The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (109) The Incident

 

Julie Willman was 28 years old and had been working in Abbottsford  at the Abbottsford Regents Hotel, and while she was there, she had been seeing a local Solicitor, Robert Brown.

But not for the first time in her life she realized it wasn’t working for her so after a couple of months, she ended it.

However when it ended Robert wouldn’t accept it and he wouldn’t stop pestering her.

So before it got too out of hand, the previous summer, she quit her job, left Abbottsford and after a few months found herself on the island applying for a job at the Beaumont Manor and six months later she was Deputy Manager.

 

Since she escaped her stalky ex Julie had sworn off relationships and just concentrated on work.

She liked the island, she had decent accommodation at the Hotel, and a small circle of friends and she was content with that.

 

On a sultry Saturday night she was working reception and was due to be relieved at 10 o’clock by Libby McIntosh but when it got to 10:15 she thought to herself

“Something’s wrong”

So she got one of the bar staff to man the reception while she hurried upstairs.

She reached their landing and could hear some commotion coming from Libby’s room, the door was open and as she looked inside, she saw a small stocky man pick Libby up and throw her across the room, she was a tiny woman and weighed little more than 7 stone and he was throwing her around like a rag doll.

Then as she lay on the floor, he kicked her in the ribcage.

Julie wasn’t alone by that point and said to the nearest onlooker

“Go and get help, and call the police”

Julie then took a breath and made her move pausing only to arm herself with the coffee tray off the sideboard.

As she entered the room the man was holding her by the hair with one hand and punching her with the other.

All the while shouting obscenities at her, but with his constant shouting and the sickening sound of his fist on her face he didn’t hear Julie enter the room.  

She stood behind him and with all her strength hit him hard on the back of the head with the tray sufficiently hard to draw blood.

It knocked him off balance and he fell to his knees, then he turned to look at his assailant and she swung the tray again hitting him square in the face and breaking his nose.

Then remembering all the blows she had been dealt by an abusive partner she gave him another whack on the head for good measure, then she turned her attention to Libby who was bloody and barely conscious.

From the doorway she heard someone say

“Oh my God, is she ok?”

“Not really” Julie said

Just then Pastry Chef Tom Sword arrived

“Is everything ok?”

“No, it’s not” Julie replied

“What’s happened?”

“She’s been beaten up” Julie said,

“Give her to me” Tom said, he was a great bear of a man, and he scooped her up as if she were a child.

He carried her out of the room and Julie followed him to the lift

“The police will be here in five minutes, so will the ambulance”

Someone said just as two more kitchen staff arrived

“There’s a man in the room, don’t let him leave before the police get here”

“No problem” one of them said

“You look after Libby”

 

When they got downstairs PC’s, Kane Saunders and Morgan Baker arrived along with Paramedics Lee Houseman, Frazer Richmond.

The PCs went straight upstairs while the paramedics took charge of Libby and Julie went with her in the ambulance.

 

When the Police got upstairs, they found two kitchen staff preventing the assailant from leaving the room.

“Thank god you’ve arrived” he shouted

“These men are holding me prisoner”

Morgan Baker addressed the melee directly while Kane Saunders took Tom Sword to one side and got the full story, he knew that he was a straight up and down character, and he knew his account of events could be relied upon.

 

“Thank you, Tom,” he said and signalled his colleague who then read the assailant his rights and put handcuffs on him.

“But I have been assaulted” he insisted “Look I’m bleeding”

“No sir you have been arrested” PC Baker said

 

Julie sat down in reception and waited while the Nurse Kevin Holland and Doctor Woodward looked after her.

After about half an hour the police arrived to take statements, it was the same two PC’s who she saw briefly at the Hotel.

 

PC Saunders took Julie to one side and Morgan Baker went and sat down next to Libby.

Morgan was a skinny freckly girl of about nine stone who looked about three stone heavier in her stab vest and utility belt, and her chestnut-coloured hair was tied in a bun.

“Did you know the man who attacked your friend?” Kane asked

“Have you got him?” Julie asked

“Yes, he’s in a cell” He replied

“Did you know him?”

“No I’ve never seen him before tonight”

“What about the name, Barry Gorman?”

“No” she said shaking her head

“Ok” Kane said and then took down her statement of the evening’s events and by the time they’d finished Morgan joined them.

“Am I in trouble?” Julie asked

“For what?” PC Baker asked

“I hit him” she stated “Three times”

Morgan leant in close and whispered

“Good! He deserved it”

And she squeezed Julie’s hand.

 

PC Kane Saunders was a tall man in his late twenties and also suffered with the unflattering uniform, and as if being six foot four inches tall didn’t make him stand out enough, nature had also endowed him with flame red hair.

Julie was tall herself, so it made a nice change to talk to a man who was taller than her and she had always had a weakness for red hair.

But she felt really guilty because she was flirting with him shamelessly and she couldn’t help herself.

She inclined her head to one side and played with her hair and behaved like she did when she was still at school, which was totally contrary to her swearing off men.

Just then Kevin Holland returned and signalled to Morgan that she could interview Libby now.

 

It didn’t take long to take Julie’s statement as she was very together and very precise.

Which was a blessing and a curse because he rather liked her and although the way she gave her statement made it easier for him to transcribe it meant the interview was over too quickly.

He thought it was a shame he was on duty as he would have asked her out under any other circumstances.

“Can I call you?” she blurted out “in case I think of anything else”

“Yes” he said “and perhaps I should have your number in case I have any more questions”

 

When the police had gone Kevin Holland called her in and Julie sat down heavily next to Libby’s bed

“I’m sorry” she said

“What for?”

“For flirting with the PC I don’t know what came over me” she said

“Well I hope you got his number” Libby said

“I did”

“Good” Libby said and held her hand

 

It was 3am when she got back to the hotel.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (108) Elisa and Victoria

 

Harold had purchased, what he had reliably been informed was a particularly good Champagne, he was no judge himself he was more of a traditional ale kind of man.

But the Belgian Truffles however he could vouch for himself as they were one of his favourites and he bought them from Crazy Chocolatiers in Abbottsford.

So with Champagne and Truffles in hand he walked along the tow path and then he heard music drifting across the river, he knew it had to be from Victoria’s because no one else had moved in yet, and as he got closer, he saw that she had all the windows open, and the music was indeed coming from her cottage.

 

Victoria was sat in the armchair with her eyes closed and was letting the music wash over her when there was a knock at the door.

She got up and walked to the door and when she opened it Harold was standing there, Champagne in one hand and Chocolates in the other.

“I have housewarming gifts” he said

“Oh you really are a wonderful man” she said and added to herself

“And you’ll be staying for breakfast” 

 

Elisa had so enjoyed her long early morning walk with Henry that over the week following it, she made every conceivable effort to bump into him again.

 

Henry meanwhile following his recent epiphany and realization that he was in fact still alive had also enjoyed their chance meeting, her kindness and her gently laughter also looked forward to meeting her again.

The problem was that the two of them just hoping for another chance meeting inadvertently managed to avoid each other entirely.

When Henry was in the Village Elisa was up by the Radar Station Ruins, when he walked along the Riverbank, she was in the woods by the Armada Head.

 

In the end Elisa thought it best just to talk to him, where she knew he was definitely going to be, at St Clara’s on Sunday, and just arrange something.

He was doing his second and final Sunday service because Reverend Arielle Archer was due back from Honeymoon later that day, and it was unclear how much longer he would be in the village, and her future plans were still unclear.  

 

After the service the Vicar at the door saying goodbye to the congregants and when it was Elisa’s turn he said

“Hello, I didn’t know you were still here”

“Really?” she replied “Why?”

“Well I haven’t seen you out and about on my walks” he explained

“Well perhaps we should synchronise our diaries” she suggested

“Good idea, tomorrow morning, seven o’clock” the Vicar said

“Excellent, see you then”

 

It was even hotter on Sunday than it had been the day before so Stuart and Deborah decided not to walk and drove into St Pierre instead and had a long leisurely lunch and anyone looking on would have thought they were a couple.

Colleagues at the hospital had commented jokingly about a romance between them but she took it with a pinch of salt, after all there was a lot of romance going about, but Deborah and Stuart’s relationship was purely platonic, and she was happy with that, and she was certain that he was too.

 

On the first Monday in July, Elisa was up bright and early to meet Henry for their early morning walk, for what was to become a daily event.

Also work commenced on St Clara’s and the twelve Church Lane cottages and Victoria Pullen started work at Bellevue.

On the day she started, the first-person she met was Heather Edwards, a well-presented woman at the wrong end of her forties who had been a receptionist at the hospital for 25 years in all.

So Heather was best placed to show her the ropes and as she had also lived on the island all of her life, she was the font of all knowledge on all local matters as well.

Heather made Victoria feel immediately at home and with each successive member of staff she met she felt even more so.

 

Victoria’s official job title at Bellevue was Palliative Care Sister, but with some General Nursing duties and the home visit when necessary, so the following weekend she got herself a motorbike, not a big machine and nothing stylish she needed something that would cope with rough roads and farm tracks.

 

During the hot weather Molly and Danny were working under an awning on the patio which was working well for them although with Molly wearing skimpy shorts and a bra top, Danny did find he was somewhat distracted. 

 

The rest of the week went by in much the same vein, the hot oppressive weather, Elisa and the Reverend went on their long early morning walks, and Danny and Molly spent more alfresco workdays under the awning.

 

When Danny and Molly arrived downstairs on Saturday morning, they found Elisa in the kitchen making sandwiches.

“Morning Elisa” Molly said and kissed her cheek

“Morning Dear”

“Are you not walking this morning?” Molly asked

“No Henry and I are taking the boat to St Giles instead, that’s why I’m making a picnic” she explained “He stayed at the retreat there following his wife’s death”

“You’re spending a lot of time with the Reverend Noble” Molly said

“Yes, we get on very well” she replied

“I think that’s really nice” Danny said

“Yes, so do I” Elisa said “But…”

“But?” asked Molly

“Well he’s only here temporarily, and I need to get out of your hair soon” She said

“Nonsense, we said you could stay as long as you wanted” Molly said

“And we meant it” Danny added

“So enjoy your day out” Molly said and hugged her

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (107) The Doctor’s Day Out

 

July

Flaming June had given way to a humid and oppressive July and Stuart Cameron and Deborah Woodward finally had a weekend on which they could get out and walk together.

So on Saturday morning they were both up with the lark and set off to explore.

By making an early start they hoped to get some exploration in before the day became too oppressive, so they set off down an unfamiliar path and planned to explore anything that even vaguely resembled a trail.

 

Later that day, though not much later, Amelia Williamson met Victoria outside number 1 Stable Cottages and gave her the keys and after about ten minutes she left Victoria on her own enjoying her surroundings and then there was a knock on the door, and her bed had arrived.

Shortly after that Harold arrived with the van and they moved the rest of her furniture in, and when everything was in, he left her to settle in.  

And as she sat in her armchair drinking her coffee she felt at home, which made her smile because the cottage was the first place she really thought of as a home since she was a girl and living with her parents.

 

It wasn’t a long walk by their standards, and it wasn’t a particularly difficult one, but Deborah and Stuart were both sweating profusely by the time they reached Armada Head.

They’d chosen that particular walk as it was close enough to the cliffs to get whatever sea breeze might be on offer but there was also a lot of tree cover to offer them some shade.

They hadn’t been to that part of the island before and as they walked to the rocky outcrop and took in the vista it took away what little breath they had left.

She stopped on the crest to mop her brow and then she pinched the V-neck between her fingers and shook it violently causing the material to ripple and thus cause a draft up her shirt.

“Does that help?” he asked

“No not really” she replied, and they both laughed

Then they sat down on a slab of granite which bizarrely felt cool despite the heat of the sun and shared the bottle of water from Stuarts pack.

Stuart had taken to carrying a pair of binoculars on his solitary walks and they were still in his pack, so he took them out as well and they used them to look across the water to St Giles du Cabot.

When they had drunk their fill of the view they headed down towards the river where they found a shady spot to have their lunch.

They were both devotees of classical music and spent most of the time while they sat, talking about music, favourite composers, performers and individual pieces.

There was common ground on much but were diametrically opposed on others, for example he was a traditionalist whereas she was very definitely not and embraced the modern composers.

Their other favoured topics were literature as they were both veracious readers, contemporary and classics, or movies, and they both considered themselves to be classic film buffs.

 

When they had finished lunch and they emerged from the shade it had gotten unbearably hot, so they went into Spaniards Creek to Jardine’s General Store and restocked with bottled water for the walk home.

It was the first of several stops on the return walk, they took advantage to any and all shade as far as Norman Beach where they walked along the shore and cooled themselves before the most difficult part of the walk which covered a one mile stretch along the cliffs where there was no shade.

When they reached the next stand of trees, they instantly felt the coolness of the shade.

By the time they reached Manor Cliff Beach it was the hottest part of the day, so they removed their shoes and socks and paddled in the sea up to their knees and waded all the way until they climbed back up to Manor Cliff and the short walk home.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (106) Furnishings

 

Victoria could have ordered the furniture she wanted in St Pierre without having to leave the island, but they quoted six weeks for delivery, apart from the bed which would be delivered on Saturday, which was why she and Harold were sailing to Pipershaven early on Wednesday morning.

 

She managed to get everything she went for, as well as a few things she hadn’t thought of.  

“Thank you, Harold,” she said as they stood by the rail looking across the bay to the islands.

“What for?” he asked

“Helping me” she said “I couldn’t have done this without you”

And then she kissed him, and it was the first meaningful kiss that had shared, a gentle yet significant kiss, not a passionate embrace, she was saving that for when she had moved into the cottage.

 

On Thursday she made a number of trips to the cottage with items from Harold’s storeroom at the shop, curtain tracks, towel rails, blinds, kitchen accessories, bathroom fitting and a bathroom cabinet, which Franci had kindly offered to fit for her, and a case of wine as a thank you.

 

Friday marked the end of June and the completion of the renovations of the properties on the west side of the river, but it was more significant than that for Amelia Williamson as Clive Crossfield was returning to the island, and she couldn’t wait to see him again.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (105) Good Company

 

Elisa Ghelardoni had always been an early riser, so she showered and dressed and after a solitary coffee in the conservatory she set off for a walk down the hill to the river.

She liked the early morning walks, whatever the weather, but even more so on a bright morning while the rest of the world were still in their beds. 

Spaniards Creek was such an idyllic spot and starting out from Cliff Haven she was really spoilt for choice when it came to pleasant walks.

She strode purposefully down the hill her salt and pepper hair dancing about her Swan neck.

 

Once she was on the quayside, she watched the fishing boats heading out to sea and then strolled on towards the bridge from where she followed the riverbank, and continue beyond the village, and just as she left the village behind her, she saw Reverend Henry Noble standing by the bend in the river gazing out across the water.

“You’re up early Vicar” she called but got no response, so called louder

“Morning Vicar!”

But still got no response, so she tapped him on the shoulder

“Morning” she said again, and he jumped and went as white as a sheet.

“Good God” he exclaimed “I nearly had a heart attack”

And then he roared with laughter, a laugh which was so infectious Elisa was soon laughing along with him and their hearty laughter echoed across the water.

“I’m sorry” she said “But I did callout”

“Vaughan Williams” he retorted

“Excuse me?”

“The Lark Ascending” he explained and removed his ear pods

“Oh I see” she said, and they laughed again, then he said

“I’ve really missed this”

“I beg your pardon?” Elisa said

“I haven’t laughed like this since before ….” he began

“I understand” she said

 

They decided to continue their early morning walk together and they were an unlikely looking pair, Victoria possessed an inherent elegance about her, she may have been plain looking, and she spent little or no time on her appearance, she always looked more than presentable.

In stark contrast Henry Noble was a big man, well over six feet tall and built like a rugby player, and he looked as unlike a clergyman as it was possible to get, but he was very eloquent and in Elisa’s humble opinion he had a very cultured voice.

Which she heard a lot over the next half an hour as he spoke at length about his wife’s death and the emptiness he had felt.

“But today when I got up this morning, I felt alive, for the first time since Linda died, I actually felt alive” he said “And that’s why I’m out so early enjoying the beauty in the world, and here we are sharing this wonderful countryside together”

“Beautifully expressed” She remarked and took his arm.

 

When she finally got back to Cliff Haven the household had stirred.

Danny had already got the coffee on, and Molly was in the kitchen boiling eggs and making toast.

“Hi Elisa” she said brightly “Did you have a good walk?”

“Yes, I did”

“You’ve been a long time” Victoria said

“I know it was such a beautiful morning we got a bit carried away” Elisa replied

“We?” Molly asked

“Yes, I bumped into the Vicar” she said

“Really?” Molly said, “How much bumping was involved?”

“Don’t be dirty dear” Elisa said “He’s a man of the cloth”

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (104) Finding a Home

 

On Monday morning the scaffolding went up around the Church and the twelve Church Lane Cottages and Molly felt a great sense of relief.

Which meant she could return to working with Danny on the book with a great weight lifted from her shoulders.

 

Doctor Woodward said the hospital had accommodation available, but that was up near the Hospital, so Victoria ruled that out as she really wanted to stay close to her friendship base in Spaniards Creek.

Harold had suggested she rent the flat above his shop, which was nice and it was fully furnished but she ruled that out as well for two reasons, firstly because it felt a bit like the apartment’s she had in the states, and the second reason was she didn’t really want her boyfriend to be her landlord, and what if their relationship didn’t last, that could lead to awkwardness, and she didn’t want that. 

So she took Molly up on her offer to have one of the renovated properties, so she directed her to Amelia Williamson, and she took one of the stable cottages which had a lovely riverside view.

The only problem was she couldn’t move in until Saturday but Amelia asked Franci Liebenberg to let her in so she could take measurements for curtains and nets etc.

Franci supplied her with a floor plan with dimensions so she could figure out what furniture she could fit in.

“If you want curtain tracks, blinds, towel rails, or kitchen gadgets, fitting get them to me by Friday and I’ll put them up for you” Franci said

“That would be amazing, thank you” Victoria replied

“My pleasure”   

 

She didn’t need to buy much in the way of furniture, the bedroom had built-in wardrobes, dressing table and drawer units, so she just needed a Bed, bedside tables and a chair, and downstairs she had a kitchen/diner/lounge, so a small folding dining table and chairs, either a sofa or two armchairs, a coffee table and a sideboard/dresser.

 

She was able to get most of the things she needed on the island, bedding, towels, curtain rails, curtains, cutlery, China, glass, tablecloths, kitchen bits and bobs, but the bigger items she needed to go further afield.

Harold made regular trips to the mainland in his van to go to the cash and carry to restock the shops, so it was no hardship to offer to do another trip to help her out.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (103) The Wedding

 

Arielle stayed the night at Cliff Haven and got ready for  the wedding there and when it was time to go, Molly entered the room and said excitedly

“Your carriage has arrived”

Arielle hurriedly left the room and as soon as she got outside, she gasped

“It’s beautiful!” Arielle said

“It’s absolutely gorgeous”

“Isn’t it” agreed Molly

The thing they were so enraptured by was a small two-wheeled horse-drawn cart with a small tub body decorated with flowers and inside were two opposite inward-facing seats, it was known as a Governess Cart, Danny had borrowed from Woodside Farm.

It was pulled by a heavy-set white horse and by the horse’s head was stable girl Lisa Scott wearing a tweed hacking jacket and jodhpurs and riding boots.  

“Climb aboard” Lisa said

There was a small, hinged door at the back with a step below George opened the door and Arielle got in first, then Molly and finally George himself.

“We’ll see you there” Danny said and closed the door and then nodded to Lisa.

“Walk on boy” she said, and the horse and cart moved off.

 

It took less than ten minutes for Lisa to lead the Horse and Trap down the hill and along Church Lane to the Church.

George and Molly were chattering away the whole trip, but Arielle didn’t hear a word as she was lost in the magic of it all, she was so happy.

When they reached St Clara’s Lisa halted the cart where the other bridesmaids were waiting.

 

The church was full to overflowing, such was her popularity not merely in the village but across the island and it was a wonderful ceremony and afterwards, even those who didn’t attend the Church waved her off as she and Harry left the Church in a 1930 Bentley Speed Six.

 

The reception was being held at the Beaumont Manor, which was Molly’s wedding present to them along with the wedding night in the Bridal Suite, the Bentley was Danny’s contribution.

 

One of the Wedding Guests was Max Parsons and in order to prevent him from pestering them about the latest chapters, which were well overdue, Molly made sure they were seated out of earshot, so he was as far away as possible and was seated next to St Clara’s Headteacher Margaret Johnson and the striking thirty eight year old redhead kept his attention throughout the reception and beyond, because Danny and Molly saw him sheepishly leaving her room the next morning as they were heading to the restaurant for breakfast.

 

They were laughing as they headed downstairs because they had seen him, but he hadn’t seen them, then Molly suddenly stopped and said with alarm.

“If they become a thing, he might come to the island more often”

“Yes, but he’ll be coming to see the busty redhead, not us” he reassured her, and suitably comforted she thoroughly enjoyed her full English.

 

They stayed at the Hotel long enough to see Arielle and Harry off then they drove home with their wedding clothes and got back just in time to hear Henry Noble deliver his first sermon, then after lunch they both dozed off in front of the TV.