The Twins of Noremway Parish Read Online Free PDF Page A

that was always there, but had never been satisfied. Despite the heat, he was thankful for the heavy cloak he wore.
    He stooped down and invited the lovely parochial vicar up onto the stage. “Let them see you,” he said. “Everyone here loves you.” He waved his hand wide to indicate the large crowd.
    She said, “I keep forgetting so many people live in Noremway Parish. They all show up for harvest, but never for service.”
    “ About 10,000 at last count, and 9,999 of them absolutely adore you,” Decon said, and they both laughed.
    “ You’re forgetting she has followers.”
    “ True, but the number changes from day to day. By the way, I want to congratulate you on another successful year, Sister Teret,” he said with wink.
    “ You haven’t been doing so bad yourself, Brother Decon,” she said and returned the wink, and actually went so far as to give him a quick hug. That was certainly most unexpected, and the incessant stirring in his groin continued. He mentally gave his thanks again to all in heaven that his nether region was sufficiently hidden.
    “ Brother Decon and Sister Teret are flirting,” a little boy (Mangler thought he had to be the Bodkins boy) cried out from the second row of pews. “Shhh, Banks, shh,” responded the boy’s mother. Gasps exploded in the crowd, followed closely by relieved laughter as they saw that what the boy had said wasn’t true.
    But was it? Decon had been a bit flirtatious, hadn’t he? And she was too. He glanced to his left and saw Teret’s face was a deeper shade of red than her hair. Having these forbidden feelings was one thing, but publicly displaying them was another, and dragging Teret down with him was quite another entirely. He had taken a celibacy oath when finishing the seminary: she when appointed parochial vicar. It was an archaic rule, to be sure, but an enforced tradition all the same.
    “ Alright, listen up,” Decon shouted in the sternest possible voice he could muster. “Let’s be serious now. We’re gathered here for the annual harvest.” He looked at Teret who was still blushing and seemed a bit nervous. He eyed the crowd and saw Sheriff Franz Phoenix and Chancellor Ghora Urey standing in front of the first row, backs to the pulpit. He briefly wondered where Tomias Waterman was, but the thought fell away as quickly as it had come; yet that nagging in the back of his mind persisted. He brushed it away as one of those memories he would never recover. It was a large crowd and the mayor wasn’t scheduled to address them until much later in the evening. “We have a good harvest this year. You can see the variety we’ve been able to grow.” He saw Rita Morgan, front row center, gloating. Why not feed it a little bit? Maybe she’ll leave Teret alone for a while . “And thanks to Rita and James for the abundance of fruits and nuts from their orchard–couldn’t do it without you.” The crowd erupted into enormous applause, certainly more for the oranges, apples, and the variety of other items the Morgans had managed to grow this year than for the Morgans themselves.
    “ Aye, we say thankya, Brother,” Rita said, clapping her own hands wildly. More cheers erupted throughout the cathedral. Rita beamed, assuming the cheers were for her, but a chant ensued that proved otherwise: “ DECON! DECON! DECON! ”
    The gathering continued in like fashion with the parishioners of Noremway Parish congratulating themselves on their own work. Decon smiled, as did Teret Finley. It wasn’t long before Physician Bartholomew Plague, Sheriff Franz Phoenix, and Chancellor Ghora Urey came up to the pulpit to speak about their hopes for the future. Plague spoke about his daughter Nora, who was Teret’s star student. Rita scowled during the speech. Was it because she was estranged from her own daughter? Did that give her a right to be bitter toward Plague? Aye, she had a right to be bitter, as did anyone who made a mistake they regretted…but Rita’s