The group stood in shocked silence in the entranceway to the building, its grand interior no more, putrid green walls met with equally sour green wallpaper above the dado, the fluorescent lights finished the entire dated, 80's Ming look perfectly. "Is anyone getting disturbing images of school trips," Chrissie groaned, wheeling her case across the damp moth eaten floor.
"Yes, scout camp never amused me," Zubin sighed, plonking his bag on the ground coughing at the cloud of dust surrounding it.
"I never took you to be the type Zoob, at least you'll be able to navigate the way to the nearest bar," Connie muttered in disgust.
"There is no alcohol outlet within a twenty mile radius of here," came a creepy voice from behind, as he pushed his way forward his weedy, drab appearance. "And absolutely no drinking on the grounds, this used to be a holy site, I would ask that you respect this please." Connie stifled a snigger as he paused, beginning to ascend the dust staircase. "If you'd like to follow me I'll show you to your rooms. Now we've taken the liberty of allocating rooms… Constance and Christine?" as the rest of the group fell into giggles they two woman stepped forward, sending death looks at the housekeeper.
"Ah right ladies you'll be in here," as he motioned to the door Connie made her way forcefully into the room, stopping abruptly as she took in its contents.
"I think you've made a mistake this has only one double bed," she commented tensely as the rest of the group still stood muddled in the corridor.
"It was a booking for six, Mr Beauchamp said it would be ok for yourself and Miss Williams to share, I'm afraid if that is not the case we have a tent that one of you may use." Connie turned back to Chrissie, attempting to dissolve her anger.
"No I think we'd both prefer a solid roof over us, I'm sure we will find a way somehow" Connie sighed, about turning and leaving the rest of them to it.
"Do you want to kill him or shall I," Chrissie asked as she put her case onto the once grand four poster bed, watching Connie from the corner of her eye.
"Oh I think he will die his own painful death from a certain evil breed of frustration," Connie winked, attempting to open the large window wide enough to stick her head out for a cigarette.
"Didn't know you smoked,"
"I don't normally, do you want one," she asked offer her nemesis the packet.
"No thank you, I don't and won't ever smoke, just make sure you stick your head far enough out of the window. I don't want this room stinking,"
"Yes" Connie retorted sharply, leaning down the wall slightly, dragging once on the cigarette before sticking her head out the window to exhale.
"Fancy seeing you here," came Ric's voice from the next window causing Connie to jump lightly.
"Ric please don't do that to me," she yelped in protest, recomposing herself.
"Well it looks like Eric and Constance are literally being hung out to dry," he chuckled, straining further so she could see him.
"This really is pathetic,"
"What hanging out the window in order to indulge in a life shortening habit, for fear of being driven out of these lovely surroundings by Mr drab of the year, pathetic….nah" Ric smirked, "lets ditch the rest, these grounds to look rather interesting. Our teacher has yet to arrive."
"Good point," Connie smiled in return before disappearing out of sight. "Chrissie I'm off out, if that stupid woman turns up tell her I'm truanting."
"You're prerogative," Chrissie muttered, leaving Connie to exit the room and accompany Ric down the stairs and out of the building.
'Ladies and Gentlemen' Archie shuffled into the room to greet the group of very irate medics who had been waiting for the arrival of their course leader for almost three hours. Now, the unfortunate task of telling them that in fact, their tutor wouldn't be coming until the next morning had fallen to him and it was an exchange that he doubted he would get out of alive.
'What is it now?' Connie was on her feet, arms folded across her chest and a look of utter displeasure on her face as Archie stumbled over his words, fearing her reaction.
'I'm afraid during to… unforeseen circumstances…' he paused following the lie – Delilah had simply not wanted to brave the traffic to drive to the Monastery and so had announced that she wouldn't be coming until the traffic had abated, but he thought that this would not be well received, particularly by Connie who appeared to have elected her self as group ringleader 'Delilah will not be with us until tomorrow morning. You will of course be recompensed for the inconvenience but feel free to enjoy the facilities for today and a short course will take place tomorrow'
'That's fine' Connie's voice was clipped and she was clearly extremely irritated with the situation in general and, apparently, him in particular 'one small point – there are no facilities'
'There's the rose garden, the prayer room…' he trailed off as she rolled her eyes and several others sniggered in the background. It was days like today that made him hanker after his old career working as a bin man.
'Thank you very much, Archie. I'm sure we'll find a way to entertain ourselves for tonight, thanks for letting us know' Ric was on his feet, driving Connie back before she completely lost her temper and taking control of the situation before it descended into an argument. For a moment, Connie opened her mouth, as if to continue the inevitable row, but she was stopped by Zubin placing a hand on her shoulder and steering her from the room.
'Look on the bright side' Chrissie's voice trilled unexpectedly as they walked from the room towards the sparse surroundings of the rest of the building, not filled with great hope for the rest of the evening.
'There's a bright side?' Connie raised an eyebrow suspiciously at her roommate but Chrissie's smile didn't falter for a moment.
'We may be stuck in an outpost of nowhere but at least we aren't being forced to discuss contraception'
The rose garden was, as he expected, all but deserted. His travelling companions were not people who appreciated nature and its finer points but he was slightly different – if money were no object, and his gambling had seen to it that it always would be, then he would have liked to give up his career altogether and spend his later days out of doors as he had spent much of his childhood. While that was nothing more than a pipe dream, a couple of hours in the rose garden of a monastery were the best he could manage.
A torrent of abuse made him spin around, searching for someone else in the rose garden but there seemed to be no sign of anyone else in the vicinity. It seemed that he was hearing things because he was almost certain that there was no one else in this garden.
'Bugger' a single word spoken in rage and he turned again, moving slowly into the miniature maze, following his nose and the faint scent of menthol cigarettes and expensive perfume. He had been right – there was another person with him in the garden.
'Connie?' he poked his head around a wall in the maze and she glanced up in surprise, a small smile creeping across her features as she spotted him.
'Ric… I don't suppose you have any cigarettes? I've run out and I can't see me being able to get another packet in this god forsaken outpost…'
'I have something that you could smoke…' he stated carefully and her smile grew as he removed a small tobacco tin, deftly rolling a joint and lighting it without saying another word.
'Fantastic' she exhaled as the drug hit her system and she felt herself relax against the thick foliage of the maze, passing the joint back to him.
'Usually hits she spot…' he laughed quietly and for several moments they didn't speak, instead all their attention focussed on the joint smouldering between his fingers
'Ric did I ever tell you that I love you?' she laughed as the joint was reduced to nothing but embers and they were left with only the warm glow that the cannabis had given them.
'I thought you were stoned, not drunk' he teased good naturedly as he put an arm around her to protect her from the chill in the air. As a gesture it was a risk but a necessary one in light of the drop in temperature and the fact that she was wearing nothing but a t-shirt in the middle of November.
'No really – you're the only man I've come across who doesn't have a go at me about my occasional taste for cannabis. Michael regards it in much the same light as I regard his continued affairs' she stated with forced lightness in her voice
'We all have our faults' he remarked noncommittally 'but that doesn't really warrant a confession of undying love, does it?'
'You're the best in bed by quite some way' she offered with a slightly drunken giggle that made him immediately suspicious
'Where did you find the alcohol?' he glanced down at her with a single eyebrow raised and she rolled her eyes with irritation at him discovering her secret.
'Zubin smuggled in a bottle of Scotch' she admitted with a flush in her cheeks that was not entirely owing to the large amount of whiskey that she had consumed earlier in the evening.
'Why didn't you say so' a broad grin spread across his face as he took her hand and started to lead her into the monastery and Zubin's alcohol stash
'All the more for me'