Chapter 40
FORTY
The following morning, Nathan is tapping on my door brandishing coffee. I am only just out of the shower, having slept until eight thirty.
‘Morning, sleepyhead.’ He laughs as he walks inside.
‘How do you know what time I woke?’ I ask, puzzled.
‘I knocked earlier, although I guess six thirty was probably too early. I was on my way to one of the fields to collect more veg,’ he explains. ‘Those parsnips and sprouts were flying off the shelves yesterday.’
‘I see. And thanks for the coffee, it’s most welcome.’
‘I missed you last night…’ he tells me as he draws me in and kisses me.
‘I missed you too, but I think I needed an early night.’
‘You smell really good.’ He hugs me close to him.
‘That will be the jasmine soap from the Christmas market,’ I tell him, as he unbuttons my blouse.
‘Jasmine suits you,’ he murmurs, leading me to the bedroom.
‘I hate leaving you like this, but Christmas Eve is one of our busiest days,’ Nathan says later as he gets dressed.
‘Don’t you worry. I am quite happy here for now, although I was thinking of going to church later.’ I’m not a regular churchgoer, but I have always loved a church service on Christmas Eve.
I am propped up on the luxury pillows, sipping my now cold coffee.
‘Although I now feel a bit like a wanton woman.’
I suddenly think of Gerard all those years ago and his sermon about Jezebel.
‘Shall we go to the eight p.m. service?’ suggests Nathan. ‘Midnight mass is no more, but I enjoy the evening service.’
‘Are you sure? I would love that.’ An evening service would be magical, with all the lights from the village streets and the Christmas tree outside.
‘Of course,’ he says, giving me a kiss before he departs. ‘See you later.’
It is just after three, when I nip to the farm shop and return to the cottage with some fresh provisions that I put into the fridge.
I am sitting with a cup of tea, when it occurs to me that I could come up with some recipes, using produce from the shop.
Maybe I could start a blog, and share the comings and goings of the farm, throughout the seasons.
If there is enough interest, a local TV station could even feature the farm in regional news stories.
Later as we stand in the church for the evening service, I realise I have everything I want for Christmas, and it fills me with a warm glow.
Well, almost everything. The demise of the library is sad news, but I’ve had an idea coming together about it since my call with Marilyn yesterday.
I am pretty sure I could find the perfect place for a village library to relocate. I just need to speak to someone first.