Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (16) The Highfinch Curate

 

The village of Highfinch sat just on the edge of the Pepperstock Hills and Lily Green Hollows Golf Club separated the village from the Hamlet of Lily Green and since moving there in January, Nick Faulkner, had completely immersed himself in Village life and they welcomed him with open arms such was the nature of celebrity.

Nick was a TV presenter on a popular sports show and was immediately given membership to the ultra-exclusive Lily Green Hollows Golf Club.

It was a very exclusive Golf Club with a large number of grand House’s in both village and hamlet backing on to it.

It was not widely known but the Golf Club and all the plush dwelling attached to the course belonged to the Mornington Estate.

It came into their ownership in the late 1980’s when a developer tried to buy it to create a luxury housing estate, Gabriel St George’s father, Valentine, who was the then Baron, stepped in and saved it.

Because it was so exclusive the membership fees were exorbitant but they had to be because the Golf Club and all the properties that surrounded it had to pay their own way.

Gabriel hated the fact that the club was strictly for the rich but it was a necessary evil to preserve it and protect it from the developers and Nick Faulkner’s celebrity status didn’t exempt him from the fees.

He also joined the congregation at St Martins Church which was where he got his first glimpse of Jenna Lawton, the curate who was the de facto Vicar of St Martins while the Reverend Mortimer was recovering from a heart attack.

 

 

Reverend Mortimer’s standing Vicar was an attractive woman by any measure, with a warm open manner, a willowy thirty something, nearer to forty than not, with shoulder length brunette hair, intelligent green laughing eyes and a broad toothy smile, altogether he thought a very pleasant demeanour.

 

Nick had moved to the country for the peace and quiet in order to write his book but it didn’t work out that way.

Apart from joining the Golf Club and the regular attendance at the Church he was also persuaded to sit on the parish council, which he thought might be akin to a scene from the “Vicar of Dibley” but in reality it was nothing of the sort and was actually quite rewarding and it brought him in close proximity to the lovely curate.

And it was she who was fairly instrumental in press ganging him into giving talks and live readings to the Women’s Institute, the Round Table and the Rotary Club et al.

He also helped with planning the Summer Fete, numerous Fund raising events and Quiz nights and by the time Easter was finished he had already been penciled in for duties at Halloween, bonfire night and Christmas.

However he had really taken to village life and the village had taken to him but he was in a quandary because somewhere along the way the work on his book had stalled and he had managed to fall in love with the Curate come Vicar, Jenna Lawton which undoubtedly contributed greatly to the ease in which she managed to press gang him, and she had absolutely no idea of the effect she had on him.

 

Nick was knocking on the door of his 40th birthday but he still had all his own hair and not too much middle aged spread. 

On Sunday morning he was making his way to St Martins Church when Julia Thomas caught up with him.

She was a rotund lady in her fifties who sat on the parish council with him and was his next door neighbour.

“Nicholas darling” she said and took him by the arm as they walked down the street.

He had known her and her husband Charles, for many years and it was Julia who had encouraged him to move to Highfinch, when he mentioned he was looking for a rural idyll.

“Charles has left” she said blandly

“I’m sorry,” he said though in truth he was glad

He really liked Julia but he didn’t like her husband Charles, he thought he was a hard drinking womanizing arsehole.  

“Don’t be” she said “it’s for the best”

“The boys threw him out you know” she announced proudly

“You can do better than him” He said squeezing her hand “you deserve better than him”

Julia squeezed his hand back

“Thank you”

Just then a voice called to them

“Wait for me”

They stopped and looked back to see Vicki Paulding

Hurrying after them.

“Hello you two” she said, “are you going to Church?”

“Yes” they said in unison

Vicki suddenly noticed Judith’s arm through his and gave him a look.

“I have a spare arm,” he offered

“Well that’s ok then” she said and quickly took his arm.

As they cordially strolled, arm in arm towards the church they did elicit the occasional sideways glance.

“You do know that you two will be the talk of the village?” he said and they both looked at him a little old fashioned.

“You’ll be the two jezebels hanging off the arms of the local TV star”

They were still laughing as they reached the door of the church where Curate Jenna Lawton, the object of his desire, was at the door as they approached, doing the meet and greet.

Her warm open face was smiling as were her green eyes and the willowy thirty something’s shoulder length brunette hair was being stirred by the breeze.
“Aren’t you worried about your reputation?” she called

“No I have broad shoulders Jenna” he replied

“Not you, you are tarnished beyond all hope” she said smiling

“I was speaking to your companions”

“That’s most unfair and only goes to show how misunderstood I am,” he said feigning injury.

“I have merely made it my mission in life to save fallen women, and I’m saving these two for later”

Jenna laughed, Julia punched him on the arm and Vicki blushed and then they went inside.
It was a good service, short on sermonizing and long on rejoicing, as usual the mix of hymns was a balance of the old and traditional with a sprinkling of the modern and happy clappy.

Jenna Lawton kept the sermon short and sweet and never ever over egged the pudding and at the end of the service he felt invigorated and refreshed.
There was a coffee and mingle at the end where those who wanted to could chat and catch up with members of the congregation, he had hoped to use it as an opportunity to rub shoulders with Jenna but he couldn’t get close to her.

He had known her for more than 8 months and he still didn’t know how to get close to her.

 

Nick, Julia and Vicki all did the rounds amongst the congregants and then said their goodbyes, he for one was in the mood to socialize so as they were leaving he said,
“Do you two need to rush off?”
“I don’t have any plans” Vicki replied
“No nor me” said Julia
“How about lunch then? At The Downshire Arms?” he suggested “my treat”
“I’m on” chirped Vicki
“Me too” Julia said brightly
Just then they arrived at the door where Jenna was seeing the faithful out the door.
“What's he up to now?” she said to Nicks companions
“Lunch” said Vicki
“Why don’t you join us?” he added “At The Downshire Arms”
she looked blank for a moment as she processed the invitation almost as if she had been asked a question in English but had to translate it into German before she could answer.
“You know what? I would love too,” she said beaming
“I will have to meet you there though”
“No problem” He said and the three of them made their way through the village to the pub.

They had a very pleasant lunch and Jenna was an absolute delight very down to earth and very witty.

He had obviously met her many times at the Church, parish council meetings, various local events and things like the soup kitchen but it was the first time they had socialized.
Vicki had earlier penciled the Curate in as a sherry drinker and she was shocked to the core when Jenna asked for a pint of Guinness and when she noticed the look on Vicki’s face she said
“They don’t do it in half’s”
Vicki nodded understandingly in response, and then the penny dropped and she laughed 
At the end of an excellent lunch Jenna reluctantly declined a third pint of the black stuff stating that she had to prepare for the evening service.
They walked through the gate in the pleasant afternoon sunshine of a September Sunday when the Curate paused
“Thank you for the lunch Nick” she said “But thank you so much all of you for the companionship”

Then she added

“No one ever invites me to the pub, and I do like a drink and a chat”
“We will bear that in mind for the future Jenna” he said and
Julia and Vicki heartily agreed
When they reached the Vicarage thanks were muttered and immediately dismissed, cheeks were kissed and blessings exchanged.

Promises of doing it again soon were made and would not be broken.

Jenna had genuinely enjoyed lunch, as had the rest of them, but none of them envied Jenna having to spend the rest of the afternoon in preparation of that evening’s service while the rest of them would be dosing off in their respective garden chairs and sleeping off their lunches.
Having safely delivered his luncheon companions to their respective front doors, where cheeks were kissed etcetera he returned to his house and was asleep ten minutes later dreaming of Jenna.

 

Nick was still doing his weekly sports show while he was trying to write his book, which wasn’t going well, partly because he’d allowed himself to be distracted by committees and good works and his infatuation with the Curate. 

Frustrated by his inability to put pen to paper, so to speak, he decided to take a walk into the village despite the steady rain, where he chanced upon Jenna Lawton.

“Thank you God” he said to himself but aloud he said

“Good afternoon Jenna”

“Hello Nick” she replied “What’s brought you out into the rain”

“Writers block” he said “And you?”

“Well I’m stuck on my sermon” she replied “so I feel your pain”

“I think we need to be fortified” he said “The Downshire Arms?”

“I have a better suggestion” she said “Rather too many of my parishioners drink in the Arms”

“So where do you have in mind?” he queried

“The Kingfisher” she replied

“I’ve never heard of it” he said

“It’s in Kingfisherbridge” she said “it’s about a mile and a half walk, but it’s worth it, are you game?”

“Why not” he retorted

 

Due to the inclement weather the village was deserted as they walked towards Hawks Wood.

While they walked they unloaded their burdens on each other.

Nick detailed the constant nagging from his publishers demanding another chapter, and another and another and Jenna talked at length about certain sections of the congregation who had still not really accepted her as Reverend Mortimer’s stand in.

When they reached the pub, to make her feel better, he told her some particularly scandalous tales about the most vociferous of her protagonists which he thought would make her feel a little better, which they did, and in a spirit of quid pro quo she told him a few disgraceful tit bits that he hadn’t heard before.

He had hoped that the beer would suppress his inhibitions and allow him to ask her out on a date.

When they were on their second drink Jenna began to reveal some things about herself but soon regained control and talked about the community instead.

“Well this is very fortifying” she said as she drained he second pint.

“Yes but we’ll be fortified as newts if we don’t eat something”

Nick pointed out.

Nick asked at the bar about food only to find that they didn’t do hot food only sandwiches.

“Sandwiches it is” they both agreed.

 

After devouring the sandwiches and washing them down with another pint they had to trudge the mile and a half back to the village.

There wasn’t any chance of him asking her out on the homeward journey as she never stopped talking but with the sound of the pouring rain he missed most of what she was saying.

He managed to catch the odd phrase, like time running out and sand running through her fingers but as he missed everything else he had no context.

As they were walking through Hawk Wood he was concentrating so much on trying to hear what she was saying that they didn’t notice the mad cyclist approaching them from behind.

In fact they only knew he was there when he shouted

“GET OUT OF THE WAY, I’M NOT STOPPING”

They jumped sideway just in the nick of time.

“You Godless heathen” she yelled at the errant cyclist

Nick was falling backwards and instinctively reached out to grab something while he was falling but the only thing in reach was Jenna so he landed on his back in the wet bracken and she landed on top of him.

They lay there nose to nose on the wet ground for a full minute before she said

“This is awkward, and not a little compromising for a woman of the cloth”

“Indeed” he agreed desperate to reach up the infinitesimal distance to her lovely lips and plant a kiss on them

“A less gentlemanly man than I would probably take advantage of the situation”

Then he rolled her over onto her back and pushed himself up and helped Jenna to do the same, “But alas I am”

“Trust my luck to find myself lying in the undergrowth with the only gentleman in Highfinch”

And a smile began around her green eyes and a broad toothy smile spread across her pleasant demeanour.

 

“A “Godless heathen”?” he said after they had brushed the debris off each other.

“That wasn’t a very christen response”

“Turning the other cheek doesn’t extend to cyclists” she retorted and laughed.

 

When they arrived outside the Vicarage she said

“Well that was very pleasant”

“Yes it was very enjoyable” he agreed “And has it cured the problem regarding your sermon?”

“Oh yes I think I know exactly what subject to talk on”

She replied

“And that is?”

“Well you’ll have to wait until Sunday” she replied

“Unfortunately I won’t be here on Sunday in fact I won’t be back until November”

He said

“Oh what a shame you’ll miss the harvest festival” she said falteringly “Are you going anywhere nice?”

“London, The Chelsea Harbour Hotel” he replied

“My TV station has exclusive rights to the Rugby World Cup”

“Well I’ll see you in November then” she said “Thanks again for lunch”

As she walked down the path to her front door he realized that it would be his chance so Nick took a deep breath and said

“When I get back, perhaps we could have dinner”

She turned around and gave him the full radiance of her lovely toothy smile 

“Yes that would be lovely”

 

With the question asked and answered to his satisfaction he was able to clear his head of “what ifs” and got some significant writing done for the first time in weeks.

Nick decided very early on that he would spend the duration of the Rugby World Cup at The Chelsea Harbour Hotel, to cut down on the repetitive commutes.

Once he had checked in he began to regret that decision when it dawned on him how much he was going to miss seeing Jenna over the following 7 weeks.

However on the upside it left him a lot of time alone in his room away from distractions where he could work on the book.

 

Despite his longing to return to Highfinch he enjoyed the World Cup immensely, from the opening game between England and Fiji up to the final between New Zealand and Australia and he was kept exceptionally busy by it, there was also a considerable amount of socializing which he found less enjoyable.

 

He had missed the Harvest Festival and All Hallows Eve vigil at St Martins and spent All Hallows Eve at a huge end of tournament party in stark contrast to the quiet solemn time where he would have lit a candle for his dead loved ones.

The partying had begun on Saturday night and went on all through Sunday and well into Monday morning.

But despite only getting 4 hours sleep he left the hotel straight after breakfast on the 2nd of November and drove at breakneck speed along the Pepperstock Express Way and his only thought was to get back and see Jenna as quickly as possible.

He pulled onto his drive and without even unloading his bag he set off on foot to the Vicarage.

Nick was in such a hurry to get to see her that he rushed headlong round a corner and met Jenna coming the other way and they both ended up on their backsides on the cold pavement.

“I’m so sorry” He said getting quickly to his feet and proffering a hand to the prostrate Curate, which she gratefully accepted.

“Nonsense” she replied, “I wasn’t looking where I was going my mind was elsewhere”.

“Mine too” he said “are you ok? Are you hurt?”

“No, Only my pride” she replied

They dusted themselves off and there was a brief moment of awkwardness as they finally looked at each other properly.

“Anyway” she said “Duties to perform”

“Yes” he agreed “things to do”

And then possibly because he hadn’t had enough sleep and wasn’t thinking clearly or maybe just because he’d missed her so much and he was only thinking of her he pulled her close to him and kissed her which she graciously welcomed. 

“How clever of you to know where my mind was” she said and returned the compliment.

IMPRUDENT HEART

 

She fell in love

Too easily

Too deeply

Too desperately

Her heart was imprudent

Indiscrete, Impulsive

There was always another target

Of her affections

Some would deplore her

Some would ignore her

Some would use her

Some would abuse her

Her heart was always disrespected

Always unappreciated

Her love was always unwanted

And always unrequited

She just wanted to be happy

But each time

She strove for love

It just got further away

She gave her heart

Too readily

Too easily

Too cheaply

 

Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (15) Art and Loneliness

 

Sally Greenland was a sister on the pediatric ward at the Churchill hospital, she was five foot tall and quite trim, but stood an inch or so taller in her stout shoes.

Her uniform fitted her perfectly, tapered at the waist where the broad belt sat.

She was 45 years old but looked older, her once black hair was now streaked with grey like Lily in the Munster’s.

Sally was always smiling, but the ageing in her face wasn’t due to laughter lines.

Life’s hardships and experiences were etched into her face, each line and furrow a sad event or a disappointment, her face was like her résumé.

Sister Greenland always chatted cheerily and a smile was never far from her lips, but although she was always smiling there was pain behind the eyes.

 

Sally was lonely and she went home every night to an empty house, save for her cat.

No husband, boyfriend or significant other and no living parents, siblings and no children.

She had friends of course, many in fact, but you can’t live in the pockets of friends and living your life vicariously was not the healthiest option in the long run.

But she wasn’t an unhappy person, despite her loneliness, she was someone who made the most of things even though she spent more time on her own than she deserved to.

She hadn’t always been alone, she’d had a husband once, but he left her a week before her fortieth birthday and she’d been alone ever since, and a little lonely but she would never have admitted that.

Sally was devastated at the time and it had left her unable to trust for the years following it, but that mistrust merely isolated her from life, and she settled for evenings in front of the TV with a glass of wine and a Rom Com, or a good book, and she loved her garden.

 

Life for her would probably have continued in much the same vein indefinitely had it not been for a number of unrelated events, which taken on their own merits wouldn’t have had the effect they did, but together and in short succession, they altered her perspective fundamentally.  

The first event was the appointment of a new hospital management team, who like all new brooms wanted to sweep clean, but they weren’t the first new brooms she’d had to deal with and they certainly wouldn’t be the last.

The second one was something that should really have been a happy event, her Senior Staff Nurse, Jane Hall had got married and now had a readymade family.

Sally really liked Jane and she was truly happy that she had found someone, but Jane’s obvious happiness on the big day merely underlined her own acute loneliness.

The third event was far more painful to bear, Yvonne Hughes died.

Yvonne was a frequent visitor to the ward and a long-time sufferer from Leukemia.

The first time she was admitted coincided to the day when Sally started on the ward.

They had built up a great rapport over the years and for her to pass at the age of 16 hit everyone who knew her very hard, and Sally even harder.

But that in itself did not break her, death was as much a part of nursing as living was.

No, the straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak was the death of her cat.    

It wasn’t really a shock as Cleo was old, and nor was it a surprise, she had been ill for some time, it was the timing, just before Christmas and coming on top of everything else.

 

Ever since Sally had separated from her husband, she had volunteered to work at Christmas, as she lived alone and had no family she always worked extra shifts over the Christmas period to cover for the staff who did have family to enjoy the festivities with.

It was quiet on the pediatric ward over the holiday as they always tried to discharge as many children as possible but for those who couldn’t go home the hospital relaxed the visiting hours so that families could share the day and this relaxation of the rules gave her plenty of time to think about her life.

 

From the very first moment Sally had taken the Sisters position on pediatrics she had felt distanced from proper nursing.

She seemed to spend a disproportionate amount of time in long winded and fruitless meetings and as a result she always seemed to be working at arm’s length from the very people for whom she had become a nurse to help in the first place.

So in light of the recent events, which she reran through her head, she also recalled those perfect happy days when she was a student nurse and life was full of fun and the future was something to look forward to with a hopeful heart.

Sally had always loved painting and when she was younger she would often go off to the country with her watercolors and her easel and sit and paint for hours, but when she met her husband who belittled her efforts and undermined her confidence and slowly over the years he browbeat her until she put the paints away for good.

All of a sudden as she sat at her desk reflecting on the past she began to feel very angry with herself for letting him do that to her, but she quickly realized that as he was gone now there was nothing stopping her from getting them out of the cupboard, she could take it up again and revive her passion.

 

By the end of her shift on Christmas Day Sally had decided that things needed to change, she needed to change and her life needed to change.

So over the days following her Christmas Day epiphany she tried to think of a way to achieve the change that she sought and it was New Year’s Eve, another shift she always volunteered for, when it all fell into place.

She opened up the planner on her computer and she totted up all her lieu days and unclaimed annual leave, and was surprised at just how much she had, in fact she was so surprised she checked it again, twice.

 

So once she had confirmed she had sufficient holiday allowance, she then decided on a plan, she filled out her online leave form and booked off the whole month of June.

It would be perfect, June was her favourite month and as the schools wouldn’t have broken up by that time she would have the whole holiday at off peak rates.

“Perfect” she said.

 

When June came around Sally loaded her luggage and her painting equipment into her little car, returning briefly to lock the house, before getting into the car and setting off right on time from her home in Abbeyvale, not that she was on the clock, she had no particular place to get to and no set time to get there.

Sally was feeling very excited as she set off on that Monday morning in June.

She didn’t want to book her accommodation in advance as she didn’t want to be too tied to dates, times and locations.

So she only had the very loosest of itineraries, she had lots of places on her list of possible bases and local attractions she might like to see.

Although in truth she chose most of the places she wanted to see and then looked for places she might stay in proximity to the place of interest, but she didn’t want to get too hung up on where and when.

If she didn’t get to see places this time around it didn’t really matter as this was not the last holiday she was going to take.

Sally was determined to avoid the motorways so didn’t use the Pepperstock Express Way opting instead to drive through the Finchbottom Vale, so at the end of the first day she hadn’t got as far as she thought she would and hadn’t even got anywhere near even the most southerly place on her itinerary.

So she decided to stop at the first place she liked the sound of, which is how she came to take the road to the village of Sharping St Mary which was only a few miles from Purplemere.

As she drove through the quaint village with its neat cottages Sally kept her eyes peeled for a B&B and it wasn’t long before she spied the Coachman’s Arms Hotel.

“That will do nicely” she said to herself

 

The next morning she settled her bill at the Hotel, said goodbye and loaded her bag into the boot of the car and set off on day two of her sojourn.

Sally liked Sharping St Mary, it was quaint, she had toyed with the idea of staying on for a day or two but in the end decided she would push on, but made a mental note to stop there again, on the way back maybe.

When she left the Hotel she didn’t drive out the way she had driven in the night before and headed in the opposite direction, wondering where that might lead her.

She passed the General Store and a small parade of shops, another Pub and a garage, then a row of cottages and the Church before she crossed the stone bridge over the river and out into the country.

It was pretty countryside bathed in the June sunshine, but she only managed another mile or so before her little car started making unfamiliar noises.

“That’s not good” she said just before there was a loud clunk and she lost power, then the car slowed down to a stop.

“That’s definitely not good”

She tried to restart the engine but to no avail.

“Now what?” she said to herself

She didn’t have any kind of breakdown cover, after all she never went anywhere.

It was, she had to admit, an oversight on her part not to have joined the AA, Green Flag or RAC if only in the short term as she was on a month long touring holiday.

“Well at least I’m not far from civilization” she thought to herself.

 

Sally was just getting out of the car to walk back to Sharping St Mary when another car came along from the direction she was traveling in.

The car slowed down as it approached her and a balding head appeared through the driver’s window.

“Do you need any help?” the owner of the head asked

“Yes, I’ve broken down I’m afraid” she replied

“Jimmy Maslen’s your man” he said

“Is that you by any chance?” Sally asked

“Good heavens no” he replied and laughed jovially as he got out of the car.

“I’m Reverend Donald Hart”

He was a tall gaunt looking man who nonetheless wore a warm smile and had laughing eyes.

“Oh I’m sorry” she said and shook the offered hand “Pleased to meet you Vicar, I’m Sally Greenland”

“Well Sally I’ll drive you back to the village if you like” the Vicar said

“I would be grateful” she replied

She retrieved her bags from her car and transferred them to the back of the Vicars.

As he drove away she asked

“So who’s Jimmy Maslen?”

“Oh yes Jimmy” he said “he owns the garage in the village, and he’s a first class mechanic, so shall I drop you there?”

“The Hotel first I think” she replied “judging by the noises my car was making I won’t be going anywhere today”

“Well there are plenty of beauteous things to paint in and around Sharping St Mary” he said as he pulled up in front of the Coachman’s

Sally looked at him curiously and he answered her curiosity

“I noticed your easel”

“Oh I see” she said “Then I’m sure I’ll have some time to put it to good use”

“I’m sure too” he said as Sally opened the car door

“Well this should be amusing” she said

“How so?” the Vicar asked

“I only checked out about half an hour ago, they’ll think I’m mad” she said

 “I’m sure they won’t” he reassured her “I’ll wait here while you check in and then I’ll run you up to Maslen’s”

“That’s very kind but there’s no need” Sally said

“Nonsense” he replied “you might need a translator”

 

Thankfully the receptionist didn’t think she was mad at all when she checked back in and just said

“That’s fate, that is”

Sally didn’t dwell on the subject but was anxious not to keep the Vicar waiting.

She quickly went up to the room and deposited her bags and then returned to the Vicar’s car.

Once she was in the passenger seat he said

“What’s the verdict?”

“That’s fate, that is” she replied mimicking the receptionist’s country accent.

The Vicar was still chuckling as he pulled up outside the garage.

They both got out of the car and a small rotund man approached them

“Morning Vicar” he called “is the old girl playing up”

The Vicar turned to Sally and whispered

“He’s referring to my car” 

As she looked at the oil stained country bumpkin she understood why the Vicar was so amused that she thought he was Jimmy.

She also understood why he mentioned being her translator, Mr. Maslen had a very thick accent and she only got one word in three.

Thankfully the Vicar spoke and understood bumpkin and the upshot was that if she left her keys with him, so they could recover her car and then they would take it from there.

 

Sally thanked the Vicar for his assistance with Mr. Maslen

“I barely understood a word of that” she confessed

“No need for thanks, it was the least I could do for a fellow foreigner” he said

“A foreigner?” she asked

“Someone not from the village” he explained

“Are you not local then?” she asked

“No I’ve only lived here for ten years” the Vicar said

“And you’re still a foreigner?” Sally said

“I’m afraid so”

 

When they got back to the Coachman’s she offered to buy him a coffee as a thank you.

“Alas I have a Parish Council Meeting this morning but come for tea at the Vicarage this afternoon”

“Are you sure?” Sally asked “I’ve taken up so much of your time already”

“My wife Caroline would never forgive me if I didn’t invite you”

 

Caroline Hart was extremely welcoming and she reiterated that she would not have forgiven Donald if he had let Sally leave the village without visiting the vicarage and Sally found that she was every bit as friendly as her husband.

“I never like to miss an opportunity to speak with fellow foreigners and get news from the outside world” she said “Don’t get me wrong we love living here. It’s a beautiful corner of the world and the people are lovely but it’s nice once in a while to hear real news”

“You make it sound like we’re in the colonies” Donald said and poured the tea.

“It feels like it at times” Caroline said with a chuckle and then added.

“Donald tells me that you paint”

“Yes” Sally replied “But I’ve only recently come back to it”

“Oh?” she said inquisitively

In response to Caroline’s unasked question Sally went on to explain the circumstances of her epiphany, the events that led up to it and the plans she had made after it and how she ended up in Sharping St Mary.

“That’s fate, that is” Sally remarked mimicking the Coachman’s receptionist’s country accent again.

“Well there are plenty of picturesque scenes in Sharping St Mary” she said

“The Church is very pretty” Sally said

“Yes it is” The Vicar agreed

“It’s even better viewed from the meadow across the river” Caroline added

“Perhaps I’ll paint it from over there then” Sally suggested

“Unfortunately its private property” Donald said

“And the owner Ben Noble is a bit of an old curmudgeon”

“What a shame, do you think it’s worth asking him for permission?” Sally asked “Appeal to his better nature”

“I’m not sure he’s got one” Caroline said then rebuked herself

“No that was unchristian, he’s got one, he just keeps it well hidden”

“He’s not really a people person” said the Vicar

“Though he wasn’t always like that”

“It’s only since his wife Mary died that he’s been so curmudgeonly” Caroline said

“How long?” Sally asked

“Three years” she replied

“She was the sun and the moon in his sky” Caroline added 

“So when her light was extinguished his world went dark”

“Her light still shines just not in this world” Sally said

“Quite so” agreed the Vicar and paused for a moment

“His problem is that he hasn’t forgiven the world for carrying on after her death” he said “or God for taking her”

“Was he very different before her death?” She asked

“Oh yes we were all friends back then” Caroline replied

“We miss them”

“Them?” Sally asked

“I think the Ben we knew died soon after Mary did” Donald said

“We haven’t quite given up on him but we’re close. There is a limit to the number of olive branches you can have thrown back in your face, even a Vicar can’t turn the other cheek indefinitely”

“Well I think I’ll give it a try anyway” Sally said

“He’ll treat you as a hostile” He said

“Look Vicar I’m a sister on a Children’s ward, which is often like bedlam so I think I can handle one old curmudgeon”

 

The next day was Wednesday so after breakfast Sally called in at Maslen’s garage to get an update on her car.

She wasn’t able to find an English to Bumpkin phrase book so she had to wing it.

When she left 10 minutes later she had a definitive date when it would be ready, “sometime soon”. 

Sally then continued on slowly through the village heading for Ben Noble’s farmhouse.

When she was walking down the leafy lane to Old Farm she could see the house and as she approached she could hear muttering and cursing in the vicinity but wasn’t able to pinpoint exactly where is was emanating from.

“Hello!” she called “Mr. Noble!”

“Go away” a curmudgeonly voice replied

“Could I speak to you for a moment” she said

“I’m not buying anything” he snapped

“Good, because I’m not selling anything” she responded

“What do you want then?” he barked and she was then able to hone in on his location.

“I refuse to talk to a bush” she said curtly

There were more rustlings and then he appeared and she was surprised to see that the old curmudgeon was actually not that old, but he was certainly a curmudgeonly.

Sally assessed he was probably not more than two or three years older than she was.

He was of average height, lean but quite muscular, well kempt with greying hair and not unpleasant to look at.

“What were you doing in there anyway?” she asked

“I am trying to reattach the honeysuckle to the trellis, not that it’s any of your business” he replied shortly “now what do you want?”

“Well I’m staying in the village for a few days” She began

“So?” he snapped

“And I was told that you have a wonderful view of the Church from your meadow” she said

“Its private property” he snapped again

“But it does have a pleasant view of the church?” she asked

“Of course”

“Oh good, I just wanted to spend an hour or two in the meadow painting” she said

“No” he instantly replied and returned from whence he came and the rustling continued.

Sally was unhappy with the exchange and was scolding herself for not being more forceful, the only way to deal with a bully was to bully them back.

Sally was just about to tackle him again.

“Oh bugger it” he cursed

And the activity ceased amongst the Honeysuckle and he reappeared with a blood stained hankie wrapped around his hand.

“What’s the matter?” she asked

“Are you still here?” he asked

“What have you done?” Sally inquired

“Nothing” he snapped

“That’s clearly not true, let me look” she insisted

“I don’t need any help” he barked

“Don’t be silly” she scolded

“I’m a nurse, let me see”

He removed the blood stained hankie and she looked at the wound.

“It’s quite deep, but it shouldn’t need stitching” she said “but it will need cleaning, I take it you have a kitchen?”

“Yes of course I do” he replied

“Then lead on McDuff” she commanded

“Has anyone ever told you you’re bossy?” he said crossly

“Oh yes many times” she replied “has anyone ever told you you’re a curmudgeon”

“Only the Vicar” he replied

Sally cleaned the wound thoroughly, dried it well and applied the butterfly stitches from the first aid kit in her bag.

“So the Vicars been telling you my business has he?”

He snapped

“For reasons that are beyond understanding there are people in this village who care about you” she replied “If you ever stopped to think”

“I’m not used to being spoken to like that” he said pompously

“More’s the pity” she replied

There was silence while she dressed his hand and when she’d finished she said

“Now you can’t use it for at least a week or you’ll open it up again”

He held it up and inspected it

“Not a bad job” he said

“Oh high praise indeed, so are you going to let me paint in your meadow?” she asked “Payment in kind for services rendered”

“I wouldn’t have cut my bloody hand in the first place if you had come snooping around” he replied

“Tosh” she responded “you were lucky I was here”

“You are an infuriating woman” Ben said

“Yes I know” she replied “now are you going to show me the way?”

“Bossy mare” he said

 

As they began the walk to the meadow there was initially an awkward silence so Sally told the story of how she had broken down and the Vicar had come to her aid.

“He’s a good man” Ben said “But don’t you tell him I said so”

“So it’s not him you’re mad at, then?” She asked

“What do you mean?” he asked but she didn’t answer as she was looking across the river at the picturesque view of the church.

“Now that’s what I wanted to see” she said

“It’s alright I suppose” he said begrudgingly

Sally scanned along the river bank until she spotted the vicarage garden and saw Caroline on the patio waving at her.

“I’ll leave you to it” he said sulkily

“Thank you Mr. Noble” Sally said

“Ben” he mumbled

“I beg your pardon” Sally asked

“Call me Ben” he said and walked away briskly and Sally returned Caroline’s wave.

 

She spent a very pleasant few hours painting in the meadow and when she was finished she walked back up to the farmhouse but there was no sign of him in his garden so she put a note through his door, thanking him for his permission and mentioning that she hoped she could do the same the following day.

 

It was another fine day on Thursday and Sally set off for the meadow straight after breakfast again.

She called in at the General Store and picked up some bottled water and a sandwich for her lunch, she had forgotten to take anything with her the day before and greatly regretted it.

But as she was leaving the shop she met Caroline Hart, who was on her way in.

“Sally” she said

“Caroline, hi” She replied

“So he let you then?” Caroline asked “how on earth did you manage it”?

“Well at first I was polite, but when that didn’t work I bullied him into submission” Sally replied

“Splendid, well done you” she said and seeing Sally was carrying her painting gear, asked

“Are you going back again?”

“Yes” Sally replied “if I can get away with it”

“Well good luck” Caroline said “come for dinner Friday night and tell us how you got on”

“Ok” Sally said “see you later”

 

She continued on through the village on the beautiful June morning until she reached Old Farm and once again there was no sign of the old curmudgeon so she carried on down the lane to the meadow.

Sally quickly set up her easel and began painting and in what seemed like the blink of an eye the morning was gone so she cleaned her brushes and stopped for lunch.

The afternoon sun was very hot so she packed up around 2 o’clock and headed back up the lane.

She looked for Ben Noble as she passed the house but there was no sign of him outside, she did fancy she saw him at a downstairs window but she wasn’t really sure, but she smiled and waved anyway.

 

On Friday morning she repeated the pattern and set off from the Coachman’s Arms Hotel straight after breakfast, stopping once again at the General Store where she bought her lunch and was striding purposely on along the lane.

She passed the Farmhouse and was set up in the meadow by 10 o’clock.

Sally was sure she noticed a curtain twitch as she passed the house but if it was Ben Noble he didn’t make himself known to her.

It was a little cooler in the meadow that morning than it had been the previous two days with a refreshing breeze blowing off the water.

 

As on her previous visits the time passed very quickly and it was when she was cleaning her brushes in preparation of stopping for her sandwich that she was disturbed by a voice from behind her.

“Hello”

Sally turned around sharply and saw Ben Noble standing a few yards away holding a picnic basket.

“Oh hello” she replied “What have you got there?”

“Lunch” he replied and sat down beside her and opened up the hamper.

 

Sally was quite surprised to see him in the meadow in the first place but was even more surprised to see him not behaving in a curmudgeonly manor and wearing a pleasant expression as he served the lunch.

Afterwards with all the food consumed and as they were on their last glass of wine Sally said

“Thank you so much Ben that was a most pleasant lunch, and very pleasant company”  

“You sound surprised” he said sharply

“Well yes” she replied “But pleasantly so”

 

Sally was a little light headed as they walked back up the lane and when they got to the house she said

“I’m having dinner at the Vicarage tonight”

“Oh yes” he said suspiciously

“I’d like you to join me” Sally said

“Definitely not” he snapped

“Its high time” she said and he shook his head

“What do you think Mary would say? If she could see you hiding yourself away, wallowing in self-pity, being angry with the world and everyone in it”

“What do you know about it” he said angrily “You didn’t even know her”

“Am I wrong then?” Sally asked

“Why can’t you just leave me alone to deal with it in my own way?” he shouted and rushed towards the house

“Because your way is rubbish” she shouted after him

 

After he went inside and slammed the front door Sally was really angry with herself for being so pushy, it was the wine she supposed.

On the way back to the Hotel she mulled over their conversation and wondered if she couldn’t have handled it differently.

When she reached the Coachman’s she went up to her room and lay on the bed and thanks to the half bottle of wine she drank promptly fell asleep and slept for the rest of the afternoon.

 

When she awoke she ran herself a bath and prepared for a long relaxing soak.

“What did it matter anyway” she thought to herself as she lay immersed in the bubbly water “I’ll be gone in a day or two and back on my sojourn”

But a few moments later she said out loud

“Well it matters because I like the miserable old git”

 

After her long relaxing bath she felt suitably refreshed and was possessed of a new resolve.

Having dried her hair and made herself up she put on the most presentable clothes she had packed and stood in front of the mirror to check the damage.

“Well that will have to do” Sally said to herself and then picked up her handbag and left the room.

 

Twenty minutes later she was knocking on Ben Noble’s front door.

It was a few minutes before it opened.

“Good evening Ben” she said

“Hello” he mumbled

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” Sally asked

“I suppose so” he said grumpily and stepped back to let her in.

“Thank you” she said

“You look very nice” he said quietly

“Well thank you kind sir” She said and gave a little curtsy then there were an awkward couple of minutes when neither of them spoke so Sally looked at her watch and said

“Well we had better make a move, the Harts are expecting us in 10 minutes”

“I’m not going” he said

“Oh yes you are” she said determinedly “Now get your coat”

“I’m not going out” he said resolutely “I’ll get a takeaway and we can eat here”

“Oh I see, so I “look very nice” but you don’t want to be seen with me in public” she said baiting him

“That’s not what I said, you’re putting words in my mouth” he responded

“The Vicarage then” she said firmly “Get your coat”

“You really are bossy” he said slipping his jacket on

“And you really are a curmudgeon” Sally said

 

On the short walk to the Vicarage the conversation between them was restricted to the weather and the picturesqueness of the village.

When they reached the Vicarage he faltered half way along the path so Sally slipped her arm through his and guided him the rest of the way.

She rang the doorbell and a few moments later Caroline answered the door.

“Sally how lovely to see you” then she did a double take of her companion “And Ben, what a wonderful surprise, come in, come in Donald will be thrilled”

“I thought you said “WE” were expected” Ben whispered

“Oh did I?” Sally asked innocently

 

Caroline and Donald Hart were delighted to see their surprise guest and it took Caroline very little effort to accommodate him at the dining table and the evening passed off very congenially.

So much so that it was very late when they left the Vicarage, in fact it was two hours into Saturday by the time the heartfelt goodbyes had been said.

They were arm in arm as Ben walked Sally back to the Hotel,

“I’ve had a lovely time” Sally said outside the Coachman’s

“Me too” Ben said and kissed her cheek before adding

“Goodnight Sally” And then he was off down the road.

“Goodnight” she called after him and then said quietly to herself

“That was a very agreeable beginning”

 

On Saturday she slept late, which was very unusual for her and she had awoken with a most disagreeable headache.

She sat up and took a couple of tablets and flicked on the kettle.

As she waited for it to boil she looked at her phone and noticed there were three text messages all from an unknown number.

The first, time stamped at 2.45am, simply said “Thank you”

The second, timed at 7.45am, said “I had a great time last night”

And the third, two hours later, said “I have packed a picnic, I will pick you up at noon, bring your paints, there’s a castle” 

Sally looked at her watch 11.30

“Shit” she exclaimed and leapt up and rushed into the bathroom and turned on the shower, when she had a sudden thought.

She went back to the bed and picked up her phone and replied to his last text.

“Ok, lovely, see outside at 12”

 

Sally had been standing outside the Hotel for about 30 seconds when a green Landrover Discovery pulled up.

Ben got out and walked around, he took Sally’s things and helped her into the passenger seat.

“Thank you” she said as he settled her in

“All set?” Ben asked when he was back behind the wheel.

“Yes” she said “Where are we going, you mentioned a castle”

“Pepperstock” he replied “but I may have oversold the Castle a bit”

“Oh?”

“Yes, it used to be a Castle but its only ruins now” he said

“Even better” Sally said amicably

 

Sally supposed that Pepperstock Castle must have been an imposing sight up on its hill overlooking the eastern end of the Vale.

Now it was just a collection of ruins, which could still be clearly identified as having once been a Castle.

It made for a very interesting subject for a water colourist and Sally enjoyed it very much.

She also enjoyed Ben’s amiable company and his picnic

“You put together a very nice picnic Mr. Noble” she said

“Even without the wine”

Ben had omitted to include the wine and Sally had teased him about it.

As they were packing up at the end of the day Sally said

“I’m going to Church in the morning and I thought you might like to accompany me as I’m a stranger in the parish”

“Oh I don’t think so” he replied

“Well you didn’t think you could go to the Vicarage but you did and furthermore you enjoyed every minute”

“That was different” he said stubbornly

“How so?” Sally asked

“Because I wasn’t angry with Donald and Caroline” he replied “And I wanted to see them again, but I had been pushing them away for so long that I didn’t know how to approach them, But God is a different thing altogether and he and I are not on speaking terms and with him I’m still very angry”

“I know your faith has been tested” Sally said softly

“But don’t you think my faith isn’t tested every time I see a young child taken before their time? But that’s what life is all about, being tested”

Ben was silently staring into space as Sally continued   

“The people of the parish didn’t take Mary away and they are the people who want to see you again, go to Church to see them, show them they still have a friend”

“I don’t know” he said

“I’ll be there with you” Sally assured him

  

“I’m not at all sure about this” Ben said as they stood by the lych-gate outside St Mary’s on Sunday morning

“Good to see you Ben” a man said slapping him jovially on the back.

“You see they’re all friends here” she said and she held his hand as they walked up the path and into the church.

She gave his hand a final squeeze and opened the door in to the church where he was greeted by a group of friends eager to welcome him back.

 

The following day Sally and Ben were in the village of Brocklington about six miles downstream of the River Deighton and they were sat in a pub garden by the river eating Whitebait in the sunshine.

“You’ve only been in Sharping St Mary for one short week Sally Greenland” he said

“And you’ve turned my world upside down”

“It needed shaking up a bit” she said

“Well you did that sure enough” Ben admitted

They had just finished their deserts when her mobile phone rang.

“Hello!” she said

“Mr. Maslen?”

“Excellent news”

“Yes, I’ll pick it up this afternoon”

“Thank you, goodbye” she said and hung up.

“Well my car has been repaired” she said putting her mobile back in her handbag

“I can get under way just as soon as I want, the world is my oyster, well as long as it’s in this country because I didn’t bring a passport”

When she finished talking she looked at Ben who was just looking down at his feet.

“Where are you going?” he asked

“I don’t know exactly” she replied “but I’ve got 3 weeks to get there”

She took a sip of her drink and suggested

“Why don’t you come with me?”

“What just like that?” he said

“Why not?” she asked but he didn’t answer

 

He drove her back to the village and dropped her outside Maslen’s garage.

“Come to mine tonight” he said “we’ll have a takeaway”

“Ok” she said “but think about what I said, it could be fun”

And then she leant over and kissed him.

 

It started to rain as she was getting ready so she decided to drive up to Bens.

There was not a repeat of the late night of Friday they just ate their Chinese takeaway and watched a movie and the conversation was sparse with both of them avoiding the elephant in the room, but eventually just before she left Sally said

“I’m having coffee with Donald and Caroline at the vicarage tomorrow morning, and I’ll be leaving at eleven if you want to come with me you can meet me there”

 

Next morning Sally checked out of the Coachman’s Arms for the second time and drove to the Vicarage.

“I’ve had a wonderful week here” Sally said “and I only planned to stay one night”

“I think it was divine intervention” said the Vicar

“You might well be right” she agreed “But enjoy it I certainly have, and I hope I’ve made lasting friendships”

“I hope so too” Caroline said

“And Ben?” Donald asked

“Well I asked him to go with me” she said

“And?” Caroline enquired with amazement

“Well he’s not here so I guess it’s a no” Sally replied

“Will you come back and see us on the way home Sally?” She asked

“Yes I think so” Sally replied and looked at her watch

“Well I had better get on my way”

Sally had her back to the outdoors as she said goodbye to the Harts when Donald said “It looks like it’s a yes then”

“What?” Sally exclaimed and Donald nodded beyond her, so she turned around and saw Ben standing by the gate with a hold all in his hand.