kind of you to say” she
responded and blushed at the compliment
Harry sat down at the table and Mrs
Payne put a plate of Bacon and Eggs in front of him
“Thank you” he said and then addressed
Hazel again
“How long before you’re on the mend?”
“At least six weeks” she said sadly
“I can’t imagine not being able to play
for that long” Harry said
“It’s not great” she agreed “but I’m
counting the days”
“Well I promise I’ll do my best in your
absence” Harry said
“I just hope I can do that wonderful
instrument justice”
“I’d love to come and listen to you
practice” Hazel said
“I’m afraid not” Mrs Payne said “You
have to rest”
“But I can rest and listen at the same
time” she pleaded
“Absolutely not” her mother insisted “But
if you do as you’re told and spend the day resting you can come to the service
this evening”
Hazel
rolled her eyes and frowned in response and Harry smiled
“Sorry”
he whispered conspiratorially
“I
hope they let you out later”
He
only managed to get just over an hour of practise in, as the church was quite
busy being prepared for the service.
It
was an important day in the church calendar and could either be at noon or in the evening but at St
Mildred’s it was the latter.
That
evening everything came together and all the choir practice and his additional
sessions paid off, not that Harry himself was convinced, and he had his doubts
as he descended the steps but as he planted his foot on the final step he
looked up and saw Hazel Payne sitting on the front pew and when their eyes met she
smiled and gave him the thumbs up with her good hand.
He
was going to go and speak to her but her mother quickly spirited her away back
to the safety of the Vicarage.
The
next day was Holy Saturday, the Great Vigil of Easter, and when he got downstairs he thought he would report to the dining
room, he told himself it was because he didn’t think he should attempt to leave
without breakfast again, but in reality he was hoping to engage with Hazel
again.
Because
it was so rare for him to have someone to talk to about proper music, let alone
church music, and even rarer than that, organ music, well that was what he told
himself but actually he really liked her.
Unfortunately
when he walked in he found no table full of Payne’s, just the Vicar.
So
he had coffee and toast and then walked over to the church.
Hazel
managed to slip out of the Vicarage without being seen after her mother left to
drive to the supermarket.
She
expected to find Harry practising and when she entered she found him doing battle
with a piece by Wesley.
Hazel was an accomplished organist and had played
at the church for many years but she hadn’t just sat in the church and listened
to the music, so she did just
that and she sat in a pew with her eyes closed and moved her hand and fingers of her
good hand as if she were playing it herself and when the piece was finished she nodded and smiled
and when Harry emerged from behind the curtain she said
“Well
done”
“Oh
bless me” he said “you scared me”
“Sorry”
Hazel said and giggled
“That’s
ok I just didn’t know there was anyone else here” he said
“How
come you’re still practising?” she asked “You really don’t need too”
“That’s
very kind of you to say so” he said “I needed to reacquaint myself with the
piece”
“That
makes sense then” she said “It’s a tricky piece if you haven’t played it in a
while”
“I
bet you wish you were playing it” he said
“Yes,
but alas I won’t be playing it this Easter” she said wistfully “I will be quite
rusty by the next one”
“Would
you like to play now?” he asked hopefully
“I’d
love to, but I can’t” she replied nodding towards her sling.
“We
could do it together” he suggested “You can play the right hand and I’ll play
the left”
“Oh
yes please” she replied enthusiastically
So they spent the next two hours playing together
on the organ and they would have gone on longer had they not been disturbed by
her mother.
“Hazel!! Is that you?”
The music stopped abruptly and they looked at each
other and Hazel shook her head’
Mrs Payne waited for a reply then Harry’s face
appeared from around the curtain
“Hello Mrs Payne” he said
“Ah Harry is Hazel with you?”
“No I’m afraid not, I haven’t seen her since
yesterday”
“Oh dear I was convinced she’d be in here” Mrs
Payne said
“Well if I see her I will be sure to deliver her to
the Vicarage without delay” he said
“Ok dear” she said an walked briskly off
“Thank you for fibbing” Hazel said “I’m having fun
and I’m not ready to stop yet”
“That’s ok” he said “I’m enjoying it too but just
another half an hour, you are looking a bit pale”
“Fair enough” she agreed
As it turned out she only managed fifteen minutes
as fatigue set in and she asked
“I think I need to go home now, will you take me?”
“Of course” he said and helped her down the steps
then she took his arm and they walked slowly to the door.
Once outside they started down the steps and her
legs went wobbly so he scooped her up in his arms.
“Goodness knows what I’m going to tell your mother”
he said
“Tell her you found me sitting in the gallery” she
responded quietly
“I don’t like lying to her” he said
“If you tell the truth she might not let me see you
again” she said in barely more than a whisper
“And you wouldn’t like that?” he asked
“No I would not” she retorted
“Then I shall fib” he declared and smiled
The
Vicarage door was open by the time he got up the path and her mum was by the
door, but she had no question for him, so no lie was required, instead she led
the way and he followed on and he carried her upstairs and lay her on her bed and
then her mum and sisters took control and he was surplus to requirements.
The Great Vigil of Easter, is a service held in traditional Christian
churches as the first official celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus, which
is held in the hours of darkness between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on
Easter Day, most commonly in the evening of Holy Saturday, and is the first
celebration of Easter.
There is some music during the service, but there was more prayer and meditation than music,
but Harry was not meditating on Christ’s Passion and Death, his thoughts and
prayers were exclusively for Hazel and her well-being and he swore a vow never
to put her at risk again.
At the end of the service proper when his
contribution was over he went to a vacant pew and knelt on a hassock and prayed
and after a few minutes Mrs Payne knelt beside him and put her hand on his.
“She wants to see you”
“She’s alright?” he turned and asked her
“She’s
fine now, she was just exhausted” she said then she smiled and added
“Organ
playing will do that to you”
“You
knew?”
“I
always know” she replied “What I was unsure of was whether it was you or the
music that was keeping her there”
“And?”
“And you will need to go and see her to find that
out” she replied enigmatically and left him to ponder.
In truth his pondering lasted milliseconds and he
headed as quickly as was expedient without breaking into a run.
When he got back to the Vicarage he was met by a
smiling Heather who said
“Wow that was quick, go on up, she’s waiting for
you”
So without responding verbally he went up the
stairs to Hazel’s room.
The door was open slightly but before he proceeded
he took a moment to collect himself, took a deep breath and then knocked.
“Come in”
Harry accepted the invitation and pushed the door
open to find a radiantly smiling Hazel sitting up in bed looking the picture of
health, albeit with the assistance of her sisters, and a touch of makeup.
Suffice is to say that that Easter marked a special
beginning for
Harry and Hazel, and Holy Saturday in particular would forever mark the
anniversary
of when two accomplished organists became a duet.
She leant forward,
Bending at the
waist,
Just enough
To tighten the fabric
Of her jeans
Shaping and
defining
Her buttocks
To pert perfection
Then she leant a
little further
Just enough
To expose some
dusky flesh
And above her
waistband
The merest glimpse
Of pale pink panties
With white lace
trim
Showing
seductively
Against her dusky
skin
Then she straightened
up
And turned towards
me
Glancing in my
direction
She knew I was watching
And she leant
forward,
Bending at the
waist,
Just enough
To fill her gaping
blouse
Her breasts sitting
In pert perfection
Round and full
Encased in pink
cups
With white lace
trim
Showing
seductively
Against her dusky
skin
A hint of nipple
A glimpse of
areola
Just enough
Through the tight
fabric
Deliciously defined
Then she
straightened up
Looking towards me
Smiling in my
direction
Knowing I was watching
And liking it
Dear Virginia
No longer the
gawky girl
Awkward and ungainly
Self-conscious and
ill at ease
Virginia has come
of age
And is in full
bloom
Once the ugly
duckling
Now magnificently
dressed
For sumptuous
dining
Fit to adorn any
table
Well-toned limbs
Golden skinned
And plump breasted
With legs invitingly
trussed
Tender and succulent
A main course to
suit any palate
To be savoured and
devoured
John and Rachel Carberry first met at the Frankfurt Book Fair, which was held in October, and fell head over heels for each other and following a whirlwind romance they were married in Copenhagen a few days before Christmas.
He was a
successful writer of children’s books, the Adventures of Geordie the Guardsman,
and she was an editor of nonfiction.
Their
decision to marry abroad, at short notice, was a purely selfish one, intended
to avoid the circus that surrounds weddings, they were both divorcees and had
been through the ordeal once already and had no appetite to go through it
again, but they were in love and wanted to legitimise that love before God.
However, the
good news of their union was not universally well received especially not by
her sister Julia, with whom she was particularly close, so some work was
required to rebuild bridges.
Rachel
thought that her sister would understand, as she was also a divorcee, but she
was clearly hurt at being excluded.
But from
John and Rachel’s point of view they had to exclude everyone or no one, so it
was a no brainer.
Julia’s
problem with their wedding wasn’t solely that she felt alienated, but rather
that she felt jealous that there was no special someone in her own life, and
she often sat alone contemplating her lot, and reviewing her options.
Because she
was not without her admirers, but none of them stirred feelings within her that
might cause her to run away to Denmark to wed.
She tried
not to dwell too much on her circumstances but sometimes she just couldn’t
fight it but on one April afternoon she was stirred from her torpor by the
telephone.
“Julia Lamiason”
“Hello
Julia, John Carberry”
“Oh” she
responded icily
“My
publisher is staying with us at the moment and I’m cooking dinner, so we
wondered if you’d make up the four”
“Oh, I see”
she said coldly “is Rachel with you?”
“Yes, she
is”
“Put her on”
she instructed so he complied
“Hello
Julia” Rachel said
“Can he
cook?” she asked abruptly
“Yes, he
can” she replied
“Better than
he writes I hope” Julia added
“We’ll see
you at 8 then?” Rachel said
Steven
Greenwood wasn’t just John’s publisher he was also his closest friend, they met
on their first day at University and hit it off immediately and their
friendship had become a very profitable one.
He dressed
like a successful man, in hand made suits, but he still managed to look like a
comprehensive school Geography teacher.
He and John
had spent much of the day going over his latest Geordie the Guardsman book and
discussing the timetable for publication and the artwork.
The latter
was a no brainer as John had always used the same artist, Kim Labuschagne, who
was always bang on the money with her interpretation.
They
continued chatting in the kitchen while John got on with the dinner, he’d done
most of the preparation before Steven arrived.
“So, what’s
this Juliana like then?” Steven asked
“Julia” John
corrected him “And she’s quite terrifying”
“And you
invited her, why?” he asked
“Because Rachel
says she has a heart of gold” John replied “And we’re bridge building”
“And does
she?” Steven asked
“Does she
what?”
“Have a
heart of gold” Steven clarified
“Well if she
does she certainly keeps it well hidden” John replied and laughed
Julia
arrived right on time and Rachel came down stairs let her in and John stood in
the kitchen doorway to greet her
“Wow you two
look lovely” he said
“Thank you” Julia
said slightly taken aback by the compliment
“Can you do the
drinks honey?” He said to Rachel and then added as he returned to the kitchen
“Steven will
be down in a minute he’s just changing”
After a
satisfying kiss Muriel returned from the kitchen carrying.
She set down
a tray, with glasses and a chilled bottle of wine in a bucket and poured the
wine just as John and Steven appeared.
“Hi Steven” Rachel
said and kissed his cheek “This is my sister Julia”
Steven was
tall and skinny, and Julia thought he looked in need of a good meal as he brushed
his sandy hair off his forehead and then she shook his hand.
“Pleased to
meet you Steven”
“Like wise”
he replied
As the two
sisters settled down in their seats, Steven whispered
“I thought
you said she was an ogre, I think she’s lovely”
“Really?” John
said
During the
course of the meal, with an Author, an Editor and a Publisher at the table the
subject naturally turned to writing.
“Julia
prefers Enid Blyton to modern children’s fiction” John said
“Me too”
Steven agreed
“Oh, that’s
nice” said John “You’re my publisher you at least should be singing my praises”
“Sorry mate”
Steven said
“I still
think you’re brilliant darling” Rachel said
“That
doesn’t count because you don’t like my books either”
“Who does
exactly?” Steven said unhelpfully
“Well you
need to find out, and when you do, keep them away from these two” John
suggested
“Well if it’s
any consolation you cook better than Enid Blyton at least” said Julie
“High praise
indeed” Rachel said
“Well thank
you” John said “For that you can have desert”
As John and
Steven were clearing the dishes to the kitchen Julia whispered to Rachel
“You have a
good man there, but don’t you dare tell him I said that, because I have my
reputation to protect”
“Your secret
is safe with me” Rachel said, “Now where’s that desert, it’s a boozy chocolate
tart?”
“I’ll just
take Steven and can of squirty cream” Julia said
“Julia!!”
“Oh, did I
say that out loud?” Julia said and blushed
Coffee and
liqueurs followed desert and then more liqueurs, and then more until the hour
got late.
John and
Rachel began clearing the table and looking back from the kitchen door John
said
“I think Steven
is smitten”
“It’s
mutual” Rach replied and smiled
It wasn’t
their intention to match-make they just wanted to make up a pleasant foursome,
the fact they were attracted to each other was an unexpected bonus.
“We must
breathe lightly on the embers then” John said enigmatically
“What does
that mean Mr Author?” Rachel slurred
“We have to
play cupid” he replied
“Or just
give her can of squirty cream” she said
