Reverend Simon Morris cleared his throat as he addressed the group of people in the garden. "Everyone! It is so lovely to see you all here at this annual gathering at St. Michael's Vicarage. Normally, I hold the garden party on Saturday, but when I saw how nice the weather was going to be this week, I moved it back."
That wasn't strictly true. Saturday was his son Christopher's sixth birthday, and plans had been made to surprise him with a trip to Chester Zoo.
"Of course, today is not just a regular Thursday," the vicar continued. "1st August is Lammas Day. Lammas or 'Loaf-mass' (derived from the Anglo-Saxon Hlafmaesse) is an ancient English feast, held as a thanksgiving for the first-fruits of the wheat harvest. Traditionally, a newly baked loaf from the wheat harvest was presented before God within the mass of that day. While the ceremony ceased at the Reformation, reference to Lammas Day continued in the Prayer Book calendar, and the practice has been revived in some places in more recent years, including at our church."
There was much shuffling of feet and a couple of coughs, as the assembled guests hoped this impromptu sermon would soon end and the serving of food would begin.
Gordon sipped a beer and gave Mia a pained smile.
"He does this every single time. I took the day off work to come to this ruddy garden party. I'm gagging for a bacon sarnie, not a history lesson."
"Me too," Mia replied. "Jenna said she'd make this more bearable. Think she was getting some steak bakes from Greggs."
Gordon's face immediately lit up. "Ah! God bless your cousin. A true humanitarian."
Reverend Morris was still prattling on. "In the past week we've all enjoyed watching the Olympic Games..." He glanced round at the bored-looking guests. "Let's see. Tony! What's your favourite Olympic sport?"
"Sorry Vicar. I hate sport. Haven't seen any of the Olympics. It triggers me."
"Oh...right. Well, what do you like watching?"
"House of the Dragon."
"Ah...yes. Jolly good. I must get round to watching that," the vicar replied, utterly clueless as to what that was.
"Mind you, it's not as good as Game of Thrones," Tony added. "That was bloody brilliant. But they messed up the final season. Don't watch the final season. Daenerys was my favourite character and they just killed her off. Oops. Spoiler alert! I can lend you my DVD box set if you'd like."
"Er, that's very kind, Tony. Thanks. So...moving on. Not everyone likes to watch sport. My grandfather used to like birdwatching. He turned to Mrs Wilcox, who was sat with Norman the churchwarden. "Do you like birdwatching, Gladys?"
"Nay Reverend. I prefer watching men!"
Laughter broke out amongst the guests.
At that point, salvation arrived, in the form of Jenna.
"Here we go!" the redhead smiled, strolling into the garden with a massive cardboard box. "A job lot of steak bakes! Now everyone -- we've also got a buffet, and plenty of booze, so on behalf of Simon and myself, please enjoy yourselves!"
"Hallelujah!" Gordon shouted, making a beeline for the buffet table.
"Looks like I came at the right time," Jenna smiled at the organist. "Simon does get a bit carried away with his little speeches. Part and parcel of being a vicar!"
"Aye, tell him to do a shortened version next time," Gordon interrupted, piling his plate high with sausage rolls. He looked a lot slimmer.
"Been on a diet, Gordon?" Jenna added.
"After THAT embarrassing incident on Trinity Sunday when my trousers fell down in church, well it prompted me to get in shape! I'm not holding back today though. You've got to have some pleasures in life, right?"
"Oh absolutely," Jenna said with a wink.
A short time later, the party was in full swing and the guests were sat in little groups, chatting, Christopher and a couple of younger members of the church were kicking a football around, and Reverend Morris was doing his rounds, taking the time to speak to everyone. Little did he know that one guest in particular, had her eye on him and was waiting, like a shark lurking in the depths, ready to strike.
"Have you tried our home-made rum punch yet?" Jenna said, offering Mia and Gordon a glass. It's a little on the strong side. Simon got mixed up with metric and imperial measurements..."
"Ooh, nice," she said, eagerly gulping it down. "It packs a punch...pardon the pun!"
"Blimey that's strong," Gordon muttered. "I'd best refrain from having any more. I'm driving and I've already had two beers. You go ahead and fill your boots. I'm just going to have a chat to Norman. Er, any more of those steak bakes?"
"Sure, help yourself, Gord."
They giggled as he wandered off. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a football bounced across the buffet table and landed in the punch bowl, sending its contents splashing all over Mia's white dress.
"GOOOAAALLL!"
"Oh God no!" she wailed. "It's ruined! I only bought this last week!"
Jenna picked up the football and raised her eyebrow at Christopher.
"Sorry Jenna. But it was a penalty kick against Germany!"
"Try to be more careful next time, okay? Don't kick the ball towards here." She handed it back.
"Jen, my dress!" Mia shouted. "Ugh, kids!"
"I'll sort it out. Come with me. I'll get it washed and you can wear one of my spare dresses. I remember when you were staying with us last year, you're the same size as me. I need to change my dress as well. Got some punch splattered on it."
That seemed to pacify her and she followed Jenna into the house.
Norman the churchwarden appeared to be in a state of discomfort as he engaged in idle conversation with Gordon.
"You okay?" Gordon asked. "You're shuffling around on that seat like someone with fleas."
"Oh he's got a..." Mrs Wilcox interrupted.
"A bad case of piles," Norman quickly replied.
"Ooh, damn, Norman. I'm sorry to hear that. There's creams you can get."
"Er yes. You'll have to excuse me, Gordon. Call of nature and all that. Must say, it's handy that the vicar finally got a downstairs loo installed." He shuffled off, with a John Wayne walk.
"Poor sod," Gordon said. "I had no idea he suffered from piles."
"Ha, piles my foot!" Mrs Wilcox smiled. "He's wearing a chastity belt, that's all. I made him put it on this morning. Of course, it may be a bit too tight." With that, the old lady calmly took a sip of her sherry.
He was almost too stunned to reply, and gulped down the rest of his beer. "Given what you did last year, I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised!"
After two beers, Gordon was soon bursting for a pee. He hurried into the vicarage, intending to use the downstairs loo, but to his dismay, it was still occupied. Poor Norman was obviously still struggling with the chastity belt Mrs Wilcox had asked him to wear. Unable to wait, Gordon headed up the stairs and prayed that the main bathroom wouldn't be in use. Fortunately, it wasn't. After relieving himself, he was about to head back downstairs, when he heard giggling.
Jenna and Mia stood in the doorway of the master bedroom, their figures silhouetted by the soft light spilling in from the windows. "Oh hello Gordon! We need some help with this zip," Jenna said, her tone casual, yet tinged with a hint of playfulness. They were both tipsy, and Mia was the more tipsy of the two. The rum punch had done its work.
Mia giggled, "I was trying this dress on. I got punch splashed on mine so Jenna kindly agreed to let me borrow one of hers. But it's a bit short, and the zip is stuck. Would you mind?" She twirled around, presenting her back to him, her brunette hair cascading down her bare shoulders.
Gordon's heart skipped a beat as he approached, his eyes widening at the sight before him. Jenna, the vicar's wife, was in her underwear. White silk and lace bra and knickers. He hadn't anticipated this seeing lovely sight at the vicarage garden party, and it was a very welcome one.
"Why certainly," he grinned. "Always ready to help a lass in distress!"
"Thanks," Mia said with a knowing smile as he worked on her stuck zip and pulled it down.
Jenna watched him, a glint in her eye. "You know, Gordon," she began, her voice low and sultry, "you've always been such a good sport."
The tension in the bedroom grew thicker as her hand brushed against his arm, sending a shiver down his spine. "We've got an idea," she whispered, her breath hot against his ear. "Why don't we make this vicarage party a truly unforgettable experience?"