Early December witnessed the Christmas decorations adorning the walls of the Jugglers Arms. Ella had some great designs in mind and both Ed and Jude were grateful for her sharing her ideas. As she sat quietly in front of the log fire, describing a decorative centrepiece for the bar consisting of an arrangement of three purple, one pink and one white candle, Ed remarked, “You always did have an artistic eye for detail.” Ella explained, “Since I have been ill I have found a faith. I believe that God has decided it’s time for me to go and that he is waiting for me. This is one way I can show him that I too am counting down the days. Tomorrow, I will light the first purple candle: the prophesy candle. Its purpose is to remind us how Jesus’s coming was foretold long before his arrival. Next Sunday I will light the second purple one: the Bethlehem candle. On the third Sunday of Advent it will be the turn of the rose-coloured candle: the candle of love. The fourth candle is the angel candle and we light that on Christmas Day. Promise me that if I become too ill you will remember to light them on my behalf.” Ed had come to appreciate how much Ella had changed during the seven years since she had left him. It was clear that she had spent much time alone, soul searching and now seemed to be a much happier and contented person. During their marriage, she had appeared very frustrated; now she could now explain how she had come to gain some insight into the reasons for her past behaviour.

“I was so impatient with everyone. There was so much I felt that I deserved in life, stuff to make up for my crappy childhood, and that it was the role of the man, or men, in my life to make me happy. My therapist helped me to realize that this was probably due to the anger I felt when my father walked out on us. All I can remember is my mother struggling to provide for us. I discovered that I had become intent on having all the things in life that I couldn’t have as a child; all the material things I thought would make me happy, and that it was the man’s job to provide them for me. But it was never enough. I was always left wanting more. Even when Alan took me to live on his yacht in Spain, it didn’t seem to satisfy me. He called me an ungrateful bitch when I got tired of the partying and said I wanted to move off the boat to live in a villa. I guess he was right.” Ed started to protest that it wasn’t true but was silenced by Jude’s gentle, restraining hand as she lightly squeezed his thigh beneath the table. “She needs to come to terms with everything, Ed,” she explained later when they were alone together. “Just let her say everything she wants to; she’s not looking for compliments. Our role is to witness her redemption. That is the kindness we are offering.” Aware that Ella’s newfound faith was not shared by Jude, whose beliefs were rooted in the African practices taught to her by her grandparents, Ed held his remarkable wife close and whispered in her ear, “I am so lucky to have you. I love you.” Then, gently rubbing her bulging belly, he added, “And I love you, too.”   Scorpio Moons by Helen Noble is a collection of dark, secretive and passionate tales of the deeds of driven women in their search for self-empowerment.eBook £4.99 || $7.99Aug 29, 2014. 978-1-78279-565-0.BUY | AMAZON US | AMAZON UKPaperback £10.99 || $18.95Aug 29, 2014. 978-1-78279-566-7.BUY | AMAZON US | AMAZON UK  

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