When they first moved to Spaniards Creek, Molly was hoping
St Clara’s would suit her
rather more than the main churches on the island in St Pierre.
So, when she and Danny walked inside, she was apprehensive, but she was not
disappointed with the church she’d chosen and felt immediately at home, and
they had been regulars ever since.
It was a small church by
Norman standards and was full of catholic iconography and a spectacular
stained-glass window behind the dais was a joy to behold.
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, they spotted Arielle sitting
on the front pew with Harry in protection mode and they assumed the other woman
with them was Justyna Krajewska.
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,
intelligent green laughing eyes, a broad toothy smile and a warm open manner
and altogether a very pleasant demeanour.
“Hello Arielle” Molly said
and stooped down and kissed her.
“Hi Molly” she responded
“Have you met Justyna, she is a fellow cleric”
“Hello,” she 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
Reverend Justyna Krajewska was in the pulpit.
The Shaw Brothers Ferry
Company were holding a New Year’s Eve party at the Mablethorpe Spa Hotel in
Pipershaven.
Bernie Keach worked at the St
Giles Island office and travelled to the Hotel in the morning and was the first
to arrive and had booked in early, so he could enjoy some of the facilities.
Later when he was on his way
down to the bar to have a drink before going in to find his table, he heard a
commotion at the function’s check in desk, and he recognized one of the voices
as one of his colleague’s, Ewa.
He paused on the stairs and
drank in the scene, though his eyes were focused on her, and he thought she
looked gorgeous in her evening dress.
“What
do you mean I’m not on the list?” she shouted
“My name is Ewa Szczepaniec”
“I can’t see it” the receptionist said as he perused
his list “Can you spell it?”
“S.Z.C.Z.E.P.A.N.I.E.C” she
said slowly and deliberately
“No that hasn’t helped” he
said, “Can you write it down?”
Reluctantly
she printed her surname on a piece of paper and handed it to him
“No that hasn’t helped either” he said and then
laughed
“Wow that would score big on
scrabble, perhaps that’s what we should call you Miss Scrabble”
“My name is Ewa Szczepaniec”
she repeated slowly “S.Z.C.Z.E.P.A.N.I.E.C”
“Yes, I understand” he said
“but I must just ask, do you lot have something against vowels”
“My lot, my lot, what do you
mean, my lot?” she said angrily, which was when Bernie arrived, and stepped
between them before Ewa brained him.
But it quickly became
apparent that she was not calming down, so he steered her away from the fray
and she left reception like a marauding bull, with him right behind her
carrying her pashmina and clutch bag.
Once Bernie caught up with
her, he walked Ewa around the courtyard and calmed her down and soothed her
temper with his comforting words and a reassuring hug.
After half an hour her mood
had lightened sufficiently for him to propose they make another attempt to gain
entry to the function and she concurred, so they walked back to the Hotel arm
in arm and he stayed by her side all night, and she had never in her life been
happier, so at the end of the evening on the terrace in the moonlight she
kissed him.
They often joked over their
long life together that the entire night had been something of a cliché, but
they didn’t care.
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