Chapter 30
THIRTY
It had started to rain as they walked back through the woods, calling Brian and whistling, but there had been no sign of the dog.
‘Oh, Ma. I’m hoarse from shouting his name,’ Ciara complained.
‘And I’m so tired and cold. We have to go home and see if he’s come back and get something to eat. I’m starving.’
‘Of course we should,’ Maureen agreed as they hurried back to the van. ‘And we’re getting wet and it’s freezing. Let’s go back and make some kind of plan.’
They climbed into the van and drove back down the bumpy lane, the rain smattering against the windscreen.
Ciara felt a sense of hopelessness as she stared into the dark, wet night, wondering where her beloved dog might be.
‘Tired and muddy and hungry, poor pet,’ she mumbled to herself. ‘Oh Brian Boru, where are you?’
‘He’ll come back,’ Maureen soothed. ‘If he has run off because he was chasing a rabbit, he’ll turn around as soon as he starts getting hungry.’
‘He might be stuck somewhere,’ Ciara argued. ‘I shouldn’t have left his collar on. If he’s hurt, it’s all my fault.’
‘You couldn’t have known he was going to run away,’ Maureen protested. ‘Please don’t blame yourself. What good does that do? I think we should call the guards and report him missing. After all, he’s a purebred wolfhound and might be valuable.’
‘Good idea,’ Ciara said as they arrived outside the shop.
‘He’s microchipped and easy to identify should they find him.
’ She pulled up and was about to turn off the engine as a car drove towards them and stopped in front of the van.
Ciara stared at the figure illuminated by her headlights.
Was she seeing things or was that really…
‘Ronan?’ she said, confused. ‘What’s he doing here? ’
‘He’s come to help you look for Brian,’ Maureen said. ‘I called him earlier when I got a signal beside the tower. It’s better there for some reason.’
‘You called him?’ Ciara turned off the engine and got out of the car. ‘Hi,’ she said to Ronan. ‘I didn’t know Ma had called you. It must have been a bit of a pain to drive all the way here for a dog.’
‘Of course not,’ Ronan assured her. ‘I wasn’t doing anything important anyway and Aino is staying with Elaine tonight. In fact,’ he added, ‘I think Aino will be the carer we’re looking for. She and Elaine have become very close through the years. So fingers crossed that it will work out.’
‘So it’s really true?’ Ciara asked, noticing the new light in his eyes as they met hers. ‘That your mother has finally made you see what you’ve been doing to yourself?’
Ronan nodded and pushed at his glasses. ‘Yes, It’s true.
I’ve realised that I’ve been punishing myself too much.
I meant to talk to you about – a lot of things,’ he ended.
‘But that can wait. We have to find Brian first. That’s the most important issue right now.
You won’t be able to deal with anything else until you have him back. ’
‘No, I won’t,’ Ciara said, touched by his empathy and understanding.
‘But hip hooray for your mother, all the same, I have to say.’ She shot him a grateful smile and wondered if he was only doing this because Maureen had asked him.
If only, she thought, he wants to help me because he’s beginning to feel more than just friendship…
But wishing won’t make it happen, so if that’s all he wants, I have to be happy with just being with him.
‘Amazing that she’s made that decision so soon after…’ Maureen stopped. ‘Oh, never mind. I’ll go and make something for us to eat. Have you had dinner, Ronan?’
‘No, but I’m fine,’ Ronan assured her.
‘If you haven’t had dinner I’ll rustle up something before you go out to look for the dog,’ Maureen said in a voice that didn’t allow argument. ‘There’s a lamb casserole in the new freezer and there’s plenty for all of us.’
‘Sounds great, Maureen,’ Ronan replied.
‘Let’s get out of the rain,’ Maureen said and led the way through the entrance door. Ronan followed Ciara and then closed the door behind him.
While Maureen hurried up the stairs, Ronan pulled Ciara aside and looked at her in the dim light of the lobby. ‘What was that your mother said just now? She said it was strange Elaine made the decision so soon after – what?’
‘After Ma told her off for keeping you prisoner,’ Ciara replied.
‘They had a talk that day at Powerscourt. She didn’t say exactly that, but it was what she meant.
I think she warned Elaine that you would begin to hate her eventually, if you don’t already, and that she had to set you free if she didn’t want to lose you.
But of course, Ma didn’t understand that Elaine wasn’t to blame.
It was your own feelings of guilt that caused the situation you were in.
It was all a huge misunderstanding.’ Ciara stopped, breathless and awkward.
‘Sorry, it’s none of my business and certainly not my mother’s either. ’
‘No, but I think I can forgive her. She was the one who made it all happen in the end. She shone a light into our lives and then I saw how wrong I’d been,’ Ronan said with an amused look in his eyes.
Then he shook his head and smiled. ‘Wow. Okay so that was what got Elaine to think hard about what I was doing to myself. She was so quiet during the drive home after lunch. I though she wasn’t feeling well or that the trip had tired her out, but now I know what was bothering her. ’
‘I must say I admire her,’ Ciara said. She met Ronan’s earnest hazel eyes and felt a surge of admiration for him as well.
He had cared for his mother for eight years without complaint and looked after her with great empathy.
And now that he was free, he was able to admit that it had been all his fault.
‘I didn’t like her for what I thought she did to you, but I had no right to be critical.
I wasn’t there and I didn’t know the circumstances other than what you told me.
Then I judged her and felt real dislike for her. That was so unfair.’
‘Maybe. It’s been very hard at times to deal with what happened that day.
’ Ronan’s eyes were full of pain for a moment.
Then he brightened and smiled tenderly at Ciara.
‘You’re very sweet,’ he said softly and placed a light kiss on her cheek.
‘I wanted to tell you something, but now we have to eat and then go and find Brian.’
‘You’re right,’ Ciara said, her cheeks hot after the kiss. ‘In any case, I’m such a mess, with my hair wet and my jeans covered in mud.’
‘You’re lovely. But look,’ Ronan said as his gaze drifted away from her. ‘The back door is open.’
Ciara looked at the back door that was ajar and shivered in the chilly draught through the opening. ‘I know. We meant to close it but forgot when we rushed out to look for him. He must have escaped through there.’
‘Could have been the wind, though,’ Ronan suggested. ‘There were strong gusts when it started to rain.’
‘I must have forgotten to lock it,’ Ciara replied. ‘But come on, let’s eat.’ She closed the door and started up the stairs with Ronan at her heels. ‘You seem sure we’ll find him. I was about to lose all hope but then you arrived and made me feel a lot better.’
‘That’s good. You have to stay positive.’
‘Ma said we should call the guards,’ Ciara continued when they were on the top landing. ‘But it’s hard to call anyone from here, despite our new Wi-Fi connection.’
‘The phone signal is still weak, though. We’ll go down the road a bit, towards Enniskerry,’ Ronan said. ‘The signal is stronger there. You never know, they might have found him already.’
‘I hope so,’ Ciara said. They went into the kitchen where Maureen was heating the casserole. She had already laid the table for three and now she ladled lamb, potatoes and carrots into bowls and handed them to Ciara and Ronan.
‘Sit down and eat, and then we’ll go out and look around here,’ she said.
Ronan sat down at the table, looking around the kitchen. ‘This is a very nice kitchen. I like the design of those cupboards.’
‘You should have seen it before it was renovated,’ Ciara said. ‘A total wreck.’
‘They did a great job,’ Maureen said, handing Ronan a steaming plate. ‘It has stopped raining so you won’t get wet when you go out again. Do you have rain gear, Ronan? I’m afraid we have nothing that would fit you.’
He smiled. ‘I’ve a waterproof jacket in the car, so I’ll be fine.’
Maureen nodded. ‘Good. Well, let’s eat and then we can regroup and—’
‘What was that noise?’ Ronan interrupted.
‘What noise?’ Ciara asked.
‘A high-pitched noise, like the hinge of a door,’ Ronan said. ‘Out the back somewhere.’
‘Could be the door to the old shed,’ Maureen said, as she stopped eating, cocking her head to listen. ‘The wind must have caught it. Yes, I can hear it now.’
‘I’ll go and close it when I’ve finished eating,’ Ronan offered. ‘And then we’ll head out there and do another search of the vicinity. Delicious lamb casserole, Maureen,’ he said between bites.
‘Yeah, it’s really yummy,’ Ciara agreed.
‘I’m glad you like it,’ Maureen said. ‘I won’t come with you this time, Ciara. Now that you have Ronan to help you look, I think I’ll stay here to wash up and then I’ll light the fire. You’ll need to get warm when you come back. I can hear the wind getting up again out there.’
‘Yes, it’s howling now,’ Ciara said, her eyes wide with worry. ‘Poor Brian. He hates the wind. He’s such a big chicken when it comes to bad weather.’
Maureen laughed. ‘You’re such a mother hen when it comes to that dog. He’s an animal and his ancestors lived in the forest. I’m sure he can cope with a little bit of rain and wind. I’d say he’s sheltering under a tree or in a cave right now, maybe even asleep, waiting for things to improve.’
‘Yes, but what if someone did steal him?’ Ciara asked.
‘I know I thought so initially,’ Maureen said, looking doubtful. ‘But who on earth would want to look after such a big lump of a dog?’