Chapter 18 #2
‘No, but…’ Marian stopped. She knew she had to make Theo understand that she could only agree for them to get back together if they changed the way they lived and the way he saw her.
She could no longer be his unofficial assistant who did everything while he went off to play on the beach with his mates.
But it was too complicated and would take a long time for him to change his ways.
‘Oh please, let’s not talk about that now,’ she sighed.
‘You said we should take a break from our problems today. Let’s just enjoy ourselves.
’ She started the car. ‘We’re nearly at the pub. They have great sandwiches.’
‘Okay,’ he said as they drove off. ‘No more bellyaching from me. Or awkward questions.’
‘Good,’ Marian said, momentarily calmed. ‘And tomorrow we have Pierce and Claire’s barbecue.’
‘When I’ll be sized up by the whole Fleury family,’ Theo said. ‘That’s a scary thought.’
‘I’m sure you’ll love them,’ Marian said. ‘They’re such a fun bunch, you know.’
‘Tell me about them,’ Theo said. ‘Just so I know what to expect.’
‘I will, over lunch,’ Marian promised, happy to have a safe subject to resort to instead of having to confront their marital problems.
When they were sitting at a table outside the little pub where the view of the Atlantic was breathtaking, Marian told Theo all about the Fleury family.
‘First, there is Sylvia,’ she started. ‘The most amazing woman. She’s in her mid-eighties but still beautiful in a patrician kind of way. Stylish, classy with a sharp eye and a wonderful sense of humour.’
‘I’m in love with her already,’ Theo said, biting into his ham and cheese sandwich.
‘Everyone is,’ Marian said fondly. ‘Even if she can be a bit sharp at times.’
‘That’s even more interesting,’ Theo remarked, taking a slug of his pint of Guinness. ‘Someone who is sweet and kind all the time is not that much fun in the end.’
Marian nodded and nibbled at her sandwich with mozzarella and tomato laced with pesto.
‘Sylvia is certainly not boring. Then there’s Lily and Dominic,’ she continued.
‘Lily runs the café and garden centre at Magnolia Manor. It’s behind the wall near the greenhouses.
We can have lunch there sometime next week. ’
Theo nodded, chewing. ‘Great. And Dominic? What does he do?’
‘He has a house restoration business. They do everything from building extensions to renovating, electricity, plumbing, bathrooms and so on. He also sings with a band that plays trad music in pubs on Saturday nights. ‘
‘Must be a busy guy,’ Theo remarked. ‘Does he do all that himself or does he hire contractors?’
‘I think he does a bit of both. Contractors and then some of his own workmen. Yes, they are very busy and are looking for staff all the time.’ Marian noticed a sudden glint in Theo’s eyes that hadn’t been there before.
But it was gone before she had a chance to analyse it.
Maybe it was just that he thought Dominic would be interesting to talk to.
Or was it the music? ‘We could go and listen to them tonight if you want,’ she said. ‘They’re playing in a pub in Dingle.’
‘Is that The Fiddler’s Elbow?’ Theo asked. ‘I saw some posters when I was walking past the pub near my B&B.’
‘That’s his band,’ Marian said. ‘You’ll love them. What a great idea. Why didn’t I think of it before?’
‘Because you were too busy worrying about today,’ Theo suggested, winking at her. ‘You thought I’d be pressuring you to go back to Oz, weren’t you?’
‘I was,’ Marian said. She smiled at him, sitting there, nursing a pint of Guinness, looking oddly at peace as he gazed at the lovely views and enjoyed the excellent sandwich.
He looked comfortable and happier than when he had first arrived.
It gave her a ray of hope. Maybe they could work out some kind of plan – or at least make peace?
This thought cheered her up and she looked at Theo, feeling a more positive vibe between them.
‘No pressure at all,’ Theo said, closing his eyes to the sunshine, looking like a contented cat. ‘This place is so relaxing. I just want to be on holiday from everything.’
‘Oh yes,’ Marian agreed, feeling her shoulders relax at his words.
‘That’s a good idea,’ she said and, like him, closed her eyes to the sun.
Except I can’t take a break from everything, she thought.
I still have John Peters’ novel and Sylvia’s secret to worry about.
And I never want to return to Australia. This isn’t a holiday…
‘Marian?’ a voice said in her ear.
She opened her eyes and discovered Colette, her friend from the book club, standing in front of their table. ‘Hi,’ she said, shading her eyes with her hand. ‘What a surprise to see you here, Colette.’
‘I’m here with my grandchildren,’ Colette said, gesturing at two girls sitting at the next table eating ice cream. ‘They wanted crisps and ice cream, so I gave them both.’ She glanced at Theo, who had woken up from his trance.
Theo held out his hand. ‘Hi there. I’m Theo,’ he said. ‘Marian’s husband.’
‘Oh, hi.’ Colette smiled and shook his hand. ‘I’m Colette. Marian’s friend from the book club. Nice to meet you, Theo. So you’re here on a visit from Australia?’
‘That’s right,’ Theo said. ‘But sit down and have a chat with Marian while I go in and pay.’
‘Okay, just for a minute,’ Colette said and sat down while Theo went into the pub.
‘Well,’ she said when Theo had disappeared inside.
‘I just wanted to tell you something that might upset you. It’s about John Peters’ next novel.
It was supposed to be published at the end of August, but now he has posted on his Facebook author page that he has to delay it for a month. ’
‘Oh,’ Maran said. ‘Well, I knew that. Pierce has just started working with him, actually.’
‘Really? That must be fun,’ Colette said.
‘But that wasn’t what I wanted to tell you.
It’s about the description of the book on .
It seems that…’ she paused for a moment, ‘the family in the story looks very like the Fleury family, I have to say. There are certain details that might start rumours, you see. And then there is a hint that Sylvia – or the fictional grandmother – seems to have done things in her youth that could have caused a scandal at the time if it came out.’ Colette drew breath and looked at Marian, waiting for her reaction.
‘Actually,’ she whispered, ‘I heard people talking about it in the hairdresser’s this morning. Mostly about Sylvia.’