Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
‘Hello, wh-what is all this about?’ Marian stammered, looking at the two men.
Theo smiled and held out his hand. ‘Don’t look so scared, sweetheart. Come and sit down and I’ll tell you what I’ve done.’
‘I think you’ll be pleased,’ Noel said.
‘Okay,’ Marian said, and, her knees shaking, sank down on the chair beside Theo, feeling confused as she tried to return Noel’s smile. ‘Please explain what’s going on.’
‘I’m buying a house,’ Theo said. ‘And I want it to be put into both our names.’
Marian blinked and stared at him. ‘You’re buying a house? How? I mean, where? And what kind of house? How can you afford it?’ she babbled on, trying to take in what he had just said.
‘I’m selling the business in Brisbane,’ Theo explained. ‘Frank wants to buy it. That was already in the pipeline when I left, actually, but I hadn’t decided yet. But now that I’ve been here a while and—’
‘You’ve been here less than a week,’ Marian protested. ‘How can you decide anything in such a short time?’
‘I know it seems a rushed decision,’ Theo agreed.
‘But I’ve been thinking about it for a while.
Before you left, as a matter of fact. I know how homesick you’ve been and I also know you’ve tried your best to settle down in Australia.
But that didn’t work and you’ve been miserable.
Then, when you left, I realised you never wanted to come back, so I decided to follow you here and see if it would be a place where we could both be happy. ’
‘And you found that it is?’ Marian asked.
‘Yes,’ Theo said and took her hand. ‘I hadn’t planned to buy a house or anything; I thought I could rent something and then if we managed to patch things up between us, we could look for somewhere.
But then I got a tip about this little house for sale that seemed so perfect.
I thought it wouldn’t do any harm to take a look.
So I did and I was completely bowled over by it. ’
‘Where is this house?’ Marian asked, still taken aback by Theo’s swift turnaround. She had feared he was about to talk her into coming back to Australia with him, but now he was buying a house in Dingle?
‘It’s on the top of the hill, above town,’ Theo replied. ‘Within walking distance from here. The views are heavenly.’
‘I can imagine,’ Marian said, trying to understand what was happening. ‘So now you want to stay?’ she asked. ‘With me?’
‘Of course,’ Theo said, squeezing her hand in a tight grip.
‘When I arrived you were so on your guard and ready to fight for your rights to stay here. I was going to stand my ground and give you an ultimatum. But then… last night, we…’ He stopped and glanced at Noel. ‘We got back together, you see.’
Noel cleared his throat. ‘Er, I think maybe I’ll go and get myself a cup of tea and leave you to discuss this. I have a feeling you need a little privacy right now.’
‘Yes, maybe,’ Theo agreed. ‘Thanks, Noel.’
‘I’ll be outside,’ Noel said as he got up. ‘Give me a shout when you’re ready to sign.’
When the door closed behind Noel, Marian turned back to Theo.
‘Are you really serious about staying here and buying a house and all that? If you do, it has to be for good. I don’t ever want to move again.
If you want to go to Australia for a visit, I’ll come with you.
But you know I can’t ever be happy there.
You have always been impulsive, jumping into things without any plan or safety net, so that’s why I’m a bit hesitant about this. ’
Theo kissed Marian’s hand. ‘I know all that, my darling. You know me so well. But this is not based on some wild impulse; it’s a feeling I’ve had for some time, you see. Helen, you know, my friend who’s been giving me a lot of advice—’
‘Oh, please, let’s not bring her into this,’ Marian exclaimed and snatched her hand from Theo’s grip. ‘Whatever she said has nothing to do with me.’
‘Well, in this case she made a lot of sense. But I won’t mention it if it upsets you. I’m a little tired of her, to be honest,’ Theo confessed. ‘She’s just a wannabe psychologist, really. So we can forget about her from now on.’
‘That’s a relief,’ Marian said. ‘Now let’s get back to you and the house. Can you show me a photo or something?’
‘I have some pictures of it on my phone,’ Theo said and picked up his mobile from the desk and showed Marian a photo of an old house in the middle of an overgrown garden.
She looked at the photo for a moment, then swiped to see the interior of the house, which was charming but not in a very good state of repair. ‘It needs a lot of work to make it comfortable,’ she remarked.
‘I know. But I can do a lot myself, as you know,’ Theo replied.
‘Maybe.’ She studied the photos for a while and understood immediately why Theo had fallen in love with it.
The little house was a cottage with a slate roof, some of which were missing.
The windows were old fashioned and she could see that they would have to be replaced and the facade repainted.
There was a front garden with a gnarled apple tree and hydrangea bushes.
The grass was knee-high and the weeds poked through the gaps in the concrete path that led to the red door where the paint was flaking off.
The house, judging by the plan, had two bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen large enough to become a kitchen-diner.
And when Marian saw the photos of the old cupboards and the flagstone floor, the larder, the bedrooms, the largest of which had a bow window with stunning views of the town, the harbour and the ocean beyond, she was just as smitten as Theo had been.
She handed the phone back to him with a brilliant smile.
‘Now you have me nearly in tears. It looks fabulous.’
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. ‘I knew you’d love it.’
Marian chuckled. ‘Of course you did. I’m a sucker for cute old houses. And that view is to die for. The work to do it up will be hard, but fun. I know how good you are at that sort of thing.’
‘It’s going to be so great for us both,’ Theo said. ‘Remember the old apartment we lived in when we were first married and had no money?’
‘Yes,’ Marian said, as the memory of their very first home popped into her mind. The flat in the least fashionable part of Dublin had been the only one they could afford. ‘You worked so hard to make it comfortable.’
‘So did you,’ Theo reminded her. ‘Despite being pregnant. But you really helped a lot with painting and decorating. We were such a team then, and now we’ll do it again.’
‘We’re a little older, though,’ Marian pointed out. ‘I’m not sure I can cope with a lot of hard physical work.’
‘Of course you can,’ Theo countered. ‘You look very fit. And you’ll be fitter still by the time the house is finished.’
‘Or dead,’ Marian joked.
‘We’ll survive. So what do you think?’ Theo asked. ‘Will we buy this house? It’s going for a song, so we can well afford it.’
‘It’s a wonderful new start for us.’ Marian leaned over and kissed Theo, suddenly overwhelmed with a new-found love for this man who was willing to sacrifice everything for her – even his country.
That was not something she could do but Theo was different.
He had that enterprising spirit and was not afraid to try new things or live in another country.
But then Ireland and Kerry were much easier to cope with.
The friendliness of the people and the mild climate were things that made moving here a very soft landing for any stranger wishing to settle in.
‘Just one thing before I agree to sign this contract.’
‘What?’ Theo asked.
‘I’d like to see the house. Just to find out if I get the feel of home.’
Theo smiled. ‘Yes, that’s a good idea. Of course you must see it as you’ll be part owner. Silly of me to think you’d sign just like that before you’ve even been there.’
‘Yes, but you were so carried away by it,’ Marian said.
‘I know that’s what happens with you when you get enthused by something.
I love the idea of us buying an old house and doing it up.
I think it’s the only way we can get back what we had all those years ago.
I also love you for being willing to sell the shop and move back to Ireland. It’s our only chance, I think.’
Theo nodded. ‘Yes, that’s what I figured out too.’ He rose from his chair. ‘Come on, we’ll tell Noel you want to see the house. We can sign the contract later.’
They went out to the reception area where they found Noel making tea in the kitchenette. ‘Oh,’ he said. ‘You’ve finished your chat. Do you want tea?’
‘No thanks,’ Theo said. ‘But Marian wants to see the house before she signs anything. So we’ll go and take a look and then make another appointment for the signing.’
Noel nodded. ‘Of course. I thought it a little odd that Marian hadn’t seen it. Give me a shout when you’re ready.’
‘We will,’ Marian said. ‘Come on, Theo. Lead the way. Is it far?’
‘Only five minutes on foot,’ Theo promised.
‘Five minutes for you means fifteen minutes for anyone normal,’ Marian said, laughing.
She was right. It took them a little more than fifteen minutes to reach the top of the hill where the little house stood in the garden with the old apple tree that had a lot of fruit hanging from its branches.
‘What a crop,’ Marian said and plucked an apple from the tree and then bit into it. ‘Very sweet,’ she said, munching.
Then Theo opened the door which creaked loudly. ‘Please come into our castle, my queen.’
‘Oh,’ Marian said, surprised. ‘Are we allowed to go inside without the agent being here?’
‘The door wasn’t locked,’ Theo said. ‘I was here this morning for a viewing and she said I could come back if I wanted. The owner lives abroad, but he’s staying here at the moment. She said he had gone to Cork for a few days, though, so we won’t disturb anyone.’
‘Okay,’ Marian said and stepped inside. ‘If you’re sure it’s okay.’
‘I swear.’
Marian found herself in a small porch with wainscoting on the walls and an old hallstand with a cracked mirror and hooks for coats and umbrellas.
‘I hope we can keep that,’ she said. ‘I’d love to do it up.
’ She continued into the living room where the floorboards creaked with every step she took.
She went to the window and looked out at the view which was even more stunning in real life.
She sat down on the old window seat and kept looking out to sea, then turned and looked around the room that had a sagging sofa in front of the period cast-iron fireplace.
She sat there for a while, breathing in the slight smell of damp mixed with a flowery smell from a dried flower arrangement that was falling apart on the mantelpiece.
The room had a tranquil atmosphere and she felt a calm come over her, as if the house was whispering ‘welcome home’ into her ear.
‘Oh,’ she said, looking at Theo. ‘I get “the feel” here. A kind of peace that seems to settle on my shoulders.’
‘I know,’ Theo said looking happy. ‘I felt it, too, when I was here this morning.’
Marian got up from the window seat. ‘I’ll just take a look at the kitchen and then we can go. No need to see the bedrooms if the owner is still living here. We can see them later.’
The kitchen turned out to be charming even though it needed a serious update.
But Marian loved the flagstones, the solid oak doors of the cupboards, the larder, the little wood-burning stove and the view of the small back garden through the old window.
The tap was dripping into the old basin and there was a smell of cooking from the old gas cooker that had seen better days.
The Formica-topped kitchen table seemed to be from the 1950s and the old fridge older still.
Dishes drying on the old sink confirmed that someone was living here despite the decrepitude of the house.
She spotted a brochure on the floor as Theo walked away.
Thinking that he must have dropped it, Marian picked it up, deciding to look at it later.
‘Are you sure you don’t want to see the bedrooms?’ Theo asked as she walked out of the kitchen.
‘Yes,’ Marian said, feeling suddenly uneasy about prowling around someone’s house, even though they were planning to buy it. ‘I think we should go. I love the house, though. It’s perfect for us, I think.’
‘So you want us to buy it?’ Theo asked, looking anxious.
‘Yes,’ Marian said. ‘I do.’ She went to his side and put her arms around his waist, hugging him tight.
‘It’ll be a new adventure for us.’ She felt a surge of joy as she saw the light in his eyes.
This house felt like a gift that would rekindle their love for each other and give them a project to work on.
It wouldn’t be easy and they would have many arguments but it would be exciting and new.
‘I’ll stay in the flat and come over and help you after work,’ she suggested.
Theo nodded, holding her tight. ‘Yes. I can live here while we’re working on it. And here’s another bit of good news. I have a job. Only part time at first but once the house is up and running, it’ll be full time.’
‘A job?’ Marian asked. ‘Doing what?’
‘Plumbing,’ Theo replied with a grin. ‘I’m a qualified plumber, after all. I’m going to work for Dominic. He says he’s in desperate need of a plumber. I’m starting next week.’
‘Oh, that’s so perfect,’ Marian said, near tears with happiness. ‘All my wishes coming true at last. I’m nearly scared something is going to ruin it.’
‘Nothing can,’ Theo assured her. ‘Now let’s go and arrange to get that contract signed and pay the deposit.’
‘I can’t wait,’ Marian said, taking his hand and pulling him along with her out of the house. She stopped just outside the door as a car pulled up by the little gate.
‘That must be the owner arriving home,’ Theo said. ‘Maybe we should say hello?’
‘Yes,’ Marian said. ‘Why not?’
But she froze as she saw the man getting out of the car. Oh no, she thought, her heart contracting. Not him. Why didn’t I realise whose house this must be?