My Mother's Secret (46 page)

‘We were all worried. This is a difficult day for her.’

‘Why on earth should it be?’ asked Davey. ‘It’s not about her, it’s about Mum and Dad.’

‘Yes, but …’ Roisin shook her head.

‘Steffie will be fine,’ said Davey. ‘All she needed was a good man in her life to sort her out.’

‘Davey Sheehan! Don’t be so damn sexist! I bet you wouldn’t have said that if Camilla was nearby.’ Roisin’s eyes scanned the crowd. Her brother’s fiancée was chatting to one of the neighbours.

‘Probably not,’ Davey admitted. ‘She has me under the thumb all right. But I like being there.’

‘Hopefully your wedding will be a less fraught event,’ said Roisin.

‘I hope so too,’ said Davey. ‘But Rosie, every family has its own problems, not just the Sheehans. With five marriages between them, Camilla’s parents bring a lot to the table in that regard.’

‘You’re right.’ Roisin sighed. ‘All I want is for everything to be sorted.’

‘And eventually it will be,’ Davey told her. ‘Even if it’s not exactly how you’d like it.’

Bernice didn’t know how she’d ended up standing beside Summer. One minute she and Alivia had been giggling like school kids about Steffie and Liam, the next she’d turned around and Summer was at her elbow. Bernice felt her stomach sink. The mother-to-be was as pretty as ever, her face flawlessly made up, her golden hair curled and adorned with a sparkly comb, her dress not completely figure-hugging despite the fact that she didn’t seem to have a shadow of a bump yet.

‘I believe congratulations are in order.’ Bernice knew that her clichéd words were stilted and awkward, but Summer smiled at her.

‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘It was a surprise for both of us.’

‘Are you keeping well?’

‘I was sick as a dog at first,’ Summer confided. ‘I thought I was going to die. But the last couple of weeks have been better.’

‘Have you and Carl made any plans?’

‘What sort of plans?’

‘Marriage?’

Summer shook her head. ‘That’s not on the agenda yet.’

‘I hope you’ll be very happy.’

‘I hope so too,’ said Summer. ‘But it’s difficult when the father of your child doesn’t really know his own mind.’

‘In what way?’

‘You all think I’m an idiot,’ said Summer. ‘You think that because I like to have a good time and because I work – well, worked – in a bar, and because I do some modelling, and most of all because I’m blonde, even though you also know it’s not natural – well, you think I’m a fool. But I’m not.’

‘I never thought—’

‘I’m not an idiot, and I know you and Carl had a long history and that everyone here loves you and tolerates me. I know that Carl still loves you too.’

‘He doesn’t.’ But Bernice could feel her heart beating faster.

‘He thinks he does,’ amended Summer. ‘He feels bad that the whole on-a-break thing ended up with me getting pregnant and no big showdown with you. I sometimes think he started going out with me to spite you. But I’ve got a lot of skin in the game now and I have to look after my future and my child’s future. I don’t know what’s going to happen between me and Carl, but I think we have a shot. We have fun together. I’m good for him. And I think he’ll be a good dad too.’

Bernice was silent.

‘I don’t know if it’ll work with Carl and me in the long term, but for the sake of our child I have to give it a try. So what I’m saying, Bernice, is butt out.’

It took Bernice a few moments to get her thoughts in order. And to accept this harder side of Summer.

‘I wanted a baby,’ she said. ‘He didn’t. That’s what it was all about.’

‘I know,’ said Summer. ‘And I’m sorry for you that I got knocked up and you didn’t. But there’s not a lot I can do about that now other than make the best of it. Which is what I intend to do.’

‘Good luck with that.’ Bernice tried and failed to keep an edge of bitterness from her voice.

‘I’ll need it,’ said Summer. She turned away from Bernice and plunged into the crowd again.

Bernice watched as she spoke to Poppy and then Alivia and then began to talk to Sarah. Carl’s mother had a fixed smile on her face but then Summer said something to her and she laughed. Dammit, thought Bernice, she knows what she’s doing. And if she’s managing to get Sarah on side, she’s a smarter operator than I ever gave her credit for. She watched as Carl joined them and put his arm around Summer’s waist. Maybe he wasn’t entirely happy with the situation, Bernice thought, but he was accepting it. If I’d managed to get pregnant, he would have accepted that too. But I didn’t. And it’s over. It was over from the moment we went on a break.

She dragged her gaze away from her ex-boyfriend. Time for me to accept it, she thought. Time to acknowledge that this is the last Sheehan family party I’ll ever be at. And given the way most of them tend to turn out, maybe that’s a good thing.

‘So what are you doing next weekend?’ Sean McGettigan asked Colette.

‘No plans.’

‘Fancy dinner with me?’

‘Could be fun.’

‘You’re in Dublin and I’m based in Wexford,’ said Sean. ‘How about we meet in Avoca? I know a lovely place there for dinner, and we could stay over if you like.’

‘Sounds like a plan.’

Sean grinned at her. ‘Excellent.’

Colette grinned in return. ‘Excellent,’ she said too.

Alivia was talking to Frank. She hadn’t had much opportunity to speak to her mother’s boyfriend before, but she was finding him an engaging person with a wide range of interests.

‘So you and Mum,’ she said, when there was a pause in their conversation. ‘How’s that going?’

‘Daughters are so upfront,’ said Frank. ‘My own asked me the very same question yesterday.’

‘She did?’

He nodded. ‘Sandra’s always looked out for me. She doesn’t want me to fall into the clutches of an unsuitable woman.’

‘I hardly think my mum is unsuitable.’ Alivia thought this Sandra sounded a bit of a dragon.

‘Ah, she cares about me. Same as you care about your mum. And you need to know how much I care about Lucinda too.’

‘You care about her a lot?’

‘Of course. Why d’you think I’m seeing her?’ Frank’s voice was light, but there was a serious tone behind it. ‘I like being with her. She likes being with me. We’re enjoying life.’

‘But are you looking for more than that?’

‘Have you ever seen those articles about divorced and widowed men? We all want to get married again. We need good women to keep us on the straight and narrow,’ Frank told her, a hint of amusement in his voice.

‘And you think my mother fits that bill?’

‘If she wants to,’ said Frank.

‘Don’t mess with her,’ warned Alivia. ‘Just don’t.’

‘I love her,’ said Frank. ‘Maybe when you’re older you have a different perspective on what love should be. I’m prepared to give it time if that’s what she wants.’

But as Lucinda came over to them and kissed Frank on the cheek, Alivia knew that her mother didn’t need any time at all.

Steffie rejoined the party a little later, while Liam divided his time between the kitchen, the bar and the guests. Nobody said anything to her about her disappearance into the night, and she took part in the celebrations with a lighter heart than she’d had for a long, long time. Every so often Liam would join her for a while, and each time he did, she felt herself fall in love with him a little more. Although maybe that’s because it’s a wedding, she told herself. It envelops you in all sorts of soppy romance, and I can’t let myself be carried away by romance.

But it was hard not to.

The party broke up after one, and the waiting staff began to clear the tables. The taxis Pascal had arranged to take the guests to the hotel most of them were staying in had arrived, and people were transferring their cases from their own cars, then coming back to hug Pascal and Jenny and thank them for a lovely day.

‘I’ll be in touch,’ said Sarah. ‘Maybe we could do a girls’ day, you, me and Lucinda.’

‘Sounds good,’ said Jenny.

‘Fabulous party,’ said Summer. ‘Hope to see you again soon.’

Everyone was telling them it was a fabulous party. Everyone was saying what a good time they’d had. And Jenny supposed that it had been a great day, if you discounted the fact that she’d messed up with her younger daughter before she’d even resolved their first crisis.

‘You’re staying in the B and B next door, aren’t you?’ Roisin said to Steffie as she came back from her own car with Steffie’s overnight bag. ‘With Bobby and Tom.’

Steffie nodded.

‘Here you are.’ She put the bag down in front of her.

‘Thank you,’ said Steffie. ‘What time are you heading back to Dublin tomorrow?’

‘I was hoping you’d all come for brunch.’ It was Jenny who spoke, her voice hesitant. ‘You and Davey and Roisin – and your other halves and families, of course. Around half-eleven, twelve? I was going to do a full Irish.’

‘Sounds good to me,’ said Davey. ‘I’m trying to wean Camilla off soused herring and on to sausages.’

‘He hasn’t succeeded yet,’ said Camilla.

‘I don’t have herring,’ said Jenny. ‘But I have cold meat and cheese.’

‘Perfect,’ said Camila.

‘And we’ll be there too,’ Roisin told her mother.

‘Steffie?’ Jenny looked at her younger daughter.

‘I don’t know yet,’ she said.

‘You’re coming home with us,’ Roisin pointed out. ‘So you should be there. Save us having to detour to pick you up.’

‘I’ll text you,’ said Steffie.

‘That’s grand.’ Pascal put his arm around Jenny. ‘We don’t have to have everything set in stone now when we’re all exhausted after a long day. Hopefully you’ll make it, Steffie. I’m sure Bobby or Tom would be happy to drop you off at Aranbeg.’

‘I’m sure they would,’ she said.

‘We’ll expect you,’ said Pascal. ‘But don’t panic if it doesn’t work out. Liam, you’re welcome too. We’d be delighted to see you, especially after you did us so proud today.’

‘Thank you, Mr Sheehan,’ said Liam.

‘Our taxi is here, so we’d better go,’ said Pascal.

Roisin and her family, Davey and Camilla, and Pascal and Jenny went outside. The snow was still falling, but half-heartedly now, barely making a difference.

‘See you tomorrow,’ said Pascal as he helped Jenny into the car.

‘See you tomorrow,’ said Steffie as they drove away.

‘I suppose I’d better make tracks to Mrs Brannigan’s,’ Steffie told Liam when everyone had gone. ‘Tom and Bobby have a key to the guest house, but I didn’t get one because Roisin insisted on going straight to the castle.’

‘So where’s your stuff?’ asked Liam.

‘Oh, I took my overnight bag from her earlier,’ said Steffie. ‘It’s behind the coat stand.’

Liam glanced around and saw it.

‘So I’ll head off now,’ said Steffie.

‘I bet they’ve all gone to bed,’ said Liam. ‘Mrs Brannigan won’t thank you for ringing the doorbell at this hour.’

‘I told Bobby to wait up for me,’ Steffie told him.

Liam gave her an enquiring look.

‘He and Tom were going to have a cup of tea before turning in for the night,’ Steffie said. ‘Apparently it’s their ritual.’

‘I have a much better ritual than that,’ said Liam. ‘At least, when gorgeous ice princesses are around.’

‘Oh?’ she said. ‘What would that be?’

‘Do you really have to ask?’

She looked at him.

‘Text Bobby,’ said Liam. ‘Tell him you’re staying with me.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Of course I’m damn sure,’ said Liam. ‘I’ve never been surer of anything in my whole life.’

He waited while she tapped out the message. Almost immediately, her phone pinged with a reply. It was a thumbs-up emoji.

‘Now that we have that …’ Liam scooped her into his arms again. ‘I have plans for you tonight, Steffie Sheehan.’

‘I look forward to helping you fulfil them,’ she said as she wrapped herself around him and he carried her up the stairs.

Chapter 42

Despite the fact that it was after two before they got to bed, both Jenny and Pascal woke at their usual time of eight o’clock the following morning when the central heating gurgled into life. They snuggled up to each other for a while before Jenny finally got out of bed and pulled her dressing gown around her. She looked out of the window. The rising sun was casting a pale pink light over the snow-covered garden, where a small flock of birds were feeding on the bread that she had thrown out for them when she and Pascal had arrived home the previous night.

‘You OK?’ he asked as he stood behind her and put his arms around her.

She nodded.

‘It was a good day yesterday,’ he said.

‘I hope it’ll be a good day today.’ She turned to him. ‘D’you think Steffie will show up?’

‘Even if she doesn’t today, she will eventually. All she needs is time.’

‘I know. But life’s short, Pascal. And it’s such a shame to waste it being angry. Not that I don’t understand it, of course. If only …’

‘If only,’ he said. ‘Two of the most futile words in the English language.’

‘You’re right.’ Jenny leaned her head against his shoulder. ‘Doesn’t stop me wishing things had been different.’

‘And that’s a waste of your energy,’ he told her. ‘As you’ve told me on any number of occasions.’

She smiled suddenly. ‘I’m usually the one offering the clichéd advice,’ she conceded. ‘And you’re right. I need to deal with things the way they are, not the way I want them to be. All the same …’

‘Give her time,’ repeated Pascal.

‘If we hadn’t barged in on her and Liam Kinsella …’ Jenny sighed. ‘Mind you, I don’t know who was more embarrassed, me or her.’

Pascal chuckled. ‘Parents are there to embarrass their children,’ he said.

‘I always thought I’d be the sort of parent who didn’t,’ Jenny told him. ‘I wanted to be cool and understanding and down-with-the-kids. I guess I’ve turned into my mother after all.’

‘You’re nothing like your mother,’ Pascal assured her. ‘And even if you’re not down-with-the-kids now, you were a pretty cool mum to them when they were small. Maybe it’s more commonplace these days, but back then, no other mum allowed their kitchen walls to be painted with their offspring’s handprints.’

‘God, yes, that could’ve been a terrible disaster,’ recalled Jenny. ‘But it actually looked quite good in the end.’