24

The Reverend Jack Shephard and his wife both looked as if they wished the ground would open up and swallow them, Gill on the other hand gave a shout of laughter, and protesting cry of "Granny!"

Harm let a slow smile cross his face, "Why, no, ma'am. I did it the hard way, through the US Naval Academy, at Annapolis."

Granny looked up at him piercingly, "And I suppose you think that a soft answer turn away wrath?"

Harm thought he now had the measure of his opponent, "Ma'am I wouldn't presume to hazard a guess as to how such a formidable lady as you might react under any circumstances. I can only hope that she doesn't pitch too many beaners and that I'm agile enough to dodge the ones that she does!"

"I didn't understand half of what you just said, but I strongly suspect that you meant it as flattery. But I'll have you know, young man, that despite what ever the effect your honeyed words might have on that pea-goose of a granddaughter of mine, they are likely to stand you in very little stead when it comes to me!"

"Indeed not, ma'am. Your very much like my own grandmother, far too wise to be taken in by idle flattery."

"H'mm... You have a grandmother, do you?"

"Yes, ma'am and you remind me of her – a lot!"

Gill's grandmother relaxed back in her chair, "I do, do I?" she challenged in a slightly less acerbic accent.

"Yes, ma'am, in a lot of ways, for a start she likes to pretend she is a holy terror but in her case she does it by hurtling around country roads in an open-topped Jeep, which as far as she is concerned only has two speeds, flank – that is full ahead both – and finish with engines, and believes that it is the duty of all other road users to get out of her way at all times! And I'm getting a very strong impression from you ma'am, that in your approach to life, you're pretty much the same. And just like Grams, you've got a heart of gold underneath your prickly exterior."

Granny snorted indignantly, "And I suppose you think that makes you pretty smart?"

Harm smiled again, "Why, yes, ma'am. After all, you wouldn't want your granddaughter dating a duma... uh...numskull, would you?"

Granny Shephard gave a crack of laughter as she correctly interpreted his hastily bowdlerised words, "No, no I wouldn't," she agreed. But then sinking back into pettiness, she complained, squinting up at him, "Instead of giving me a Crick in the neck, grab a chair, and come and sit down next to me. So, you are in the Navy. And you are a Captain, what ship?"

Harm drew one of the two vacant deckchairs closer to Granny, and gingerly lowered himself into it, not entirely convinced that it would support his weight. "No ship," he said almost regretfully, "I'm the Force Judge Advocate General, for the US Navy in Europe, and the Mediterranean." He glanced at his elderly interlocutor, and seeing the slightly puzzled expression on her face, went on to explain,"that means I'm the man in charge of all our naval legal services in Europe and the Mediterranean."

Granny looked at him critically, "if you came up through your Navy's Academy, I must assume you are a career officer. And somehow, I don't see career officers making military law as the first choice of a career," she challenged him.

"No, ma'am, when I graduated from Annapolis I went to flight school qualified as a naval aviator, equivalent to your Fleet Air Arm, I moved on to being an attorney a few years later…"

"A strange step to take after all that flying training?" Granny asked.

"It must look that way, ma'am," Harm agreed. He then took a deep breath, "it came about thisaway…"

Gill and her mother had retreated to the kitchen to put the kettle on to boil while they kept a cautious eye on the goings-on on the patio. Seeing Harm draw a chair nearer to Granny's, while the Reverend Jack, picking up his half-read Sunday newspaper, relaxed back in his chair and tipped the brim of his Panama to shade his eyes, Gill turned to her mother, and with a weak smile said, "That's a relief, at least she hasn't gone on the warpath!"

Alice Shephard looked quizzically at her daughter, "Did you really think she would?"

Gill shook her head, "Obviously, I hoped she wouldn't, but you know Granny, if she gets a bee in her bonnet, there's no telling what she'll come out with!"

"Is this Harm – and what a peculiar name – is he really important to you, Gill?"

Gill wrapped her hand in a tea towel before picking up the steaming, copper, old-fashioned and heavy, kettle, before adding boiling water to the already pre-warmed tea pot. She bit her bottom lip lightly, before she turned to answer the question. "Yes, Mummy, he's really important to me; it's very early days yet, and I think we've both got a lot of issues to work through, but I have a feeling, that with all else being equal, he might be the one."

"Well, if he is the one, don't let even Granny's disapproval put you off. I haven't exchanged more than a couple of words with him, but I think I like him already. And he is rather gorgeous... now... if I were only twenty years younger..." she finished dreamily, but with a sly sideways glance at her daughter.

She was not disappointed, Gill rose to the bait like a starving trout to a fly, "Mummy!" she gasped.

So it was a chuckling Alice and a slightly flustered Gill who bore the teapot and a platter of fresh-cut sandwiches out onto the patio just in time to hear Granny Shephard exclaim in tones of horrified surprise, "Crop dusting!?"

The return of mother and daughter brought a temporary end to Harm's somewhat whimsical recounting of his past history, he had brushed over his years of partnership with Mac, having brusquely summed her up as a 'A marine I worked with for a time' and had just embarked on an explanation of how Mattie Grace came into his life.

Harm's explanation to Gill's family, as they drank their tea and ate thinly sliced egg or cucumber sandwiches, as to how he and Mattie came into each other's lives filled in a lot of the gaps he'd left in the tale as he'd first told it to Gill, led as he was by Granny Shephard's shrewd questions until the lowering sun flared of his watch face as he reached once more for his tea-cup.

With a sense of shock he realised that he'd been talking, interrupted by intelligent questions from all four of his listeners, for well over an hour, "I'm sorry… I've been babbling on, and you are all too polite to tell me to shut up!"

Jack Shephard grinned lazily, "Well, I was just about to interrupt you, if only to make my excuses before I left. I have to go and open the church and get it ready for Evensong. I'm afraid the days are long past when a church could be left open and unattended twenty-four hours a day."

Harm replaced his cup and saucer on the table, "if you don't mind, Sir, I'd like to come with you. I said to Gill when we arrived that I'd be glad an opportunity to look round the inside of the church. You'll appreciate that we don't have churches quite as old as the ones you have here in England."

"Of course, all are welcome in God's house, even if they are only sightseeing," the Reverend replied with a wholly reprehensible gleam in his eye, "but I'm afraid I shall be too busy to point out the finer details." He paused, and eyed Harm calculatingly, "You could, of course bring Gill with you, she knows the church almost as well as I do!"

Gill cast her father an indignant look, she had been planning to use the time that Harm spent in the church in interrogating her mother and her grandmother as to their opinion of him. But in the face of her father's endorsement there wasn't much else she could do other than muster up a smile, turn to Harm, and ask, "Would you like that?"

Harm who had not missed the glare at Gill had sent her father, replied, "if it's alright with you, sure, I'd love it."

Gill who had seized eagerly on Harm's get-out clause was about to reply with a graceful excuse about being needed to help with the clear up, but didn't have a chance, as Granny joined in the fray, "Yes, you get along and show Harmon the fine points of the church, and don't forget the font! Go on, get off with you. Your mother and I can deal with these few bits and pieces!"

Gill, totally out-gunned now, sent a helpless look at Harm, "Of course then, I'll be glad to show you round while daddy's busy!"

Harm deliberately dawdled as he followed Jack through the churchyard to the vestry door, taking hold of Gill's hand in his, forcing her to amend her pace. In a quiet undertone, he said with a chuckle, "they got you over a barrel there!"

Gill, in no doubt as to what he was referring, was also compelled to chuckle quietly, "Oh Lord, yes, rolled up completely, horse, foot and guns!"

Anne and Alice Shephard watched the trio disappear through the gate leading to the churchyard and then turned to look at each other. "Well, girl, all this isn't going to clean itself up," Granny said in severe tones as she looked at the remnants of afternoon tea.

"No, it never has and it never will!" Alice replied as she rose from her deck chair, and started stacking cups and saucers on the tray. Granny rose easily from her own chair, and piled tea plates on top of each other and then on to the serving plates which had held the sandwiches.

Sharing the load between them, the two women carried it in silence back into the Rectory, through the lounge and into the kitchen, where side-by-side they engaged in washing and drying the crockery. Halfway through the task Alice turned to her mother-in-law, "And what's your opinion?"

"I like him," Gill's grandmother answered, "he's sensible, polite, and most of all, he seems to make a Gillian happy... I can see only one fly in the ointment, and that is unfortunately he's in the American Navy."

Alice looked sharply at her mother-in-law, "And is that such a disadvantage?"

"Not if you're happy with the prospect of him whisking your only daughter out of the country when his posting here is finished."

Gill's mother rested her hands on the edge of the kitchen sink for a moment and bit her lip in much the same manner Gill did, "No, that's not a prospect to which I'd look forward, but if they love each other, and it's still very early days, Mother, and it may not come to anything, but if it does lead on to something permanent, then I would just have to bite the bullet, and so would you and Jack. Because I doubt that any of us would want our own selfish desires to trump Gill's happiness, would we?"

Anne Shephard glared wordlessly at her daughter in law for few seconds, "Of course not!" she snapped, "I may be old, self-centred, a bully and a bit of a tyrant, but I would never, never do anything or say anything that would interfere with Gillian's future happiness."

Alice dried her hands on a tea-towel, and drew Granny into a warm, comforting hug. "Oh, Mother, you may like to think that you terrorise us, but we all know that really you're just a great big softy, and both Jack and I know that one of the most important things in your life is Gillian's happiness. And although this... romance, as I suppose we must call it, is very new, if it makes Gill happy, if Harmon makes Gill happy, then all we can do really is give them our blessing."

Granny nodded, "Yes, we'll have to do that. Now, not a word of this to Gillian do you hear?"

"Yes, Mother. I hear you," Alice Shephard replied.

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

Julia turned to Johnny with shining eyes, as the Astra finally rolled through the Safari Park gates back onto the public roads. "That was totally unreal, I've never seen so many animals in one spot, and so many of them just allowed to wander around in those huge enclosures. And in some ways it was so weird, seeing zebra grazing peacefully alongside Bactrian camels, or those Indian deer – chital, weren't they? – wandering around and mixing with giraffes and rhinos. Thank you, thank you so much, not just for today, Johnny, but for the whole weekend!"

Johnny hadn't really expected to enjoy the day, but Julia's enjoyment and excitement and her sheer pleasure in being able to photograph exotic animals had communicated itself to him, and it was almost with regret that he had to tell her that it was time to leave the park if he was to get her home at a reasonable hour, "Especially, if you want feeding," he grinned at her, "it's been a long time since breakfast, and that sandwich and a bottle of water at lunchtime seems almost as long ago."

Julia had the grace to look somewhat shamefaced, Johnny had been quite prepared to buy them both lunch, but she had looked at the restaurant prices and vetoed the idea on the spot. Johnny's attempt at persuading her to have something to eat only achieved limited success; a pair of sandwiches and a large bottle of water between them was as much as Julia would accept, and Johnny, wincing at the asking price for even that modest snack had reluctantly agreed with her. But that didn't now prevent his stomach from thinking that his throat had been cut!

"So, what were you thinking of for dinner?" Julia asked.

Johnny grinned," How about a steak and a jacket potato at The George?" he suggested.

"The George!" Julia echoed, "How far is that from here?"

Johnny did a quick mental calculation, he figured they'd done about ten miles since leaving the Safari Park, "About twenty miles, but don't worry it's on the direct route back to London, so we won't be going out of our way."

Julia seemed satisfied with this, and settled back in her seat to watch the countryside as Johnny took the A36 South East to join the A303. It was only a few minutes later that Julia saw the triliths of Stonehenge, and then just a few minutes later they came to the roundabout where the road for Amesbury and Salisbury branched off the main London Road. Two faint vertical creases appeared between her eyebrows, as she tried to form a mental map of the area.

Before she had puzzled out her mental image Johnny had steered the Astra off the dual carriageway and into Thruxton village, the gravel crunching under his wheels as he turned in to the Georges car park.

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

Jack Shephard's confidence in his daughter as a guide to the church was not misplaced, although Gill asserted that it was Harm's shrewd questions that forced her to remember long ago and half forgotten memories. However, despite Harm's interest in the ancient building, dating back to the thirteenth century, so Gill proudly told him, by the time they'd spent forty minutes wandering around the nave and the side chapel, the congregation had begun to file in and take the pews the evening service.

Gill stopped her potted history of the baptismal font, which was considerably older than the rest of the church, pre-dating the Norman invasion to a time when the Anglo-Saxon Kings of Wessex ruled the area, and raising an eyebrow, asked Harm, "Do you want to stay for the service?"

Harm grinned uneasily, "Not really, my interest in the church is architectural, not religious, and secondly I need to get you fed and safely on your way back to Saint John's Wood… Unless your father would feel insulted in some way?"

Gill smiled and shook her head, "No, Daddy will be fine, although he would be hurt if we just slipped away…"

Harm nodded, "Of course we must say goodbye, it would be the worst bad manners if we didn't, and I want to thank him as well for letting me stroll around the church."

Gill smiled again, "Follow me, then." And crossing to a side door knocked on the age-old timbers.

"Come in!" Jack Shephard called.

"Only if you're decent!" Gill replied with a grin, but opened the door nevertheless. "Daddy, just to let you know that we are making a move now, and Harm's here to say thank you for letting him maraud around the premises!"

"Think nothing of it my boy," Jack said over Gill's shoulder as she stepped to one side to allow Harm to make his farewells.

"But I think very much of it, Sir. I really do appreciate you giving me the opportunity to have a wander around, and I'd like to add how very privileged I feel to have met you and your family."

"Well, I think it's very brave of you to beard the whole clan in their den," the Reverend Jack replied, offering Harm his hand, while continuing "you just make sure that this daughter of mine brings you back to see us again, soon. And maybe next time, you'll allow us the pleasure of a longer visit!"

"I'll certainly try, on both counts Sir," Harm replied taking the offered hand in a firm grip.

"Yes, you do that, but in the meantime drive safely." And with a smile and a dip of his head Gill's father gently dismissed them both.

Harm and Gill made their way back across the churchyard, and in to the garden and from there through the still open French windows and into the lounge, where Alice and Anne were seated in armchairs. Granny put down her Good Housekeeping magazine, while Alice raised her eyes from the church flowers account book.

"Just to let you know, that we'll be off, now. We've said our goodbyes to Daddy, so there's nothing more really to keep us!" Gill said with a chuckle.

Both women rose to their feet, "Not so fast, young lady," Granny scolded her, "if you think you're getting out of here without a goodbye kiss then you are sadly mistaken!"

Gill's laughter rang out, delighted with the success of her teasing, "I wouldn't dream of it, Granny!" she said as she took the old lady in a fond hug, and planted a gentle kiss on her lined cheek, before turning to her mother to treat her in a like manner.

Granny blinked twice, to clear her suddenly misted vision, before she turned to look at Harm, "As for you, young man, if you take care of my grand daughter, and continue to make her as happy as she is today, then I will look forward to seeing you at any time in the future."

Greatly daring in view of the basilisk like look that Granny transfixed him with, Harm slid his arm around Gill's waist and drew her in for a gentle one-armed hug. "Ma'am, as I fully intend to keep Gill in a permanent state of happiness, I'm afraid it won't be too long before you're heartily sick of the sight of me!"

Granny nodded approvingly, "Well said, Captain. My Captain Jack would have liked you!"

Granny's words was still ringing in his ears, as he walked Gill back to the Mondeo. But it wasn't until they were both seated and their seat belts safely buckled that Gill turned towards him, and blew out a long sigh, "Well! You certainly made a hit there! Granny has just bestowed on you the highest praise that she can, saying that Granddad would have liked you!"

Harm paused just as she was about to turn the key in the ignition, "So your dad was named after his dad?"

Gill looked puzzled for instant and then her expression cleared, "Lord, no, it's just that the way we spell our name is slightly unusual, and back in the 18th century, there was a notorious highwayman, Jack Shephard, who amongst his other exploits before he was hanged managed to escape from Newgate goal no less than four times. Since then, Jack has become a traditional nickname for the men in our family, even my brother gets called Jack!"

Harm grinned, "Am I the only one who sees any irony in a priest being named after an infamous criminal?"

Gill laughed, "I suppose not, but we are so used to it in the family that we never really give it any thought at all."

Harm looked across the width of the car at her, "No, I don't suppose you do," he said with yet another smile and turned the key, firing up the engine.

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

As their meal progressed Johnny became aware that something was troubling Julia. He speared the last piece of his steak on his fork, but instead of carrying it to his mouth he let it lie on his plate, and said, "Are you going to tell me what's bugging you?"

Instead of a direct answer, Julia replied with a question of her own, "Andover is pretty near here isn't it?"

"Yeah, a few miles down the road, why?" Johnny answered.

"Well, you're only a couple of miles from your base, it seems silly for you to drive me all the way back to West Ruislip, when you can just drive me to Andover rail-road station, and I could take the train back to London."

Johnny's eyes nearly popped out of his head, "You have got to be joking!" he expostulated.

"No," Julia said in a reasonable voice, "it makes sense, why waste all that gas, and time when there's a perfectly good rail service."

"Forget it. It's not going to happen," Johnny said flatly.

"But…" Julia started to object but was cut off before she really got started.

Johnny reached out across the table and covered one of Julia's hands with his own. "First off, it's a Sunday, it's just about twenty hundred hours, and I doubt there's a train from Andover to London tonight. Secondly, even if there was a train, there is no way on God's earth that I would let you travel into London, at night, on your own, and carrying an obviously expensive equipment case. That would be asking for you to get mugged, and yes, I know you're a rough, tough Yankee matelot, but that's not going to help you if some arsewipe pulls a pistol or even a knife on you, or, as is usual there's more than one of them. Julia, I care about you far, far too much to let you run that sort of risk, even if you do think yourself as an independent woman who doesn't need a man to look after her. Don't they teach you about risk avoidance in the US Navy?"

Julia listened in silence to Johnny's little rant, but fastened on one little phrase, "You care for me? You really care for me?" she asked in a small voice.

Johnny looked at her in stunned amazement for a long, long moment, "Of course I care for you, almost from before I met you, just from talking to you on the phone, you have become the most important thing in my life!"

Julia hasn't been quite sure what sort of answer she had been expecting, she hadn't thought before she asked her question, she had just reacted. But if there was one thing she was now certain of, it was that she hadn't expected such a blunt declaration from Johnny.

She smiled, albeit mistily as her eyes pricked, "And you really think that it would be too dangerous for me to travel back by train?"

Johnny nodded vigorously, "Damn right I do. It's not just the travel on the train, once you get into Waterloo, you have to get clear across London all on your own, and then find a bus or a tube out to West Ruislip, and then walk, again on your own, from the tube station to the house. London and the suburbs, are not smalltown USA. So, let's have no more talk about you wandering around London on your own, especially at night. Julia, if I let you catch the train back to London, and something happened to you, I would never forgive myself."

Julia delved into her pocket and produced a small travel pack of Kleenex and dabbed at her eyes, "Okay, no more talk of train rides," she agreed with a watery smile.

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

"Did you want to stop somewhere on the way, or do you want to have dinner at the hotel?" Harm asked after they'd been on the road for about ten minutes.

"Oh, the hotel, I think," Gill answered after a second or two. She smiled at Harm, "It's been a pretty long day, I just want to get back have a light dinner, perhaps just a bar snack, then drive back into London, grab a shower and hit the hay."

"Your wish is my command, O Mistress," Harm grinned easily.

"I wish," Gill murmured ruefully, and just too quietly for Harm to hear over the engine note.

"Say something?" Harm asked.

"No, nothing," Gill said, crossing her fingers against the fib.

Harm said nothing, but gave a quick look sideways at her, not quite believing her denial.

For her part, Gill determined not to disgrace herself a second night in a row by falling asleep while Harm drove. "So, how did Saint George fare this afternoon?"

Harm chuckled, "Never before in my life, have I been quite so grateful for courtroom honed cut and thrust. Your Granny certainly didn't pull that first punch, she rocked me right back on my heels, and nearly knocked any thoughts clear out of my head!"

"Well, nobody would have thought it, you came right back at her and that crack about doing it the hard way, coming up through the Academy, very nearly took the wind right out of her sails," Gill offered comfortingly.

"It's alright for you to say that," Harm said ruefully, "but I was quaking in my shoes!"

Gill chuckled, "To see you, nobody would have thought so, and it's a good job that Granny didn't pick up on that, otherwise she would have got her own confidence back, and really given you a hard time!"

"If that wasn't giving me a hard time, then God help me if she ever decides to do just that!" Harm said emphatically.

Gill reached across and patted him comfortingly on the knee, "Don't worry, Harm, you made a better than good impression on her, and it wouldn't surprise me to find out that over the next few days she'll have been bragging about her granddaughter's perfect new boyfriend."

"Boyfriend, huh? Is that what I am?" Harm asked.

Although it was now too dark for Gill to be able to easily read Harm's expression, she had no doubt that his teasing smile was firmly in place, she placidly smoothed her skirt down over her knees, and said calmly "Of course, or did you think that I was in the habit of going round and kissing non-boyfriends the way I kissed you last night?"

"No, I didn't think that, I was just hoping that last night wasn't a one-off! Or was it?"

"Now that, you'll just have to wait and see." Gill smiled.

The atmosphere in the car now was still happy and relaxed but just slightly tinged with nervous anticipation, and it seemed to Harm that the nearer they got to their destination, the more that anticipation increased.

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

Thanks to the light Sunday evening traffic they made good time from Dinton back to West Ruislip, and found they still had plenty of time order a bar meal before the kitchen closed for the evening. Harm ordered a king prawn salad, while Gill contented herself with what Harm would have called an egg salad submarine with fries, but which Gill pointed out was properly called an egg salad baguette with chips. "Fries, are those limp, stringy, pale and undercooked strips of reconstituted potato, that those unwise enough to patronise them are served in so-called fast food joints. Chips on the other hand, like these, are cut from the potato, and as you can see they are considerably thicker and wider than fries. And of course, being British, they are far, far superior." she concluded with a wide grin as Harm, who had unwisely chosen that instant to take a mouthful of beer, tried to laugh at the same time, with predictably unfortunate results.

Decorum and dignity restored, Harm and Gill settled down to their meal in companionable silence, their eyes meeting over the table from time to time and each such encounter producing tender smiles.

There snack finished, Gill sighed regretfully, "As much as I don't want to, I'm going to have to call an end to what really has been a marvellous weekend. But I have got to get back to the Wood; for one thing, I need to sort out something to wear for tomorrow; I won't have time to faff about in the morning, as I need to put some credit for my Oyster card."

As much as Harm wished Gill could stay longer, he reluctantly admitted to himself that she had good enough reason to leave. Having paid for their meal when they ordered it at the bar, all that was left them to do was to finish their drinks.

Gill stood "You'll call me? Soon?" she asked almost plaintively.

"Tomorrow evening, at the very latest, and without fail," Harm promised. "In the meantime, I'll walk you to your car."

Nothing loath, Gill smiled her agreement, and with a sense of satisfaction, she felt Harm's strong arm slide about her waist, and in a reflex action she let her head droop sideways and rest against his shoulder.

The car park, as is usual, was only dimly lit, and Harm ignoring Gill's squeak of surprise, sidestepped into a pool of shadow under one of the horse-chestnut trees that lined the edges of the car park, and swept her into his arms, a gentle finger raising her face to his as he searched her barely seen features for any sign that she was unwilling, before his lips covered hers, as she let out a breathy little sigh and opened to him.

The need for air cause them to break off the kiss, but for the next ten minutes or so they stood under the shelter of the tree, wrapped in each other's arms, exchanging tender little kisses which soon developed the habit of becoming deeper and more passionate.

At last, Gill stepped back, her eyes shining and her lips swollen, "Oh God," she said shakily and breathlessly but with a smile, "I haven't had an outdoor make out session like that, since I was about nineteen. Thank the good Lord, there was no one from the regiment to see me – us!"

Harm grinned almost as shakily, "Drum you out of the regiment would they?"

"Definitely!" Gill said as she recovered her composure, "break my sword over the drum major's knee, knock my headdress off, cut off all my buttons, rip off my badges of rank and then a swift boot to my rump as they literally kick me out the barracks gates, and all to the tune of The Rogues' March, and in front of the whole regiment!"

Harm blinked, "They really do all that?" He asked in astonishment.

Gill smiled, "They used to, but they are a bit more civilised these days… They stopped using the boot in the rump!"

There was something in the quality of Gill's voice, something that Harm had heard before, and he realised that once again he had fallen prey to Gill's teasing sense of humour."Oh very funny, and just for that…" He turned on his heel and spun away heading for the Mondeo.

Gill's face fell, "Oh, no! Harm, I was only pulling your leg…" she said in distress.

"I know, and I fell for it, but this time, my girl, you are going to pay!"

"What… what do you mean?" Gill asked in some trepidation as she saw him return towards her, his hands behind his back obviously concealing something.

"It's pretty difficult thinking up a non-judicial punishment on the spot but I think in this case I have made the punishment fit the crime. It is the sentence of this court, that you take this 'Present from Stratford-upon-Avon' in to work with you and display it prominently upon your desk, and from tomorrow onwards you use it exclusively to drink your morning coffee and afternoon tea!" And with a grin for which Gill could find no polite description, he gravely presented her with one of the mugs that he had acquired in Stratford, and to which she had taken such exception.

"Damn you, Harmon Rabb, you nearly gave me a heart attack! And look at it, it's hideous!" She protested laughingly.

"Yes, it is," Harm agreed affably, "and that's what what makes it a particularly suitable punishment present! But, I hope you won't think this is hideous too…" he added with a discernible note of nervousness in his voice as he brought his other hand behind his back and presented a gift wrapped package to Gill. "This one, you can keep in your bunk, and I hope that each time you open it it will bring you fresh pleasure."

It was a rare occasion when Gill Shephard was totally lost for words, but this was one of them. And it was a good thirty seconds before she could gather sufficient wits to reply, and then it was only the one hesitant word, "Harm?"

"It's nothing to worry about," he said urgently, "it's a Riverside Shakespeare, you said your old collected works was falling apart, and I saw this in the gift shop and I thought you'd enjoy it."

"Oh, Harm…" And she raised on her toes, and encumbered as she was with mug and package, she managed to twine her arms around his neck and give him a last kiss for the evening.