Three Women (18 page)

They all burst out laughing. Mags had five kids and Jess was the first to leave the family nest. Their house was always full of drama and action and chaos, and they all enjoyed hearing about long-suffering Dan’s efforts to maintain some sort of balance in the Clinton household.

Carole told them about her husband Mike’s upcoming knee replacement. ‘I’m dreading it,’ she admitted. ‘I know that he
really
needs it and should have had it done ages ago, but he’s such a bad patient and it’s going to take months for him to get over it. He’ll be out of work for weeks, but since there is so little work for architects going at the moment, that’s fine with him. So I’ll have him stuck at home annoying me.’

‘Mike’s not that bad,’ they teased. ‘Maybe it will be nice for the two of you to get some time together, and hopefully by the time his knee is better things will have improved a bit.’

‘I had plenty of time with him last year when he got the flu. I was up and down the stairs like a skivvy with cups of coffee and hot lemon drinks and tissues and meals and newspapers. This time it will be a whole lot worse!’

Nina smiled. The girls were such fun to be around and knew they could unburden themselves with each other and not worry about it. They all loved their husbands and their kids, but nobody was perfect.

‘What about you Nina? Anything going on in your life?’ quizzed Mags as the waitress arrived with their food and passed around the plates.

‘Tom’s busy in work, away a lot travelling. Jack’s got a cute new girlfriend called Pixie – isn’t that some name! Erin and Luke are still going out, and thank heaven she still has her job, and believe it or not Mum hasn’t caused any problems for weeks. And …’

She could sense them all watching her.

‘And?’

‘And …’ She just couldn’t hold it in any more. ‘Erin has made contact with her birth mother. They’ve met twice already.’

‘Shit!’ burst out Mags. ‘What are you going to do?’

‘There’s nothing much that I can do,’ she sighed. ‘Tom and I always knew that this day would come; that one day our
children
would want to find out about their backgrounds and perhaps want to meet or reunite with their birth mothers.’

‘Oh Nina!’ Dee grabbed her hand and squeezed it consolingly. ‘It’s not going to change anything! You and Tom are wonderful parents – far better than the rest of us.’

‘Erin’s twenty-six now and totally entitled to do this,’ Nina tried to explain and seem somewhat rational. ‘She met the social worker in the adoption agency, and a counsellor, and went through things with them and then she wrote a letter to her mother.’

‘Fecking hell!’ burst out Mags.

Nina tried not to be critical or to appear too negative towards this other woman. ‘At first her mother didn’t want to meet her, but now they have met twice and seem to get on very well, and they have things in common and even seem to be a little bit alike. So now we have to wait and see what happens …’

They all were silent and Nina knew that they totally understood how she felt. It was stupid and irrational, but she couldn’t help herself feeling betrayed and wounded by what Erin was doing.

‘Erin’s a good kid, Nina,’ Dee said soothingly. ‘You’re her mum, so you know that. She’s probably just curious and once she’s satisfied her need to know, then she’ll be fine.’

‘But what happens if she and this other mother really bond and become part of each other’s lives?’ Nina asked despairingly.

‘That mightn’t happen!’ said Mags firmly. ‘Just wait and see!’

‘But if it does?’

‘Then you will have to learn to accept it,’ said Carole, ‘if you don’t want to lose Erin.’

Nina nodded. She already knew that. At night she lay awake thinking about it, making sense of it. This woman had given Nina her child years ago, and now it might be time for her to claim that child back.

They lingered over cappuccinos and cake before heading out for a tour of the shop. Nina bought some home-made brown bread and a leek and cheese bake to take home.

‘How about having lunch in that new place near me in Dalkey next time?’ she suggested as they arranged a date to meet again.

‘Nina, if you hear anything about Erin’s mother, let us know,’ begged Carole and Dee.

‘And remember, when Mike is up for visitors, Tom and I will call in to see him in the hospital,’ she offered.

Driving home, Nina was glad that she had told her friends. The whole situation was weighing her down, and poor Tom was getting fed up talking about it, saying that it was something that they couldn’t control and they both just had to learn to accept it.

ERIN HAD PACKED
her bag the night before, all ready for her romantic night away with Luke in Lough Moyne. She’d checked the place out on the internet and it looked absolutely gorgeous, a real big old Irish country house overlooking a lake, with acres of grounds and a plush swimming pool and spa area, and a restaurant run by a famous, award-winning chef.

They drove down on Saturday morning and even going up its rhododendron-lined driveway she had to admit it was beautiful. Two stone lions guarded the entrance and within minutes of checking in they were in their first-floor room with its lake view, massive bed, walk-in dressing room and luxurious bathroom. It was heaven!

‘Let’s go for a walk up round the lake,’ she suggested, ‘and then come back and grab lunch in the bar.’

Luke was fully agreeable and, holding hands, they walked past the rose garden and the area known as the Lady Moyne Walk, which brought them down the steps in front of the house to a part of the garden where the herbaceous borders were in full bloom.

‘My mum would love this!’ exclaimed Erin admiringly, taking a photo of the most amazing display of tall blue delphiniums. ‘We have them in the garden at home. Does your mum like the garden?’

‘Not really. She hasn’t the time, what with playing golf and bridge – they keep her busy.’

‘Look how close the lake seems, and it’s so peaceful.’

Luke spotted a small jetty with three boats moored. ‘Maybe one of the boats belongs to the house and guests are let use them. I’ll check it out with reception later.’

Tall reeds bordered the rest of the lake and, taking another path, they found themselves walking through a wooded area which brought them in a circle to the other side of the house, where a gardener was working in a kitchen garden filled with onions and carrots, runner beans, lettuce and chives, plums and strawberries, and old-fashioned gooseberries.

‘Probably nearly everything we eat here will come from the gardens.’ Erin thought that it was wonderful to know the produce was so healthy and fresh.

‘Come on,’ demanded Luke. ‘I’m starving!’

The bar was housed in the old library, with a feature wall of glass that overlooked the rose garden. The menu was very tempting, but Erin was conscious that they would be eating a big meal later, so she opted for the lettuce and garden herb soup and the fish cakes on a bed of rocket, which the table beside them were having and looked lovely.

After lunch Luke was determined to take her out on the lake. It was so romantic that she couldn’t help thinking of Nikki and Claire’s predictions and was nervous as hell.

Luke wasn’t used to boats or rowing, and after about twenty
minutes
Erin was in stitches laughing as he got them stuck in a bed of reeds. Instead of laughing too, Luke was annoyed and the more he tried to right the boat the worse he made it!

‘Here, let me, Luke,’ she offered, trying to take the oars. ‘I’ve spent half my childhood messing about in boats. I’ll get us out of here.’

‘I can do this,’ he insisted. ‘I’ll get us out of here.’ But Luke’s frantic efforts at rowing and trying to push off made absolutely no difference; the small boat wouldn’t budge – they were totally marooned.

‘Just let me have a try?’ she begged, sensing that his pride had been dented. She could tell he was annoyed as he reluctantly agreed to swap places and let her have a go.

A few minutes later, with a little bit of manoeuvring and getting a good pull on one oar, Erin had managed to turn them around so they were free.

Luke was not impressed. Not even a cheer!

She gave him one oar while she took the other, hoping to try to retrieve the romantic occasion, but Luke was in no mood to row and didn’t want to explore the lake any further.

‘Luke, come on – it’s fun! Please stay out on the lake for a bit longer. It’s such a beautiful day and it’s so stunning here,’ she pleaded, trying to get him to change his mind.

‘I’ve a few calls to make back in the room,’ he said importantly as they moored the boat, and he took off.

Erin stayed sitting on the wooden deck, her feet dangling in the water, watching a busy moorhen. She hated when Luke got like this; he couldn’t take any teasing, or any slight criticism. She’d give him time to cool down before she went back to the room. They had booked some treatments in the spa and she knew Luke would love them …

* * *

Luke, thank heaven, had lightened up as they enjoyed a swim in the luxurious pool and then went to sit in the bubbling, romantic outdoor jacuzzi. It was paradise here. Then, to top it all, they had both opted for a de-stress relaxing massage and pedicure. What a treat! Erin was so relaxed and tired that, back in their room, she fell asleep in Luke’s arms.

Waking up, she studied his sleeping face and wondered how she was going to survive without seeing him as much. She would miss their being able to just call in on each other and being able to do things spontaneously together. Luke had really surprised her by booking such a romantic retreat for his last weekend officially at home.

Forty-five minutes later she was dressed in a navy lace dress and her open-toed LK Bennett shoes, sipping Prosecco in the bar and studying the dinner menu when she heard a familiar voice.

‘Hey guys!’ It was Luke’s friend Ronan, from Hibernian. What was he doing here?

He was with Michelle, and before she knew it they had joined them and the waiter was leading them to a table for four in the dining room.

‘Bit of a double celebration!’ joked Ronan. ‘With Luke and I moving to the London office, it makes sense for us to share a place together until you girls move over. And take the two of you off here for the night.’

‘Sure does,’ smiled Erin. She’d kill Luke! He hadn’t said a word to her about meeting Ronan here or about him being transferred over to London too. She couldn’t believe it. So much for a romantic dinner
à deux
!

At least Michelle was nice, and the four of them soon began
to
chat as they ordered their meal and wine. The dining room was full, mostly with couples her parents’ age and one or two engaged couples who were probably checking out its potential for hosting their weddings. The waiters danced attendance on them as they worked their way through the fabulous menu and ordered another bottle of red wine.

Luke and Ronan were all excited about the move, boasting about their new jobs and their bonuses and the kind of work they would be doing instead of the more humdrum stuff they handled in the Dublin office. As the meal progressed the talk got louder and wilder and Erin wished that Luke would just shut up for a bit. Excusing herself, she fled to the ladies cloakroom and Michelle joined her there.

‘When are you moving over?’ Erin asked as she brushed her hair.

‘I’m not,’ said Michelle. ‘I’ve no plans for going to London any time soon. If Ronan wants to see me, he’s the one going to have to come home here on Friday nights. I’m working in PWC and have to finish my accountancy exams. I’m contracted to them for another year and a half at least. What about you?’

‘I’ve got a job I don’t really want to leave and a few family things going on,’ confided Erin. ‘Luke and I will just have to try to work out some kind of rota for getting together.’

Returning to the dining room, they saw an older man standing near their table talking to the guys. Nodding at them, he returned to his own table.

‘Fecking hell! How were we to know that Gordon Leonard would be here!’

‘Who’s he?’ asked Erin.

‘The senior partner, and that’s his wife with him,’ explained Ronan.

‘He told us to keep it down,’ Luke added, ‘that he didn’t want the rest of the restaurant knowing the company’s business!’

Erin had to smother her laughs. Ronan and Luke were like two schoolboys in trouble with their teacher.

The meal was delicious and they ended up with Irish coffees all round and then decided on another bottle of wine as they continued to chat at the table. A nightcap in the bar followed, and it was nearly one thirty a.m. before they eventually said their goodnights.

They were all a bit drunk, and when they got into their room Luke just literally stripped off and fell into bed. By the time Erin came out of the bathroom he was snoring loudly. So much for romance!

They had breakfast in bed. Later, they both went for a reviving swim in the pool before they checked out. Looking down at the lake and the gardens, Erin made a secret promise to return to Lough Moyne House another time …

KATE LOOKED AROUND
cassidy’s off-licence premises. In a few hours the place would be full, hopefully, with friends and customers coming along to sample the new Blue Ridge range of New Zealand wines that they were launching. They regularly had wine nights, French, Spanish and Italian, but tonight was a little bit different, as Paddy had actually managed to get the Irish agency for handling this new New Zealand wine brand. He had also invited a few fellow off-licence owners that he knew from different parts of the city and country to come along and enjoy the sampling and meet the guys from the Blue Ridge Winery, hoping that they may be interested in stocking it too. There would be some New Zealand food – she had trawled the internet for a few typical Kiwi treats to serve. There was New Zealand music and Paddy had organized that a few of the Kiwi players from their local rugby club would come along and perform the Haka, their legendary Maori dance.

Everyone had been roped in. Sean and Kevin had helped move some of the shelves to make space, and had shifted all the cheaper beers and minerals to the back of the shop to make
space
for everyone; later they would serve as wine waiters. Aisling and her friend Ruby were serving the food. Fingers crossed that the weather held so they could spill out on to the paved area in front of the shop.