The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (195) Pancake Day

 

February

 

St Giles Island is the smallest of the two Bay Islands, 6 miles long and 4 miles wide.

Following the formal end of the Roman occupation of Britain at the beginning of the 5th Century AD, the islands were largely unoccupied until the arrival of the Norman’s after their victory over King Harold at Hastings, when a minor nobleman, Gilbert du Beaumont, claimed the islands for himself, and took up residence on the larger Island which he promptly named after himself. 

He named the smaller island St Giles du Cabot in honor of his cousin and childhood friend who died of his wounds after the battle.

It was a rugged, inhospitable, and largely uninhabitable island surrounded by treacherous rocks.

For hundreds of years following the dissolution of the monasteries a hardy community of Monks eked out a meagre existence before they had to share their seclusion when work on a lighthouse at Cabot point began in the middle of the 19th Century.

By the 21st Century, three quarters of the island is a Wildlife Sanctuary, there is a small Meteorological Station, a small Hotel, the Seaview, and the Monks, who now ran St Giles’s religious retreat, which meant there was a population of between 50 and a 150 people, depending on the time of year. 

There is no Church on the Island but for those of a religious bent were always welcome at the St Giles Chapel.

 

The port of Cabot Town, in the southwest corner, was actually just a hamlet, and was also not really a port, it was just a jetty for the car ferry and a small quayside.

The fresh water on St Giles came from Hastings Lake, which was surrounded by woods, both courtesy of the Monks, who cleared the lake of silt and debris, then planted and managed the woodland.

Over the centuries the lake and woods have become an excellent source of sustenance in their lives 

 

There were two beaches on the eastern side of the island, Smuggler’s Beach is on the northeast coast below the cliffs, but no one knows why it got the name as there was no evidence to suggest it was ever used for smuggling.

The only other beach was Broad Beach Sands, a wide and deep expanse of yellow sand at the narrowest part of the island.

The whole southern end of the island below Broad Beach was the Wildlife Sanctuary and was out of bounds to residents and visitors alike and a permanent presence of wardens on the island keep the over inquisitive at bay, but there were a large number of hides for bird watchers.

However, visitors still had the beaches, bird watching and fishing in Hastings Lake to amuse them and the Seaview Hotel was the place they stayed.

 

The Seaview Hotel was run by 30-year-old divorcee Cordelia Caldwell.

It had belonged to her parents before they retired and now it was hers, and it was where people spent many summer holidays and weekend breaks.

She had moved to the mainland after university, but the place held very special memories for her and after her marriage ended acrimoniously she moved back and now she couldn’t envisage living anywhere else, it made her feel good to think of those happy days, and she wasn’t sure what possessed her to move away.

But living there soon reawakened those happy memories and in the three years since she returned there she had made new memories, some very good friends and perhaps more importantly, in the twelve months since she took over the Hotel, she had met Michael Stones.

 

He was a tall, muscular thirty-two-year-old with sandy hair and a weathered complexion, who was the temporary head at the Wildlife Sanctuary.

Michael was the complete opposite of her, he was tall she was short, he was lean, and she had a fuller figure, he was tanned, and she was pale, but regardless of the differences they were a perfect match.

The only problem was that she lived at the Hotel and never seemed to have an hour to herself, and he worked strange hours, so she couldn’t see how they would mesh, but they had got to spend some time together, but not as much as she’d like, and that was the thing on her mind as she made her way to the kitchen to meet her three closest friends, Hotel cook, Anelita Gordon, and sisters, Rebecca and Sally Root, and the reason they were going there was because it was Pancake Day.

“Happy Pancake Day” Cordelia said as she pushed open the door.

“Happy Mardi Gras” Sally retorted.

“What’s that?” Cordelia asked.

“It’s what the American’s call Pancake Day” Anelita replied.

“I thought they called it Fat Tuesday” Rebecca added.

“Fat Tuesday? Why did you say that? Why would you say that?” Cordelia asked with panic in her voice “Do I look fat? I look fat, don’t I? I knew I shouldn’t have worn these trousers, I knew I should have worn a dress.”

“Calm down” Rebecca said and hugged her “you look gorgeous, now sit down and eat some pancakes.”

 

So, they sat and ate far too many pancakes than were good for them and talked about what was going on in their love lives, and the last one to speak, was Cordelia who told them how happy she was, and that prompted Rebecca to respond.

Aren’t you forgetting about the elephant in the room Cordelia?”

“What elephant?” she retorted and looked over her shoulder.

“What Rebecca is referring to is the fact that the temporary head of the Wildlife Sanctuary is leaving for the mainland and may not be coming back” Anelita explained.

“And ….”

“And?”

“And what about Michael?” Anelita confirmed.

“I don’t know” Cordelia replied.

“Haven’t you asked him?” Sally asked.

“No” she winced.

“Oh Cordelia, you need to get a wriggle on” Rebecca said, “or you’re going to let him slip through your fingers.”

“I know, but I just haven’t been able to bring myself to ask him” she said, “I’ve just concentrated on enjoying being with him.”

“Well, here’s your chance” Sally said and nodded towards the door and Cordelia stiffened.

“Hello ladies” Michael said as he approached the table and then he leant down and kissed Cordelia’s cheek, and she smiled but said nothing.

“So, no work this morning?” Anelita asked.

“No, I’ve finished” he replied.

“What half a day?” Sally asked.

“No, I mean I’m all done” he said, “I have to get to Abbottsford.”

Rebecca was studying Cordelia’s face as he spoke and saw the look of horror that swept over it.

“Well as you’re a man of leisure why don’t you join us” Rebecca said, “The pancakes are wonderful.”

“I’m afraid I can’t” he said checking his watch “I have to get going.”

“What?” Cordelia exclaimed “Your leaving now?”

“I’m afraid so” he replied.

“Where are you going?” she asked, unable to hide the panic in her voice “When will you come back to see us?”

“Erm, we’re having dinner tomorrow night remember” he said and smiled.

“Yes but…”

“And I’m not leaving for good, I’m only going to the mainland for a meeting, confirming my promotion to Wildlife Sanctuary Head.”

He added and kissed her.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (194) St Valentine’s Day

 

February

 

Richard Leadbitter was a Staff Nurse at the Bellevue Cottage Hospital on Beaumont Island and shared a house on the island with two Junior Doctors, Andrew Lightstone and Claudine Newton and another Nurse, Anna Rue, who all worked at the same Hospital.

The house was a four-bedroom terraced property situated.

in Manor Row, overlooking Manor Cliff beach.

It wasn’t a huge house, but it was perfect for them as it was close to work, which was ideal for all of them as they worked shifts, and it meant that split between the four of them their expenses were very manageable. 

They were all single, though they were all looking and all quite pessimistic regarding their prospects in the relationship department given their working hours.

But they all got on well and made the most of the situation.

They all had hopes and dreams though, of finding the right person and settling down and for Richard he hoped that person would be Anna Rue.

He had been in love with her since he first saw her on the ward at the Bellevue Cottage Hospital and those feelings had just grown deeper in the twelve months they had been living under the same roof until he loved her body and soul.

She was a bit of a dynamo about the place and was not the sitting around sort and he liked to watch her while she did the mundane things around the house, especially when she was in the kitchen making lunch.

She would be hunched over the kitchen counter fastidiously assembling a sandwich, and as she applied the finishing touch of mustard mayonnaise she would adopt a stance not unlike a world class table tennis player preparing to serve.

He wasn’t sure why she stooped over so dramatically, she wasn’t exceptionally tall, but he really didn’t care he was just glad she did.

However he had held his feelings for her in check because he didn’t want to upset the dynamic, after all it had taken him a long time to find a group of people he was happy to share a house with, and he thought having a relationship with one of them could get messy if that relationship failed, or worse than that what if he asked her and she said no, how awkward would that be and what an atmosphere it could evoke, and there was always the likelihood that she would say no, as he was well aware that she was out of his league.

But he was encouraged to at least entertain the idea of asking her after his housemates Andrew and Claudine became an item at the beginning of February.

So, he set his sights on winning her by Valentine’s Day, which was slightly ambitious given his poor success rate during the season, when February normally bought him, no Valentines save for the jokey kind he would get at work, but this time he had high hopes.

His new-found confidence sprang from the knowledge that Andrew and Claudine were attending the upcoming Valentine’s Ball together which gave him the idea for his own Valentine.

 

Because Valentine’s Day fell on Thursday, the Valentine’s Ball wasn’t to be held until the Saturday following which meant he could invite her without her actually knowing it was him.

 

His first action was to purchase two tickets for the Ball, one of which he kept for himself while he placed the other one in the envelope with the Valentines card he had carefully selected for her.

On the day itself, she was on the night shift, so he stamped the envelope and then sneaked it into the pile of that day’s mail before she got home.

As he wasn’t working, he was in the house when she returned and when she paused by the front door and thumbed through the pile of mail he was crouched down on the landing watching her through the bannisters in order to gauge her reaction.

Which he took to be favourable by the way she held the card to her chest and grinned.

Richard continued to watch from his hiding place as Anna then hugged herself before she skipped away, giggling to the kitchen.

 

He was very pleased with her reaction, it was a far more positive one than he could ever have hoped for, however once he was alone in his room doubt began to creep in.

Anna was undoubtedly thrilled with the Valentine and the ticket to the Ball but what began to worry him was the imagined identity of the sender.

His hope was that she was thrilled because she had guessed that it was from him, but what if there was some other recipient of her affections whom she had wrongly given the credit for the missive and the gift, and these doubts tortured him for the next two days.

 

His anxiety was not diminished by the fact that on the day of the Ball he had been at work all day, which was problematic in two ways, firstly because he didn’t have time to go home before and had to shower and change at the hospital, and secondly because he didn’t go home he didn’t get to see her and wasn’t even certain sure she was actually going, despite her obvious pleasure when she opened the Valentine.

So after making his way up the road to the Beaumont Manor Hotel he went through to the Ballroom but had no idea if he was going to see Anna dressed up to the nines in a designer dress or find nothing more than another empty chair when he reached the table, as a result of his lengthy and fruitless musings he was one of the last to arrive.

     

Richard checked the seating plan to locate his table and found it was the furthest away from the entrance, so as he entered there was no clear view across the crowded Ballroom, which did not ease his anxiety one iota.

As he was one of the last to arrive, he could only make slow progress through the assembled melee of revelers.

It would have been a quicker passage had they chosen to take their seats more promptly rather than standing in groups and engaging in conversation in the gaps between the tables.

However, by the time he reached halfway good sense had begun to prevail and there were more seated than standing and at the three-quarter mark those still on their feet had reduced to a handful which allowed him his first glimpse of his destination.

The round, twelve-seat table was almost fully populated save for his empty seat, but as it was the one nearest to him, the girls on either side of it had their backs to him so he wasn’t able to identify them, although the girl on the left had an abundance of flaming red hair so he immediately ruled her out.

The girl on the right was the right build and hair colour but Anna had long straight hair and the girl he was looking at had her hair arranged in braids, plaits and buns atop her head.

She was also wearing a yellow halter neck dress which he had never seen her wear before, although that didn’t really mean anything, but it contributed to his anxiety going up several fold as he began to suspect that not only was Anna a no show but that she had given the ticket away.

He tentatively approached while casually checking the table number with that on his ticket and having confirmed that the empty seat was indeed his and he was all too soon standing behind the vacant chair. 

“Hello” he said, and the girl visibly tensed as he pulled the chair out “I’m sorry I’m late.”

As he sat, the girl in the yellow dress turned slowly towards him and the first view he got of her was best described as expressionless, but only for the briefest moment because the instance of recognition her face lit up and she beamed a radiant smile at him.

“I was hoping it would be you” Anna said and took hold of his hand “And it is.”

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (193) Candlemas Assignation

 

February

 

It was on Candlemas Day just after the Sunday morning service had ended at St Clara’s when he spotted her, and he thought for a woman of her age she had a particularly nice figure.

She had just come down the steps from the Church and had stopped to converse with friends.

At the time he was leaning against the wall opposite the Church having attended the service himself.

He was not a devout Christian himself, but he attended every week because that was how he was raised and old habits die hard, and he often lingered outside the Church on a Sunday morning.

It might sound very wrong, but he would be the first to admit that he got a kick out of ogling all the Christian women in their Sunday best.

He knew the lady slightly; her name was Shelagh Marks and they were both members of the same sailing club.

She was not necessarily a wealthy woman by all accounts, but she was comfortably off, which was self-evident by the way she was dressed, though her financial status was of secondary concern to him.

Everything Shelagh wore was quality and she was always immaculately turned out, so he was quite surprised on that day to see her standing chatting on the pavement wearing of all things, leggings, expensive, good quality leggings, but leggings, nonetheless.

His surprise quickly abated though as he looked at the exquisite fit and was just thinking to himself that she had a very nice rump when she shifted her body weight from one leg to the other and turned slightly towards him just as a beam of sunlight fell upon her, or at least the part of her he was looking at, and as it illuminated her hind quarters it revealed as clear as day her big black knickers underneath the exquisitely fitted leggings.

It was at that point he decided to chance his arm; after her conversation was over, he went over to talk to her.

“Shelagh?” he said

“Oh hello” she replied, “Mr. Symons, isn’t it?”

“Please call me Lee,” he said

“Lee” she complied

After which they chatted about the Sailing Club and the upcoming Regatta.

“You must be in with a chance of winning a medal” he said “A sailor of your standard”

“Oh, dear me” she said all flustered “I don’t know about that”

And having duly flattered her to the point of blushing he invited her to lunch which she graciously accepted.

He was confident that she would, after all a woman of her age would always be at the very least flattered by the attention of a younger man especially one 9 years younger.

He’d always been attracted to older women, not too much older five or ten years normally.

But of course, by the time he reached his 40s there seemed to be an overabundance of suitable candidates for his lust, widows mainly, which kept him gainfully employed.

 

They had had a very pleasant lunch, which consisted of three courses, two bottles of wine and an abundance of flirting, at Philips Folly, from where, after plying her with liberal amounts of wine he offered to take her home to St Giles on his boat which was moored in Spaniards Creek.

“It was a very nice lunch Lee,” she said as he took her by the hand and helped her aboard the vessel. “Thank you”

“My pleasure” Lee said

He had further pleasure after he had her settled in the cabin where he  liberated her from her expensive leggings and then to their mutual delight, he tugged the big black knickers off her classy, widowed rump.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (192) Candlemas Day

 

February

 

Andrew Lightstone was a Junior Doctor at the Bellevue Cottage Hospital on Beaumont Island and shared a house on the island with two Nurses, Anna Rue and Richard Leadbitter and another doctor, Claudine Newton, who all worked at the same Hospital.

The house was a four-bedroom terraced property situated.

in Manor Row, overlooking Manor Cliff beach.

It wasn’t a huge house, but it was perfect for them as it was close to work, which was ideal for all of them as they worked shifts, and it meant that split between the four of them their expenses were very manageable. 

They were all single, though they were all looking and all quite pessimistic regarding their prospects in the relationship department given their working hours.

But they all got on well and made the most of the situation.

They all had hopes and dreams though, dreams of finding the right person and settling down.

 

It was on the eve of Candlemas day, the festival of the purification of the Virgin Mary, which marked the last day of Christmas.

Falling midway between the winter and spring equinox it was a time for looking forward to the bounty ahead.

Andrew felt it was like the end of one chapter and was optimistic that it was the beginning of another.

The end in question was his four-month relationship with control freak Maxine, or Madmax as she was known.

The morning after breaking up with her he rose early, showered and dressed and after walking down the stairs he paused as he spotted something out of the corner of his eye.

It was a figure lying on the sofa and he recognized it to be Claudine Newton even though she had her back to him lying on her side, because the sweeping curve of her hip to her waist was like a mountain slope, and it was a view he had admired many times before.
He must have spent a full five minutes gazing at her sleeping form, clad only in a nightgown, then he tiptoed in and draped a throw over her before tiptoeing away again.

The reason he was up so early was that he was heading to his parent’s house in Pipershaven, he hadn’t seen his Mum or Dad since Christmas and it was her birthday, he knew they would be pleased to hear he had dumped Madmax.

He was going to get on the early ferry, taking his Mum’s present with him and then take his parents to the pub for Sunday lunch.

Andrew returned on the last ferry of the day having spent a very enjoyable day with his family.

 

By the time he got back to the house it was after ten o’clock and he was surprised to see there was still a light burning in the window as he believed the others to be at work, so he assumed the light was left on by one of his housemates to deter burglars.

He parked the car on the drive and went inside not knowing if anyone was inside or not but as he went in all was quiet.

So, he went straight upstairs and got into bed as his shift started at 6 am, but as it turned out he couldn’t sleep so he got up again and got ready for work and he was at the hospital just after 4 o’clock.

His first port of call was the coffee cart and with his drink in hand he made his way upstairs and thought he would sit and drink it in the “on call” lounge.

He opened the door, and the room was in darkness and as he pushed the door open the light from the hall flooded into the room and then he did a double take.

In the corner of the room was a small but functional bed but that wasn’t what surprised him.

What had got his immediate attention was the sleeping figure of a Doctor wearing hospital scrubs and it was a figure he was very familiar with, for laying on the hospital cot in the fetal position with her back to him, partially covered by a hospital blanket, was the curvaceous figure of Doctor Claudine Newton and not for the first time he just stood and admired the view, especially her perfect round bum which was visible beneath the blanket.

Not that it was just her physical attributes he admired, he liked everything about her, and he loved her body and soul, he had done since the moment he first met her.

But he had held his feelings in check because it had taken a long time to find a group of people he was happy to share a house with, and he thought having a relationship with one of them could get messy if that relationship failed, or worse than that what if he asked her and she said no, how awkward would that be and what an atmosphere it could evoke, so he kept his own counsel and went out with a succession of girls who failed to measure up to Claudine. 

With a sigh he had one final look and closed the door and went along to the staff lounge where he sat and drank his coffee.

 

He sat there sipping his coffee and was questioning his position regarding her and then after about ten minutes she appeared, and she was looking gorgeous even before she beamed a smile at him.

He watched as she walked over to the noticeboard and unpinned a colourful flyer, then she turned back towards him, still wearing a smile, and lay it on the table in front of him.

He reluctantly diverted his gaze from Claudine and looked down at the flyer, which was advertising the upcoming Valentines Ball, and then he raised his eyes to her again.

“I like dancing, if you were wondering” she said, “In case you ever get fed up with just watching me sleep.”

She beamed another smile at him, partly for his benefit but also because she knew by his expression that she had not miscalculated the situation, before she turned on her heels and left.

 

So, it was on Candlemas day, the festival of the purification of the Virgin Mary, when his life took a positive step forward.

It officially marked the last day of Christmas and fell midway between the winter and spring equinox, and he really felt it was like the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.

The end in question was his relationship with Madmax and now it appeared that Claudine was his new beginning.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (191) The Continuing Dirty Weekend

 

January

 

After dining braless in the hotel restaurant on Friday evening and turning more than a few heads, in a good way, Adeline Coates felt comfortable enough to do it again at breakfast, lunch and dinner and everything in between for the rest of the weekend.

 

They checked out after breakfast on Sunday morning and left the Hotel and as they drove out of the car park and set off towards Finchbottom and Rupert Chandler silently reflected on how often, on their dirty weekend, he had found himself referring to him and Adeline as “us” and concluded that it was significant.

 

Once they were underway he fully expected the car’s rhythmic motion would soon lull her off to sleep, after her vigorous weekend, and when he looked at her lovely face, while she sat beside him, he wondered if it was possible that she was falling in love with him, but he decided she was probably not, though he knew he had easily fallen in love with her, but he decided not to say the words because their commitments, if not their hearts, were elsewhere.

 

He managed to park right next to her car in the Hummingbird car park, but they didn’t go off straight away as she wanted to go into Silk and Lace and exchange her inadequately fitting bras.

Rupert sat outside a café drinking coffee while she went into the shop, she was taking no chances this time and was going to try them all on in the shop.

He offered to go in with her to help her tuck her breasts into their cups, but she declined his offer saying

“You wouldn’t be helping me; you would be helping yourself”

“The cheek of some people” he thought as he stared at both of her pert examples shimmying inside her jeans as she walked away.

 

When she returned a little short of an hour later, she was looking almost as pleased with herself as she did when she walked braless into the Hotel restaurant, two nights running.

“You look very pleased with yourself, have you gone commando?” He asked unhelpfully

 “No” she said indignantly and sat down at the table next to him.

Rupert caught the eye of the waiter and ordered two coffees

“Did you change your bras?”

“Yes” she said “and I bought some treats”

“What kind of treats?” he asked intrigued

“Fishnet stockings, for one thing” she replied “for next time”

 

They prepared to say goodbye next to her car in the car park she said

“Thanks darling, for making it such an enjoyable time, it was wonderful”

“My pleasure” He responded

“And mine” Adeline said blushing, then a moment later she continued

“I probably enjoyed it a little more than I should have I think”

He wasn’t sure if she was referring to the overindulgence or the sex, or something else.

“It wasn’t just a dirty weekend for me” she clarified “it was special”

“For me too” he said, and she kissed him

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (190) The Dirty Weekend

 

January

 

Rupert Chandler and Adeline Coates were married, though not to each other, and lived with their respective spouses in different parts of the county, Rupert lived on Beamont Island and Adeline in Pepperstock Green.

They had been having an affair for several months after meeting at a Halloween party at the Mablethorpe Spa Hotel, neither of them had strayed until that meeting and despite their best efforts to resist they embarked upon an affair.

It was made easy for them as they were both married to equally hard-working people, both couples were childless, and although their marriages weren’t exactly loveless, they had become stale. 

Fortunately, they were both in jobs that required them to travel on a regular basis, so opportunities presented themselves quite readily with a little synchronization of their diaries, but an actual dirty weekend was a little more difficult to arrange.

However, an opportunity presented itself towards the end of January on the weekend of the Burns Night Supper.

Adeline was a bit of golf widow and as her husband David worked for a Whisky distributer, he was attending a company golf day as part of the Burns celebrations and on that same weekend Ruperts wife Thomasina had arranged to visit her ailing mother in Tipton.

 

They had promised themselves that their first weekend liaison would be at the Abbottsford Regent, but because of Burns Night they were fully booked so they had to compromise, and Rupert booked them into the equally luxurious Beaumont Park Hotel in Upper Gracewood.

As it was near to Finchbottom they made their own way there and met at lunchtime on Friday, in the car park of the Hummingbird Shopping Centre, before having lunch in a Bistro-style restaurant and then split up as Adeline wanted to do some shopping before they left.

“Ok lead on” he said affably

“No, I don’t need company for this” she said enigmatically and kissed him on the cheek outside the Bistro and they went their separate ways.

Rupert was intrigued by her secrecy, so he followed her from a safe distance and then smiled when he saw her go into Silk and Lace, a classy lingerie shop.

“I think I’m in for a treat” he said to himself and walked back to their meeting place and sat down at a café table to wait for her.

 

When she arrived back at the prearranged meeting point, she was clutching an assortment of bags, he was on his second coffee, and she was looking very pleased with herself.

“Hi” she said and kissed him, then she whispered.

“I decided to go shopping for you know what’s”

“That’s ok,” he said kissing her back, knowing precisely what the “you know what’s” were, because he’d followed her

“Wow” he exclaimed “Are all those bags full of knickers?”

“Shhh” she gestured “No of course not, but one thing led to another”

“Do you want a drink?”

“No thanks, I’d really like to get to the dirty weekend started” she replied with a leer

“Ok let’s go then” he said and thought to himself that to the casual observer they must look like an ordinary married couple.

“If they only knew” he thought which led to another thought

“If only we were”

 

They walked to the car park and transferred her bags from her car to his and then they drove to Upper Gracewood and checked into the Hotel.

They went up to the room and let themselves in, and the room, or rooms, were amazing.

After dealing with their luggage, he asked

“Do you fancy a swim?”

“No thanks babe, I want to try these on” she replied excitedly pointing at her purchases

“Ok, do you mind if I go?” he asked

“Of course not” she replied so he grabbed his trunks and left her to it.

 

When he got back up to the room after his swim, he found her standing in front of the mirror, sporting a luscious pair of pink silk knickers, as she tried to wrestle her breasts into the matching bra.

The first one would go in its cup with only a little persuasion but just as she got the second one in, the first one popped out again or both nipples would suddenly appear above the lace, and all the time her buttocks were doing the mumbo inside her silk drawers, and he was enjoying her performance very much indeed.

“Is there anything I can help with?” He asked lecherously

“I’ve bought the wrong bloody cup size,” she snapped

“Did you only buy one?” He enquired

“No of course not” she replied crossly

“But they’re all the same size” He speculated

“Yes” she mumbled and stamped her feet. “And I wanted to look and feel stunning tonight”

“You always look stunning,” Rupert said honestly

“That’s very sweet” Adeline said and turned to kiss him, and both dark pink nipples peered over the top of the pink lace.

“What am I going to do?” she asked as she rested her head on his chest “I don’t want to wear the black one, I’ve had it on all day”

“Go braless” He suggested

“I can’t go without a bra” she said horrified “I’m thirty-seven years old”

“Actually, you’re thirty-eight” he corrected her “but you have fabulous breasts”

She frowned at the correction of her age, but smiled and blushed when he complicated her breasts, then she turned towards the mirror again and removed her ill-fitting bra and began squishing and kneading her boobs in her reflection to evaluate their pliability.

“No, I will not go out to dinner with my thirty-eight-year-old boobs unholstered” she stated

“Ok then how about a compromise?” he suggested, “You go braless, but we eat in the Hotel restaurant”

“We can’t eat here” Adeline said very definitely

“Have you seen the menu?”

She picked up the menu off the desk and gave it to him.

“It’s ridiculously expensive”

“My treat” he said throwing the menu on the bed without looking at it

“What is?” she asked suspiciously “The dinner or my going braless”

“Both” he replied

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (189) On The Bridge

 

January

 

When Reverend Arielle Archer was advised by the Doctor that she needed complete bedrest she insisted to Molly that it was precautionary, but her husband Harry corrected her

“It’s Preeclampsia and acute anaemia”

“Then you must rest” Molly said “We’ll get someone else to cover for you, I’ve been thinking for some time that we need to get a curate to assist you”

If St Clara’s 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.

In the past Henry Noble, for whom Arielle had been curate for several years, had stood in for her, and over Christmas, but he was working at the St Giles retreat on St Giles du Cabot so he couldn’t cover all of her parochial duties.

However there was a someone who had spent a prolonged period at the retreat following a long battle with cancer.

Forty-year-old Justyna Krajewska who was ready to leave the retreat but was unsure where her future lay so Henry Noble had suggested St Clara’s, and had introduced her to Arielle.

 

Arielle liked her and in turn suggested her to Molly, but obviously Molly would need to meet her for herself, however there was a slight complication, as only a very select few knew that Molly owned the Church, so a chance meeting had to be engineered, it was decided that the New Year’s Eve service would be the best time.

 

It was a gloriously bright morning, on New Year’s Eve, with a clear blue sky and not a hint of breeze or the snow which was expected by the next day.

The Church was well attended and there was a hum of chattering among the congregants as the news of Arielle’s blessing was spread among the faithful.

Arielle was sitting on the front pew with Harry in protection mode and Justyna sat with them.  

She and Arielle were the same age, but very different in appearance, both were attractive women, Arielle was a small and delicately featured woman with bobbed brown hair, and pale complexion due to her condition, whereas Justyna Krajewska was a tall willowy woman, with shoulder length brunette hair.

They were joined by Molly, who said

“Hello Arielle” and stooped down and kissed her

“Hi Molly” she responded “Have you met Justyna, she is a fellow cleric”

“Hello,” Molly said and shook her hand “How do you like our little church?”

“I love it, I felt immediately at home as soon as I set foot inside” Justyna replied

“Yes, it had the same effect on me” Molly responded and smiled at Arielle.

 

Reverend Henry Noble took the service, but Arielle did the reading, however that would be the last time either of them attended St Clara’s for a while and the following Sunday  Justyna Krajewska was in the pulpit.  

 

Justyna was a tall willowy forty-year-old woman, with shoulder length brunette hair, intelligent green laughing eyes, a broad toothy smile and a warm open manner and altogether a very pleasant demeanour and the parishioners took to her immediately.

She made a point of meeting and engaging with as many of the Villagers as possible and in the week following her second service she had been visiting a parishioner on Monday over on the St Pierre Road, side of the river and was just walking back over the footbridge when she met someone coming the other way.

He was a tall man wrapped up against the cold with woollen hat pulled down to his brow, his chin hidden behind his scarf,  and his hands stuffed into his pockets.

As he got closer, he suddenly said

“Is that Justyna?”

“What?” she exclaimed

“It is Justyna” he said and as his full face appeared she exclaimed

“Sam Richardson!!!”

They had met when she and his wife Anjelica were in the oncology wing of the Pepperstock and District Hospital where they were both undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

 

Justyna’s road to recovery took her down the route of double mastectomy intensive radio therapy and chemo, followed by a prolonged stay of six months at the St Giles retreat and she was now cancer free, and thanks to reconstructive surgery and implants she still looked like a woman.

Angelica’s road was a much bumpier one and didn’t have a happy outcome and despite fighting every inch of the way  she lost the battle and passed away while Justyna was convalescing at the retreat, unfortunately she was not well enough physically or emotionally to attend the funeral.

 

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m the locum Vicar”

“At St Clara’s?”

“Yes”

“You’ll have met Molly Barrington then”

“Yes” she responded in a puzzled tone

“She’s a force to be reckoned with for a slip of a girl”

“I’ve met her, and she seems nice” Justyna said “But what does she have to do with the church?”

“Well there wouldn’t be one if not for her” he replied “But I’d better not say anymore, I mustn’t break a confidence, you’ll find out soon enough”

“Why can’t you tell me now?”

“Speak with Arielle” was all he would say

“How come you know so much? I thought you were from Pipershaven”

“I am, but I came here to build this bridge” he said

“And that’s how you came to know Molly Barrington?”

“Yes, she owns this part of the Village, which was derelict when she moved here, and now look at it” he said “Like I said a force to be reckoned with”

“So is that why you’re on the island, another project?” she asked

“No, I’ve been staying with friends for the weekend, I just wanted to come and see my baby before I return to the mainland” he said and patted the handrail

“That’s very sad” she said and laughed

“I know” he agreed and added “Do you want to get out of the cold and have a coffee?”

“Yes, that would be nice, it’s not getting any warmer out here”

 

They walked over the bridge and turned left and followed the path until they reached the Galleon Coffee Shop and when they stepped in they were engulfed in a welcoming warmth and were met with equal warmth of Jada Ellington’s smile as she stood behind the counter of the Galleon.

“Hello Vicar,” she said, “What can I get you?”

“Hello Jada, anything as long as it’s warm” she replied and laughed

“Yes, its bitter out there, you’re brave for venturing out in it” Jada said

“Well a Cappuccino for me I think please” Justyna said

“And a Macchiato for me” Sam added

latte and an Americano, please” Danny said

“Ok if you want to take a seat, I’ll bring them over” Jada said brightly

 

They chose a table close to the counter and sat down

“I’m sorry I missed the funeral” she said

“Don’t be, you had your own battle to fight at the time” Sam responded sympathetically as Jada delivered the drinks to the table

 

“So how have you been?” she asked

“Keeping busy” he replied

“And has that worked?”

“Definitely” he replied “Thank God for St Adelaide’s”

“St Adelaide’s?” she asked, “Do you mean the Convent in Pepperstock Green?”

“Yes, that’s the one” he replied

“When I was at the St Giles retreat, there were a couple of Sisters from St Adelaide’s, and I heard from them that it had closed”

“Yes, it did, but it has been rescued from the developers”

Sam said proudly

“So what’s happening to it?”

“It’s being repurposed” he replied

“As what?”

“A place of reflection and healing, a retreat to escape from the world” he explained “With different therapies and counselling”

“For the rich I suppose” she mused

“No it’s a non-profit” Sam replied

“Oh” she exclaimed “That’s refreshing”

“It makes a change that’s for sure” he agreed

“So what Civil Engineering have you been doing up there?” she asked

“Access roads, and a footbridge and a road bridge across the river to connect the Convent land to the adjoining farm, which is where the Equine therapy will take place when it opens” he said  

“When will that be?”

“I don’t think they will be fully open for another six months” he replied and ordered another two coffees’

 

“Did you say you’ve been staying with friends for the weekend?”

She asked after Jada had delivered their drinks

“Yes, Carolyn Livingston and her fiancé” he said

“I know Caroline, Howard is out Church Warden” she remarked “I’ve only met her the once, but she seems very nice”

“It was Caroline who recommended me for the bridge work”

Sam said

“Do you work with her often?”

“From time to time” he replied “We’ll be working in Spaniards Creek again soon after St Adelaide’s is completed “

“Really?”

“Yes, there is to be an extension to Cliff Top Road and she the architect on the old Radar Station project”

“What about you? how long is your spell as locum?” he asked

“Six months” she replied  “But I could stay on as Curate after that if I wanted”

“So you’ll be around when the work starts” he said as they got up from the table

“I will”

“Good to know, it’ll be good to talk” Sam said and smiled, and he meant it because he wasn’t able to talk about Anjelica with anyone else