City Woman (44 page)

‘Are Anthony and Lillian bringing the children?’ Nelsie asked eagerly. She loved her grandchildren.

‘Yes, they are,’ Maggie assured her. ‘My gang are in a tizzy of excitement at seeing their cousins.’

‘Ah, it will be a nice day; I’m looking forward to it,’ Nelsie declared. ‘I hope Susy will be in better form than she was at your gran’s.’

There was silence at the other end of the phone and then Nelsie heard her daughter say calmly, ‘I don’t care if she’s in good form or not, she’s not coming to my house
with her bad manners, Ma. If she and Patrick can’t behave properly in company, that’s
their
problem. I’m going to a lot of trouble so that you and Dad and Anthony and
Lillian and the rest of you will enjoy yourselves. I do
not
intend for Miss Susy to create an atmosphere in my house now or ever . . . so, Mother, I didn’t invite them.’

‘Oh Maggie, they’re family,’ Nelsie demurred.

‘Precisely, Ma! And when they behave like family, they’ll be treated like family,’ Maggie said firmly.

‘You know, Maggie, you’re right,’ Nelsie said quite cheerfully after a minute. ‘Patrick has made his bed and he must lie in it. And if he wants to change it, it’s
up to him. Why should we all have to suffer? Now, do you need mince-pies or will I bake a few scones or sausage rolls?’

‘Oh, a few sausage rolls would be lovely, Ma. But don’t go to any trouble, now.’

‘I won’t, dear. See you on New Year’s Day.’

‘See you, Ma, God bless,’ Maggie said fondly, and hung up.

She was very relieved at her mother’s attitude. Obviously Nelsie had had enough too. Terry had backed her all the way when she decided not to invite her brother and his wife.

‘Thanks be to God,’ he laughed. ‘I couldn’t sit looking at her sour puss for another evening.’

So it wasn’t only herself, Maggie reflected, as she hoovered the guest-room. And even if it
was
, she decided, she still wouldn’t invite Susy. She was too old to put up with
the crap her sister-in-law dished out. Lick your arse one minute, cut the nose off you the next, and treating poor Gran like dirt. It just wasn’t on. Let Patrick put up with it if he wanted.
In fact it wouldn’t bother her if she never saw Susy again. The thought cheered Maggie up and she hoovered with vim and vigour, looking forward to having the two families to dinner.
Terry’s sister and her husband and children were nice people and Terry, to give him his due, was a very good host. At the moment, Maggie and he were not arguing as much as before. She
wondered if the postponement of the publication of her book had made her new career seem less threatening to him.

She was already well into her second novel, but with Christmas and everything she hadn’t had any time to write, except for the couple of hours she had spent at the typewriter the night
Devlin was there. Actually, that couple of hours had really got her going, and once Christmas was over, she was dying to get stuck in again. Maybe the reason Terry was in better humour was because
she hadn’t been writing. Maggie sprayed Sparkle on to the Sliderobe mirror and buffed it off. If her husband thought she was going to ease off her writing because she’d had a setback,
he was mightily mistaken. He could just get used to the idea that she had a career too and that she intended making a success of it.

Maggie was making one big new year’s resolution, she decided. She wasn’t going to take any more crap from anyone. Not from Terry, not from her publishers and certainly, most
certainly, not from moody Susy. On the phone beside the bed, she dialled Adam’s number, after making sure that nobody was within earshot. Terry was going to take the kids to Funderland for
the afternoon. She had a few hours free; she hoped her lover would be free as well. He’d be interested to hear about her new year’s resolution. Adam was always telling her she was too
soft. From now on, for a change, she was going to put her own feelings first. Having a dinner party without madame was the first step. Her phone call to Adam was the next.

‘Come on, gang, into the car, or it will be dark before we get to Funderland,’ Terry urged as Mimi, Michael and Shona scurried around putting on hats, coats and
gloves.

‘Sure you don’t want to come?’ he asked Maggie. ‘Remember the first year we were going together, we went to Funderland and had a ball?’

‘Yeah, I remember,’ Maggie said, and her eyes were sad.

‘Come on, the house looks fine. Leave it and we’ll go to McDonald’s!’ Terry suggested enthusiastically.

‘No, you go on. I’ve a few bits and pieces to get in Superquinn still, and I might call on Marian. I promised I’d call to see her over Christmas.’ Maggie would never call
on Marian without an invitation, but it seemed like a good excuse.

‘Sure, aren’t we going to dinner to her house the Sunday after New Year’s Day?’ Terry reminded his wife.

Maggie was a little flustered. ‘Oh yes, I forgot. Look, Terry, you go. I’ve a million and one things to do, anyway,’ Maggie said, as she buttoned Shona’s coat and put on
her gloves and scarf. She stood waving after her family, a big smile on her face, and Terry smiled himself at the sight of their three children waving excitedly from the back seat.

Apart from being annoyed with Susy and Patrick, Maggie was in remarkably good form these days. It was great, because when Enterprise had told her they were going to postpone publishing her book,
she’d been like a bear with a sore head. At least she hadn’t her head stuck to the typewriter this past couple of weeks. Except for that afternoon when Devlin had insisted she go and
write.

He couldn’t help it, but it really bugged him when he came in from work and she was out in the kitchen tap-tap-tapping away. That was all she ever did, tap-bloody-tap-tap-tap. She hardly
ever came out to dinner with his clients, whereas she used always to accompany him or else entertain them at home. Oh, she still gave the odd dinner party, but nothing like before. Now that
she’d got out of the habit of writing, she mightn’t bother as much in the new year, and they could get back to normal. The thought cheered Terry up immensely. He was pleased with the
way she was rushing around making sure everything was right for the gathering on New Year’s Day. He was looking forward to it himself. He liked having the two families together; it was great
for the kids to play with their cousins, and now that Maggie had decided not to invite Susy and Patrick, there’d be no strained atmosphere. He wouldn’t have to be spitting out every
word and polishing it before he spoke to Susy in case she took offence. Everyone could relax and the crack would be great.

Susy was in the horns of a dilemma. She wasn’t talking to her husband, she couldn’t find out whether Maggie had invited them to dinner for New Year’s Day or
not, so she could say she wasn’t going. Every time the phone rang she rushed to answer it, so she could have the pleasure of refusing Maggie’s invitation personally.

By New Year’s Eve, she was like a demon. Patrick was at work, the lounge was crawling with customers and Imelda had phoned in sick. She was exhausted when she got home and irritated to
find Patrick already in bed and snoring. She slept in the spare room, as she had done for the previous week. Not that she slept much, she was far too annoyed. If the Ryans thought that they could
invite her and Patrick to a meal at the last minute they had another think coming. And she’d make sure Maggie knew it when she phoned in the morning to invite them to dinner.

She was thoroughly miffed when Patrick poked his head through the door at nine-thirty to say that he was on his way to work. He had decided to work overtime.

‘Oh, so you’d prefer to work overtime than spend New Year’s Day with your wife,’ she shrieked at him.

‘Correct,’ snapped Patrick, and marched out the door.

‘And what about if your dear sister invites us to dinner?’

‘You go. I know how much you love being with my family,’ he called back and she heard the door slam.

Almost speechless with rage, Susy lay back against the pillows. She was starving. Usually Patrick brought her up her breakfast in bed. Now she was going to have to get it herself.

She waited all morning for the phone to ring, then after lunch, a thought struck her that made her eyes open wide. She dialled her mother-in-law’s number. The phone rang and rang. Lips
tightening into a thin line, she dialled Anthony and Lillian’s. The same.

Taking a deep breath, Susy dialled Maggie’s number.

‘Hello.’ Terry’s deep voice answered. In the background Susy could hear sounds of gaiety, laughter, and children shrieking.

‘Hello,’ Terry repeated. ‘Anthony, could you close the sitting-room door. I can’t hear a word. Oh thanks, Nelsie,’ Susy heard her brother-in-law say.

‘Hello,’ Terry said cheerfully again.

Susy hung up. The fuckers! They were having the new year’s meal without her and Patrick. The absolute nerve of them. How dare Maggie Ryan snub her like that. How dare she! By golly,
she’d get even with her, see if she wouldn’t, Susy vowed, as she sat staring at the phone.

‘Pull the crackers, pull the crackers!’ Mimi shrieked. The happy crowd gathered around Maggie’s big dining-table complied with much laughter and fun and
squeals of delight from the children. When they all had their multi-coloured party hats on their heads, Terry’s brother-in-law, Harry, stood and held up his glass.

‘A toast,’ he said. ‘To Maggie, for serving up this banquet and giving us all a lovely, relaxed jolly day. Here’s to great success with her writing. I’ll tell you
one thing,’ he beamed, ‘Maggie’s a great cook and I always look forward to coming here for my dinner on New Year’s Day.’ His wife guffawed. It was well known that she
couldn’t cook to save her life but she didn’t mind in the slightest admitting it. ‘So, Maggie and Terry, here’s to many more new year’s feasts in your house. I know I
speak for all of us when I say how much we enjoyed it.’ Catching her mother’s eye, Maggie grinned, as Nelsie gave the tiniest wink.

She stood up and raised her glass, ‘Well, thank you, Harry, for your kind words. I do look forward very much to having you all here next year.’ Maggie smiled as she looked around the
table at her nearest and dearest. ‘Here’s to family,’ she toasted.

‘To family,’ echoed the rest as they raised their glasses.

‘It went very well,’ Terry said later that night, as Maggie undressed and slid into bed beside him.

‘It did,’ she agreed. ‘Harry was in great form and Ma and Da were able to relax and Gran thoroughly enjoyed herself. Not inviting the other pair was the best thing I ever
did.’

‘Susy won’t be too pleased,’ Terry said with a grin, putting his arm around his wife.

‘I’m deeply worried,’ Maggie replied dryly.

Terry yawned. ‘Ah well, they missed a great party; that’s all I can say, Maggie. Harry was right; you’re a terrific cook.’

‘You’re not so bad yourself.’ Maggie smiled in the dark. Seconds later, her husband was snoring. Wide-eyed, she lay awake. Today had been a really good day. Terry had done his
utmost to make sure that all the guests had enjoyed themselves and he had spent hours playing with all the kids. He had always been very good at that kind of thing; it was one of the traits that
had most attracted her to him.

To tell the truth, she was feeling a bit guilty. What would they have thought if they knew that she was having an affair with a man ten years her junior. She’d felt a bit of a hypocrite
toasting the family.

Oh stop! Terry would never have let feelings of guilt affect his affair with Ria, she argued silently with herself.

You’re not Terry
. The thought popped unbidden into her mind. Stop thinking about it, enjoy it while it lasts, she ordered herself. Maggie was too much of a pragmatist to imagine
that there was going to be any future in her affair with Adam, although he had urged her to consider moving in with him, children and all.

Would it work? Could it work? Restlessly she tossed and turned, knowing that a time was coming when she’d have to make some very important decisions.

Thirty-Nine

‘Way to go, Mrs Ryan!’ Terry’s eyes widened in admiration and he gave a long appreciative wolf-whistle as Maggie appeared at the sitting-room door, all ready
to go to dinner at the Montclares’.

‘Black really suits you, Maggie. You look gorgeous,’ Josie declared.

‘Thanks, Josie, and thanks a million for babysitting for me tonight,’ Maggie said warmly.

‘Do you know something, Maggie?’ the older woman sighed. ‘I’m actually looking forward to a peaceful night by myself. Dan’s mother came to us for Christmas. Every
year I say I’m not having her, let one of her other sons have her, and every year I give in. I’m fifty-four years of age with my family raised and I can’t even watch what I want
to watch on my own TV when she’s there, the old bat. Isn’t that pathetic?’ She gave a wry smile.

‘Don’t talk to me about in-laws,’ Maggie said sympathetically. ‘They can be a right pain in the butt!’

‘All the years I’ve known her and tried my best to be nice to her but she makes no effort at all,’ moaned Josie.

Maggie grimaced, as a mental picture of a scowling Susy flashed through her mind. ‘I know exactly. Although I’m lucky as regards my own mother-in-law. I get on fine with
her.’

‘Well, mine’s at home in a huff because I’ve gone out, but if I didn’t get away from her I’d probably end up strangling her. As well as saving my sanity,
you’ve probably saved her life,’ Josie said with a grin. ‘So, off with you. Enjoy your night out and let me enjoy mine.’

‘Yeah, Maggie, time’s pushing on,’ Terry put in.

‘Oh Lord, I forgot my watch and rings. I won’t be a minute. You go on and get the car out of the garage. Sit down,’ she said to Josie. ‘Relax and have a drink and watch
whatever you want on TV.’

Maggie ran upstairs to get her jewellery. She slid her engagement- and wedding-ring on to her finger, and fastened her watch. She pulled her fringe down a little more on her forehead and ran her
fingers along her eyebrows. When she looked at her reflection in the mirror she was pleased with what she saw. Knowing Marian, the dinner party would be a very posh affair and, without being vain
about it, she knew she looked her best. She’d treated herself to a gorgeous, slinky, black cocktail dress that she’d seen in Arnotts the week before Christmas, and although it had cost
an arm and a leg, it clung in all the right places and was very slimming. It had an off-the-shoulder neckline and an elegant fifties air that had attracted Maggie to it in the first place. She was
wearing a pair of the finest denier barely-black stockings and elegant black suede shoes. She’d even had her hair blow-dried. The pearls at her throat and ears finished off the look perfectly
and the overall effect was very classy.