TVR/Lady Jane/Runaway/Priest
You've never had much to do with priests or any kind of religion. There was one who used to come to your school and preach about all the horrible things that would happen to you if you did something called "fornication" or "self-abuse", which, considering your home life, was probably inevitable for you.
The one sitting next to you on the bench is much younger than the one who came to the school and when you turn to look, you decide that he has a kind face. When he smiles, he has the whitest teeth you've ever seen. "Are you okay," he asks. You shrug and nod at the same time. "It's nice here isn't it," he says and you nod again.
"I'm father Brown; what's your name?"
"Jane."
"Just Jane? Okay, I can live with that. I saw you come out of the station; are you visiting someone here?"
"I've gotta go," you say, grabbing your bag and standing up.
"If you need somewhere to stay, I know a safe place," he said, smiling and revealing those teeth again.
You stand there, undecided, and he stands up and takes a few paces away before he turns around. "Come on," he says, and, having no better ideas, you meekly follow him.
He takes you to a big house next door to a church with one of those horrible statues of Jesus on the cross in front of it, and leads you down a passageway to a back door which he opens with a key. Inside, the passageway is really dark after the bright sun outside and he leads you up a flight of stairs and shows you into a bedroom. It's a lot bigger than your little room in the attic at home and when he pulls the curtains back the sunlight floods in through the window. There's not much furniture, just a narrow bed, a wardrobe, a big old chest of drawers with a mirror on top and a rug that only covers the middle of the floor.
"What do you think," he asks.
You look around. "You mean… I can stay here?"
"Only if you want to," he says. "It's just something temporary until you get yourself sorted out." He is still standing in the door and beckons you out. "Come on, I'll show you the rest of the house. He points down the passageway. "There's a bathroom and toilet down there that you can use, but the hot water takes ages to come through." He sets off back down the stairs and you follow him into a big kitchen, then a sitting room with some shabby armchairs. He goes in and sits down in one of the armchairs. You hesitate at first, but then sit down on the edge of the couch.
"Is there anyone else living here," you ask.
He shakes his head. "I used to have a housekeeper, but she left." He looks at you for a few moments. "You look like a capable girl. How about we do a deal. I need somebody to do a bit of cooking and cleaning around here and you need somewhere to stay."
And that's how you come to be living at St John's Presbytery with Father Brown.