The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (102) Wedding Plans

 

Reverend Henry Noble arrived in Spaniards Creek on Friday afternoon and there was a tearful reunion between him, and Arielle and they talked into the wee small hours.

 

Stuart Cameron spent his weekend walking well-worn and familiar paths while Deborah was in Sharpington visiting her brother.

There were walks to different parts of the island he wanted to explore but he wanted to save them for when Deborah was back, it was always more enjoyable with her, shopping on his own at Stephenson’s wasn’t as enjoyable on his own either.

When he wasn’t out walking, he was at work on the irregular shaped piece of Perspex they found on one of their walks.

 

Because the wedding was much sooner than Arielle and Harry originally planned there was a lot of “last minute” thinking.

Her dress was not one of the after thoughts however, as she was wearing the same silk wedding dress that her mother and grandmother wore, which was currently in the hands of Lily Nunthorpe in St Pierre who owned a vintage clothes shop, “Then for Now” and specialised in repairing and rejuvenating old garments, as well as stocking a large quantity of Vintage wear.

However there were other things that she didn’t have in her bottom draw, including some very unecclesiastical underclothes.

So following the traditional Barrington Sunday lunch after Church, the ladies of the wedding party Molly, Arielle, Katie, Nikki and Rachel were leaving on a shopping trip to Abbotsford.

“I’m going to miss you” Molly said

“I’m going to miss you too” Danny said and kissed her 

“We’ve never been properly apart before” she said “Not more than a few hours”

“Then this is our test” Danny said

“A test of what?” she asked

“The strength of our love” he said, and they embraced

 

Henry Noble wasn’t just officiating at the wedding he was covering all off her ecclesiastical and parochial duties for the week either side of the wedding and was staying at the vicarage.

 

Elisa Ghelardoni had worked for Sir Avery Arnold for thirty years and although she had lived in America since she was twenty five she was not an America in fact she was a Devonian and after her employer passed she decided to move back to the land of her birth, but as of that moment she had not decided where and all her worldly goods were now in storage awaiting the destination of her choice, wherever that might be.

 

She was a spinster, and by her own admission a bit of a plain Jane, but despite having a difficult start being raised in the care system, she had had an amazing life, and although she has no family, she has a wealth of friends.

She could easily feel sorry for herself, because she had never known romantic love and knew she would never have children, but she was cut from different cloth, she was a “cup half full” type of person.

 

On Monday afternoon she was walking down by the River looking out across the water and the opposite bank beyond bathed in June sunshine when a voice said

“It’s very picturesque isn’t it”

“Oh hello Vicar, yes, it is, its very charming” she replied

“In fact everything here is, on the Island I mean”

“I agree,” he said “I felt it the moment I set foot here”

“I’m going to explore a bit more of the charm along the riverside” she said “Would you care to join me”

“I would” he said and the spent a very pleasant hour or so walking and talking until he had to get back to the church.

 

While the ladies were in Abbottsford shopping Danny George and Sam where sorting out the wedding vehicles, which was why they took the ferry to the mainland on Tuesday to look at some suitable candidates.

 

Headteacher of the village school, Margaret Johnson, was organizing the bouquet, buttonholes and sprays, as well as the flowers for the church, and Church Warden Howard Nelson was organizing the ladies of the parish to decorate the church with them.

 

Victoria was surprised how quick and easy it was to liquidate her existence in a City that had been her home for more than a decade, and the only fly in the ointment was her having to pay three months’ rent in order to terminate the lease early.

Perhaps because she had lived such a nomadic life her entire existence was represented by two suitcases and a dozen boxes, which the shipping agent collected from her appartment.

With water and electricity disconnected she spent her last night on American soil in an airport hotel then eight days after leaving the island Victoria flew home, and that was what convinced her that she was doing the right thing, because it felt like home.

When Victoria caught the early ferry on Thursday she was surprised to find Molly, Arielle, Katie, Nikki and Rachel on the ferry as well.

That evening all the principles met at Molly’s for wine and pizza.

And the next day was hair, facials and nails day and all the ladies travelled to St Pierre for their pampering, and afterwards they picked up Arielle’s wedding dress.  

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (101) Decision’s

 

Bank Holiday Monday was Molly and Danny’s last full day before their guests returned so they made the most of it, it was an inclement day, so they put all their effort into enjoying the day and enjoying each other.

As it turned out they got to do it all again on Tuesday because for a variety of reasons they weren’t going to get the ferry until Wednesday morning and the rest of that day was taken up with Victoria and Elisa telling them every detail of their trip which Molly and Danny enjoyed immensely but the following day in complete contrast, they were very quiet and restful.

 

Friday was Victoria’s 40^th birthday and they were taking her to the Orangery at the Beaumont Manor for dinner and they were being joined by Katie and Nikki Harrison, George Wood, the Vicar, Arielle Nicholas and Harry and Sam Archer.

But just after lunch Harold Jardine paid her a visit and after being invited in, he said   

“I know you're busy tonight, but I just wanted to wish you a very happy birthday and give you a little gift”

Victoria smiled at his embarrassed fidgeting as she unwrapped the present,

“Oh how thoughtful,” she said, “they’re my favourites”.

“I know, I had help” he said, and their eyes met for the first time

“I hope you enjoy them”

And as he turned to walk away it was her turn to blush.

“Thank you” she said and kissed his cheek

“Well I’ll leave you to enjoy the rest of the day and I’ll see you tomorrow”

“Ok bye Harold”

 

“Tomorrow?” Molly asked after he’d gone

“Yes, he’s taking me to dinner tomorrow night” she replied

“For a birthday meal”

“And I suppose it isn’t a date” Elisa commented

“Oh no this one is definitely a date” Victoria replied

 

On Saturday evening Harold knocked on the door of Cliff Haven and then he and Victoria got in the waiting taxi and travelled to St Pierre, and once they got out, he said

“I booked a table at The Gondolier”

“Is that ok?”

“Absolutely” she replied

 

During dinner she told Harold about the job offer at the Bellevue

“You might stay on Beaumont?” he asked hopefully

“Possibly, I’m not sure” she replied undecidedly

“Have you done the pros and cons?”

“I have” Victoria confirmed

“And?”

“Nearly all pros”

“What are the cons?” Harold asked

“Well firstly, I have a life in Colorado, which isn’t a deal breaker, but I have an apartment, such as it is” she explained “And the other one is I don’t have anywhere to live, I can’t stay at Molly’s long term”

“Well I can’t help to resolve the first, but the second one is a different matter, I have a flat over the shop in Spaniards Creek that you could rent” he said   

 

Straight after the Sunday service at St Clara’s and the third reading of the banns, Victoria changed her clothes and shoes and took herself off for walk to clear her mind and think about her future.

Victoria’s favourite walk was beside the Spanish River, but she was not alone in that, but that day she needed to be alone, so she walked in the direction of Beacon Rock so she could think.

Although she had an apartment in Colorado Springs, she had no roots put down anywhere, no family or close friends, no husband or lover, and no contracts to fulfil, so she was free to make the move almost immediately.

Since she’d been on the island, she had experienced feelings she had never had before, she actually felt part of the place, she felt like she belonged, but was she suffering a delusion.

She sat down on a rock beside a stream and as she listened to the babbling of the water she said

“Doctor Woodward said the hospital have accommodation available, Molly said I can have one of the renovated properties and Harold said I can rent the flat above his shop, so I’m not deluded, they really want me to stay.”

 

The next day Victoria phoned Chief of Medicine, Deborah Woodward and said that she was interested in working for her, and later that day they had a formal interview, which lasted several hours.

As a result she was booked on a flight back to Colorado on Wednesday to clear out her apartment and to arrange for her belongings to be shipped to the UK.

She rented a furnished apartment and because of the nature of her work she didn’t have a lot of belongings, there were some items she had inherited from her parents and a few precious items that had been gifted to her from her patient’s grateful family members.

She spent a day sorting through her drawers and closets donating the majority of them to Goodwill and packed the rest into suitcases.

Molly had recommended Here, There & Everywhere Domestic and Business Removals as she had used them when they were leaving the states, so she contacted them before she left and they gave her the details of their US agent, so that was who she used.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (100) The Broken Hearted

 

Twenty-three-year-old Lisa Scott was a stable girl at Woodside farm who had a yearlong affair with Nurse Kevin Holland who worked at the Bellevue Hospital.

He was twelve years older than she was and it was her first serious relationship, and it broke her heart when he ended it and she missed him, and the sex, Lisa was fairly inexperienced when they met, not a virgin but not “fluent” so the sex was amazing.

In her lonely moments she was often out walking alone, and Sunday afternoon was no exception, but this time she was even sadder than usual because she had just found out that Kevin was seeing someone else, a schoolteacher.

 

It was starting to get dusky as she hurried through Bellevue Woods and she was hurrying because, although she wouldn’t admit it, she was a bit scared of the woods at that time of day as they were very thick, and because she was lost in thought she didn’t really have a clue where she was going.

All of a sudden, a bird took flight from the undergrowth and startled her, and she instinctively turned her head in the direction of the sound while hurrying along on her way, which was when she twisted her ankle.

As luck would have it a cyclist appeared out of the gloom as she sat on the path rubbing her ankle and feeling sorry for herself.

“Are you ok?” he asked

“I’ve twisted my ankle” she replied, and he dismounted and asked

“Can you stand?”

“I don’t know” Lisa replied

As he helped her to her feet, she was assessing him, she thought he was very good looking even sweaty and spattered with mud.

“Can you put your weight on it?” he asked, and she tried but winced with pain

“Ok just lean on me for a moment” he suggested, and she dutifully obliged

“Where were you headed?” he asked

“Woodside Farm”

“Ok let’s sit you on the bike and I’ll wheel you to the farm” he suggested

“Are you sure? That’s very kind of you” Lisa said

“No problem” he said

“Do you work there?”

“Yes” she replied

“What do you do?” he asked

“I work with the Horses” she replied

“What about you?”

“I’m a farmer from Roman Water Farm” he said “I’ve just finished University”

When they got to the farm, he helped her off the bike and supported her as he walked her slowly to the stables.

“I think I’ll be fine from here” she said stoically

“If you’re quite sure” he said

She nodded her acquiescence

“Ok then” he said in response to her nod “take care of that ankle”

“Yes, I will …., I’m sorry I don’t know your name”

“It’s Derek” 

“Well thank you Derek, I’m Lisa”

“Well you take care Lisa”

His full name was Derek Wilson, and unbeknown to her he too was nursing a broken heart for the same reason she was.

He had a torrid Summer romance with a woman twelve years older and a hundred years more experienced, Marion Monaghan, and he had returned from University hoping to rekindle their relationship only to find that she had moved on.

Ironically his older woman Marion was now dating Lisa’s older man Kevin.

 

Lisa watched him walk back to his bike and she thought he looked as good from behind as he did from the front, and she smiled.

He mounted his bike and then he turned and gave her a wave before saying

“I’ll pop by tomorrow to see how you are”

Then she watched him peddle away and when he was gone, she limped to her room and put ice on her sprain.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (099) Houseguests

 

June

Molly and Danny were enjoying having houseguests, but with all the activity around the opening of the office, building work and Church renovations, the reinterment and the excitement of the Vicars engagement they were pooped, and it was unlikely to get less busy before the end of June.

So when they had the house to themselves, they took the opportunity for some well-earned sofa hogging and a spot of guiltless canoodling.

But on Tuesday they had to knuckle down to the book which with recent events they had got seriously behind, and it took the rest of the week to get back on track . 

 

On the first Saturday in June Harold Jardine knocked on the door enquiring after Victoria.

“I'm sorry Harold, but she’s not back yet, they’ve decided to extend their stay in London for a few more days” Molly said

“Oh ok”

“She’ll be back in time for her birthday though” she assured him 

“Her birthday?”

“Yes, it’s her 40^th on Friday”

“Oh I didn’t know that I must get her a gift, any suggestions?”

“She would appreciate that I’m sure” Molly concurred

“She likes truffles”

“Chocolate of fungi?” he asked, and she laughed

“Chocolate” she said “I can see now why she likes you”

“Thanks Molly”

 

After the second reading of the banns on Sunday Arielle and Harry discussed the wedding plans, who they would invite, the order of service, Katie would be Matron of honour bridesmaid’s, were to be Molly Barrington, Nikki Harrison and the verger, Rachel Hanson , Sam Archer was best man, and George Wood would give her away, as she had no family.

 

Their Honeymoon was to a short one after the wedding, because Harry had to get the business back on track after the move, they would have a proper honeymoon the following year.

Molly was giving them the reception and the bridal suite at the Beaumont manor as a wedding present.

 

That just left them with the problem of who would officiate at ceremony.

If they had still been a Church of England Church a locum would have been supplied but they weren’t, so they had to make other arrangements.

So she thought of Henry Noble, Arielle had been his curate for several years, although he was still only 58, he left the church to look after his sick wife.

She had passed two years earlier but hadn’t felt ready to pick up the mantel again.

But when Arielle asked him to marry her, he really couldn’t refuse.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (098) Doctor, Doctor

 

Dr Stewart Cameron was in his car, halfway between Manor Row and the hospital when it started to rain, and about fifty yards ahead of him he spotted the distinctive figure of Deborah Woodward walking without a coat.

He pulled up beside her and wound down the window.

“Can I give you a lift Doctor?” he said

“Oh yes please” she said and got in

“It was such a nice morning, I decided to walk, and then this happened”

“That’s April showers for you” he said

“Indeed” she agreed “But its May”

“Comme ci Comme ça” he retorted

That pretty much set the tone of the conversation and for the duration of the short trip to the hospital, they discussed the inclemency of the weather.

“Thank you, Stuart,” she said as they pulled up outside the entrance “Are you not coming in?”

“No I’m going to the Saxvirdan surgery” he replied

“Ok, see you later” she said “Bye”

Before he pulled away, he called after her

“If it’s raining when you finish give a call and I’ll pick you up”

“Bless you Stuart”

 

Despite their best efforts for their meal in St Pierre not to be a date, they enjoyed each other’s company enough to want to do it again.

However on Monday afternoon Victoria and Elisa left the island as George and Katie were taking them on a sightseeing tour for a week, so dinner at the Gondolier would have to wait a while.

 

It was raining when Deborah finished her shift, so she took Stuart up on his offer and phoned him and then after he picked her up, they had supper together.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (097) The Beaumont’s BBQ

 

Victoria Pullen had more to drink than she really should have the night after dinner with Harold and decided to forgo breakfast, she’d just have to double up the next day when she wouldn’t be hung over.

Harold on the other hand rose bright and early to open the shop, although the brightness was turned down a bit.

 

At St Clara’s the Banns were read for Arielle and Harry’s wedding.

Banns need to be read in the parish where each of them lives as well as the Church in which you are to be married, in their case both locations were the same, and Banns must be read out in Church for three Sundays during the three months before the wedding.

 

The Beaumont family had once owned the whole island but after three successive heirs were killed in action during the Great War the accumulated death duties forced the only surviving Beamont, George, to sell off the estate in 1920, auctioning off the buildings, the port, and parcels of land.

Fortunately, the sale managed to raise enough to pay off the taxman, while being able to keep Woodside Farm and retain a Beaumont family presence on the island.

 

It was that event that was celebrated on the last weekend in May every year.

There was a dinner party on Saturday night with a few houseguests and a BBQ on the Sunday for about twenty additional guests and amongst those were Molly and Danny, who took along Victoria and Elisa.

 

Woodside was the largest of the five farms on the island covering the whole of the southeast corner, a large wedge-shaped parcel of land bordered by Halfway Lane to the north, Spanish River and the Eagles Crag in the west and the rugged coastline from Manor Cliff Beach to Armada Head to the east.

 

During the BBQ Elisa Ghelardoni chatted with one of the stable girls, Lisa Scott, and expressed her love of horses and Lisa kindly offered to give her a tour of the stables.

While Victoria struck up a conversation with Deborah Woodward and the conversation inevitably turned toward medical matters.

Although she was working in Colorado Springs when she began caring for Sir Avery Arnold she was born in Denver, and had nursed all over the state, and she talked at length about her Nursing career.

“We could really use someone with your skill set  at Bellevue”  Deborah said

“I’ve never worked outside the States” Victoria said

“That’s not a problem”

“Do you think I’d have a chance?” Victoria asked

“Well speaking as Chief of Medicine” she replied “I think you might, pop in and see me and I’ll show you around”

“It sounds interesting, but where would I live? I can’t impose on Molly indefinitely” she said

“Well there is accommodation available for staff who need it” Deborah replied

“That’s food for thought” she said “But I’m going to be away for the next week”

“Well think about it while you’re away and if you’re interested give me a call” she said and wrote her number on a scrap of paper from her bag.

“Thank you” Victoria said

 

“What was that all about?” Molly asked

“I think she just offered me a job” Victoria replied

“Wow that’s great”

“I didn’t come here looking for a job” She said “And I don’t live here, I don’t have anywhere to live here, it’s a nonstarter”

“Somewhere to live isn’t an issue” Molly pointed out

“I can’t be living with you and getting in yours and Danny’s way” Victoria said forcefully

“I was thinking of one of the newly renovated places” Molly explained

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (096) Solution’s and Thank You’s

 

On Thursday Molly got word from Adam Jandrell that work would begin on the Church Lane Cottages at the end of June and St Clara's the first week in July and the scaffolding would go up the week before and the work was expected to be finished before Christmas but that was dependent on what the found once they got started.

Molly then phoned Arielle because she knew that the news might affect her personal plans, and she was right because the moment she hung up the call with Molly she phoned Harry and told him the news and then she started crying.

Harry rushed straight round to the vicarage and found her sitting in her armchair sobbing.

“What’s the matter?”

“The photos will be ruined” she replied and broke down again.

The gist of the problem was that they had been talking about a September wedding, and now the Church was going to covered with scaffolding and the grounds would look like a building site.

“Well the solution is perfectly simple” he said

“What is it?”

“We get married before the scaff goes up”

“And you would be ok with that?” she asked “Getting married before September”

“Of course” he replied “I'd marry you today if it was possible”

Arielle threw her arms around him a cried happy tear.

 

On Friday Molly and Elisa went to St Pierre to get Victorias hair done.

“I don’t need my hair doing” she protested

“You need to look your best for your date” Elisa said

“It’s not a date”

“It really is” Molly retorted

“It’s just a thank you dinner” Victoria insisted

“Date” Molly retorted

“She might have a point” Elisa said

“How’s that?”

“Well I know it’s been a while for me, but aren’t you supposed to have the date first and then see them naked?”

 

The Vicar meanwhile was in the Church checking the diary for a suitable date in June for the wedding, but the only available Saturday was the 24^th and that could be cutting it a little fine, so she left the Church and made her way down to the Spanish River and had a conversation with Adam Jandrell, and he reassured her that the scaffolding would not be erected before Monday the 26^th.

 

Victoria was walking along the quayside on Saturday afternoon just as the passengers were disembarking from the Water Taxi and one of them was Harold Jardine she said

“Hello Mr Jardine”

“Oh hello” he said as he met her gaze,

“But we should be on first name terms, after all you’ve seen me naked”

“Well I’ve seen a lot of men naked” she said

“Oh dear, that didn’t come out right”

They both laughed and agreed on Harold and Victoria before they went their separate ways.

 

Victoria made her way back to Cliff Haven and thought they would have a very pleasant evening, but she was not thinking it was a date.

She wasn’t looking for a relationship because she didn’t know if she’d be on the island in a weeks’ time, but she was happy enough to have dinner with someone with a sense of humour.

 

Harrold was also looking forward to the evening and he didn’t think of it as anything more than dinner to show his gratitude to a good Samaritan.

He certainly had no thought of dating, he was in his early forties and thought of his dating days well and truly in the past, but he had no other expectations than that.       

 

Later that evening he knocked on the door of Cliff Haven and then he and Victoria got in the waiting taxi and travelled to St Pierre, and once they got out, he asked

“The Cherry Blossom or The Gondolier?”

“Is that some sort of code?” she asked

“Chinese or Italian?”

“Well I like both” she replied “But I’m really in the mood for Chinese”

“Chinese it is then” he said and smiled