Chapter 35
Elsie and Charles joined Aileen and George in the Church Hall.
"How was it? Are you ok?" Aileen asked worriedly. She knew exactly how difficult facing James and Anne would have been for her sister after all of these years.
"I am fine Aileen … better than fine actually … I feel like I can finally put that part of my life behind me …" Elsie smiled.
Aileen was overjoyed; her sister who had avoided Lytham St Anne's for decades suddenly had a new confidence. Aileen had been the one who had nursed Elsie through her heartbreak. She was the one who had sat and hugged her sister as she sobbed and sobbed on hearing the news of James and Anne's engagement. Yet now, she looked at Elsie and saw only happiness and assurance.
"I am so pleased Elsie … so pleased …" Aileen gasped, tears rolling down her cheeks freely as she wrapped Elsie up into a warm cuddle.
Elsie held her sister close, knowing that she was the only person who truly understood the pain James had caused her. It had caused Aileen almost as much hurt. The sisters broke apart, giggling at the sight of themselves; both in tears.
"You should have seen her Aileen … she was magnificent …" Charles announced proudly, his arm wound tightly around Elsie's waist. Elsie beamed up at her man.
"Oh I am so pleased … well done Elsie … and thank you Charles … I have no doubt that having you at her side was an enormous support …" Aileen said happily.
"Absolutely … I don't know what I would have done without my fancy man!" Elsie teased, full of joy as she reached up to hug Charles, who was chuckling too.
######
Elsie, Charles and Aileen were chatting happily in the Church Hall, as George was talking to some neighbours about some repairs that they wanted completing. As they chatted, Revered Johnson approached the three.
"Apologies for interrupting …" he smiled, as Elsie, Aileen and Charles stared at him without speaking.
"I was wondering if I might have a word with you Mrs Hughes … a word alone if that would be agreeable …" James asked.
Charles raised himself up to his full height; he wanted to drag this man outside the Church Hall right now and tell him never to speak to Elsie ever again! However, he valued his life and so instead of picking the Reverend up by his ankles, Charles looked to Elsie to see what she wished to do. She reached out to take Charles's hand in hers.
"It's fine … I don't mind speaking to him Charles … if that is ok with you?" Elsie asked softly. She did not wish to cause Charles any concern or worry.
"Of course that is ok Elsie … whatever you think best … I'll just be a stone's throw away if you need me …" Charles smiled, bending to kiss her on the cheek. Elsie caressed his face and then turned to James,
"Let's get some fresh air …" Elsie said to the Reverend, as they both walked tentatively outside.
######
"Are you looking for your husband?" Aileen asked teasingly as she watched the vicar's wife searching the hall.
"I am actually ... have you seen him?" she asked archly.
Despite living in the same community for all of these years, Aileen and Anne has barely ever conversed; an unspoken hatred between them following the fallout from Anne and James's engagement.
"Well the last time I saw him he was heading outside with Elsie ... he looked quite smitten ..." Aileen said smugly, enjoying the look of horror and concern on Anne's face.
The vicar's wife stormed off across the Hall.
"That was a little cruel ..." George said, raising his eyebrows at his wife. Thankfully, Charles was speaking to some friends of Aileen's, out of earshot.
"I think I was rather restrained considering what that floozy did to my sister! For over thirty years I have managed to stop myself from slapping that woman ... I deserve a medal not one of your disapproving looks!" Aileen replied defiantly.
George kissed his wife on the cheek and whispered, "Fair enough."
######
Anne burst out of the door, scouring the Church grounds for her husband.
"Shall we?" James said to Elsie, pointing to a bench in the Church gardens.
Elsie and James both sat and for a moment, neither spoke.
"What do you think you are doing James?" Anne cried as she marched across to where they sat.
"Anne for heaven's sake calm down ... I simply wanted a chance to talk to Mrs Hughes ..." he explained calmly.
"What on earth do you want to talk to her about? The past is the past ..." Anne shrieked.
"Yes it is ... but I would like to talk to Els ... Mrs Hughes ... I treated her very badly Anne ... as you well know ... now please ... go back inside and I will come and find you in a moment ..." he said calmly but firmly.
"Why can't I stay? What do you have to say to her that I can't hear?" she asked hysterically.
"Look ... why don't I leave you both to it? I really don't want to cause any trouble ..." Elsie said diplomatically, as she rose from her seat.
"Oh why do you always have to be such a martyr and so god damn perfect!" Anne cried.
"Excuse me! I am far from perfect but yes ... it does appear that I am a lot kinder than you!" Elsie responded, annoyed that she had reacted to Anne.
"You are simply jealous! Jealous that I married James and not you!" Anne shouted.
"Anne ... stop it now!" James yelled.
"I am certainly not jealous Anne ... I admit that I once wanted what you have ... but not for many years ... I am very happy and content with my life ... you have nothing to fear from me and I wish you would believe that ... now if you will excuse me ..." Elsie responded, as she began to walk away.
"No Mrs Hughes please ... please ..." James pleaded.
Elsie looked to James and Anne. The vicar's wife let out a huge sigh and shouted, "Fine!" before marching back indoors.
James rubbed his neck, exhaling with frustration at his wife's reaction.
"Please ..." James said, as he and Elsie sat down again. Silence resumed.
Finally, the Reverend broke the tension in the air.
"I am not sure where to start Els … Mrs Hughes …" he stumbled again.
"You can call me Elsie if you like …" she said. Elsie had been determined to make a point earlier but it did seem silly to use such formal titles; they had never done so in the past.
"Thank you Elsie … and of course please call me James … I am just so very sorry … I know that it is far too late to offer apologies but I wanted to do so nonetheless … my actions were inexcusable … I can only beg your forgiveness and tell you that I never, ever wanted to hurt you … I loved you …" he whispered sincerely, as he clasped his hands in front of him, not daring to look at Elsie.
Elsie too looked straight ahead as she sat on the bench. The sun was bright and the only sounds were the birds in the sky.
"I do forgive you James … I cannot pretend that you did not cause me great pain … because you did … however I do forgive you and I wish you well …" she replied.
"Thank you Elsie … I don't deserve it … but thank you very much …" he replied earnestly.
"Now come on … you of all people should know that everyone deserves forgiveness!" she joked lightly, as James chuckled, turning to look at Elsie for the first time since they had sat down. He looked at her earnestly.
"I was a coward Elsie … I should have refused to marry Anne … I wanted to marry you …" he said, a sombreness taking over again as he gazed longingly at Elsie.
"You obviously did not want it enough James … you had a choice … and you chose to marry Anne …" Elsie responded, no animosity in her voice, only total honesty.
"I made the wrong choice …" he said, startling Elsie with this admission.
"James … how can you say that?" Elsie said, staring in disbelief at her former love.
"Because its true … I have thought of you so often over the years Elsie … imagined the life we could have had … I remember our time together so fondly … I was a fool Elsie … an absolute fool to have a woman like you accept my proposal of marriage and then to let you go … I should have married you …" he reflected, shaking his head.
"James … don't be silly … just because you remember our courtship with fondness … does not mean we would have been suited in marriage … you are simply looking back at our youth with rose-tinted spectacles … you should cherish your marriage to Anne … a commitment of over thirty years means more than a brief romance in your youth … and you have your children James …" Elsie stated, starting to get frustrated with the self-pitying tone of the man. Goodness knows she didn't like Anne, but she had been wed to James for over three decades and the life they had shared together deserved greater respect.
"Of course Elsie … and I am grateful for my marriage … we have been quite content ... however I am under no illusions … Anne has never truly loved me … however we do have three beautiful children … Donald who you met … as well as Matthew and Annie …" he explained.
"Well there you go … and I would not be so sure that Anne doesn't love you ... any woman who is as protective and jealous as she is definitely has strong feelings ... believe me ..." Elsie responded with a smile.
James chuckled, maybe Anne had grown to love him.
"Perhaps you are right ... and Elsie ... thank you for being so kind to Donald earlier … he doesn't know that I am not …" James began.
"Shush now … of course I would never disclose that … and besides ... you are his father in every way that matters ... Donald is obviously a lovely young man …" Elsie interrupted and James smiled.
"Charles must also be a lovely man … not to mention a very lucky man indeed …" James added with a flirtatious grin.
"Well that's what I keep telling him!" Elsie joked, as she smiled at James. There was a gently hint of the easy rapport that they once shared.
"I mean it Elsie … you are a very beautiful woman … you are intelligent and kind … any man would give his right arm to have you as his wife … I only hope that Charles knows just how blessed he is …" James said, reaching out to hold Elsie's hand in his and squeezing it softly.
Elsie smiled at James but she politely withdrew her hand; she was slightly anxious that such a gesture might be deemed inappropriate.
"I am the lucky one James … Charles is the most wonderful man … he has been my best friend and my soulmate for so many years … he makes me laugh … he makes me ecstatically happy … and goodness knows he makes me angry ... however he is truly my other half … and we may have confessed our love for one another rather late in life ... but for me … that makes it all the more precious … I simply could not be happier than I am to be marrying Charles …" Elsie said adoringly, leaving Reverend James Johnson in no doubt whatsoever as to where her heart lay.
"I am very happy for you Elsie ... it sounds like you are finally marrying the man you deserve ..." James said warmly.
Elsie smiled and nodded emphatically at James. However, what she did not see was the Butler, tiptoeing back into the Church Hall and trying not to disturb the private moment between James and Elsie, yet with the broadest and most delighted smile imaginable on his face.