The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (169) Saint Lucy’s Day

 

Wednesday was St Lucy’s Day and after darkness had fully descended proceedings began with a celebration service and then after the Church service a parade of school children from the local schools processed through the town carrying their Lucy lights and then threw them onto the bonfire to light the Lucy fire in the park.

It was all very pagan and a Swedish tradition originally, a mixture of the Christian and the pagan really, something that the Victorian’s introduced to the island more than a hundred and forty years earlier.

It is believed that St Lucy’s light can lengthen the days and the St Lucy’s day festival was always well attended as it’s such a unique event.

Christians from all the islands churches attended the service and a healthy crowd both church and secular turned out for the parade, even the odd humanist had been known to turn up.  

 

Lee Barnaby had unwittingly got Steve Sharpe involved with the Church again as a result of their friendship and apparently rekindled the flickering flame of his faith.

 

Also on Wednesday Molly and Danny drove up to Abbottsford where they were spending the next two nights at the Regents Hotel.

They drove straight there, where they had a long leisurely lunch with publisher Max Parsons, where they discussed a book signing tour in Australia, New Zealand and the far east, then that evening they saw a play at The Empire Theatre and had dinner at The Wooden Slipper.

 

Lily Beales was head of housekeeping at the Beaumont Manor Hotel and was 5 feet 4 inches tall in her stocking feet and was half a stone heavier than she should have been which was thanks to her comfort eating.

She wasn’t though disappointed with everything she saw in the mirror, she liked her legs which she thought were quite shapely and her hair which she thought of as her crowning glory, which was long, straight and light brown, and she was in a long standing relationship, and the recipient of her favours, and the reason for the comfort eating, was Adrian Greig, 28 year old Paramedic and part time firefighter who had been away on the mainland on a month long residential training course.

Lily and her family arrived at St Joan of Arc Church for St Lucy’s Day service and milled around at the back of the Church chatting to some of the other congregants, until it was time to take their seats, but as they walked down the aisle, a murmur rumbled around those already seated and when Lily turned around to investigate, she saw a figure walking towards her and she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Adrian?” she exclaimed

“Were you expecting some other hero?” he asked, and she launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

 

During the St Lucy’s event Sally Swift had been in the coffee shop serving refreshments.

At the end of the evening the shop was deserted, apart from Sally who was packing up.

When she saw Steve Sharpe walk in, she quickly fussed with her hair.

“Hello Sally” he said, and she instantly got very flustered

“Oh, oh, good evening, Steve” she said and moved awkwardly to the counter

“Everyone appears to be going home” he said

“Yes, it’s getting late” she replied

Steve walked towards her.

“Here’s my chance” he said to himself “Ask her now while there’s no one around”

So, he took a deep breath and prepared to ask her as out, he was leaving the island at the weekend so time was running out but before he could get the words out, she said

“So I’m closing up on my own tonight”

“Let me help then” he offered

“Thank you, Steve” she said smiling coyly and between the two of them they soon made light work of it and when the last of the chairs and tables were inside, he said

“Well that’s everything”

“Thank you, Steve,” she said and beamed him a beautiful smile so he thought he would test the measure of the smile

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going” he said, and the smile left her face

“No, no” she said “come in, come in”

And she pulled him forcefully aside, so she could close the door

“You must have a hot drink” she insisted, “You must be very cold, come on in”

This was a side of her he had never seen before, and when the door was closed and the shutter was down, she led him through the shop, and behind the counter and the lovely Sally went to the sink to fill the kettle.

Steve didn’t think she wanted a hot drink any more than he did, so he walked up behind her and put his hands round her waist and breathed in her perfume as he kissed her ear and neck

“Oh Steve” she sighed

“I don’t really want a hot drink,” he said

“Ok” she said and put the kettle down before turning to face him

“Perhaps you would like a soft drink or a beer” she suggested but he ignored her and before she could speak again, he kissed her and the moment his lips touched hers she locked onto his mouth like a limpet and her arms gripped him around the neck like a bear trap and the shyness was gone along with his need to ask her out, he very definitely had his answer.

 

While Sally and Steve were kissing in the coffee shop Cheryl and Lee were kissing in the vestry.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (168) Saving the Day

 

Cheryl and Lee were in a Christingle meeting when Steve arrived at the Church, so it was Sally Swift who met him and showed him the system.

Sally’s day job was working in the harbour master’s office, but she was also a Committee member at St Joan of Arc, but her real passion was as a singer with the Church worship band.

“So what would you like to see first?” she asked

“The sound system is my main area of expertise” he said “and I’ll need to see the control desks please”

“No problem” Sally responded

 

After showing him where everything was, she said

“I’ll leave you in peace while I make a drink, what would you like?”

“Black Coffee if I may” he replied

“You may” she replied and smiled

 

Sally made him a coffee and then half an hour later she made him another one and by the time he’d finished it Lee appeared.

“Typical” Steve said “He suddenly appears when I’m done”

“Of course” Lee retorted, and the friends embraced

“But I left you in very capable hands”

“Very capable” he said and smiled at Sally who blushed

“Anyway what’s the verdict?” Lee asked

“Well it’s not a complicated system,” Steve retorted

“So I can easily patch it up in the short term, and after Christmas I can do a more permanent fix”  

“The Church doesn’t have much money,” Sally added

“Not an issue” Steve said, “I have a small stock of refurbed equipment”

“And you’d do the work?” Lee asked

“Absolutely, it will give me another reason to come to the island” he replied and made Sally blush again

“Will it take long?” Lee asked “It’s a big week for the Church”

“We’ve got St Lucy’s, Christingle and the Carol Concert over four days”

“I can have it finished by the end of tomorrow” Steve said directly to her “And I can be on hand to nursemaid the system for the big events” 

“That would definitely be useful” she replied flirtily

“Well let’s go and make Cheryl’s day then” Lee said

“Oh I think you should go and make her day” Steve said making Lee blush and Sally looked confused.

 

It took about twenty minutes for Lee to track Cheryl down and in the end, he found her sitting in the Vestry looking glum and when she saw him, she stood up and said.

“Its bad news, isn’t it?”

“No” he replied and after he explained what Steve had suggested she looked at him without speaking and tears started to well up in her eyes and then ran down her cheeks and she threw herself into his arms.

“Oh Lee” she sobbed and buried her tearstained face in his neck.

He held her close and stroked her back for a few minutes as Cheryl’s sobs began to get shallower and shallower and eventually abated.

Cheryl held on to him tightly and sighed into his neck before she lifted her head, smiled at him briefly before she kissed him on the mouth.

 

Late afternoon Elke Offord was down by the harbour walking her dog when the “Maid of the Bay” finished unloading their catch and Conrad awkwardly disembarked.

“You idiot” Elke shouted “You were told to rest”

“So now you’re talking to me” he retorted

“The Doctor told you to rest” she stated

“I have rested, I’ve been sat in the wheelhouse for the whole trip” he said “And I’ve used my stick for getting around”

“You’re still an idiot” she said crossly

“Why do you care?” he retorted “You couldn’t have been less caring at the hospital, what was all that about?”

“What’s it about? What’s it about?” she snapped

“You promised to call me after we met on New Years Eve”, and guess what? You didn’t call”

“I didn’t call because you didn’t give me your number” Conrad replied

“Yes, I did, I put it in your phone” she corrected him

“No the number you put in my phone was for a plumber in Pipershaven, I still have it” he said and showed her the number

“Ah” she exclaimed and rushed off

“Slowdown” he called as he hurried after her “Slowdown”

“Why?” she barked “So I can be humiliated some more?”

“No I was thinking of a quiet drink and taking the weight off my knee”

“Oh ok… sorry” she said and took his arm.

 

When Sally walked past the St Joan of Arc on Tuesday on her way to work, she saw Steve Sharpe’s van parked outside the Church and there were a lot of strange noises emanating from inside, she wished she’d had the time to go and investigate but she was already running late.

 

Also that morning Molly Barrington and her fiancé Danny Nightingale left the island on a Christmas Shopping expedition to Abbottsford, so they caught the midday ferry to Pipershaven before driving to Applesford, where they stayed at his flat for the night.

 

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (167) The Blacksmith and Stable Girl

 

On Monday morning bright and early Conrad Watts steered the “Maid of the Bay” out of the harbour entrance and out to the open sea, but he spent the whole of the trip in the wheelhouse.   

 

Later that day Steve Sharp was on the first ferry of the day from Pipershaven.

He was not an islander but had gone to university with Lee Barnaby and they were still very close friends, and he was the only person other than Lee himself who knew about Lee’s feelings for Cheryl.

 

The Beaumont family had once owned the whole island but after three successive heirs were killed in action during the Great War the accumulated death duties forced the only surviving Beamont, George, to sell off the estate in 1920, auctioning off the buildings, the port, and parcels of land.

Fortunately, the sale managed to raise enough to pay off the taxman, while being able to keep Woodside Farm and retain a Beaumont family presence on the island.

 

Woodside Farm was the largest of the five farms on the island covering the whole of the southeast corner, a large wedge-shaped parcel of land bordered by Halfway Lane to the north, Spanish River and the Eagles Crag in the west and the rugged coastline from Manor Cliff Beach to Armada Head to the east.

 

It was primarily an arable farm, potatoes mainly but also other root vegetables, but half the business was breeding horses and ponies, rare breeds in particular, heavy horse’s, Cumberland fell ponies and other breeds in danger of extinction.

They also had a Clydesdale, Suffolk Punch and a Cleveland Stallion for stud but the heavy horses also worked in harness, and pulled the dray on special occasions, fete’s and such and the Christmas parades.

 

The equine side of the farm employed an all-female team of stable staff, led by Natasha Baker, who were all hard-working girls and didn’t care what work they did.

 

After about two weeks into December, it was time to get the heavy horses reshod before their Christmas duties and the Power brothers were visiting the farm to do the job and they asked Natasha if they could have the assistance of two of the girls.

Obviously as Mark Power and Michelle Kendall were seeing each other she had put herself forward, but she needed one more girl and was about to assign someone when much to hers, and everyone else’s surprise, Eden Hills volunteered.

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

 

Eden was a relatively new arrival on the farm, and was quite shy, she was a slender girl of five feet eight and was completely bald, but she strode very confidently that day to meet the blacksmith.

 

“Hi, I’m Dale” he said as she walked in, and was rather pleased that his helper was the bald girl he had met briefly at a party at the Beaumont Hotel.

“Eden” she said in response

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

“Delight or bliss” she replied proudly

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

“Nonsense it’s a great name, it means “small valley” she explained

“Really? I didn’t know that” he responded

“You were at the party last month” she said

“That’s right” he replied “I remember seeing you there”

“I do rather stand out” she said

“Yes, but in a good way” Dale said, and Eden blushed

 

Eden worked with him on and off over that week and in the week that followed, he asked for her, and it was clear to everyone that there was more to their relationship than Blacksmith and stable girl.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (166) The Second Sunday of Advent

April Portnall and Eric Hilton  met in town on Sunday Morning and walked to the Church together and he introduced her to a few people then stayed with her until he had to go and do his thing.

 

Afterwards when the congregants had gathered at the rear of the church and shared the peace April asked

“Is it always like that?”

“Sometimes it’s even better” He replied “I take it that you enjoyed it”

“Very much”

“Well if you liked that then you’ll love Christingle, the Carol Service, Midnight Mass and the Christmas Morning Service”

“Can we go to all of them?” she asked innocently

“Oh yes” he replied

“Together I mean” she said

“So did I” he retorted and put his arm around her.

 

For Reverend Cheryl Mackender the Sunday Service and the lighting of the second candle of Advent went as smooth as silk but the following week was to be a test of endurance with the approach of the special St Lucy’s day celebration on Wednesday.

But after another success, with the morning service going off without a hitch there was just time for a light lunch before she was off again.

 

Back at Terrell’s Acre’s when Sarah eventually rose from her bed, she was bombarded with questions from Ava about the Christmas Party and after she regaled her with the details of the Dinner, the Dancing and the kissing Sarah said

“Now it’s your turn”

“What do you mean?”

“You and Max” Sarah said

“There isn’t any me and Max” Ava said

“There could be if you said yes the next time, he asks you out” Sarah pointed out

“He probably won’t ask again” Ava said

“Well, when he does you must say yes,” said Sarah

 

After lunch Verger Lee Barnaby walked down to St Joan of Arc Church with Church Warden Guy Millar, and he was surprised to see Cheryl outside the Church engaged in conversation with church committee members Eric Hilton and Sally Swift.

“It’s just one thing after another” Cheryl was saying

“It’s St Lucy’s day on Wednesday and next weekend we have the Carol Concert and Christingle”

“What’s the matter? Is life testing your patience Vicar?”

Guy asked cheerfully

“No, it’s testing my faith,” she replied without humour and went inside.

“Now look what you’ve done” Lee said and followed in the Vicars footsteps.

Sally just looked at him and tutted and followed Lee.

 

“What’s wrong Cheryl?” Lee asked once inside the Church

“The sound system and the visual displays have packed up” she replied

“How bad?” he asked

“Bad enough, and hardly any time to get it fixed” she replied glumly

“That’s why it’s a disaster”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” he said

“Really?” she asked doubtfully

“Really” he said and taking out his mobile phone he got up his contacts list, scrolled down and hit dial

“Steve? What are you doing tomorrow?”

 

Cheryl burst into tears when Lee told her that Steve was coming to the island first thing on Monday to fix the system

“It’s divine providence” she sobbed “I prayed for a solution and here you are” then she hugged him and continued to hug him far longer than was necessary.

 

When Lee went home, he reflected that it had been a bit of an eventful day for a Sunday, and if Sunday had been an eventful day, then it merely heralded the beginning of an even more eventful week to come.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (165) The Christmas Party Event

 

Also at the Christmas Party Event held at the Beaumont Manor Hotel party was Church Warden of St Joan of Arc Church, Guy Millar and the staff of his travel agency and Librarian Augustine Poyle and her colleagues

They were both in their mid-forties, neither of them were married or had been and they both attended the same Church.

She was slim and elegant with auburn hair, but dressed on the side of frumpy, he was tall, with a military bearing, light brown hair, blue eyes and a smile that melted Augustine Poyle’s heart the first time she saw it, and if that alone hadn’t been enough to catch her eye, Guy was also an immaculate dresser, Blazer, Slacks, collar and tie, finished off with tie pin and cufflinks.

Some people at Church made fun of him behind his back about the way he dressed but Augustine liked it.

She liked him and she knew he liked her too, so she intended to get his attention at the Christmas Party.

 

When Augustine entered the hall, it was teaming with an array of stunningly turned-out men and women, but she couldn’t immediately see Guy however, but while she stood on the periphery of the throng her heart skipped a beat when she first caught sight of his dapper upright figure.

“Wow” he said, as he turned around “you look stunning”

Because there was nothing frumpy about Augustine’s outfit as she was immaculately dressed in a full-length blue designer evening dress.

 

Among the other guests were a group of lifelong friends including April Portnall who was half an inch shorter than five feet, with Jet-black hair and alabaster skin, and it was at the party that she met Eric Hilton for the first time, and she fell hard for him.

She had had crushes before, but she had never been in love, but when she first saw Eric, it was like a switch being flicked inside her heart.

 

In the closing minutes of Saturday Night, after spending much of the evening dancing together, when the party was coming to an end April took a deep breath and asked

“Do you want to meet up for coffee in the morning?”

“I can’t” he replied, and her heart sank “I have Church in the Morning, it’s the Second Sunday of Advent”

She knew that Eric was a musician and that he played for the Church band, but the Portnall Family had not been churchgoers, so she said

“I don’t know what that is, is it important?”

“Yes” Eric replied and then explained its significance

“Could I go?” she asked

“Anyone can go” Eric replied

“Could I go with you I mean?”

“Of course, you can” he said and smiled

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (164) Christmas Activities

 

Danny Nightingale treated himself to an extra close shave, much closer than usual in order to accommodate the Santa beard, as a result when he applied the aftershave it stung like hell.

So he arrived at the school sweet smelling and red-faced at about 11.00am with an unenthused Molly Barrington in tow, and found the Reverend Archer fussing around like a mother hen, uncharacteristically wanting things just so, Danny wasn’t sure why, it was after all just a village school bazaar, when he told her to calm down Arielle snapped

“We’re making Christmas memories”

 

Molly and Danny went into the Headteachers office to get changed and when they were both in their costumes Molly said

“I can’t believe you volunteered me for this”

“You look gorgeous” he said

“Flattery will get you nowhere” she retorted

“Unless we can keep the costumes until tomorrow”

“You dirty little Elf” Danny rebuked

“I wish I’d thought of it”   

 

Warren Bramble worked for Frank Swift’s Veterinary practice in St Pierre and as there were only 4 staff there weren’t enough of them to have a Christmas Party between them so they, like many small businesses or groups of friends, they bought a table at one of the Christmas Party Event’s held at the Beaumont Manor Hotel, and they were popular parties and always sold out.

 

He began the day in high spirits but as the day went on self-doubt crept in so as Warren Bramble stood at his bathroom sink to shave, he looked at his reflection and suddenly thought, Sarah Terrell was out of his league, he always thought himself “ok looking”, but she was gorgeous.

However, despite his self-doubt he shaved and showered and got into his best suit.

 

Warren wasn’t the only one riddled with self-doubt, Sarah Terrell, was also questioning the wisdom of agreeing to go on a date with a good looking well educated Professional man when she was just a gardener who hadn’t even stayed at school long enough to do her A levels, even with her hair done and nails painted she didn’t think she would hold his attention for long.

When Sarah walked into the lounge wearing her best cocktail dress Ava said

“You look gorgeous”

“Do you think so?” she asked

“Absolutely” Ava replied

“What if he doesn’t like me?”

“But he does” Ava replied “He wouldn’t have asked you if he didn’t”

“He asked me because of how I look” she explained “What about when he realizes I’m dumb”

“You’re not dumb” Ava retorted

“I’m dumber than him” she said forlornly

 

What Sarah wasn’t aware of was that Warren wasn’t concerned about Sarah’s intellect, in fact he hadn’t given it a second thought, he was more worried about boring her.

 

On Saturday evening Warren drove to Terrell’s Acre’s in Spaniards Creek, Terrell’s Acre’s was a Small Holding on the outskirts of the village and had been in the Terrell family for a hundred years and was now owned by 32-year-old Sarah Terrell and her widowed younger sister Ava Adderley.

He parked the car and knocked on the front door and when she appeared they said together

“Hello”

And the moment they made eye contact all their previous doubts melted away.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (163) Housekeeping

 

After almost six weeks or so of working at the Beaumont Manor Hotel, the tall dark and handsome Leo Humphrey and the diminutive Sheridan Tilbrook grew close until a December day when they were coming to the end of their shift they were just finishing one of the unoccupied rooms and started messing around and Leo was threatening to tickle her and he was chasing her around the room and when she tried crawling across the bed he caught the little giggler by the ankle and before he knew what was happening she kissed him. 

 

Later that same December afternoon Leo Humphrey and Sheridan Tilbrook lay naked beneath the duvet in room 314.

And in its cosiness, they were both silently contemplating their situation and reflecting that it was not how they had envisaged the day panning out.

Leo was holding Sheridan, who had her head on her new lover’s chest, and it was her who finally broke the silence when she said

“That was quite a surprise”

“Which part?” Leo asked

“All of it” she replied “but it was a very nice surprise”

“Which part?” Leo asked again

“All of it” she replied and giggled

“I’d never done it before” She confessed, in fact Sheridan had never done anything before, with anyone, she was a virgin in every conceivable sense of the word.

“I know Honey” Leo said

“Do you mind?” the novice asked

“No of course not” he replied, “You do know that I’ve done it before?”

“God yes” she replied and giggled again “I don’t know what my mother would say if she was still alive?”

“Do you care?” Leo asked

“Not a jot”

They lay quiet again for a few minutes before Sheridan said sheepishly

“I do have one question though”

“What’s that Honey?” Leo asked

“I was just wondering when we might um…” she began

“You were wondering what?” he asked suspiciously

“Well… when we could do it again?” she asked and buried her face in Leo’s chest to hide her embarrassment

“That’s very brazen” he said

“I know” Sheridan said without lifting her head

“Well as it’s our day off, its dark out, the room is at our disposal and we’re all cosy warm in bed already, so I suppose we could do it again right now”

“Oooh really” Sheridan purred “I like the sound of that”

“You do realise though that you’ll never get to heaven behaving so brazenly”

“I’m already there” Sheridan replied

 

On Saturday morning Conrad rose early and was pleased to find his knee was the best it had been all week, but he took no chances and wore a knee support on it and set off to walk down to the harbour though a little slower than normal due to his knee, and Conrad and his crew worked on the boat until midafternoon.