Back at the Wren’s house, Phoebe wondered how her parents’ meeting with the council representatives was going. Given that Cosain had told her that Darken Abbey would act as the Celtic Justice Mission’s headquarters, she was tempted to assume that it was a foregone conclusion, but she had learned enough of the unpredictability of the Enemy to know that this was an overly simplistic view of things.
Demetrius and Ella had gone for a walk earlier in the afternoon; they had asked Phoebe to join them but she had declined the offer, preferring instead to take the opportunity to write a couple of emails to friends back in Africa. Phoebe had entirely settled back into life in Ireland, and was delighted to be home, but she still desperately missed the folk who had become like family to her in Johannesburg and it was important to her to make the effort to keep in touch.
An hour and a half and six emails later, Phoebe’s eyes were stinging from focusing on her computer screen. She was pleased with what she had gotten done, and decided to call it a day where emails were concerned. As she stood up from her desk, rubbing her smarting eyes, Phoebe heard her parents car pull on to the gravel drive at the front of their house, and she quickly scampered downstairs to hear their news. As Jack and Eva walked in the front door, Demetrius and Ella arrived home through the back door.
“Guys,” said Jack, who was trying to look nonchalant but was obviously bursting with glee. “Great timing. Grab a seat in the den, I’m just going to put the kettle on, your Mum and I need a cuppa!”
Eva took off her coat and kicked off her high heels then got herself settled comfortably in the family room. Phoebe was about to follow her mother through when Demetrius caught her elbow and motioned for her to follow him. They stepped into the front porch with Ella, and Phoebe could tell immediately that there had been… further developments, and she didn’t have to wonder for long what they could be.
“Phoebe,” said Demetrius. “Ella and I… we… we were out by Darken Abbey again.”
“Dem…” Phoebe started to protest, but her friend interrupted her.
“We didn’t go in, Phoebs, not even through the fence. But there’s definitely stuff going on up there, there’s no doubt about it. Things are hotting up for sure.”
“Stuff?” Phoebe was at once nervous and intrigued. She knew that she shouldn’t be surprised, given Cosain’s warnings and the crazy events of the last few weeks, but she knew too that she could never predict what would happen next.
“Yeah,” said Ella. “Really obviously weird stuff, like…”
Before Ella could expound further, Jack reappeared in the hallway with a round tray containing two mugs of tea for him and Eva, and three glasses of orange juice for Phoebe, Demetrius and Ella. He had brought a packet of chocolate biscuits too, and was definitely finding it increasingly difficult to hide his exhilaration. ‘Chocolate biscuits? It must be good news!’ Phoebe knew her father well, and had to disguise her amusement as she and her friends joined Jack and Eva in the den. She had not forgotten Demetrius’s and Ella’s untold tale, but for now was content to focus on hearing her parents’ news.
“Come on Dad, don’t keep us all in suspense!” Phoebe, Ella and Demetrius were perched on the edges of their seats, eagerly awaiting what in reality they were sure they already knew.
“Okay, well, after our meeting this afternoon, I am delighted to be able to tell you that… Celtic Justice Mission is now a fully registered charitable organisation, and the council has granted us full use of Darken Abbey as our headquarters!”
Eva’s face lit up as if she was hearing the news for the first time, and she beamed happily at her husband, who was on his feet and punching the air with both fists.
“Wow!” Phoebe exclaimed, genuinely delighted. “That’s incredible news! Well done both of you!”
“I have to admit it was touch and go for a while,” added Eva, her expression serious again. “Vincent d’Olcas – you remember, the man I was telling you about – he was definitely gunning for us. He did everything except just tell us to get out of his office! I honestly thought that CJM might never get off the ground for a while. And I just cannot fathom why he would be so opposed to our organisation being established in this area. I mean, when you think about it, it’s a win-win situation – Darken Abbey gets a facelift and will be put to good use again after all these years, and if Celtic Justice Mission reaches its full potential as an organisation, it could even put Arles on the map! Plus, the local community will benefit from the added income that will be generated from our rent and the little spin off businesses we hope to establish.”
“Spin off businesses?” Demetrius was curious.
“Yes,” answered Jack. “CJM won’t need the entire abbey, so we plan to let parts of it out. Eventually, we’d love to have a coffee shop, a book shop, maybe even a small doctors’ surgery in there. And it’s our hope that we will be able to offer a lot of our services free of charge to not only our local community, but much further afield via Skype and email.”
“Whoa,” Phoebe had expected to hear positive plans for Darken Abbey, but as its full potential began to dawn on her, she was incredibly excited and realised exactly why the Enemy would feel so intimidated by the potential for light and good from a hitherto gloomy place. “The effects of CJM could be felt right across the world! I mean, there’s even the chance that our friends back in Africa will benefit from what you set up here. And maybe we can help the poor and needy and overlooked in India, or China, or Syria, or the Ukraine or…”
“Now just hold on a minute, Phoebe,” smiled Eva. “It’s great that you’re catching hold of the vision for Celtic Justice Mission, but we’ve got a lot to do first. Baby steps, okay?” Eva patted Phoebe’s hand, and the mother and daughter shared a knowing look that said ‘dream big’. Yes, there was much work to be done, but these were exciting times, and Celtic Justice Mission was bursting with potential which Phoebe was sure would be realised in time. She recalled Cosain’s words from what seemed like a lifetime ago: ‘This will be big, beyond your parents’ imaginings… but they will learn not to despise small beginnings’, and as her parents and her friends chatted animatedly about CJM and the council and Darken Abbey, Phoebe knew that they were on the cusp of something that could change not only all of their lives, but the lives of thousands of people all across the world. She uttered a silent prayer of thanks as outside the Wrens’ house a myriad of towering angelic warriors stood battle ready and alert.