Chapter 27 #2
‘“Our lot”,’ Maureen quoted as they walked down the street. ‘That means the horsey set in the old country houses around Enniskerry.’
‘Well, why not?’ Ciara asked. ‘We need customers whatever their circumstances.’
‘We do. And we’ll look up books about ponies and horses for the horsey children,’ Maureen agreed, taking Ciara’s arm, sighing. ‘What a day it’s been. I feel quite faint after all of that.’
‘Me too,’ Ciara said.
‘By the way,’ Maureen started. ‘Have you heard from Ronan?’
‘Not since that day at Powerscourt,’ Ciara replied.
‘I’m sorry to hear that. I thought he might be in touch after a while,’ Maureen said.
‘You started the drama with Elaine,’ Ciara cut in. ‘I’m sure she’ll never want to see us again.’
‘Maybe,’ Maureen said. ‘But I thought she needed to be told. Of course I got the wrong end of the stick altogether and upset her. Oh dear, what have I done? Your friendship with Ronan will suffer as a result.’
‘It was doomed anyway,’ Ciara replied glumly.
‘That makes me sad.’ Maureen stopped to look at a house with whitewashed walls behind a well-trimmed hedge. ‘That’s Paul Murray’s home. Looks very tidy. But what an irritating man he is.’
‘But he was flirting with you,’ Ciara said, poking her elbow into Maureen’s side. ‘I think he fancies you.’
Maureen’s cheeks turned pink. ‘Not at all, he just wants everyone to fawn over him. Such an ego tripper. All he wanted was to announce the publication of his memoir. I’m sure he didn’t mean all he said about the bookshop.’
‘I bet he did,’ Ciara argued. ‘He made a lot of sense, I have to admit. If he launches his memoirs from our shop, it would mean great publicity. He was once a huge celebrity, wasn’t he? And you were one of his fans. Admit it, Ma.’
‘Oh, all right,’ Maureen said, looking flustered. ‘Of course I was, along with all my friends. He has a beautiful voice and he was so good looking.’
‘Still is in that silver fox way,’ Ciara teased.
‘Oh, stop all that nonsense,’ Maureen chided as they arrived at the bookshop. ‘I’m too old for flirting or meeting men. Your father was the love of my life and I’ll never forget him.’
‘Sorry. I was just teasing you,’ Ciara said, chastened by her mother’s words.
Even though she thought Ma shouldn’t spend the rest of her life alone, she realised that her parents had had a wonderful, loving marriage that her mother would never forget.
‘Please forget what I said. I was just being silly.’
‘It’s forgotten,’ Maureen soothed. ‘I know you were just joking.’
‘Of course I was.’ Ciara opened the front door. ‘But here we are. I have to let Brian out and then we should think about dinner. But before we go in, I have something to tell you.’
‘More drama?’ Maureen asked.
‘In a way. Do you remember the old lady I was talking to at the party?’
‘The one sitting on the sofa?’ Maureen asked.
‘Yes. Wait till I tell you who she is.’ Ciara was about to tell Maureen about Nuala and how she had been present at her father’s birth when her phone suddenly rang. Surprised, she took it out of her pocket. ‘It’s Ronan,’ she said as she saw the caller ID. ‘I hope nothing has happened.’
‘You’d better respond,’ Maureen said. ‘I’ll see to the dog.’
Ciara quickly answered, still standing outside the door. ‘Hi, Ronan. What’s up?’
‘Everything,’ Ronan said, sounding elated. ‘You have no idea what’s happened to me.’
‘Tell me quick,’ Ciara urged. ‘I can’t take any more drama.’
‘Yeah, well, it’s about Elaine. She has been very angry with me for how I felt about her injuries.
She’s told me off for turning myself into some kind of victim.
She said she never really blamed me for the accident and I shouldn’t have done that either.
She said we have to make some serious changes in both our lives. ’
‘Go on,’ Ciara said, anxious to hear more. Ronan sounded practically drunk with happiness.
‘She said that she wants to change everything and that she wants to get a full-time carer,’ Ronan explained.
‘Then she said that I have been looking after her long enough and now it’s time I have a life.
So once we get that person to care for her, I can leave.
In fact, she said she wants to throw me out of the house.
’ He drew breath and let out a laugh. ‘Do you realise what this means?’
‘Wow,’ Ciara said. ‘How fabulous. We’ll be able to…
’ She stopped, feeling awkward. I can’t take for granted that he’ll want us to be together, she thought.
He’ll want to meet his friends, go to parties, get drunk, flirt with other girls and do all the things he couldn’t for so long.
This is not about me, it’s about him. ‘That’s great, Ronan,’ she said out loud. ‘I’m so happy for you.’
‘I knew you would be,’ Ronan said. ‘I can’t wait for it to happen. I feel as if I’ve been in prison for eight years.’
‘And so you have,’ Ciara said. ‘What’s the first thing you’re going to do?’
‘I’ve been thinking about that,’ Ronan said. ‘And I know what I must do as soon as I can.’
‘What’s that?’ Ciara asked, hoping he’d say he’d want to see her. The memory of that kiss in the dark passage at Powerscourt that day three weeks ago was still so vivid she could nearly feel his lips on hers and his arms around her for that brief moment before they had pulled apart.
‘I must call Angela. The girl who texted me when we had the accident. My then girlfriend, I mean.’
‘Why?’ Ciara asked, not really wanting to hear the reason. He was probably going to see if this girl was still available. Maybe they had been very close and now he wanted to reignite the flame?
‘Because she…’ Then the signal waned and there was a buzzing sound before it died completely.
Then Maureen reappeared, looking upset. ‘Ciara, Brian is missing. I can’t find him anywhere.’