Sunday 6 December 2020

The Clerembeax Palace Hotel and Spa – The Second Sunday of Advent

The beautiful Downshire village of Clerembeax St Giles was situated to the west of Abbeyvale located between Grace Hill and Bushy Down and on the outskirts was the Clerembeax Palace Hotel and Spa and when Yvonne Labuschagne inherited it from her cousin, the last remaining Clerembeax, she undertook the task of modernizing the Palace and opening a Hotel and Spa offering, fitness classes, gym, rock sauna, infra-red sauna, aroma steam room, ice fountain, drench showers, Jacuzzi, a Romanesque pool, Reflexology, Raki, facials, scalp massage, hand massage, Manicure and Pedicure, while also providing accommodation, meeting and function rooms, a superior restaurant and whatever temptation might attract potential visitors.

She was by profession a masseuse and had worked for many years along with her late husband at the Dancingdean Spa Hotel in Childean.

Staffing the Hotel and Spa was crucial, and Yvonne used her contacts in the Spa world to find the right specialist people in her field of expertise’s and employed Hannah Morgan to fill the remainder of the roles, on the understanding that she employ from the village populous where possible, and that was how the Ward girls came to work at the Palace.

 

The Ward family had a small holding on the North side of the village, parents Jack and Olive, and daughters Donna, Felicity, Josephine, and Maxine.

It was a profitable concern and gave them all a modest living but when the Palace opened, it gave them a chance to supplement their incomes without having to travel to Abbeyvale.

They were all hard-working girls and didn’t care what work they did so Hannah Morgan didn’t hesitate to offer them all housekeeping jobs.

Felicity was the second oldest at twenty-three and the tallest at 5ft 8, but she was also the least confident, and was oblivious to how attractive she was, with her willowy figure and long brown hair.

Unlike her siblings she was painfully shy, and was a quiet studious girl, who never went out, preferring to immerse herself in books, in fact she only ever left the farm for work and church, and she hadn’t left the village since she left school.

but the one thing that she shared with her sisters was her work ethic.

 

At the beginning of November Stephen Shepherd arrived as Hospitality manager.

He was in his mid-twenties, tall, with a military bearing, blonde hair, blue eyes and a smile that melted Felicity’s heart the first time she saw it, and if that alone hadn’t been enough to catch her eye, Stephen was also an immaculate dresser, Blazer, Slacks, collar and tie, finished off with tie pin and cufflinks.

 

As the Palace was doing so well, with the Spa, Hotel and hospitality out performing expectations, Hannah Morgan was stretched to breaking point, so Yvonne decided she should bring someone else in to share the burden, so at the beginning of November Stephen Shepherd arrived as Hospitality manager.

He was in his mid-twenties, tall, with a military bearing, blonde hair, blue eyes and a smile that melted Felicity’s heart the first time she saw it, and if that alone hadn’t been enough to catch her eye, Stephen was also an immaculate dresser, Blazer, Slacks, collar and tie, finished off with tie pin and cufflinks.

Some of the girls in housekeeping thought his “uniform” was odd and made fun of him behind his back, but Flis liked it.

 

After about a week in the job he asked Hannah if he could have the assistance of someone from housekeeping to assist him with the linens, table cloths and napkins etc.

Hannah had no problem with his request and was about to assign someone when much to hers, and everyone else’s surprise, Felicity volunteered.

“Ok then off you go” Hannah said with a smile.

 

“Hi, I’m Stephen” he said, rather pleased that his helper was the attractive girl he’d seen busying around everywhere.

“Felicity” she said

“That’s a lovely name” he said, “Doesn’t it mean Happy or is it lucky?”

Good fortune, or happy” she replied

“Much more interesting than mine” he said “I’ve always thought Stephen was rather a dull name”

“Nonsense it’s a great name, which means “garland, crown”” she explained

“Really? I didn’t know that” he responded and chastised himself for thinking that just because she worked in housekeeping she wouldn’t be very bright, having spoken to her for only a few minutes it was clear he was in error.

“I’ve seen you quite a lot, busying around the place” he said

“That’s right” Felicity said “There’s not much going on at the farm at present, so my sisters and I have increased our hours up here”

 

Felicity worked with him on and off all that week and in the weeks that followed whenever he needed help he asked for her, and every time they talked she surprised him anew.

But although it was clear to everyone that there was more to their relationship than Hospitality Manager and Housekeeping girl, it didn’t become evident to the two of them until

The Second Sunday of Advent.

 

The Ward family had always been churchgoers and not out of a sense of duty, the whole family had very strong faiths, and they only missed in exceptional circumstances, and the same was true of Olive Ward’s family Sunday Lunch.

 

The family arrived at St Giles’ en masse and milled around at the back of the church chatting to some of the other congregants, although Felicity tended to just hover until it was time to take their seats.

But after only a few minutes of shuffling around staring at her feet, she was interrupted.

“Hello Lucky” a voice said and when she looked up it was Stephen

“Oh hello” she responded “I’ve never seen you here before”

“No, I normally work on Sundays” he replied

“Yes, I know, I thought that was because you didn’t do church” she said

“No, I do it so people with family can get the most from the day” he explained “Then I come to the evening service”

“Oh, I see” Felicity said, “So why not this week?”

“I need to go and do my Christmas shopping” he said “I’m going to Abbottsford straight after the service”

“Oh”

“Why don’t you come with me?” he asked

“Me?”

“Yes” he said

“We always have a big lunch on Sunday” she said

“I’ll buy you lunch”

“Mum wouldn’t like it” she said resignedly

“What wouldn’t mum like?” Olive Ward asked, having seen her daughter with her head up talking to a man, so she had to investigate.

“Stephen just asked if I wanted to go Christmas Shopping in Abbottsford” Felicity explained “But I said you didn’t like us to miss lunch”

“Nonsense” Olive said “Of course you can go, as long as Stephen promises to feed and water you”

“Absolutely” he assured her and then Olive nodded and left them alone, and as she joined her husband she was wearing a broad grin.

“So that’s settled then” he said “You can go home and get what you need, and I’ll pick you up from the Farm, agreed”

“That’s a date then” she said and then got flustered

“I mean…sorry… I didn’t mean date”

“Really?” Stephen said “I did”


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