The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (188) Departing for the Antipodes

 

January

 

The snow that began on New Years Day persisted to some degree for several days, which suited Molly and Danny very well and they spent their final days before setting off on the book signing tour in Australia, New Zealand and the far east, slobbing around in their pyjama’s, watching movies and enjoying the peace of each other’s company before the stresses of the tour. 

The itinerary for the book signings was set in stone, so they had booked their Hotels and had their own itinerary of what they wanted to see while they were in the particular City’s and some other more extended excursions between City’s, and as they were going to Australia, they were greatly looking forward to seeing Danny’s brother and family again. 

Danny knew from past experience that cities and even countries can get added to tours if they are going well and drumming up sufficient interest, so they didn’t have a firm date of return, after all his last tour of North America took more than seven months, although four months of that was as a result of his crashing his car in Colorado and subsequent hospitalisation, which was where the life changing meeting with Molly took place which delayed him further.

But Molly wanted to be back in plenty of time before Arielle's baby was born in May. 

 

They could have left just after Christmas and celebrated the New Year in Australia, but there was no way Molly was leaving Cliff Haven until she had extracted every ounce of Christmas out of the season.

Although no fresh snow had fallen for three days there was still snow on the ground on Twelfth Night as they had to take the Christmas decorations down.

“This really isn’t as much fun as putting them up” Molly observed.

“You said that last year” he said

“Well I was right then and I'm right now” she retorted adamantly 

“Yes Princess” he agreed “But it’ll soon be November again, and we can put them back up again.”

“That sounds familiar” she said and giggled “Didn't you say that last January”

“At least we're inside in the warm,” he said “And not getting frostbite outside like George”

They both laughed, and just at that moment the door opened, and a blue faced George appeared, and they laughed even louder.

 

Once all the decorations had been neatly packed away, with the exception of the snow globes, which had pride of place, they had another pyjama day, well actually they had a pyjama weekend and then on Monday they said their goodbyes to their closest friends and her beloved St Clara's, which she knew was in safe hands after meeting Justyna, and hearing her first service and early on Tuesday morning they loaded the cases in the car and George drove them to St Pierre in time to catch the first ferry and then drove them to the Airport where they caught the five o’clock flight. 

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (187) New Years Day

 

January

 

It was a week after their first meeting, on a crisp and frosty New Year’s Day morning, when Elizabeth Rodriguez and Matthew Woods met again.

The sky was a brilliant blue and the leaves crunched underfoot, and the air was the freshest Elizabeth had ever known.

It was the dogs who spotted each other first, Elizabeth and Brandy had just passed the Seaview Hotel and were on the path about to head down from the cliffs to the beach, with Matthew and Digger coming in the other direction, the latter considerably faster than the former.

“Good morning” Elizabeth called brightly, as she had been walking in the area every day since Christmas Eve, hoping to run into him again.

“Morning” Matthew said breathlessly “That dog will be the death of me”

“He’s hardly panting at all” She pointed out and laughed

He would have laughed as well if he’d had the breath for it, he just about had enough breath to say.

“Well, he’s a lot younger than me”

When Matthew had completely got his wind back, he asked

“So where are you off to?”

“Nowhere special” She replied

“We’re off to the Lighthouse” he said

“Would you mind if we tagged along?” Elizabeth asked hopefully

“Not at all, I would appreciate the company” He replied and smiled

 

It wasn’t a long walk from where they met and the dogs reached the top of the cliffs first and then Matthew and some distance behind was Elizabeth, who was extremely out of breath.

“I thought you had decided not to come” he said jovially

“You must have the constitution of a mounting goat” she retorted

“The legs certainly” he agreed and laughed

 

By the time they reached the cliff top, Elizabeth was panting worse than the dogs and as she walked to the edge and took in the vista, it took away what little breath she had remaining.

“Wow” she said as she looked out across the sea stretching into the distance and they sat down on the rocks.

“This is my favourite place” Matthew said

“I can see why” Elizabeth said

 

It started snowing on the walk back down, and the walk wasn’t much easier on the legs than the one up was, but they both thought it was worth it, because by the time they reached the beach again Elizabeth and Matthew had a dinner date for later that night at the Seaview.

With the arrival of the snow came the familiar disruption to the ferry services so Elizabeth had to extend her stay on St Giles which very much suited her and Matthew in equal measure.

In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (044) – Plans Upon Plans

 

February

 

Alex and Julie may not have thought they were mad, or what they were doing was crazy, but their respective families certainly did.

A week into the New Year and both mothers were still in shock, the news of Julie’s proposal and the subsequent engagement had taken all their friends and families completely by surprise.

Though Alex’s mother had apparently come to terms with the fact that he would not end his days as a bachelor, and Julie’s similarly that she would not finish up a spinster, however they remained skeptical that it would last and still doubted it was a genuine engagement.

There were times when neither Alex nor Julie could quite believe it themselves and fancied, they were in some kind of waking dream, albeit a wonderfully delicious dream.

But they were in love, and they were engaged, and the majority of their family and friends seemed to be as pleased about it as they were.

 

The mothers were confirmed skeptics whereas the fathers were a little more stoic on the subject.

However, once the dust had settled and as February approached, plans began in earnest with both mothers jockeying for position even though a date hadn’t even been set.    

Julie and Alex decided to just let them get on with it, for the most part, but they would rein them in later when they were clear what they wanted themselves, besides by the end of the month they had more immediate plans to finalize.

Although they hadn’t yet set a date for the wedding, they had set another significant date on the calendar which was fast coming up on the horizon, which they hadn’t yet told the families about, Julie was moving in with him.

 

Alex had a house in the Village, which was bigger than her flat, so it made more sense for her to move in with him rather than the other way around.

They were going to spend February packing up her place so it was ready for renting from the 1st of March when she would officially move in with hm, with as many of her possessions as would fit in.

When he asked her why she wasn’t selling her house, she said

“I want to keep it just in case”

“In case of what?” he asked

“In case you turn out to be a swine” she replied

“Cheeky cow” he said

 

In truth she had been spending all her time at Alex’s, when they weren’t packing in her flat, and for the most part things went without a hitch, the age-old bone of contention the toilet seat being the exception, but that was the only issue, apart from his lucky pants.

It was when she had been commandeering drawer space in the bedroom that he discovered that his lucky pants were missing.

Julie was sitting in the kitchen drinking her tea and he walked in and asked

“Have you seen my lucky pants?”

“Oh yes I threw them out” she replied

“You threw them out?” he asked

“Yes, I did, they’re in the bin” she replied

“But they’re my favourites” he said indignantly, as he fished them out and Julie chuckled as she stood up and then from the doorway she said

“Well, you can either stay down here with your lucky pants or you can come upstairs and get lucky in mine” and she went out the room.

About thirty seconds later he got up and followed her, pausing briefly by the kitchen bin to dispose of his former lucky pants.

In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (043) – New Years Day

 

January

 

On New Years Day Morning Alex Swaine and Julie Lewis were awake early, although to be honest they had rarely slept as they’d spent the night talking, in fact they were still in their Fancy Dress Costumes, laying on the bed with a quilted throw across them.

He got up and headed for the bathroom and washed and dressed, and when he came out, she went in, by that time breakfast service had begun so he ordered room service.

“I’ve ordered breakfast” he said when she reappeared

“Lovely” she retorted without enthusiasm and all the time they were breakfasting she kept fidgeting and looking at her watch or fiddling with her phone and she hardly ate a thing in fact he ate most of hers as well.

It was obvious she had something on her mind, but he didn’t say anything and just enjoyed the extra breakfast.

They had been sitting there eating breakfast in the bedroom for about half an hour, and he had just poured himself another coffee when all of a sudden, Julie leapt up and said

“Come along, grab your coat”

“What?” he replied “I haven’t finished my coffee”

“No time for that” she insisted “Let’s go”

Well, he wasn’t sure what the problem was, or what the urgency was all about, but she was in her tomboy clothes so he wasn’t going to rock the boat, afterall he’d had two breakfasts so he was ready for anything, so he grabbed his coat and got in step with the woman he’d fallen in love with, in truth he would have followed her anywhere, he caught up with her in the lift.

“So where are we off to?” he asked as they rode the lift down to reception, but she didn’t answer and when the doors opened she set off again, he was hoping they were going to stop at one of the comfortable luxurious looking sofa’s but she just kept marching on and bustled through the front doors and out into the winter.

“This will clear our heads” she announced

“My head is already clear” he thought to himself as she strode off down the path towards the lake, crunching on the frosty leaves with him crunching behind her.

She didn’t speak but he knew she would do soon, he just hoped it would be something he wanted to hear.

When they reached the edge of the water there was a bench facing out across the lake and after telling him to sit down, she began pacing up and down.

“I have something to say, and you’re going to think I'm insane, and why wouldn’t you? what I'm going to say is completely mad, but in my defense, you are the reason for the madness that has infected me, but no matter what you think of me I have to say it out loud” she said

“Ok”  

“I wasn’t looking for it, I didn’t realize I wanted it, but it turns out that I needed it without knowing it, so it was a surprise and I dont mind telling you that it knocked me sideways and now I dont want it to end, and going back to how things were fills me with dread, the last two weeks have been amazng, though unexpected, oh god I'm just rambling, I’ve been afflicted by a crazy rambling madness”.

“Just take a deep breath” he urged

“Ok” she said and took several breaths before continuing

“This is new for me... of course I've had relationships … feelings... those I've had, but this is new, and this is something I’ve never felt”

She took another breath, and he waited patiently.

“I've never said this to anyone before, I never felt that way before, so this is a first for me” she said and stopped pacing and took another breath and looked straight at him and said

“I love you”

Alex immediately stood up and faced her 

“Thats not mad, crazy or insane” He said “I love you too”

He kissed her tenderly as snowflakes started to fall around them, but afterwards she said

“Thats not the crazy part”

“Its not?”

“You should sit down again” she said “because you might want to throw me in the lake after you hear the next part”

“Ok” he said apprehensively as he complied

“Being in love is a first for me, and I like, I like it a lot, and I want more of it, and I want to bottle it so I can imbibe whenever I want, I don’t want it to evaporate away or slip through my fingers, so...”

“So?”

“So, I want to marry you” she said and closed her eyes, and after about thirty seconds when there had been no response she cautiously opened one eye to find him standing inches from her, and as soon as her eyes were fully open, he said

“I want that too”

They kissed passionately at the water’s edge as the snow fell steadily and after about five minutes they started laughing and then ran head long back to the hotel giggling all the way.

 

They went straight up to the room and quickly packed then they drove back to the Village, after dropping her things off at her flat they drove to his house where they spent the rest of the day and the night, as they still had a lot of talking to do.

It was another week before they made love for the first time. 

 

Florist Julie Lewis and photographer Alex Swaine met and fell in love while they danced the night away at the wedding of Charlie and Toddy Phelps.

Which was why on New Years Day, having only known each other for two weeks, down by the lake in the grounds of the Barnabus Manor Hotel Julie proposed and he accepted, and they didn’t think it crazy at all.

In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (042) – New Years Eve

 

December

 

In the weeks following the marriage of Charlie and Toddy where Florist Julie Lewis and photographer Alex Swaine met and fell in love while they danced the night away.

Technically it was not the first time they’d met, that is to say they were not strangers, because of their professions they were often at the same events, and of course they both lived in the Village, but they had never spoken, until that night at the Wedding reception.

 

The whirlwind romance between Alex Swaine and Julie Lewis continued unabated in the run up to New Years Eve, and on that night, they were guests at the New Years Eve Fancy Dress Party at the Barnabus Manor Hotel, courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Phelps, along with other Villagers and parishioners who helped to make their Wedding Day so special, though Charlie and Toddy weren’t in attendance.

 

Although they only lived an Uber away Alex decided to book them a room for the night, although primarily it was for somewhere for them to get into their costumes, they hadn’t at that point progressed to a physical relationship.

 

It was a little short notice for Fancy Dress if you were beyond average dimensions, but it was easier for Julie than it was for Alex.  

Julie looked perfect in a flapper dress because she had the hair for the period, and a lovely figure to go with it.

Because of his height Alex was limited to what costumes he could choose from at the best of times, but for a big holiday like New Years Eve it was even more difficult, so he was dressed as a wizard in a cloak bejeweled with moons, stars and astrological symbols, he looked very striking, but she looked gorgeous in her flapper dress and she turned every head in the place, but he was proud that she was on his arm and not someone else’s.

They danced all night, just like they did at the Wedding two weeks earlier, and at midnight they cheered along with the other guests as the year turned and then the Wizard and the Flapper stood on the dance floor and kissed.

 

They were the last to leave the dance floor and the last of the happy revelers to leave the ballroom from where they made their way up to their room where they spent the night talking, still wearing their Fancy Dress Costumes, laying on the bed with a quilted throw across them.

In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (041) – The Girl in the Cobalt Blue Dress

 

December

 

Florist Julie Lewis and photographer Alex Swaine were not strangers per se, because of their professions, they were often at the same events, and of course they both lived in the Village, but they had never spoken.

They had both noticed each other at events and in the Village, Alex who was in his late twenties was hard to miss to be fair, because he was a tall man and as if being six foot four inches tall didn’t make him stand out quite enough, nature had also endowed him with flame red hair.

Julie was a couple of years younger and was five foot ten with short brown hair, in a pixie cut, mesmerizing green eyes and a cute figure with curves in all the right places and long slender legs, and that should have been sufficient to make her stand out.

But in addition, she was a tomboy of a girl, more often than not seen going out and about, wearing baggy shorts and an equally baggy t-shirt, or dungarees, depending on the time of year, and always some unfeminine footwear on her feet.

Furthermore, the one thing the pair had in common before that weekend in December was that neither of them were looking for a relationship.

They were both happily single with a large circle of friends and enjoyed their respective professions, at which they were very successful, so the last thing they were looking for was to fall in love.

 

Wedding Days are very busy affairs if you are involved professionally, for Julie is was all Hustle and Bustle before the ceremony, delivering  the flowers to the Church and the reception venue in the morning, then the bridal party for the bouquet, and sprays etcetera and the grooms party with button holes, then ordinarily her work was done and she could head home, but for Charlie and Toddy’s Wedding she was actually a guest at both the ceremony and the reception at the Barnabus Manor Hotel.

For Alex, he was involved from start to finish, from informal shots outside the church, and the first pictures of the bride in her dress, right up to the point when the bride and groom depart from the reception.

He did think he recognized the pixie cut head of Julie among the congregation but then the wedding march began, and he had to focus again on the main event, and he failed to spot her again, so he put it out of his head.

 

He didn’t see her again until the reception after the meal and before the first dance when he chose to do a walk around and catch people at their ease, he noticed her among a group of guests dressed in a sparkling cobalt blue dress with long lace sleeves, and a pleated skirt that flattered her shape, but not too long so it showed off her wonderful legs, and he was blown away.

“Wow” he said “you look lovely”

“Thank you” she replied with a slight flush of her cheek

“So where did the tomboy go?” he asked “You’re wearing girl clothes”

“Well, I thought I’d make an effort for the wedding” she replied

“Well, you’ve turned a few heads” he said “Especially mine”

“That’s nice to know” she said and full on blushed

He would have liked to stay and made her blush some more, but he got a signal that he was needed.

“I’m sorry it looks I have to” he said

“Maybe I’ll see you later”

 “Maybe” she replied and blushed some more

 

When he had finished snapping, he went to find her again, but there was quite a crowd.

He was a tall man so he could see above the heads of the other guests, so at six foot four inches tall he had a commanding view and spotted the pixie cut brunette hair and swan neck of his prey, so he made his way quickly towards where she was sitting.

 

He found her seated at a table chatting to an elderly couple

“Hello” he said

“Hi” she replied “You’re back”

“Yes, I’m finished for the day, can I get you a drink?” he asked “Or a dance maybe”

“A dance first I think” she replied “Then a drink”

He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet.

Julie was tall herself, so it made a nice change for him to talk with a woman who wasn’t considerably shorter than him and he had always had a weakness for brunette hair.

He felt a bit guilty under the circumstances because he was supposed to be working when he saw her earlier, but he was pretty sure she was flirting with him, she had inclined her head to one side and was playing with her hair.

He wasn’t a major expert and tried to remember how girls behaved around him when he was still at school.

Anyway, he decided to proceed, not that he had a choice because he couldn’t help himself, so he led her onto the dance floor.

Once on the floor they didn’t leave it until the light came up and it seemed she’d always had a thing about red heads.

 

They weren’t staying at the Hotel that night, so they shared a cab back to the Village and dropped her off first, Alex got out with her and walked her to the door of her flats and said good night with a kiss on the cheek.

That night changed them forever and as Alex walked the rest of the way home and he reflected on the evening and conceded to himself that he didn’t know what hit him when he saw Julie in a cobalt blue dress.

 

The week following the Wedding, they saw each other every day to some degree but from Christmas Eve until Boxing Day they were with their respective families, but they nonetheless kept in touch, via WhatsApp.   

 

On the day after Boxing Day they met at the Starlight Café, she had got there first and when he arrived, he looked through the window as she sat at the table, and she was like a cat on a hot tin roof fidgeting and looking around and about her, craning her neck every time she heard a noise or a voice.

When he did walk in, he went to the counter and then put a coffee mug on the table in front of her and one on the table for himself.

“Hello” he said

 

When she looked at him gazing across the table at her it took her breath away, he was such a good-looking man, tall, well-toned and lantern jawed and she suddenly felt foolish, how could someone like him be interested in her and she stood up to walk away, full of self-doubt and unaware just how breathtakingly attractive she was herself.

“Don’t go” he called

“I shouldn’t have come” she said

“Of course you should” Alex said walking towards her

“I’m just making a fool of myself” she said and turned to go again

“But I’ve been waiting for you” Alex said

“What?” she asked

“I’ve been waiting for you” he repeated only an arm’s length from her now

“Why?” she asked

“Because you’re the one” Alex said and took hold of her

“I am?” she asked

“Yes, and I’ve been dreaming ever since the wedding of the moment I could do this” he said and kissed her gently

 

In the Village of Pepperstock Green – Chapter (040) – The Wedding

 

December

 

Time hung heavily for Charlie on the morning of the wedding, the same was not true for Toddy, as her soon-to-be sister-in-law Chloe Virtue, dragged her from pillar to post from one Church lady to another to get her ready.

The first was Catherine Scott who gave her a “Mani-Pedi”, then Emma Daley did her hair, Geri Phillips waxed her legs, Josephine Bell, did her nails before Chloe and Verity helped to get her into her dress and finally a girl she’d never met before, Taryn Milner, did her make up.

 

Sister Margaret and Sister Lucy were on the first ferry from St Giles on Saturday morning and Charlie had arranged a Chauffeur driven car to pick them up and take them to the Hotel where a room had been reserved for them along with one for Sister Peter and Sister Claire who had made their own way to the Hotel, the car would then be at their disposal to transport them from the Hotel to the Church and then back again after the service.

 

Outside St Agatha’s, florist Julie Lewis, having walked round from the Vicarage where she had delivered and attached bouquet and sprays for the Bride, “Father of the Bride”, Matron of Honour and Bridesmaid, then attached the buttonholes for the Groom, Best Man and Ushers and made sure they were up to muster.

 

Charlie and Best Man Paul were on the Church steps as the guests started to arrive and were chatting and sharing jokes, which helped his nerves but then Samuel Virtue, the Vicar, joined them and discreetly gave them the signal that it was time.

So, they slowly made their way up the aisle to the altar stopping periodically to shake hands or air kiss.

Toddy’s former Sister’s from St Adelaide’s Convent had a ringside seat, so to speak, because they had reserved seats on the second pew and Charlie killed a few minutes talking with them.

 

Meanwhile Toddy and Chloe, in the role of Father of the Bride, left the Vicarage in a Vintage Bentley and as the starting point and the destination were so close together, they took a turn around the Village to get the maximum from the experience.

 

As Charlie and Paul sat on the front pew his nerves returned in earnest, and he began to go through in his head all the things that could possibly go wrong with the day and he suddenly blurted out

“Have you got the rings?”

“Yes, I have the rings” Paul replied and patted his waist coat pocket.

“Just relax”

“That’s easy for you to say” Charlie retorted and then the organ started playing the bridal march and the assembled congregation of familiar faces rose behind him and once he was stood Charlie couldn’t resist a glance over his shoulder at his bride to be, and Toddy looked absolutely stunning.

 

For the happy couple the ceremony seemed to pass by in an instant but, at the moment they said, “I do”, they instantly felt complete.

Fortunately, a tall gangly young man named Howard who videoed the whole proceedings for them to watch at their leisure over and over.

 

They were driven to the reception in a 1936 Bentley by James Percival and Toddy felt like a princess, and at the reception she was walking on air, she had never ever been the center of attention in all of her 55 years, and she felt so special, and she didn’t want it to end.

But when she and Charlie shared the first dance, she was so lost in the moment it was as if it was just the two of them as all the guests faded from view.

 

Charlie woke first in the pale winter light of dawn with Toddy cuddled up to him with her head on his chest and when she stirred, he said

“Good morning Mrs. Phelps”

“Oh, I like how that sounds” she said and kissed his chest

“Is it better than Millicent Winnifred Todd?” he asked

“Yes, I like it a lot” she replied “But I’ll always be your Toddy”

“I love you Toddy” he said

“I love you too” she replied, and they made love in the half-light.

 

Later they reluctantly had to leave their luxurious suite and the comfort of their four-poster bed, and the warmth of their duvet and begin their journey to Rome as Mr. and Mrs. Phelps.