Foreign Affairs (74 page)

After she finished the magazine she picked up her library book. It was called
Decade
by Jacqueline Briskin and it was brilliant! Engrossed, she didn’t notice the envious looks of
her colleagues or the tight-lipped stare of Miss Powers.

They all went to the pub at lunch-time. Brenda got quite tiddly from all the drinks the girls bought her. She read her book for the rest of the afternoon and at four-thirty stood up and told the
girls that she had some shopping to do and would see them later in the pub for her booze-up. She waited for Bugs Bunny to forbid her to leave. The supervisor ignored her. Brenda toyed with the idea
of saying ‘Goodbye, Bugs Bunny, knowing I’ll never have to see you again is worth even more to me than my gratuity.’ But in the face of the supervisor’s silence, she thought
it might be undignified. Besides, she’d know then that she’d really got to Brenda.

Brenda took a leaf out of her supervisor’s book. She ignored Hilda. Slowly she emptied her belongings out of her drawer. She took one final look around and walked out of the hated office
for the last time. She’d expected to feel exultant, but instead she felt a sense of anticlimax. She walked down to Roches Stores and treated herself to some make-up and a new angora jumper.
Then she strolled back up to the Parnell Mooney, bought herself a gin and tonic, and sat waiting for the girls to arrive.

It was a great booze-up. They stayed in the pub until closing time and then went off to Leeson Street, where they boogied until the early hours. Brenda let her hair down and thoroughly enjoyed
herself. It was ages since she’d danced. Shay didn’t like dancing and when she’d been pregnant she couldn’t go dancing anyway. Tonight she was making up for lost time. In
the taxi going home, she fingered the elegant gold bangle the girls had given her as a going-away present. They were a good bunch and they’d promised to keep in touch. She must have them all
out to the house for a meal sometime.

Brenda loosened the button of her jeans. She’d have to do something about her weight. She was going to be matron-of-honour at Jenny’s wedding soon and she didn’t want Madame
Matthews looking like a sylph beside her.

She’d start tomorrow, she thought woozily. To get back to the weight she was when she got married would be her goal for Jenny’s wedding. Now that she was going to be at home all day
she could eat sensibly and take plenty of exercise. In no time at all she’d be slim, trim and brimful of energy, Brenda thought with enormous optimism.

Chapter Seventy-Two

‘I look like a big horse beside her,’ Brenda moaned as she sat in the hairdressers beside Jennifer, waiting for Paula and Beth to come down from the beauty salon,
where they were having a professional make-up job. The bride and matron-of-honour had had theirs done first.

‘Oh, for God’s sake, Brenda, will you give it a rest?’ Jennifer was up to ninety. She was getting married in two hours’ time. Grandpa Myles and her mother had had a row.
He said he wasn’t coming to the wedding so there were mega-huffs at home. Poor Ronan had a septic throat and all Brenda cared about was that Paula looked thinner than she did.

‘There’s no need to snap the nose off me,’ Brenda said huffily.

‘You’re my matron-of-honour, Brenda. You’re supposed to support and help me, not whinge about how fat you think you are. I wish this blooming wedding was over.’

‘That’s a nice way to talk about your wedding day.’ Brenda sniffed. ‘And God knows it’s costing you an arm and a leg. Why you couldn’t have been satisfied
with just me as your matron-of-honour, I don’t know.’

‘I wanted Paula and Beth to be my bridesmaids because they’re my best friends,’ Jennifer gritted.

‘Oh well, it’s your money,’ Brenda said snootily.

‘Yes,’ Jennifer said coldly. ‘It is.’

‘Only some people have more money than sense.’ Brenda stuck her head in a magazine, leaving Jennifer sizzling with temper. Brenda had done nothing but make comparisons between her
wedding and Jennifer’s. She was the same about their houses. Why couldn’t she be happy with what she had?

‘Cheer up.’ Paula arrived and sat down beside Jennifer. ‘This is the happiest day of your life,’ she added wryly.

Jennifer laughed. Paula was a great support to her, jollying her along when family tensions got unbearable.

‘I’ve been telling her that.’ Brenda gave Paula a frosty look.

Paula gave an equally frosty look back. ‘Well let’s start
making
it the happiest day of her life then.’ She dipped into her expensive soft leather holdall and produced
a bottle of champagne. This was followed by four slender champagne flutes.

‘Let’s drink to the happy bride,’ she said fondly, popping the cork.

‘Thanks, Paula, that was very thoughtful.’ Jennifer was delighted.

‘Champers! Oh great,’ declared Beth, who had joined them.

Brenda said nothing, furious that she hadn’t thought of it herself.

They sipped the bubbly and Jennifer began to relax. There was nothing she could do about Grandpa Myles and her mother. They’d have to sort it out between themselves. Ronan was on
antibiotics. There was nothing she could do about his septic throat. If Brenda wanted to act the martyr, let her. Jennifer decided she was just going to go with the flow. Getting herself into a
tizzy was not going to help anyone and it would only ruin her day.

‘Have another glass,’ Paula urged.

‘I don’t mind if I do,’ giggled Jennifer, getting into the party mood.

Thanks to Paula she was in much better form when they arrived home. Kit met them at the door. She’d been to the hairdressers first and she looked very smart, Jennifer thought. Her mother
had gone on a diet for the wedding and she’d lost almost a stone. It suited her.

‘Girls, the dresses are pressed and laid out on my bed. Use my bedroom to change in. Jim and the boys have showered and shaved and they’re in the sitting-room out of the way.
Himself,’ she threw her eyes up to heaven, ‘is in his room sulking.’

‘Is he coming to the wedding?’ Jennifer grimaced.

‘Don’t ask me.’ Kit scowled. ‘If he’s not careful, he’ll be going to his funeral.’

They all laughed. And Kit started to laugh herself. ‘Imagine him asking me to phone the hotel to ask the chef to do him a few potatoes in their jackets because he doesn’t like
croquette potatoes. And could he have a dish of boiled rice instead of Pavlova. He’s an awful character. I’m more to be pitied than laughed at,’ she declared good-humouredly.
Jennifer was relieved. Because good-humoured was not how she would have described her mother earlier.

‘You let him sulk if he wants to. He’s not going to ruin our day,’ Jennifer said firmly.

‘Right,’ agreed Kit.

The four trooped upstairs to Kit’s bedroom and began to change into their gowns. The bridesmaids’ dresses were ice-pink off-the-shoulder taffeta. They were lovely on Brenda and Beth
but Jennifer had to admit that Paula, with her golden tan and blond bob, looked stunning.

She stepped into her hoop and tied it around her waist. Paula eased the white raw silk wedding dress with the scalloped neckline over her head and shoulders and draped its rustling folds over
the wide petticoats and hoop.

‘Jennifer, it’s fabulous on,’ she exclaimed. She hadn’t seen the finished wedding dress because she’d been in Greece for the past week. Brenda stood with the veil
in her hands and lowered it onto Jennifer’s upswept hair.

‘You look beautiful, Jenny,’ she declared.

‘Thanks, Bren,’ Jenny said gratefully, all bickering forgotten. ‘So do you.’

‘Girls, we’d want to get a move on,’ Beth suggested, looking at her watch. ‘The car will be here any minute, and I think I heard the photographer arrive.’

Just then Kit popped her head around the door. ‘Oh, Jenny,’ she exclaimed, looking at her daughter. Her eyes brimmed with tears.

‘For God’s sake, Ma! Don’t start me off,’ Jennifer warned, feeling a lump in her throat.

‘Sorry, pet,’ Kit sniffed. ‘I know I promised. It’s just . . . God it only seems like yesterday I was bringing you to Pappin’s for your first day at school.’
She burst into tears.

‘Come on now, Mrs Myles,’ Beth soothed. ‘You’ll ruin your make-up and if Jenny starts crying she’ll ruin hers and the photographer won’t be very
pleased.’

‘You didn’t cry at my wedding,’ Brenda observed.

‘For God’s sake,
Brenda
!’ Paula was disgusted.

‘You mind your own business.’ Brenda turned on her and glared at her.

‘The photographer wants to know if you’re ready yet.’ Jim bellowed up the stairs. ‘And am I to let the neighbours in, Kit?’

Kit wiped her eyes. ‘I’d better get into my dress.’

‘Here, let me help,’ Beth offered.

‘We’ll be down in a minute,’ Jennifer called, furious with Brenda for being so childish. If her sister started any shenanigans and ruined the wedding, she’d never forgive
her.

They fussed around Kit, helping her into her mauve dress and black jacket. It was a lovely outfit and she looked very smart. Paula retouched her make-up for her and five minutes later they all
descended the stairs behind Jennifer. Jim stood at the bottom of the stairs looking at them in admiration.

‘You’re all a sight for sore eyes,’ he exclaimed. Gerard and Sean wolf-whistled. Grandpa Myles, unable to contain his curiosity, opened his door and observed them all with a
penetrating stare.

‘All this fuss and faddle over a wedding. In my day, there wasn’t any of this carry-on. Be that as it may, you look very nice, Jennifer,’ he said testily, stepping out into the
hall to have a closer inspection. ‘Who’s bringing me to the church?’

Kit gave Jennifer a discreet nudge in the ribs. Jennifer nudged her back.

‘You’ll be going with the boys in the wedding car as soon as the photos are taken,’ Jennifer said cheerfully.

‘Another waste of money,’ Grandpa grumbled. ‘Call me when it’s time to go.’ With that he marched back into his room and shut the door firmly behind him.

‘So put that in your pipe and smoke it,’ grinned Jennifer. At least he was coming to the wedding, she thought. Between himself and Brenda no doubt one of them would start a row but
she wasn’t going to worry about it now.

They spent the next twenty-five minutes posing for photos and accepting congratulations from the neighbours. But at twenty minutes to two, Jennifer announced that it was time for her brothers
and Grandpa Myles to leave. ‘I don’t want to be late for Ronan and the car’s to collect the girls before coming back for me and Dad, so let’s get a move on.’
She’d promised Ronan faithfully that she wouldn’t be late.

Neither was she. At two o’clock precisely, she walked with her father up the aisle of Our Mother of Divine Grace Church as the music of the wedding march floated over her head. A little
over a year ago she’d walked up this aisle behind Brenda, now she was walking up it as a bride. It was hard to believe her wedding day was here at last. It had seemed so long in coming.
Especially when they’d had to postpone it. Poor old Ronan, she thought lovingly as she saw him turn to watch her progress up the aisle. It was bad enough getting a septic throat but getting
it on his wedding day was rotten luck.

‘Hi.’ She slid her hand in his when she reached his side.

Ronan leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

‘You look beautiful,’ he said.

Jennifer felt perfectly calm now that she was beside him. All her nervousness disappeared. This was what she wanted. To be with Ronan for the rest of her life. She said her vows clearly and
distinctly, looking into Ronan’s eyes. Jennifer felt very serene as he placed the ring on her finger. She was surrounded by warmth and love as her family and friends looked on and wished them
well. The priest invited them to pray that God would always bless their marriage.

Dear God, please let me never fail Ronan. Let me always be there to love and support him and let him be there to love and support me. I place our marriage in Your tender loving care to keep
it free from all harm and danger. Amen,
Jennifer prayed earnestly. Brenda had told her that she couldn’t wait for her wedding Mass to be over so she could get to the hotel and start
enjoying herself. Jennifer didn’t feel like that at all. She and Ronan had carefully picked out the Gospels and readings that moved them. They’d picked their hymns with care. As she
listened to the young soprano singing the
Ave Maria
, Jennifer was very glad they’d both put such an effort into making their wedding Mass as beautiful and spiritual as it was. She
felt it was a most special moment in her life. A moment that could never be repeated. She’d remember it for the rest of her life.

She was sorry when the priest said, ‘Now go in peace to love and serve the Lord,’ and then gave his final blessing. The three-quarters of an hour had gone by in what seemed like five
minutes.

‘Come on, Mrs Stapleton.’ Ronan took her hand. ‘Let’s go and sign the register.’

It was strange to write Jennifer Myles for the last time. It would take a while to get used to her new surname, she reflected as she signed her name and handed the pen to Ronan. He added his
signature with a flourish and then they walked back out to where their guests were waiting to follow them down the aisle.

Outside the church they were immediately surrounded. Jennifer enjoyed being hugged and kissed by the family and friends who were happy for her and Ronan. Even Mr Stapleton gave her a prim peck
on the cheek. Rachel hugged her warmly. ‘I’m really glad we’re sisters now,’ she beamed.

‘So am I.’ Jennifer hugged her back. ‘And I hope we’ll be seeing a lot of you. The guest room’s all ready and waiting.’

‘You will,’ Rachel assured her. She was wearing a drab olive green suit which made her look about forty. Jennifer promised herself that she was going to take Rachel in hand and go
shopping to buy young fashionable clothes for her.

Jennifer was ravenous by the time they finally sat down to their meal. But when she took the first mouthful of her spring lamb she was dismayed.

‘If that was a lamb, he’d had a lot of exercise,’ she heard Grandpa Myles say quite audibly. Jennifer was mortified. But her grandfather was quite right. The lamb was tough and
muttony.