"Lost & Found" (Revised), Ch.  8 (PG-13, S):  A Love Rekindled, November 01, 2014 Gratiana Love

(An original fiction copyrighted by Gratiana Lovelace;  all rights reserved)
[(1) top right, story logo]

[I will illustrate my story using my dream cast of --Richard Armitage for Matthew Drake, Kate Beckinsale for Jocelyn Burrows, Brenda Blethyn for Aunt Madge, Michael Crawford for Michael Ferguson, Gina McKee for Marcia Glass, James Frain for Vicar Nelson Marshall, and others.] 

Author's Mature Content Note:  "Lost & Found" is story with mature themes (D for drama and S for sensuality) of love and relationships.  Most chapters will be PG or PG-13. However, if you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with the ratings I provide, then please do not read that chapter.  This is my disclaimer.

Recap from the previous installment:  Matthew & Jocie spend a lovely Saturday at the London Botanical Gardens. Then after helping a harried Aunt  Madge at the flower shop in the afternoon, the four of them enjoy dinner out together.  And with Matthew being weaned from his calming medicine, he is  more alert and attentive to Jocelyn.  In fact, he is quite his old self at dinner, telling amusing stories about his part time job at the postal office. Then at the end of the evening Matthew and Jocie find a quiet place to say goodnight at her hotel's open air inner courtyard. And they share a passionate kiss.  Though they make no definite plans to see each other soon, Jocie thinks that perhaps a few days perspective might  be wise.  And Madge and Michael also have a pleasant evening that night.  And their evening is not  yet over.

"Lost & Found" (Revised), Ch.  8 (PG-13,S):  A Love Rekindled

After arriving back at Madge's flower shop and heading upstairs to Madge & Matthew Drake's apartment on Saturday evening around 10:30pm, Aunt Madge and Matthew, and Michael Ferguson are tired.  So Madge gives Matthew his bedtime calming medicine and wishes him pleasant dreams.   He felt so good today--not anxious at all--that Matthew had considered pretending to take his pill and then throwing it away.  But his Aunt Madge [(2) right]   had kindly insisted on watching him take his pill--her  knowing that it is the only dose he takes per day now.  So there was nothing for it, and he swallows the pill.  

Madge and her man friend Michael will have a private good night and they both watch Matthew enter his bedroom and close his door.  Then Madge slowly and shyly turns around to face Michael.  Michael gazes lovingly upon her sweet upturned face--her sparkling eyes, her rosey cheeks, her small heart shaped face, her luscious red lips.  Madge also appreciatively gazes upon the tall, broad shouldered,  and muscular Michael, looking ever so fine in his sport coat.

Yet Madge and Michael have only reconnected as a romantic couple since yesterday and she is still nervous around him--uncertain if they can pick up where they left off two years ago,  when Matthew's wife and child were tragically killed in the car accident and he was injured so grievously.  And in truth, after she and Michael dating for as long as they had back then--with her now fifty and Michael fifty five--that Madge despaired of him ever popping the question.  Why buy the cow, when you can get the milk for free? [(3)]

Madge:   "May I offer you some coffee, Michael?"  She asks a bit haltingly. 

Michael: "Nay.  Only if ye wish it."  Michael [(4) right]  replies in a hushed whisper as he gazes at her longingly.  He is nervous, too.  But a good kind of nervous--anticipatory.

Madge: "Very well."  Madge nods and gestures for him to follow her into her kitchen

Of course, Michael knows the layout of his lady friend Madge's apartment very well.  He could navigate it in the dark--and had, on many an occasion of sleepless night when he was roused from their bed by a routine bodily need.   As Madge begins to fill the coffee carafe with water at her kitchen counter sink, Michael steps closer behind her and asks longingly.

Michael:    "Will na the coffee keep ye awake?  Arrre ye na sleepy, Madge?"  He asks as he leans over her, drinking in her intoxicating rose scent--occupational hazard for a florist.

Madge: "Yes I am a bit sleepy." Madge's hands still in their task as she replies in a small voice.

Michael: Michael leans into her and puts his arms about her as he kisses her temple."Then let us rrrretirrre to bed."  He says huskily in barely disguised ardor.

Madge:   "Us?"  Her eyes widen as her hands tremble.

Michael moves to Madge's side and he also turns her to face him, by gently touching her shoulders as his hands trail down her arms caressingly..

Michael: "Us." He nods his head affirmatively with a smile curling at his lips and he brings her hand to his lips for a kiss.

Then Michael takes Madge into his arms again and kisses her tenderly on her lips for several minutes--deepening their embracing.  At first, she is too hesitant to respond to him. Then her love for Michael overwhelms her and she kisses him back adoringly.  After a few moments more, she drags her lips away from his lips and she buries her head onto his broad chest.

Madge:  "I have missed you so, Michael."  Her tears begin to fall in response to the pain of their separation.

Michael:  "And I have missed you, Lass.  But I have been herrre all along.  Waiting forrr you to let me back into yourrr life."

Madge: "I'm sorry, Michael.  But when the car accident happened two years ago, all I could think of was poor Matthew and trying to help him recover." Madge looks pleadingly into Michael's eyes in hope of his understanding.

Michael:  "I know, I know.  But Matthew is getting better now--moving toward a new life.  Might we do the same?" Michael caresses Madge's cheek and she smiles lovingly at him.   Then he leans in and whispers into her ear. "I want to make love with you tonight."

Madge: She wants to, but feels shy.  "Oh Michael!  I do love you. But it has been two years since we last ..."  Her voice trails away.

Michael: "Aye! Two long  yearrrs.  I have yearrrned for ye, My Madgie."  His pet name for her.  "No else could everrr, nor would everrr, enterrr me hearrrt.  It is yourrrs forrr always."  

Then Michael passionately kisses Madge again as he scoops her up into his arms and carries her into her bedroom.  She cuddles into his shoulders and neck, clinging to him as she used to do before they made love.

Madge: Still she hesitates."But, Michael, I am not as young as I once was." How can she tell him of her fears?  That she has some wrinkles now and her breasts are not as pert as they once were, and her hips are ... more generous.

Michael: "Ye arrre me lovely lass. As beautiful as the day we met twenty yearrrs ago."

Madge: "But ..."  Her lip trembles.

Michael: He flips the light switch to off.   "If we make love in the dark, will ye make love with me?"  He asks pleadingly.  She hesitates, pondering that option. Then he drops to his knees and embraces her around her waist, nestling his head between her breasts.  "I'm sorrrry.  I'm sorry.  Perrrhaps our being together as loverrrs  is too soon forrr, ye.  I can wait, somehow.  But can we at least cuddle?   Fully clothed if ye like?   I love ye so, My Madgie." Michael whispers haltingly, lovingly as he lifts his head up and kisses her neck.

Madge: "No."  Madge sighs and runs her fingers through his hair--causing him to tilt his head and gaze up at her questioningly.   She leans down and sweetly and lingeringly kisses him on his lips. Then she whispers.  "Make love with me, My Michael."

Michael: "Oh Madgie!"  Michael huskily moans.

They kiss in a torrent of unmet loving sensual need unleashed after two years of self denial--their hands lovingly and tenderly caressing each other.  However as their clothes begin to be shed, Madge's shyness returns.

Madge: Breathing deeply, Madge makes a request.  "Michael, please let me just ... freshen up."

Michael:  "Hmmm." He murmurs deeply as he pants.  "Of course. ...Then I will."

Michael reluctantly releases Madge from his embrace--their arms trailing along each others' arms in parting--and Madge turns back to him.

Madge: "Oh!  Michael do you have ...?"   She can't quite finish her sentence as she blushes.

Michael:   He nods his head. "I do."  She tilts her head quizzically at him.  Then he grins sheepishly as he blushes.  "I hoped."

Madge nods and enters her en suite bathroom where she quickly removes her clothes and freshens up. Then she dons her lace and satin slip again--because it has a supportive bodice and she feels feminine in it.

As Madge and Michael change places, he pulls her to him and kisses her soundly again.   Then as he enters the bathroom, she suggests.

Madge:  "There is a towel on the counter for you." 

Her thinking in case he is shy--though being shy about his body was not usually the situation for him.  And she smiles a small smile in remembrance.  And covering himself does not seem to be the case for Michael now as he quickly removes his clothes in the bathroom, rubs some toothpaste over his teeth because he had fish for dinner, rinses, and spits it out, and then he returns to her wearing only a smile.

Madge is already lying in bed, the bed sheet pulled up to her neck, covering her slip covered breasts.  She gazes upon his still muscular handsomeness from his chiseled jaw to his powerful legs.  Time has not diminished her desire for him--nor it seems, his desire for her.   Michael quickly joins her as he slides into bed and cradles her in his arms.

Michael:  "My Madgie! I love ye so!"  He sighs.

Madge: "My Michael!"  She sighs.

And then, though their bedroom is romantically dark, lit only by the moon shining in through the drapery sheers--and Madge retains hers lace and satin slip for modesty--Michael and Madge  kiss and embrace and make love with each other with loving abandon. It turns out that neither of them were that sleepy, afterall--except, after.  And then they fall asleep in each other's loving arms--feeling loved and cherished by each other once more.

***

After a restful night of sleep, Matthew wakens Sunday morning having dreamt pleasantly about Jocelyn.  He is still a bit sleepy, due to the residual effects of his bedtime calming medicine.  But he yawns and stretches.  Then smelling fresh coffee, he dashes into the shower and dresses for church.  As Matthew pops down the hall to the kitchen, he surprisingly finds Michael Ferguson tending to the morning coffees and sweet rolls.    Their regular breakfast will occur after the early 7:30am church services are over.

Matthew:  "Oh! Hello, Michael."  Matthew [(5) right]  greets Michael  pleasantly, unconcerned about why Michael is here this morning when he usually isn't.

Michael:  "Matthew.   Morrrning!"  Michael says cheerfully and hands Matthew a mug of coffee."

Sipping the hot brew and looking around the smallish kitchen, Matthew realizes that his Aunt Madge is not to be found.

Matthew: "Did you come to join us for church this morning, Michael?" Matthew asks in curiosity as he picks up a cinnamon roll from the plate--him not noticing that Michael is wearing the same dress clothes as last night.  For that matter, so is Matthew--but Matthew is also wearing a tie, and fresh underwear, whilst Michael is doing without.

Michael raises a bushy red hued eyebrow.  He hasn't crossed a church threshhold in years--and then only intermittently when he was with his Madge.

Michael:   "Something like that, Laddie."  Michael also sips his coffee.

Madge rushes into the kitchen and embraces and tenderly kisses Michael without seeing that Matthew has already arrived.  When Madge finally pulls away from Michael, she whispers to him.

Madge:  "Thank you for starting the coffee, Michael.   But you must go before Matthew turns up."

Michael:    Bemusedly, Michael intones. "Too late, Lassie!"  And he points to Matthew quietly sipping his coffee and noshing on a cinnamon roll in the corner of the kitchen.

Madge: Madge turns to see her nephew smiling at her. "Oh!"

Madge begins to blush crimson for being caught in the morning, kissing her lover, Michael.  Though, Matthew does not know that Michael spent the night, he does like that his Aunt Madge seems happier this morning.

Matthew:  "Good morning, Aunt Madge. Michael stopped by and made the coffee for us.  He is joining us for church."  Matthew smiles pleasantly as he walks over to his aunt, leans over, and kisses her cheek.

Madge:  Madge swivels her head to Michael.  "Really?"  She looks at Michael expectantly.  First she has Michael her longtime loving man friend back in her life--and in her bed--and now he goes to church with her too?  Madge is overjoyed to say the least.

Michael: "It would seem so."  Michael blanches.   "But I will meet you therrre. I have to stop back at me aparrrrtment firrrst, to fetch some ... well."    He tilts his head at Madge and smiles.  She blushes again.

Though Michael had showered when he arose this morning, he feels that if he is going to attend church, then the formalities should be observed. He feels that he should at least be wearing underwear.  Michael's current pair of underwear is drying on a towel  rod, in his Madge's bathroom down the hall. She had washed them in the basin for him last night. Michael sets his coffee mug down upon the counter, kisses Madge's forehead and squeezes her shoulders in an embrace, then nods at Matthew before he heads home briefly before attending church.

***

The mid thirties newish Vicar Nelson Marshall [(6) right]  of St. Vincent's Parish Church down the lane from Madge's flower shop and Michael's pub, greets parishioners as they enter for the early 7:30am Sunday morning services.

Vicar Nelson: "Hello, good morning, nice to see you."  He shakes several regular attendees' hands.  They file into the church and sit in their regular pews.  Pews are no longer sponsored [(7)], but everyone tends to sit in the same place each week.

Jocie [(8) right] waits patiently in line as she queues up to the Vicar at the church entrance.  She likes visiting churches when she travels.  She usually  gets good tips about places to see and to eat at. The usher who had given Jocie  her worship program bulletin points at her above her head for the Vicar's benefit.  But then, St. Vincent's is such a small parish--in terms of the buildings and its congregation--that anyone new is noticed immediately.

Jocie:  "Hello Father Marshall, I'm Jocelyn Burrows and I'm visiting London for a little bit."

Vicar Nelson: "A ha!  Miss Burrows.  You sound like an American?"  Jocie shyly nods.  "Well, we're glad you could join us today. Please sit wherever you like--even up front. I can never get people to sit in the first two rows.  Maybe they think that I will call on them when I'm sermonizing.  Ha!"  He jokes. "But then, the church sanctuary is not deep, so no one escapes my notice from up front." He smiles warmly at her. 

Jocie:  "Ha ha ha!   I'll remember that."  She winces bemusedly.  And she thinks woe betide anyone who has the temerity to fall asleep in this church.

Vicar Nelson:  "And please, just address me as Vicar Nelson.  I'm trying to clear the cobwebs out from some of the more stodgy practices in this church." 

Vicar Nelson shakes Jocie's hand and then he goes on to greet the next person.  Jocie does sit closer to the front of the sanctuary on the left  side of the [aisle]--nearer the altar and pulpit--as a church usher beckons her forward. Jocie notices that the pews at this early worship service seem to be filled with older couples, some with young children who must be their grandchildren.  She bows to the altar before entering her pew, then she sits with her head bowed in quiet prayer for several minutes.  Jocie prays for a new life--and for her to be open to finding a good man to love.  She just hopes that the foolishness she feels at being duped by her ex-fiance does not hinder her ability to recognize good qualities in other people. She is thinking of Matthew Drake, his Aunt Madge, and Michael Ferguson.  She has known them only briefly, but she feels they are good people.  And Matthew is someone whom she has become quite fond of.  So Jocie prays for guidance and wisdom.

After Matthew, Aunt Madge and Michael Ferguson are greeted by the newish Vicar, they head into the church sanctuary up the center aisle and bow before sliding into their pews mid way up on the right side of the aisle, the lecturn side.

Michael:  "I like the new Vicarrr.  He seems alrrright.  When did he come, Madge?"

Madge: She smiles.  "Last year.  Which you would know if you came to church more often."  She teases him chastingly.

Matthew:  "He gives short sermons, too." Offers Matthew.

Michael:  "Well!  Now I rrreally like him!" 

Michael looks around at the other worship attendees as Madge busies herself reading the church news in the worship bulletin--who is sick and being prayed for, the youth group spaghetti dinner coming up, and this month's needed donations of clothing and food for the poor and such.  As usual, Matthew takes out the hymnals and marks where the songs are as noted on the wooden sign board to the right of the lecturn.  Then Matthew also reads the worship bulletin--him now thinking that it might be enlivened by a few jokes or funny stories, like in the Reader's Digest.  He smiles at the thought and wonders when he will see Jocelyn again.

Then looking to his left and toward the front, Michael spies the back of Jocelyn's head.  She is sitting a  few rows ahead of them on the left side of the aisle.  Madge and Matthew have not seen her yet.  Nor has Jocelyn seen them.  And Michael is uncertain if he should bring Jocelyn to their attention.  The four of them had not planned to see each other today.  After two days getting to know Jocelyn, Michael thinks that she is a nice girl--who might be getting in over her head with Matthew.  Though Michael does not view Matthew as being childlike, he has only recently interacted with him--when Matthew was being weaned from his calming medicine.  So Michael respects his Madge's perspective on the matter.

The worship service begins with prayers and singing. Then a parishioner reads the lessons at the lecturn on the right side of the church.  Jocie turns her body slightly toward the lecturn as she looks up from reading the bible passage printed in the worship bulletin that is being read aloud to them.  And she does not notice Michael Ferguson and the Drakes because they are sitting several rows back on the right side of the aisle--beyond her peripheral vision. 

So it is after the Vicar does the gospel reading up front at the head of the center aisle and then walks to the pulpit on the left side of the church pews that everyone turns to him.  Jocie sits primly, her hands folded lightly in her lap as she listens attentively to a sermon about love.

Vicar Nelson:  "Our text today is based on  is 1st Corinthians, versus 4-13" [(9) below]:

 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 8Love never fails. ...

 13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Then Vicar Nelson continues on to extol the virtues of pure, sincere, and unconditional love.  Given Jocie's present circumstances, the sermon feels very relevant to her. 

It is when Matthew looks up from his bible where he had followed along reading the verses that he spies the back of Jocelyn's head. And he blurts out in a hushed voice--because he is in church.

Matthew:  "Jocelyn!" Matthew had not thought that he would get to see Jocelyn today.  And here she is.

Aunt Madge: Not certain she had heard him correctly, Aunt Madge turns to look over her shoulder at her nephew Matthew.  "What is it, Matthew Dear?" She gently asks him in a whisper--thinking that the sermon has inspired his outburst.

Matthew:  "Look." 

Matthew points his head in the direction toward the front of the left side of pews.  Madge looks, but does not see anything at first.  She looks quizzically at Michael sitting to her left--and who sits a little taller than her petite self. Michael nods his head and tilts it over toward the left as well.  Then as someone behind Jocelyn moves to adjust their sitting position, Madge spies Jocelyn.

Aunt Madge: "Oh!" 

Aunt Madge is a tad startled, but pleasantly so--to learn that Jocelyn is a person of faith, and the coincidence that she would happen to choose their church to visit.  There is a larger, and more showy church--it has a bell choir--a few blocks over and closer to Jocelyn's hotel.  But then Aunt Madge surmises that Jocelyn being a quiet and shy person likes the smaller and friendlier church of St. Vincent's here that Madge calls her church home.

Matthew's eyes do not leave Jocelyn's form--even though Jocelyn does not see him yet.  Matthew feels that Jocelyn looks so sweet with her gaze focused upon the minister's sermon or when her head is bent in prayer.  And it is probably  an optical allusion from the overhead lighting bouncing off of Jocelyn's sleek and shiny hair, but Matthew thinks that there is a glow above her head--almost a halo, as if she were an angel.  For Matthew, Jocelyn is an angel, his angel.

Jocelyn really prays about the verse used for the sermon text. "4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud."  It describes the kind of happy loving relationship that she hopes to find one day.  Then during communion--when every files out to the center aisle and then walks forward to take communion and walks back to their seats via the outer side aisles, Jocie sees Matthew standing up on the other side's pews. She stops  and stares at him, as he stares at her.  But there are people behind her so she reenters her pew and  sits back down where she had been sitting.  All the while, she can't take her eyes off of Matthew.  

For her part, Aunt Madge is trying to avoid a scene in church.   Matthew is usually so well behaved when she brings him.  So she tugs on Matthew's arm, for him to keep moving toward the front and the communion rail. But after Matthew partakes of communion, he walks down the center aisle, and he slides into Jocelyn's pew next to her on the left side of the aisle--rather than him sitting with his Aunt Madge and Michael on the right side of the aisle.  Aunt Madge reaches out for Matthew, but misses touching his arm.  And Michael shakes his head no and guides her back to their pew where Michael pats Madge's hand comfortingly.  

Jocelyn:  "Matthew!" Jocie sighs in a hushed whisper as he sits next to her in her pew.  She has not stopped thinking about him since their kiss last night.

Matthew: "Jocelyn!"  Matthew also replies to her in a whisper.

They clasp their hands together and smile in friendship and a growing affection for each other.  Then they courteously face forward as the worship service concludes.

Michael believes that Madge will have to learn to give Matthew more freedoms as his health improves--as much for Matthew's sake, as it is if Michael and Madge are to be able to build their lives together again.  But Matthew and Jocie are still exploring where their relationship is going. And only time will tell if they will become more than friends.

To be continued with Chapter 9

"Lost & Found" (Revised), Ch. 8 References for Wattpad, Nov. 01, 2014 Gratiana Lovelace 

1)   "Lost & Found" title graphic representing Matthew is an artistic blurring of a portrait of the Spooks character Lucas North (as portrayed by British actor Richard Armitage) found at http://www.richardarmitagenet.com/images/gallery/Spooks/Spooks9/album/episode2/album/slides/2_199.html

2) Image representing Madge is a portrait of the British actress Brenda Blethyn found at http://images.zap2it.com/images/celeb-9129/brenda-blethyn-2.jpg

3) Why buy the cow, when you can get the milk for free?" is an idiom explained at http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Why+buy+a+cow+when+you+can+get+milk+for+free%3F

4) Image representing Michael Ferguson bartender is a portrait of the British Actor Michael Crawford found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/images/episode/p00941p7_640_360.jpg

5) Image representing Matthew Drake in a suit is Richard  Armitage portraying Lucas North in Spooks, series 7 found at http://www.richardarmitagenet.com/images/gallery/Spooks/album/ep5/slides/5_77.jpg

6) Image representing Vicar Nelson Marshall  is that of British actor James Frain portraying Franklin Mott in Wake the Dead

http://www.nine26.com/wakethedead/images/cast/franklin.jpg

7) Information about church pews and early traditions of reserved seating was found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pew

8) Image representing Jocelyn is a cropped portrait of British actress Kate Beckinsale found at http://freshlookhairstyles.blogspot.com/2011/10/fresh-look-celebrity-kate-beckinsale.html 

9)The excerpted quote from 1st Corinthians 4-13 was found at http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13&version=NIV

"Lost & Found" (Revised), Ch. 8  Images for Wattpad, Nov. 01, 2014 Gratiana Lovelace

http://gratianads90.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/blostfoundch8wattpadimages_nov0114gratianalovelace.jpg