The Mills of God Read Online Free PDF

applaud all men of religion. My wife does too. She is upstairs at the moment but I can fetch her down if it is your wish to meet her.’
    â€˜No, please don’t disturb her on my account. I am sure she will be preparing your evening meal.’
    â€˜Oh yes indeed. Perhaps you will honour us with your presence one night. Do you like curry?’
    â€˜I’m afraid that it upsets my stomach. Very weak of me, I know.’
    Ali pulled a face. ‘One cannot help the way one is constituted. But the invitation still is there. My wife can cook something else.’
    â€˜Thank you. I’ll look in my diary.’
    Ali placed his palms together and bowed. ‘It will be our pleasure to await you.’
    Even with his bags of shopping, Nick felt compelled to go into the church, realizing that it ought to be locked for the night, something he should have done earlier.
    Yet again, switching on the lights that were situated behind the oak door, its beauty and calmness overwhelmed him though he still half expected that person to be present, muttering audible prayers in a sinister manner. Nick walked down the centre aisle staring into the pews. There was nobody there but he could hear a rustling sound coming from the stalls on the right hand side. Assuming an air of authority – an emotion he was very far from feeling – the vicar marched over and peered into them. A pair of emerald eyes met his and he realized that it was an animal of some kind. And then a large ginger cat stood up, arched its back, stretched, and sat down again.
    â€˜What are you doing in here?’ Nick asked. ‘Go on, out you go.’
    The cat did not reply but it got up, minced down the side aisle and out through the oak door.
    â€˜Lakehurst is a truly strange place,’ said Nick.
    He went to the altar, knelt in prayer for a few minutes, then got up and checking that the church was truly empty, put out the lights and turned the key in the great lock.
    He had hoped for a quiet night in, watching the television, but this was to be short-lived. No sooner had he sat down and switched on Have I Got News For You , than the front door bell rang loudly. A woman stood there, half hidden by the darkness of the street outside.
    â€˜Oh hello, Reverend Lawrence,’ she said in highly refined tones. ‘Excuse the lateness of the hour. I just called to see if you needed anything and if I could be of any assistance.’
    â€˜Come in,’ Nick answered reluctantly.
    She rolled past him in a hip-gyrating walk and settled herself in the living room.
    â€˜Oh, I watch this programme too,’ she said. ‘I think it’s so funny. Of course I utterly adore Ian Hislop.’
    Then why don’t you watch him in your own house? Nick thought in a highly unchristian manner.
    â€˜But I’m disturbing you,’ she added.
    â€˜Not at all,’ he said, and switched the television off.
    She smiled up at him archly and he observed that she had a heavily lined face and somewhat small eyes, that is what he could see of them beneath her layers of make-up.
    â€˜Allow me to introduce myself,’ she said, ‘I am Sonia Tate.’
    â€˜Just call me Father Nick,’ Nick replied somewhat pompously.
    â€˜Oh.’ Sonia looked slightly put out. ‘Very well. Now Father Nick –’ she emphasized the words as she said them – ‘I expect you probably have heard things about me.’
    He looked blank and shook his head.
    â€˜I’m afraid that in the past I fell out with Mrs Cox, your churchwarden, and I thought she might have mentioned something to you.’
    â€˜No. Not a word.’
    â€˜I’m relieved. It is not my habit to gossip so I’ll say no more about it except that it involved Alfred.’
    â€˜Alfred?’ the vicar repeated, nonplussed.
    â€˜Alfred Cox, Mavis’s husband. The poor fellow fell madly in love with me. Went off his head with it. It was quite the most