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.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (017) Moving In

 

On the Monday morning, they were leaving the Hotel for the last time and hadn’t seen each other until Molly emerged from her room into the lounge where Danny was already waiting.

“Happy Birthday!” he said and handed her a wrapped parcel.

“You got me a present?” she said.

“Of course, I got you a present” he said, “Now open it, open it.”

“Ok, ok, I’m savouring it” Molly said sitting down on the arm of the sofa where she carefully untied the ribbon and gently removed the paper which she put on the sofa beside her and opened the gift box.

Molly unwrapped the layers of tissue paper, and after the last layer,  delight spread across her face like a sunrise as she exposed the hand-crafted snow globe.

“It’s Lakeside” she said, and then she shook it gently “It’s beautiful.”

“Do you like it?”

“I love it” she replied and put the snow globe down so she could hug him tightly, wrapping her skinny arms around his neck, a prolonged comfortable hug, which ended as quickly as it started.

“Thank you” she said and nervously kissed his cheek, then she paused and hastily kissed him full on the mouth and pulled her whole frame in close to his and he reciprocated in kind and became quite prolonged and only ended when it did as a result of George knocking on the door.

 

They separated without speaking and while Danny went and let George in, Molly busied herself with tidying up her present wrappings.

“Happy Birthday Molly” George said as he walked in and hugged her, lifting her off her feet.

“Thanks George” she said when he returned her to her feet.

“Look what Danny got me” she said proudly holding up the snow globe for him to see.

“Is that Lakeside?” he asked.

“Yes”

“That’s amazing” George said, “What a great present, really thoughtful.”

“Isn’t it” she said.

 

It was about half an hour later when George trundled the trolley full of bags towards the lift with Danny and Molly following silently behind.

After loading the bags into the Landrover, George drove them to Cliff Haven and the journey passed largely in silence, not that Danny or Molly didn’t have things they wanted to say, they just didn’t want to say them in front of George, maybe when George dropped them off, they could say what was on their minds.

 

They pulled up on the York Stone drive and got out,

“Leave the bags I’ll get them later” George said.

“Thanks George,” Molly said, and Danny opened the front door and let her step in.

“Thanks” she said and flashed him a smile before blushing.

She was still red faced when she walked into the lounge and Katie and Nikki Harrison chorused.

“Happy birthday!”

 

Katie had organized a little buffet style birthday lunch for Molly, which she catered herself with Nikki’s help, and was served with a very decent champagne courtesy of George, there were also balloons, banners, and streamers, as well as flowers and presents, nothing to match the snow globe from Danny, but the framed picture of her and her mum from Katie came a close second. Molly also had a stack of birthday cards.

But as much as she enjoyed the impromptu party, Molly was happy to see everyone go because there was still a conversation she wanted to have.

Unfortunately, Danny had gone out to the Landrover to help George bring the bags in, and then annoyingly spent ten minutes outside talking to him while she paced up and down, so when the door finally opened, she came right out with it.

“I’m sorry about before, I know I’ve ruined everything,” She blurted out with tears welling up in her eyes “I shouldn’t have kissed you like that.”

“Theres nothing to apologize for,” He said pulling her into his arms “And you haven’t ruined anything, if you hadn’t kissed me then I would have kissed you.”

They stood in that embrace for a few minutes, until the pattern of her breathing changed, and he could feel feather light kisses from her soft lips on his neck, before her lips reached his and she kissed him, a deeply passionate and electric kiss, a much more considered and unhurried than the previous one.

 

Danny and Molly lay cuddling in the afterglow having made love for the first time, Molly’s first time, and she sighed as they lay in the darkness and Danny’s thoughts went back to Colorado and the conversation he had with Avery, when he tasked Danny with helping Molly to rejoin the world.

“I want you to ease her into the world, introduce her to things I have denied her,” Avery said.

“I don't think this is what your grandfather had in mind” Danny said as she lay with her head on his chest.

“Oh, I think it's exactly what he had in mind” Molly replied with a sigh.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (016) A Wonderful Little Holiday

 

The first week in October, George was at the house to receive delivery of the restored furniture while Danny and Molly were in Abbottsford, shopping for things for the house, cutlery, bed linen, and pots and pans, all the basic stuff.

When they returned to the island they were on the same ferry as the Here, There & Everywhere Domestic and Business Removals trucks carrying all of Molly’s possessions from Colorado, so they drove in convoy to Cliff Haven.

 

The following two weeks were spent putting everything where it belonged, including George’s belongings, as it was always part of Sir Avery’s plan that George was to have a place to live with them, if required.

 

The very last thing to arrive at the house arrived in the middle of October, a Lean-To Greenhouse, not that she had any interest in horticulture, she wanted a greenhouse because her mum had a green house.

 

Finally, with everything done and everything at the house that needed to be, and a full week until Molly’s 23^rd birthday, and therefore moving day, they decided to go to the mainland for a short holiday.

As they had to take the VW campervan back to the hire company, as it was no longer needed, Danny suggested they hire a car and visit some of the places that Molly knew her mum had been to after seeing Katie’s photo albums.

So, they took the Expressway to Finchbottom and did some shopping, then onto Abbottsford for the galleries, museums, theatre, and more shopping.

From there they stopped briefly at his flat in Applesford for another suitcase full of clothes, then took a short drive to the Dancingdean Forest and spent the night by Teardrop Lake.

Another short drive took them to Mornington by Mere, onward through the Dulcets, and ended up in Sharpington-by-Sea.

Danny loved Sharpington because it was a traditional seaside resort, with its Victorian Pier, seafront hotels, crazy golf, Palladium ballroom, well maintained gardens, promenade, theatre, and illuminations, has all the usual things to have a great time by the seaside, as well as amusement arcades and of course the Sharpington Fun Park.

All though it was end of season, and many of the attractions were closed, there was still plenty to do, because the Fun Park, which was the first purpose-built amusement park to open in Britain, remained open until the end of October for the Halloween Fright Nights.

 

They were too early for Halloween but there was still an assortment of rides to enjoy, like the Ghost Train, the Rotor and the Wild Mouse, The Cyclone, the Caterpillar, and the Morehouse Galloper, all very tame compared to 21^st century roller coasters, but still fun.

The weather was too cold for sandcastles and paddling in the sea, but there were plenty of arcades to entertain them, and of course Bizzoni’s Ice Cream Parlour on the Pier.

However, it wasn’t just his love of the place, or the fact he wanted to share it with Molly, he had another motive for being there at that particular time, he had commissioned a special present for her birthday and the craftsman lived and worked in Sharpington.

But as she was constantly by his side, stuck to him like sticky glue, and he wanted it to be a surprise, his problem was getting the gift from the maker unnoticed.

Not that he didn’t like having her beside him, he did very much, but he didn’t want to spoil the surprise.

They stayed at the Seaview Hotel, not as grand as the Beaumont Manor, but nonetheless very pleasant, and it was on their last morning at the hotel while Molly was in the suite enjoying a room service full English that he took the opportunity to meet Sam Archer on the pretence of going out for a newspaper, as he had arranged for him to bring it to the hotel.

He emerged in the lobby and looked around, but as he had never met the guy, he had done everything on the phone and email, so he not only didn’t know what he looked like, he didn’t know how old he was, his ethnicity, or anything about him at all, so looking around the lobby was never going to help.

So, he went to the reception desk and asked if anyone had been looking for him and he was directed to a young man sitting in the lounge, and he would never have picked him out of a crowd, he was younger than him by a couple of years with shoulder length straw coloured hair.

“Sam Archer?”

“Yes” he said and stood up “Mr. Nightingale?”

“Danny” he responded and shook his hand.

“Pleased to meet you Sam.”

They sat down and Sam handed him a parcel from the seat beside him.

“I hope this is ok.”

Danny opened the box and smiled.

“Wow, that is amazing, you are a genius, she is going to love it.”

“You’re happy with it?”

“Couldn’t be happier” he replied.

“That’s great” Sam said, “That’s just leaves one formality.”

Then he smiled as he handed him a book and a pen.

 

When he got back to the suite Molly had finished her breakfast and was in the shower so he snook into his room and hid the gift in his suitcase.

After dressing they attended the morning service at St Lucy’s Church, her grandfather was keen on her keeping her faith, and he supported her, and afterwards decided to take a walk along the promenade as it was such a lovely day, they had ice cream at Bizzoni’s Ice Cream Parlour on the Pier, then spent the rest of the day in the Fun Park.

They were worn out by the end of the day and the walk back to the hotel was much slower than the one the other way.

“Would you like to spend another night here?” he asked.

“Oh yes please” she said taking his arm “I’m pooped.”

                                       

So, they stayed another night at the Seaview Hotel and had another full English the following morning before driving to Pipershaven in time to catch the 2pm ferry.

They left the Hire car at the ferry terminal and travelled across with George who met them on the mainland side so they could transfer all their purchases into the Landrover.

Once on the Island he drove them to the Beaumont Manor and after spending a couple of hours catching up with each other’s news, he took all their shopping to the Cottage.

While they returned to the suite and began their preparations for moving to Cliff Haven on Molly's birthday which was only two days away.

“That was a wonderful little holiday” Molly said.

“Yes, it was, wasn't it” He agreed “But now we need to pack.”

“Do we have to?” she whined.

“Yes, we do.”

“Ok Uncle” she said which was what she always called him when she had to do something she didn’t want to do.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (015) The Art of Publishing

 

October

At the Beaumont Manor Hotel Danny and Molly were sitting on the balcony, having just eaten lunch, and were discussing when they would move into Cliff Haven.

The restored furniture was due to be shipped from the mainland in the following few days and the landscape gardeners would finish in the same week.

“I don’t see why we couldn’t move in next week” he suggested.

“That soon?” she responded.

“Yes, I don’t see why not.”

“Oh, I’m not sure.”

“Are you reluctant to leave here then?”

“No not at all, I’m looking forward to living with you, I mean I’m looking forward to living in the cottage” she said.

“But?”

“Well, I was kind of hoping.”

“Yes”

“To move in on my birthday” she blurted out.

“What a great idea” he said, “I wish I’d thought of that.”

“So, is that ok?”

“Of course,” he said, and she jumped up and squealed then she sat on his lap and hugged him.

“Thank you, thank you” she said and then realized what she had done and blushed.

“Sorry, sorry” she said as she stood up.

“No need to be” Danny said, “It was nice.”

“I'm just very happy” she said.

“Look, it's your house at the end of the day” Danny said.

“No, no, it's our house” she corrected him forcefully “equals remember.”

“And as equals we both get a say, so if you don't agree with something I'm suggesting put me straight.”

“OK” she agreed, but she was still thinking about the hugging which was also giving Danny food for thought.

However, they were bought out of their musings by the Teams ringtone on his laptop and when he looked at it, he said it was from his publisher.

“Hi Max”

“Good news Danny it's about the artwork you sent me, I really liked it and so I've tracked down the artist, so I'm coming to the island tomorrow.”

“Why are you coming here?” Danny asked.

“Because she lives on the island, Beacon Farm, I’m on the first ferry in the morning, meet me” he said and then he was gone.

“Beacon Farm sounds familiar” Danny said.

“That’s where George has been spending so much time” Molly pointed out.

 

They picked Max up from the ferry the next morning and he was extremely excited.

“If we get this wrapped up, we might still make Frankfurt.”

They suggested driving up to Cliff Haven so he could see the place, but he was very single minded.

“Maybe later” he replied, “Let's find our girl first.”

They drove past the Bellevue Hospital, and the Hotel, and Halfway Lane, and then turned right onto Beacon Farm Road.

When they entered the yard, they instantly spotted the huge frame of George Wood standing outside the kitchen door with an attractive sandy haired woman beside him.

They had phoned George after breakfast that morning to say they were coming, and that they needed to speak with Nicola,  just not why.

George had told Katie and explained who they were.

“So that's the family you work for?” she said as the Landover came to a halt.

“Oh my God” Katie exclaimed loudly when Molly emerged from the back door.

“I'm sorry, but I thought I'd seen a ghost, you are the image of your mum.”

“You knew her?” Molly asked and Katie laughed.

“Oh yes, we were all friends from primary school, your mom and dad, my husband Eddie, George, and me,

Charlotte was bridesmaid at my wedding, and I was Matron of honour at hers.”

“Really?” Molly asked.

“I have pictures” Katie added “Would you like to see them?”

“Oh yes please” Molly replied excitedly.

“Come on then” and took her arm and led her into the house.

“Nikki is in the barn” George said, “We won't see those two for a while.”

 

Nikki was working on a quadbike, and all was not well, she was clearly her mother’s daughter, just younger, and with redder hair, and George could testify to the fact that they cursed the same.

“Hey Nikki, these are the people I told you about” and she looked up from what she was doing and did a double take. “Danny Nightingale!” she squealed.

“I hate it when they do that” Max whispered to George.

“Me too” he agreed.

“I’m a bit oily so I won't shake hand” she said.

“But I want to, I'm a big fan.”

She was furiously trying to wash her hands clean as she said.

“Is there another book? what’s it about? when can I get it?” “Nikki! Nikki!” George interrupted “Take a breath.”

“Well, the answer to all of your questions, is very much in your hands” Max said.

“Mine?” she retorted and looked at them and frowned as they were still very oily.

“Yes, let's go over to the house and you can wash up and we'll explain everything” Danny suggested.

 

At the house Katie and Molly were in the sitting room on the sofa with Katie chatting nineteen to the dozen while Molly studiously poured over the photo albums on her lap.

Nikki went into the kitchen and washed her hands at the sink while the other three sat at the large pine table.

When she had washed off every speck of dirt from her hands, she dried them on the towel and said.

“Now I can shake your hand” and when the ritual was  concluded she sat down at the table with them, and Danny said.

“We wanted to talk to you about this” Max said and turned his tablet around so she could see it.

“That's one of mine” she said proudly and grinned.

“We know” Max said “And we want to use it on the cover of Danny’s next book, the first of many Sharon Jacques books, and then he swiped onto another image this time the actual front cover they were proposing going to print with, with the book title, and Danny’s name.

“Are you serious?” she asked looking from the tablet to them and back to the tablet again.

“Very” Max said and handed her an envelope.

 

It was three hours before they left the farm and when they did, everyone was happy especially Molly because the last thing Katie said as she hugged her was.

“I’ve got some more albums in the attic, for next time.”

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (014) Shepherd’s Delight

 

Around the same time George and Katie had just finished repairing one of the stone walls through which, a number of errant sheep had escaped, and as the southern border of the farm was the cliffs edge with a sheer drop to the sea, the wall was to prevent the sheep going over the edge in bad weather or poor visibility.

 

Katie could ill afford to lose any of her livestock, so they had identified several places that needed repairing and a couple that needed the height raising, and it took them a full week to complete the work.

The last part they worked on was a high point as it crossed a gully, so Katie was sat astride the 6ft wall and the 6ft 4 gentle giant was handing her the stones.

When the last stone was in place she said 

“I don’t know what I would have done without your help.”

“Nonsense it would just have taken you longer” he said modestly.

“Yes, but that would have taken time I just don’t have.”

“Well, it’s done now” he said, “And I’m ready to eat.”

While they were rebuilding walls Nikki was busy about the farm, feeding the chickens, and milking the goats, but more importantly she’d had a casserole in the slow cooker since 7 am.

“I’m a bit hungry myself” Katie said, “Theres just one problem.”

“What’s that?” he said.

“I can’t get down” she admitted.

“Just sling your legs over the side and slither, then let go and I’ll catch you” he said.

“What!” she retorted with alarm.

“I’ll catch you; I promise.”

“You’d better”

She let go and the gentle giant caught her and safely lowered her to the ground.

When she was on terra firmer again, she seized the moment and kissed him and when she met no resistance she didn’t hold back.

“That was very nice” he said after coming up for air “But do I still get dinner?”

“Yes, but you get your dessert first” she replied and kissed him again.

“It’s a good job I have a sweet tooth” he said as they walked arm in arm back to the farm.

 

Towards the end of September George was dividing his time, more or less equally between the cottage, which was very nearly completed, and Beacon farm, where things were just beginning, both in his relationship with Katie and the new arrivals born to her sister Louise, which were due home from the Bellevue Hospital any day.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (013) Making Plans

On the next morning Molly and Danny were eating breakfast on the terrace when she asked

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,”

“We’re here because of family, my family, but you’ve never mentioned whether you had any family?”

“I do, I have an older brother in Australia, Sam, his lovely wife Emma and three nephews, who I’ve only met once.”

“Are you close?”

“Close enough, we’re in regular contact, but don’t see each other as often as we’d like.”

“Did you tell him when you had the car accident?”

“No, I didn’t want to worry him unnecessarily.” Danny replied.

“When do you think you’ll see them again?” she asked.

“I’m not sure, but not too long I hope.” He replied and a full minute of silence passed before she said.

“Maybe we could invite them here? When we’re able”

Danny was speechless, he was not expecting a bold suggestion from Molly.

“That’s real progress” he thought.

“That’s a great idea” he said.

 

By the end of July all the external work was completed, the groundwork had been done, all the overgrown shrubbery had been cleared, dangerous trees felled. the roof, soffits, guttering, double glazing, and external rendering were all completed.

 

August

 

August was taken up with the interior, all the items of furniture Molly had earmarked to be kept had been shipped to a furniture restorer on the mainland.

The kitchen and bathrooms were stripped out and the electrics, plumbing and central heating were replaced.

When the old, damaged plaster had been removed in readiness for the plasterers and the decorators, something happened that led to George asking for permission to spend three days a week at Beacon Farm helping Katherine Harrison.

Katie’s sister Louise, who was pregnant with twins, was rushed into Bellevue Cottage Hospital, which was originally built by the army during the Great War when Beaumont Manor was commandeered, by the Medical Corp for convalescing officers.

Louise was kept in for observation and her husband Neil Stratford stayed with her and that left Katie and her daughter Nicola struggling on their own, so George’s help was a godsend.

 

Molly and Danny had finished the book edits and had even found some very promising artwork online, the details of which had been forwarded to Max Parsons.

Their time had been freed up enough, so they were able to liaise with the decorators at the cottage, as they had yet to settle on the colour scheme of the downstairs rooms because they were struggling to match the colours from photographs of her childhood to wall charts and it was important to Molly to get it right.

In the end the boss agreed to mix the paints himself to match the pictures Molly provided and the next day they were back at Cliff Haven to discuss door furniture as the original doors were expected back from the mainland later that week after being acid bath dipped.

 

September

 

In September George was still at Beacon Farm and Danny and Molly were back at the cottage, this time dealing with the landscape gardener and a hard landscaping contractor when Danny nudged Molly and remarked.

“Here comes that odious little man again.”

“This should have been mine by rights.” Paul Steptoe barked.

“He promised to sell this place to me.”

“That’s not what he told me.” Danny said, “In fact his exact words to me were “I’d rather burn it to the ground than sell it to him.”“

“That’s a lie because I actually knew him very well.” Steptoe said pompously.

“So, did I,” Molly snapped “He was my grandfather.”

As Steptoe went off in a huff Danny remarked

“You’re getting very feisty.”

“It must be the red hair” she retorted.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (012) Shepherd’s Tale

 When he wasn’t at Cliff Haven or sleeping in the van, he was at the village pub, Philips Folly, grabbing a pint and a sandwich or walking in the hills to clear his head and blow the cobwebs away.

It was on one such day, a Sunday, when he set off to get to the famous landmark, Beacon Rock, 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 see a fleet of ships.

To get to the rock he had to cross the neighboring Beacon Farm, which 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.

George followed a route close to the cliff edge and then cut inland when he spotted the beacon and was enjoying the peace and solitude, when the peace was shattered by a female voice uttering some very un-lady like phrases, so he walked in the direction of the cursing. 

It didn’t take long to reach the source, which turned out to be a strawberry blonde woman trying to wrestle a trapped ewe out of a brook.

“Do you need a hand” he asked.

“I can manage” she snapped.

“It looks like it” George retorted as he got closer.

“I said I can manage” she barked which was when he realized who it was, Katherine Harrison, a little less vibrancy in hair and a few more lines on her face, but it was clearly her.

“For God’s sake Katie take the damned help when its offered” he said as he stepped in the brook.

“Who the Hell do you…?” she began and looked up at him.

“George Wood?”

“In the flesh” he said.

“Then give me a bloody hand” she snapped.

Once the stubborn ewe was extricated from the stream, they both clambered out after it and sat down on a nearby rocky shelf, while her dog corralled the beast against the rocks.

“How long have you been back on the Island?” she asked between breaths.

“About a month” He replied.

“The last I heard you were in America” Katie said.

“Yes, Colorado mainly” he replied.

“What brought you back?”

“My employer died” He replied solemnly.

“Unemployed then?” she asked.

“No, I’m still employed by the family” he replied.

“That’s a shame, I could have used some extra help.”

“Are you shorthanded then?”

“Yes, Louise is pregnant, with twins, due imminently” she said, “And Neil has a broken collar bone, so Nikki and I are doing everything.”“

Louise was her younger sister; Neil Stratford was her husband and Nicola was her daughter.

“What about Eddie?”

“Eddie?” she asked with surprise.

“He’s been in prison for the last three years.”

“I’m sorry, I hadn’t heard” he said, “What did he do?”

“Armed robbery”

“Eddie?”

“Yes, Eddie, and two people were killed, not by Eddie, but he was there” She explained “So he won’t be getting out anytime soon.”

“How did he get involved with armed robbers?” 

“No idea” she replied and then after a minute added.

“We weren’t together, we were divorced by then.” 

“Divorced?” he exclaimed, that was very surprising, and remarkably interesting news.

“Anyway, due to the afore mentioned circumstances, I don’t have time to sit around chewing the fat.”

Katie said.

“It was good to see you though.”

“And you” he agreed.

“Where are you staying by the way?”

“Up by Spaniards Point”

“I heard some silly bugger was living in a campervan up by the ruins, is that you?”

“It is” he replied, and she laughed as she walked away.

“If I get any free time I’ll come down and give you a hand.” He called.

“I’ll look forward to it” she called back.